ABSTRACT
In Lean, it is imperative that the leaders see their own success as being predicated on the success of their co-leaders. When building a Lean business strategy, people encourage companies to devise bonus structures based on overall company performance. Most leaders–even those who were initially resistant–find operating in a Lean culture stimulating and refreshing as well as personally and financially rewarding. The reporting of anomalies is particularly important when building a safety culture. In most companies, reporting problems or concerns is akin to a little death in the family–it makes others uncomfortable, and most people would rather bury them than talk about them publically. Problems, in Lean, are opportunities, not to assign blame, but to improve. Western National Construction has hit upon a formula that truly works, and it is right in line with Lean principles. Whether Vulnerability Based Trust (VBT) is exhibited is largely determined by the culture that a company's leadership has created.
