Our First Steps Video Series continues this week with thoughts on email. People spend so much time in email, that even minor improvements can have a big impact. Do you have standard work for how you manager your inbox? Here are some thoughts on getting a quick start.

If you can’t view the video, try this link. Some companies unfortunately block all streaming video on their firewall. If this is the case for your company, you may have to view this at home.

Do you have a First Steps idea that you’d like to share? Record a video and send it to me, and we may include it in our video series.

As promised, this is our first video in the First Steps series I introduced last week. In our first video where we look for 15 minute investments in our own personal lean journeys. This installment focuses on how you can get closer to your customers inside the organization and understand value more clearly.

If you have trouble viewing the video, try the direct source on Viddler here.

This week I introduce a new weekly video series, First Steps. Sometimes the journey of a thousand steps begins with one step. Sometimes, just a shuffling of the feet. However small the investment, it is still a step in the right direction.

This video series is meant to describe small ways in which you can, or help someone else, begin your lean learning. They are 15 minute investments – there’s no excuses then. If you can’t find 15 minutes, then you probably weren’t interested in trying in the first place. While the steps are small in time, we hope they are meaningful in terms of impact and learning.

This week, all we are doing is introducing the series. We will start with content next week. And if you have some ideas, please share, or record your own video and perhaps we can share it. Or you can join our LinkedIn group where we have a great discussion going on the topic.

Sociable! book by Steve Jagger and Shane Gibson came out recently. I met Steve last year and have enjoyed watching his various entrepreneurial pursuits through social media, which is why I thought checking out the book Sociable!: How Social Media is Turning Sales and Marketing Upside Down (Amazon Affiliate link) would be a great idea. Here’s my video review:

Some people believe integrity is something you are born with, or not. I don’t believe that, simply because I’ve seen people completely change their behaviors. In this next video of the Cultural Transformation Video Series, we explore the role integrity plays in leading culture change.

How do you sustain tools such as a 5S, standard work, and more? Andy Carlino and Jamie Flinchbaugh discuss some key points to consider.

Are you a change agent who is frustrated? Good. That’s part of the job.