Matthew May writes about the new book Simple Excellence: Organizing and Aligning the Management Team in a Lean Transformation for American Express OpenForum readers. (from the Archives, 2010)

Big Idea: Take Henry David Thoreau’s plea to “Simplify, simplify, simplify!” and combine it with what Legendary IBM boss Tom J. Watson, Jr. once answered when asked how to achieve excellence: “Quit doing less-than-excellent work.” That’s the essence of Simple Excellence. And, although it’s easy to say, it’s much harder to do.

Key Takeaways: I’ve read most of the books related to lean thinking; still, a few important and counterintuitive ideas stuck with me because of how they were presented—simply.

For more great writing from Matt, visit EDIT Innovation…