Employee continuous growth and

MINDSET CHANGE

incubator

Building and launching a factory in such a specific place, with entirely new people – recruited almost from the street – was something no one could have prepared me for. A mix of mentalities, random competencies, and organizational chaos. Add to that a language barrier – I didn’t speak Macedonian, which in a place where furnace temperatures reach a thousand degrees and cast-iron molds weigh more than a car, meant one thing: lack of precise communication was a real hazard.

Every day brought dozens of unpredictable problems, decisions, and mistakes. Classic methods and tools weren’t enough. On paper, everything looked fine, but in practice it collided with reality – with a team mentality that was just beginning to learn what responsibility, initiative, and reflection mean. The results were short-lived. Something was clearly missing.

That’s when the idea was born: to build a system that wouldn’t be just theory, but real support for people. No paperwork. No “show” trainings. No unnecessary analysis. The goal was simple: to develop in the team a habit of action and reflection, so that morale could be systematically strengthened – every day. For safety. For order. For peace of mind. For a sense of influence.

The system was meant to be simple and completed within two months – that was the plan. The assumptions had already been well thought out and consulted with experts from around the world.

However, when we began to measure people’s behaviors and respond to them in real time, everything changed. The data clearly showed what strengthened morale, what harmed it, and what required change. We eliminated what didn’t work. We reinforced what did. And so – day after day – two months turned into six years.

Meanwhile came the pandemic. Then a crisis. Then war. But these events allowed us to verify our system under the toughest possible crisis conditions for any organization.

Today I know one thing: a real increase in morale and the ability to shape a culture of proactivity and everyday behaviors are powerful tools for any leader to steer a company in the desired direction.

Initially, this was supposed to be a small, internal solution – created to help us get through a difficult time and tame the chaos.

But over time, something changed. The challenge became a passion. The passion turned into a daily ritual that began to truly transform the way of thinking, acting, and collaborating across the entire factory.

I watched the team mature. I saw how morale grew, along with responsibility, quality, timeliness, and other key indicators. How the work culture changed day by day. That gave me enormous satisfaction. That joy – the visible change, real impact – sparked in me a natural need to share this experience with others.

Perhaps... I simply got caught up in the effect of our own method – the spiral of self-engagement, respect, and collaboration.

I’d like to thank my team in Macedonia – your daily work, perseverance, and openness made this method possible. Without you, LeanShaman would have remained just an idea.

~Dariusz Dziuba

From real ideas and improvements introduced by employees.

An implemented idea is not the end – it’s the beginning. The Moderator transforms it into an effortless motivational and educational impulse that inspires, teaches, and subtly guides the team according to its current situation and maturity level.

This is not only a way to reward initiative, but also a daily morale boost for other team members.

This is the person (or team) who can connect daily actions with the company’s strategic goals. They receive tools for precisely monitoring morale development, shaping a culture of proactivity, and having a real impact on the organization’s growth.

We aim for this role to be held by someone inside your organization – typically from LEAN, HSE, Quality, or HR – depending on whether the company wants to focus on safety, engagement, efficiency, or improvement.

If you work with an external consultant, they can also act as the Moderator. Importantly, their effectiveness multiplies thanks to the system, which allows them to work far more efficiently than in the traditional approach. They can develop morale daily, systematically, and with real impact – asynchronously, without needing to be physically present. This significantly reduces their time burden.

A lot – really a lot – and it happens naturally.

In a 150-person team, you can implement several thousand micro-improvements annually. That translates into hundreds of thousands of micro-moderations strengthening morale and competence, each one based on real actions and enriched with educational content.

What does this mean in practice?

Every employee – every day – receives specific examples of implementations from their own company, with the Moderator’s commentary. Not from a book, not from theory, but here and now – from their own colleagues.

This not only develops morale and a culture of proactivity – it also allows you to measure and strengthen them daily, with precision and purpose.

The system enables the independent, safe, and efficient implementation of thousands of small changes and improvements every year.

Automation mechanisms analyze risk, build implementation teams, and make decisions – without involving managers at every stage.

Over 85% of ideas are implemented without bothering management.

Decision-making gradually and in a controlled way moves to where everyday work happens – to the teams. This way, morale and proactive culture development aren’t limited by organizational bottlenecks or lack of competencies. Morale and culture grow from the bottom up – almost automatically, yet still under control.

What the company gains “as a side effect” is real improvements.

Most of them are small changes – strengthening proactivity, morale, and a sense of agency. But many also have a tangible impact on cost, safety, efficiency, and quality. Over time, as the organization gains experience, both the number and value of results increase. Changes become faster, better, and more conscious.

In a modern iron foundry in Macedonia, where LeanShaman has been operating for several years, a 150-person team generates annual savings of several hundred thousand euros. What’s more – employee turnover dropped to a record low. There are even cases of employees returning voluntarily to the company – attracted by its culture and high morale.

Every 24 hours, the system analyzes the actual behavior of each employee.

Based on this data:

• we know which actions build morale and culture, and which weaken it,
• we can react instantly instead of acting with delay,
• we help leaders support their teams using facts, not intuition.

Thanks to behavioral heat maps (you’ll see them below), you gain an instant overview – at the level of the whole organization, a team or individual employees.

Just one glance lets you see:

• where the culture is growing,
• where it needs support,
• and how your actions affect the team.

Additionally, automatic weekly reports for leaders show changes in 7-day cycles – no guessing and no need to analyze spreadsheets.

Our method is based on behavioral models such as BJ Fogg’s model – allowing precise assessment of whether employees are developing the right skills and habits for morale to grow sustainably.

After just a few weeks you’ll see charts showing how organizational culture evolves – where resistance appears, and where acceleration occurs.

This isn’t “for show” data – it’s a perfect foundation for daily morale management and culture development.

Below are a few sample reports from a real factory:

• morale heat maps (view)
  One row = one employee. One cell = one week. One glance shows me the entire company.
• culture development history (view)
  I can see how behaviors changed across the company over the months – and how my decisions and key events affected them.
• weekly team leader report (view)
  Each of my managers receives a dedicated weekly report covering only their team and area. This way, they can see the impact of their leadership decisions – and take the next ones when their team is most ready.
• culture development visualization based on the Fogg model

• Employee turnover decreased to the lowest level in the company’s history
• Fewer errors, complaints, and defects
• Productivity increased by several percent per employee
• Noticeable improvement in profitability and margins thanks to eliminating not only waste but also its root causes.
• Systematic reduction of downtime and inventory.
• Shorter lead times.
• Fewer complaints and returns – lower after-sales service costs.
• Accelerated development of our own Production System based on best practices.