STANDARDS THAT STICK: Lessons from Real Floors, Real Problems, and Real Progress (It Was Never Luck)

Most operations don’t fall apart because workers don’t care, they fall apart because the system does. Constant firefighting, rushed changeovers, quality problems, overtime, weekend surprises, and “just this once” exceptions pile up until chaos becomes normal.

In Standards That Stick, Lean practitioner Dennis Jarrett shares over 35 years of real-world experience helping factories, plants, and operations build work that people can actually succeed in. From his early days sweeping chimneys to decades of working with Japanese mentors and American manufacturers, Dennis has learned one truth:

When the work is designed well, normal people perform like experts.

Through powerful shop-floor stories—soot-filled rooftops, yellow lines in Japan, broken robots, overwhelmed plants, and quiet moments of human insight—Dennis shows how simple standards restore flow, reduce stress, and protect the people doing the work.

• Spot the hidden causes of chaos, overtime, burnout, and rework

• Build standards that actually get followed (and stick long term)

• See waste, overburden, and unevenness the way experts do

• Redesign processes so people don’t need heroics to succeed

• Use small improvements to unlock big cultural change

• Lead without blaming, micromanaging, or preaching

• Create calm in places where chaos used to be normal

This isn’t theory.
This isn’t a corporate checklist.
This is Lean the way it actually works—hands-on, humble, human, and proven on real shop floors.

• Plant managers and supervisors

• Operations leaders and continuous improvement teams

• Business owners tired of running in circles

• Anyone responsible for people, processes, or performance

• Anyone who wants calm, clarity, and consistency back in the work

Whether you run a factory, a warehouse, a service operation, a shop, or a crew, Standards That Stick will show you how to design work that supports people—so your team can deliver their best work every day without burning out.

Buy your copy of Standards That Stick today and build the systems your people deserve.