Friday 12th September marked a milestone moment for the Lean Competency System.
A date long circled in our calendars, once a distant point on the horizon, suddenly arrived with pace as quickly as summer has drawn to a close. It was, of course, the day of our very first LCS Conference & Awards, held in Cardiff; the city that is both the birthplace and proud home of the LCS.
Our chosen stage, the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, has nurtured Hollywood greats such as Sir Anthony Hopkins and Dougray Scott, as well as local heroes such as Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones. On this special day, however, it became the home of Lean stardom, welcoming continuous improvement royalty, leaders and practitioners from across the community. To make the occasion even more memorable, we were joined by one of Britain’s best-loved Olympians, Roger Black, who brought his own brand of inspiration to the event.
The theme for the day? Just the small matter of ‘The Future of Improvement’. After a warm welcome from Catrin Archer, Head of the LCS, the conference began with an insightful keynote from Professor Maneesh Kumar of Cardiff University. He explored the importance of creating a culture where AI and human intelligence work hand in hand, reminding us that, ultimately, meaningful change must always be human-led.
For those keen to dive deeper into this topic, we’ve also published a whitepaper exploring these ideas in more detail, available to download here.
After Maneesh’s keynote, we moved into the speaker-led sessions. Across three rounds, delegates could choose from nine inspiring talks, all of which received fantastic feedback. The only challenge was deciding which three to attend!
The first session I joined was delivered by Matt Sims, who introduced his values-based framework, “The Bridge to Inspirational Leadership.” Using the analogy of a bridge helping leaders steer their teams away from the choppy waters of the ‘Sea of Discontent’, Matt powerfully illustrated how the shadow a leader casts can shape culture and drive performance. His personal stories, shared with humour and honesty, brought the framework vividly to life.
The next session was delivered by none other than John Bicheno, one of the most respected voices in the Lean community. For many in the audience, seeing him speak in person was a bucket-list moment. Alongside his own playful renditions of a few Beatles classics, John challenged us with a vital question: how should Lean be taught to develop the leaders of tomorrow?
His advice was both practical and inspiring: embrace dynamic ways of presenting Lean concepts, integrate principles from learning theory, and always recognise the individuality of each learner. This is an area the LCS will be exploring further in the months ahead, so watch this space for new content.
The final speaker-led session I attended was delivered by Pete Evans, who drew on his experience at the Lego Group to show how true performance and excellence are achieved through the alignment of purpose and strategy. His talk neatly tied together many of the themes we’d heard throughout the day, reinforcing that while purpose and strategy shape culture and guide organisational activity, it is experimentation, fuelled by innovation and creativity, that sustains success in a rapidly changing world.
It also reminded me how much I love Lego. On my desk sits a Lego duck that my 4-year-old son likes to rebuild, each time, it takes on a new form, often looking nothing like a duck at all. And yet, despite there being a “correct” way to assemble it (as the instructions insist), Pete’s message struck me: creativity and innovation are what shape the future, and we must create environments where tomorrow’s leaders are given the freedom to explore and reimagine. Now, whenever I glance at that duck beside me while I work, it will remind me not only of my son, but also of Pete, and his inspiring words. Congratulations, Pete, on a thought-provoking and memorable session.
The panel discussion was followed by our keynote speaker, double Olympic silver medallist and, as he jokingly put it, TV personality, Roger Black. With warmth and humour, Roger shared his journey from medical student to standing on the Olympic rostrum. His reflections on resilience in the face of setbacks, and on how success is shaped by mindset and context rather than societal preconceptions, offered a thought-provoking shift in perspective that resonated deeply with many of us.
Recognising these achievements is at the heart of the LCS mission to showcase the depth of talent and dedication within our community, and inspiring others to continue raising the bar.
Above all, the true highlight of the day was sharing it with our incredible community. At one point I turned to a colleague and said, “just look at how many smiling faces there are.” That sense of connection and energy is what made the event so special.
We are already looking forward to the next LCS Conference & Awards, in the Autumn of 2026; an opportunity to celebrate achievements, strengthen our community, and keep shaping the future of improvement, together.