“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” — Heraclitus
Happy Friday, Brew Nation!
Why High-Performance Leaders Need “Waste Goggles”: Mastering the Mental TIMPWOOD?
Have you ever walked through a doctor’s office or a hospital and thought, “There has to be a better way to do this?” You aren’t alone. The Institute of Medicine released a study showing that nearly 30% of our healthcare system is comprised of waste. If you’ve spent any time in a waiting room lately, you’d probably argue that number is low!
But here is the real danger: We’ve become accustomed to it.
In the world of Lean manufacturing, I often encourage leaders to put on their “waste goggles.” We’ve lived with inefficiency for so long that we stop seeing it as a problem and start seeing it as “just the way it is.” Worse yet, many leaders try to automate a bad process before they eliminate the waste within it. All that does is help you do the wrong things faster.
To become an Uncommon Leader, you have to take the blinders off—not just on the factory floor, but between your own ears.
In executive coaching and operational excellence, we define waste as inefficiency in processes that do not add value to the customer. These are things your organization might label as “necessary”, but they aren’t activities a customer is willing to pay for.
The same principle applies to our leadership mindset. We must put our goggles on and SEE the impact that wasteful thoughts have on our performance.
If our thinking is wasteful, our leadership will be, too. Here is how the 8 wastes of Lean (identified by the acronym TIMPWOOD) show up in your mindset:
The Solution: The Three F’s of Seeing Waste
If we are blind to our own mindset waste, how do we learn to “see” again? I was challenged by a message from my pastor this week, who pointed to three essential tools for clearing our vision:
- Friends: We need people who have the permission to tell us when our mindset is fraught with waste. In the Bible, Nathan the prophet had to stand before King David to point out his blind spot. David was a King, but he was blind to his own “Defects” until a friend held up the mirror. Who is the “Nathan” in your life? And more importantly, who are you being a Nathan for?
- Failures: We must be willing to both have and admit to failures. Failure isn’t a dead end; it’s a data point. Evaluating a failure is the fastest way to identify and eliminate the waste that caused it. If you hide your failures, you preserve your waste.
- Faith: We must have the belief that we can address and eliminate waste. Faith is the antidote to “Limiting Beliefs” (the Person waste) that tell us to settle for the status quo. You have to believe that improvement is not only possible but required for personal growth.
Quote of the Week
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7
Being the Uncommon Leader means realizing that your mindset is your most valuable “Center of Excellence.” If you allow it to be cluttered with the inventory of the past or the overprocessing of the future, you cannot lead with clarity in the present.
Your mission is to maintain the “tire shine” of a clear, focused mind. When you eliminate mental waste, you don’t just become more efficient—you become more present for your team, your family, and your faith.
What you need to do:
Call to Action: The “Waste Goggle” Challenge
Information without implementation is just more mental inventory. This week, pick one of these three actions to sharpen your vision and eliminate the “life-leaks” in your mindset.
I want to hear from you. Email me at coachjohngallagher@gmail.com with the subject line “TIRE” and let me know:
- The 24-Hour Goggle Audit: Pick one waste from the TIMPWOOD table (I recommend starting with Motion/Ruminating or Waiting/Perfectionism). For the next 24 hours, catch yourself every time you fall into that mental loop. Don’t judge it—just name it, then stop it.
- The “Nathan” Appointment: Reach out to a trusted friend or mentor today. Ask them this specific question: “Where do you see me overcomplicating things or holding onto limiting beliefs lately?” Give them permission to hold up the mirror.
- The Failure Debrief: Look at a goal you didn’t hit last month. Instead of ignoring it, evaluate it through the lens of waste. Did you fail because of Overprocessing? Was it a Defect in your thinking? Identify the waste so you don’t repeat the rework.
In my own practice, I’ve found that the waste I’m most blind to is often the one I’m most comfortable with. This week, I’m leaning on my Friends to help me see the Motion I’ve been calling “work.”
It’s an honor to be your trusted Friday Coffee Guy. Each week, I bring what I’m learning and living in the trenches of leadership development. If this mental TIMPWOOD audit challenged you to take off the blinders, share it with a leader who needs a “Nathan” in their life, then click subscribe. Let’s grow Brew Nation together!
Until next week—stay focused, stay lean, and finish the race with a sound mind, Champions!
