Don't forget – you can enter for a chance to win a paperback version of the book through midnight tonight.
I'm excited to announce that the audiobook version of our book Practicing Lean is complete! It's available for purchase via LeanPub.com and it might be available through other channels in the future.
The audiobook is nearly seven hours of audio, which is the entire book, completely unabridged.
As per the LeanPub.com approach, you can choose your own price. The suggested price is $24.97, but you can pay as little as $9.97 — and you can pay as much as you want, considering ALL proceeds are being donated to the Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation (about $2500 so far).
Click here and choose the “Book + MP3 Audio Book” option, along with your price and you'll be able to download all of the MP3 files.
If you want just the eBook, you can also choose your own price for that… including free. You can also buy a paperback or Kindle version through Amazon.
Please share any feedback you have with me about the process or the product, the files, the quality, etc. That will allow me to continuously improve everything about this.
I implemented a “Kaizen” related to the audiobook. The files used to total about 300 MB, so I used a compression tool to shrink the files by about 70% without any noticeable loss in sound quality. Every day, a little better!
Most of the book is read by Samantha Leigh, who volunteered to do this, as she does professional voiceover and audiobook work. Thanks to her!!
Hear Mark read this post — subscribe to Lean Blog Audio
A Related Story
Last week, I found a great essay on LinkedIn, written by Sasha Neser, a Senior Associate at the Institute for Lean Systems.
It's an essay that I would have asked to include in Practicing Lean. Maybe if there's a Volume 2. This essay is completely in keeping with the themes and tone of our book… sharing reflections, mistakes, and lessons learned…
The moment I realised I was a lean imposter…. a case study on empathy
The essay starts, with emphasis mine:
“Early in my career whilst I was still learning to apply lean thinking, I was fortunate to be coached by someone who was not only skilled in the technical aspects of lean systems but also on the human side of lean and the implied respect for people.
My coach understood respect, but I on the other hand was just becoming competent in lean systems and had about as much empathy as a vulture circling a dying animal. I was a typical young, driven individual with eyes only for achieving a result. Being coached and asking to reflect was a challenging process for me. I was full of ego and good at what I did (humble also).
My first taste of being coached on empathy and having to honestly reflect on who I am was a bitter sweet experience to be sure…”
That's vivid imagery, “a vulture circling a dying animal.”
As Sasha shares, it's easy for somebody to be too focused on the tools, the problem, the results… and not focused enough on the people one is working with.
Read the rest of the essay here.
As I commented on his post, I appreciate Sasha's honesty in sharing his story. I admire his willingness to reflect, learn, and improve.
And I appreciate all of the authors of Practicing Lean for doing the same!
What do you think? Please scroll down (or click) to post a comment. Or please share the post with your thoughts on LinkedIn – and follow me or connect with me there.
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Check out my latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation:
