The Maverick Safety Training program is based on Todd Hudson’s Maverick Lean for Training methodology. This page will give you the basics. And, as always, if you have more questions, Todd is always happy to talk with you.

First of All, What is Lean?

Lean is a transformative methodology that enables us to maximize value in any system by eliminating waste (anything that doesn’t contribute to value). Originally developed for manufacturing, Lean today is applied to many different types of processes, including healthcare, human resources, and information technology.

Common Lean concepts include continuous improvement, the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle, mistake proofing, and waste reduction.

Lean places great emphasis on measuring results, and then using those measurements to continue improving for even greater results. It has worked miracles for many industries, improving quality in factories, patient care outcomes in hospitals, and many more.

So What About Lean for Training?

Todd Hudson, a graduate of the highly respected Motorola Lean Black Belt program, drove the implementation of Lean when he managed high tech factories. He soon learned that one of the weakest spots in most business processes was training. Inefficient and failed training not only wasted money, it endangered employees.

Looking for a solution, Todd pioneered the application of Lean to training, adapting its methods to rid training programs of waste and replace it with learning value. The results were so powerful, he eventually left manufacturing and started the Maverick Institute (now “Maverick Safety Training”) to bring his methods to organizations around the world. He has been helping organizations as a knowledge transfer expert for more than twenty years.

Maverick Lean for Training follows the basic methodology of Lean, but is uniquely adapted for the needs of training and knowledge transfer. It seeks to help people:

• Learn more quickly

• With measurably better results

• Without adding to the organization’s already high learning burden

• And without adding resources that increase costs.

Lean Helps You Eliminate Training Waste

Training waste = anything that doesn’t directly help the learner perform to objective. In the case of safety training, it’s anything that doesn’t directly reduce incidents and negative outcomes. Examples of training waste are:

DEFECTS: Training defects can be outdated or incorrect content, or errors and mistakes created when employees fail to deploy training knowledge.

DELAY: Making learners wait while content is created or classes are scheduled.

OVER-TEACHING: Teaching more content that needed to reach the learning goal or more content than the learner can handle at one time. (Yes, that 86-slide Powerpoint class is OVER-TEACHING!)

Training waste is everywhere. It is the thief that steals the effectiveness of your learning solutions.

Lean Helps You Add Learning Value

Okay, you’ve eliminated waste, now what? You pack the learning solution with learning value. Here are a few examples:

EMOTIONAL CONNECTION: When the training method helps learners connect emotionally to the content, the result is motivation and application! (See our About page for the safety shower example.)

INSTANT GRATIFICATION: Learning content should be available exactly when learners need it.

PERSONALIZED: The format, amount, and rate of learning are tailored to the individual’s needs, previous experience and specific situations they’re facing.

The Bottom Line

Lean for Training give safety professionals a powerful methodology that dramatically reduces training failures and produces measurable results.