Leanism

Leanism

Learn how to find north value, then build your work and life around it.

Lean originated from Toyota to become the leading business philosophy used across all industries today. However, while countless books have applied Lean to manufacturing, startups, and operations, none has identified what true value is, despite the first principal of Lean Thinking being finding customers' "true north value."
Leanism is a practical philosophy for finding and using True North value, all the things that are genuinely worth your time, money, and attention, and removing the waste that keeps you from getting more of them.
Leanism reveals the origin and structure of value itself from a new holistic philosophy within the context of Lean, From economics and existence to life and human meaning, learn how to synthesize knowledge across all disciplines to discover what consumers most truly value, why they buy things, and thus how you can reach the greatest profit of all while serving people well.

What Leanism Helps You Do

  • Clarify what “True North value” means in your work, life, and relationships.
  • See where time, money, and attention are being quietly wasted in business and life.
  • Design simple practices and commitments that align you with what matters most.
  • Build systems that keep you oriented when circumstances and incentives pull you off course.

Who Leanism Is For

Leaders and Founders

You carry responsibility for people and capital. Leanism helps you decide what is truly worth pursuing—and what to say no to.

Professionals and Operators

You work inside complex systems. Leanism gives you a way to see which efforts create lasting value versus noise and busywork.

Individuals in Transition

You feel pulled in many directions. Leanism offers a compass for the next season of your life, not just another set of goals.

The Leanism Book

Leanism: How to Find True North Value
The Leanism book is a guided exploration of value: what it is, where it comes from, and how to recognize it amid competing demands.
Inside, you will:
  • Learn a simple language for talking about value with yourself and others.
  • Map the “value streams” in your life and work—where value actually flows, and where it leaks away.
  • Work through reflections and exercises that bring hidden tradeoffs into the open.
  • Build a personal True North statement you can return to when decisions are unclear.
Read this:

The Leanism Course

The Leanism course turns the ideas of the book into lived practice.
In the course, you will:
  • Walk through a structured process for naming your True North values.
  • Examine your calendar, finances, and commitments through the lens of value and waste.
  • Design simple experiments to realign your days with what matters most.
  • Learn with others who are also trying to live by a clearer standard of value.

How Leanism Works

  1. See clearly
      2. Notice where your energy, money, and attention actually go—and what they are buying you.
  1. Name True North
      2. Articulate the values and outcomes that are worth orienting your life and work around.
  1. Remove waste
      2. Identify habits, obligations, and systems that pull you away from True North value.
  1. Build supports
      2. Create practices, agreements, and structures that keep you aligned over time.

About Leanism

Leanism grows out of classic Lean principles, philosophical inquiry, and real-world work with complex organizations.
It is:
  • Practical: focused on decisions, tradeoffs, and next steps—not abstractions alone.
  • Honest: willing to name where value is truly created and where it is only claimed.
  • Human: grounded in the belief that value is ultimately for people, not numbers alone.
Read more here:

Stay Connected

If you want to keep Leanism close to your daily work:
  • Receive short reflections on True North value and practical prompts.
  • Hear about upcoming cohorts, workshops, and new materials.
  • Stay in the conversation as Leanism develops with its readers and students.
Get in touch: ben@leanism.org