When Lean Becomes Unlean: A Cautionary Tale from the Inside Out

I’ve spent over two decades championing Lean. I live Lean, not just in my business, but in my suitcase, my kitchen drawers, my calendar, and even my relationship. So, imagine the irony when I caught myself recently… being unlean, while doing something very Lean.

It was during a home project. I’d paused mid-task to dig into the 5 Whys to understand why a certain corner of our spare room was always messy. “Why is there clutter here?” “Why don’t we use the space?” “Why don’t we put a shelf up?” Five whys later, I was buried in a full-on root cause analysis of our entire home lifestyle choices. I'd gone from tidying one spot to mentally re-engineering our entire domestic existence.

That’s when it hit me! Sometimes… Lean itself can become a waste.

Wait, what?! Can Lean ever be unlean?

Yes, when it’s misapplied, overapplied, or applied out of context. Just like those naturally “organised” people who cut & paste Lean tools thinking it’s all about tidy cupboards, we Lean evangelists can also fall into traps. But instead of using the wrong tool, we might use the right tool… in the wrong way.

So, let’s dig into this fun (and slightly embarrassing) territory. When does Lean, in all its tool-slinging glory, become TIMPWOOD?

1. Transport –When Cure is Worse than the Disease

I tried to reduce clutter by stashing all our mobile chargers in a single kitchen drawer and have one collective charging station.

Example: My mobile died mid-video call whilst lounging on the sofa, because I was too lazy to walk cross rooms to the allocated charging station, so I had first dash to the get an external battery charger, and by the time I returned, the chat had moved on without me.

Lesson: Don’t let the cure become worse than the disease. Strike a balance: eliminate pointless journeys, but keep your tools within arm’s reach at the point of work. I use the 80/20 rule and ended up having three charging stations minimising needless “journeys” for everyone in the household.

2. Inventory – Stockpiling Unused Lean Ideas

You’ve downloaded every template. You’ve got 4 types of PDCA worksheets. You’re saving toolkits for “when I get time to implement them properly”. Welcome to Lean hoarding!

Example: I have a folder called “Future Standardisation Ideas”. It's 6 years old. Some of those ideas were probably better off composted.

Lesson: WIP (Work in Progress) applies to Lean ideas too. Use it or lose it. Let flow breathe…I threw the whole folder away without reviewing them…I won’t miss them if I haven’t needed them for the past year, very much like clothes too!...now, I keep maximum 3 “ideas & kick one out every time I find a new idea and risk accumulation in that “bank”.

3. Motion – When Lean Gets Over-Analytical

I once charted every fork-to-mouth movement at dinner, convinced each extra bite transfer was “waste” (over-eating) I needed to eliminate.

Example: Mid-meal I piped up, “That’s my 47th lift, two more and I’ll hit inefficiency!” My family promptly banned me from the table.

Lesson: Not every motion need fixing, some are the very point of the activity. Focus on unnecessary pivots in your workflow, not on every purposeful step. Equating eating motions with “waste” misses the value in pause, enjoyment and human rhythm. Lean all analysis toward genuine friction points- like hunting for tools in the wrong place - not the simple actions that make work (or dinner) worthwhile.

4. People – When Lean Becomes People-Overkill

Lean thrives on people’s ideas and energy, but over-engaging every individual in every micro-improvement can backfire, turning empowerment into exhaustion. When every suggestion, every 5 Whys and every huddle demands universal attendance, you end up with meeting fatigue, diluted ownership and scepticism.

Example: I once rolled out a daily “Lean huddle” for every department, six stand-ups a day, each with the whole team present. The result? No uninterrupted time to do core work, and by week two attendance had dropped to two devoted enthusiasts.

Lesson: Lean is for people, but people aren’t Lean machines. Be strategic about who’s involved, invite only those whose insights move the problem forward, and empower small, focused crews rather than convening the entire workforce at every turn…however, don’t let this be used as an excuse for non-attendance!

5. Waiting – Holding Back Until It’s Fully Leanified

Here’s the trap: “I’ll start this new routine after I’ve built the perfect Lean system around it.” Sound familiar?

Example: I wanted to start meal-prepping again, but waited until I had the perfect colour-coded fridge labels, container sizing, and spaghetti Gantt chart of cooking slots.

Lesson: Just start. Improve as you go. Lean isn’t planning. Lean is doing with reflection…. I now treat new routines like recipes: try the simplest version today - no labels, no charts - then season with improvements tomorrow.

6. Overproduction of Comms – Teaching Lean When No One Asked

We love to share the gospel, but sometimes people just want to get on with it. Lean can become noise if we overexplain or force it into every conversation.

Example: I once explained Flow Efficiency at a BBQ. To a stranger. While they were chewing.

Lesson: Right time. Right audience. Right problem. Sometimes just be Lean, don’t say Lean…a HUGE problem of mine!... Now, before launching into any Lean spiel, I pause and ask, “Is this welcome right now?” If the answer’s “maybe not,” I shut myself up...or if I cannot help myself, I try to adopt the “Two-Minute Lean” rule: if you can’t explain your insight in under 120 seconds, save it for a scheduled chat!

7. Overprocessing – Trying to Perfect the Imperfect

Perfectionism, masked as standardisation, is a slippery slope. If you're rewriting your vision board for the third time because it’s not “aligned enough”… you’re overprocessing!

Example: I once spent 90 minutes choosing the right Lean font for my kitchen labels.

Lesson: Good enough is very often good enough…now, I use a “90-Second Tweak” timer or limit yourself to two revision rounds - after that, I force myself to declare “Good Enough” and move on to real value creation.

8. Defects – Misuse of Tools Creates New Problems

When Lean tools are misused, especially like 5 Whys, we can draw the wrong conclusions and build solutions to the wrong problems.

Example: I did a root cause analysis on poor sleep and concluded it was screen time. Bought blue light glasses. Actually, it was the late-night wine. Whoops!

Lesson: Make sure your “Why” isn’t actually a biased assumption in disguise…now, I assign a “Devil’s Advocate” for every root-cause session, someone whose only job is to poke holes in my logic…actually, my entire family and friends network does that!

So, What’s the Takeaway?

Being Lean doesn’t mean being rigid. It means staying awake. It means reflecting, not just applying. And most of all, it means resisting the temptation to Leanify everything just for the sake of it.

Yes, I’m a Lean nerd. But I’m also human. And sometimes, in the excitement of doing things “right,” we forget to ask, “Is this even solving a real problem?” Let’s keep each other honest. Use the tools, but don’t worship them. Lean is a mindset. The tools are only there to serve it.

And that’s our journey from “just Lean” to “too Lean”, knowing where to draw the line is how we keep our methods empowering, not exhausting. If you’re ready to tame your own over-Lean tendencies, pop over to beinglean.net or my LinkedIn page where you can subscribe to my newsletter OR, choose one habit to ditch this week, then share your results in the comments below. Let’s keep Lean light, agile and truly valuable - together.