ARTICLE - Networking and learning from other practitioners is for many the number-one reason to attend a lean event. The Lean Summit France 2016, in Lyon on April 6-8, will be a great opportunity to network with like-minded people and to understand how a lean CEO thinks.

One of the most valuable outcomes of attending a lean summit is the insight that we gain from talking to other practitioners on a lean journey.

We are all aware of how powerful networking can be: a conversation with other lean folks often opens up our eyes to opportunities, challenges, and problems that we hadn’t previously seen. A different perspective is never a bad thing!

As part of my job, I get to attend many of the lean conferences that Lean Global Network institutes organize. Each of them is quite unique, reflecting the great diversity that characterizes the Lean Community.

One of the most interesting summits I have attended is certainly the one offered by the Institut Lean France. What makes it so special is not just the great stories of lean applications shared by the speakers, but the fact that the Lean Global Network’s French affiliate has very much the feel of a lean club, a group of CEOs and experts that have developed a very close bond over the years thanks to their shared passion for lean.

But that is not to say that newcomers aren’t welcome! In fact, the French team is always looking to expand their network, as this helps them to provide an even greater contribution to the advancement of lean thinking in France and beyond.

This year’s summit – its theme is “Lean as a strategy: incomparable results” – takes place in Lyon on April 6-8. If you want to benefit from the great atmosphere and networking it offers and from the lessons that will be shared I urge you to register now (the summit’s language is French).

Planet Lean readers will be familiar with some of this year’s speakers, like Christophe Riboulet, the CEO who was recently profiled on our site, or Cécile Roche, Lean Director at Thales. Of course Michael Ballé, one of the founders of the French lean institute and one of the world’s foremost lean experts, is also a keynote speaker at this year’s event, along with Professor Daniel T Jones, co-founder of the lean movement.

For more information on the summit and to register, click here.

Stories from the previous edition of the summit include a lean implementation at France's postal service and a story of lean construction.

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