Scott Ullman

Background

About Scott Ullman

Lean ruined my life. Prior to 2007 I was very happy being “the guy” that my coworkers would come to with their work problems and frustrations. I found great personal satisfaction in building solutions for them and they all greatly appreciated it. That all changed on a Friday afternoon in September of 2007. I was asked if wanted to attend a 2-day course starting on the following Monday because someone had backed out. Within 2 hours of the start of the course “Lean 101” I could feel a change. The best way I can describe it is that if felt like a fog had lifted and I was able to see the world in a way I never had before. Suddenly waste and non-value added activities leapt out at me; people were doing frustrating tasks simply because they had to. My world had just expanded exponentially and I realized that I was part of the problem. All this time that I was creating solutions for myself and my coworkers, I was actually adding to the confusion and noise which was hiding the real issues. By the end of those 2 days I had realized that I could never go back to the way I was… nor did I want to. I can vividly remember my supervisor’s reaction when I recounted my experience to her. She actually said “Whoa, I’ve never actually seen anyone find their passion and watch it unfold in front of me, this is so exciting!” Those 2 days changed me. I could no longer do my job, help my coworkers, or even stand in line for coffee the same way. I saw opportunities for improvement everywhere and it would make me physically anxious to witness people operating within these systems that force non-value added work to be done. I have since become part of the solution and have dedicated myself to lifting the fog on as many people as I can. Watching individuals recognize and flourish with this knowledge is one of the greatest feelings of accomplishment in my life. Lean ruined my life by revealing to me that I was part of the problem… and I couldn’t be happier.