Lean Whiskey Episode #31
Episode 31: “End a Year, End a Bottle; Start a Year, Start a Bottle”
In Episode 31, Mark and Jamie discuss the routines and practices of wrapping up a year and kicking off a new year. In that spirit, we either finish a bottle of whiskey or start a new one. We also invite three guests to share their thoughts. Past Lean Whiskey guests Jim Benson, Deondra Wardelle, and Chris Burnham join and share their thoughts on finishing up a year and starting a new one. Routines, habits, practices that help you transition the year and set up for success in the new year. Lean thinkers know the fallacy of just having good intentions, such as New Year’s Resolutions, and tend to focus more on purpose, reflection, structure, and systems. We put that hypothesis to the test by asking three 3 thinkers how they approach this time period and didn’t know in advance what they would share. 
Jim Benson talked about their discussions within his company, which take place during huddles which allow the conversation to emerge. This is much different than the once-and-done offsite approach. They are exploring how to increase collaboration, as that is certainly the central theme of their work with clients. Deondra Wardelle celebrates, which she often models for all of us. She also shared how she develops a theme for each year, which drives her plans and actions. The theme for 2022 is “laser focus” which was very intriguing. Chris Burnham, who is Senior Lean Strategy Director, KaiNexus, shared his evolution of daily practices which includes reflection, prioritization, and planning. His methods include journals and digital tools and of course, having important conversations about the right topics with the right people.
Mark and Jamie also share a bit of their perspective on the challenge, including the fact that the turning of a calendar is relatively arbitrary when it comes to performance management and continuous improvement, and Mark notes how often he sees people zero-out their measurements to start the new year (please don’t do this). Jamie observes that the open space often (but not always) created between your last and first meeting gives you more room to mentally breathe (inbox = zero helps too) which allows deep work, whether that is reflection or planning.
Cheers and best wishes to all for a healthy and purposeful 2022!
- We record this episode just after Repeal Day
- Mark’s whiskey selection: a new bottle of Yamazaki 12
- Jamie’s whiskey selection: finishing bottles of Larceny and Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon
- Jim Benson’s rum selection: Kohana Rum
- Jim Benson’s guest appearance on Lean Whiskey Episode 25, and his Personal Kanban site
- Deondra Wardelle’s whiskey selection: starting a bottle of Old Pogue
- Deondra Wardelle’s guest appearance on Lean Whiskey Episode 23, and her own company and #rootcauseracism
- Chris Burnham’s whiskey selection: finishing a bottle of Blanton’s
- Chris Burnham’s guest appearance on Lean Whiskey Episode 3, and his own podcast Lean Leadership including guest appearances by Mark on Episode 1 and Jamie most recently on Episode 62
- Mark’s post about starting the year with blank charts
- Since both books came up, we might as well mention Jamie’s People Solve Problems and Mark’s Measures of Success
- Podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or jflinch.com/leanwhiskey
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