Raising Lean Thinkers in a Lean House

How Lean Principles Can Shape Mindsets, Habits, and Culture—Starting at Home

Webinar Description

Lean thinking is often introduced in the workplace—but what if it started much earlier?

In this on-demand KaiNexus webinar, Karidja Sakanogo explores how Lean principles, values, and behaviors can be applied at home to raise thoughtful, responsible, and capable problem-solvers.

Drawing from her experience as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, consultant, and parent of four, Karidja shares real-world stories that demonstrate how concepts like standardization, respect for people, problem-solving, and continuous improvement translate naturally into parenting and everyday family life.

This session goes beyond theory to show how Lean thinking can help children develop independence, critical thinking, and shared values—while also making family life more structured, intentional, and sustainable.

Rather than treating Lean as a set of tools reserved for organizations, Karidja reframes it as a way of thinking that can positively shape behavior, culture, and leadership from an early age.

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What You’ll Learn

• Why Lean thinking is a natural fit for parenting and family life

• How standards create clarity, fairness, and independence for children

• Teaching kids to recognize normal vs. abnormal and take action

• Building habits around respect, responsibility, and problem-solving

• Encouraging critical thinking instead of providing quick answers

• How Lean values at home translate into stronger organizational cultures

Who This Webinar Is For

This webinar is especially valuable for:

• Continuous improvement, Lean, and operational excellence professionals

• Leaders focused on culture, behavior change, and long-term sustainability

• Parents interested in values-based leadership and intentional habits

• Organizations exploring how culture forms before formal training begins

Key Insight: Culture Starts Long Before Work

Many organizations struggle with engagement and behavior change—not because people resist improvement, but because habits and mindsets are deeply ingrained long before formal Lean training begins.

As Karidja explains, introducing Lean principles early helps normalize:

• Problem-solving instead of blame

• Standards as support, not control

• Respect for people as a daily practice

• Continuous improvement as a way of life

When these ideas take root early, culture change later becomes far easier—and far more durable.

About the Presenter:

Karidja Sakanogo

Karidja Sakanogo learned from a twenty-year experience in project management, operations management, customer service, and accounting.

Passionate about Lean Six Sigma methodology and fully dedicated to promoting continuous improvement approaches, her hobby consists in contributing to companies' efficiency and profitability goals. For the past years, her main challenge has been to disseminate LSS concepts, tools, and technics in West Africa by providing training sessions and consulting services.

Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB) and Project Management Professional (PMP), her educational background includes a Bachelor’s in Accounting and Finance, a Bachelor's degree in Technical Management, and a M.Sc. In Project Management. She is currently attending The Helms School of Government at Liberty University as a Ph.D. candidate in Public Administration.

Originally from Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa, Karidja currently lives in West Virginia with her husband and their four adorable kids. Impressed by the power of the values embedded in Lean culture, Karidja found beneficial to raise Lean thinkers. She is excited to share the depth and the breadth of "Raising Lean thinkers in a Lean house".