Lean thinking with all its principles, tools, A3s, 5 Whys, Gemba walks, and continuous improvement has been my life’s obsession for the past twenty years. So deeply ingrained that it has long since crossed the boundary between my professional and personal life. For me, Lean is no longer just a method. It’s a worldview, a mindset – a way of living.
And when your life partner is also in the same profession, there’s hardly any escape from daily analysis, KPIs, and endless discussions about losses (Muda, of course!). Together we have three children each unique, each in their own way a part of our Lean world.
Our firstborn is Jaka. I like to think he chose the name himself – it suits his personality so well: bright, warm, emotionally intelligent. It’s true that he struggles to focus on subjects that don’t interest him, which can be challenging at times, but it’s precisely this energy that makes him unique. His thinking is far from linear – more like a value stream: dynamic, unpredictable, and full of surprises.
When we were expecting our second child, I enthusiastically proposed: “If it’s a girl, let’s name her Analiza!” For me, it was an obvious connection – analysis is the foundation of every improvement, every insight, every step forward. My wife raised an eyebrow and said, “Analiza? Seriously?”
Well, we’re in a marriage. A smart marriage. Which means – compromise. And so she became Liza. A softer version, but I was happy that at least part of the idea remained.
A photo of Liza riding the Crazy Frog arcade machine still makes me smile – a perfect illustration of classic firefighting: lots of movement, plenty of noise, but very few lasting solutions.
About a year later, we got another surprise – our third child was on the way. I don’t even remember clearly whether we talked about names like Jure or Andrej if it was going to be a boy. But in my mind, a new opportunity was forming: what if this time we could name her Ana? If the first try didn’t work out, maybe now we could finally get our ANA-LIZA.
But women – they usually get the final word. “No,” she said, “we already have too many Anas in the family – your mom, my mother-in-law, my aunt…” That was that. Then she offered: “Let’s go with Hanna. Hanna is a beautiful name.” And it really is.
Today, we have three children: Jaka, Liza, and our youngest – Hanna.
And every time I call the girls together – “Hanna, Liza!” – it hits me: Lean isn’t just a philosophy anymore. It’s part of our family story. A pure fusion of work and life. Maybe we didn’t get Ana-Liza, but we got Hanna and Liza. And in my world, that means the same thing: curiosity, improvement – and love.
A snapshot of our kids years ago during the holidays – a true family version of the PDCA cycle: planning their activities, checking the options, and deciding together on the next step. Learning teamwork and responsibility from an early age.
