The director of the Lean Transformation Office at the Department of Labor & Industries endorses Monte Mitchell as a highly effective management consultant with expertise in Lean. Over the course of a year working with the department, Monte developed an innovative training program that helped grow the Lean skills of senior leaders and internal consultants. As a result of Monte's training and coaching, the department's leaders were able to systematically shift to a more problem-solving style of management based on data analysis. This has led to measurable improvements like reduced costs, increased revenue, and better customer service. The director rates Monte in the top 1% of consultants and recommends him for his ability to achieve results through developing the potential in others.

1. STATE OF WASHINGTON
Department of Labor & Industries
PO Box 44824  Olympia, Washington 98504  (360) 902-4221
September 16, 2015
Dear Sir of Madam:
I am writing to endorse Monte Mitchell who is a highly effective management consultant with a specialty in Lean.
Monte worked with us for a year and achieved measurable business results quickly in collaboration with company
leaders, managers, and frontline employees. He is superb at what he does.
In 2013, our Chief Operating Officer and I asked Monte to develop a hands-on, results-based Lean training
program for four top leaders and two in-house Lean consultants. The effort included 300 employees. Our goal
was to grow our top leaders’ Lean skills to the point where they could carry out Lean improvement work within
their divisions. Our aim was to produce leaders capable of guiding their managers, supervisors, and front line
employees though major process improvement events to improve results for customers.
To grow our leaders’ skills, Monte created an innovative, hands-on training plan for teaching our senior leaders
and in-house consultants how to run 5-day rapid process improvement events. Monte’s training covered value
stream mapping, root cause analysis, developing standard work, and creating visual management. Over the
course of a year our leaders mastered the skills to facilitate 5-day “Kaizen events”, standardize work, develop
visual management, apply leader standard work, and improve value stream performance.
Working with Monte was inspiring, challenging, and results oriented. He excelled at coaching people and
developing their Lean thinking and problem solving skills. Monte helped people push out the boundaries of their
potential. As each person’s skills grew, measurable improvements began to occur in their business operations.
Our employee surveys showed the divisions were adopting Lean business practices.
Always focused on helping others succeed, Monte developed our in-house consultants to the point where they
could replicate his training program. Based on their work with Monte, our internal Lean consultants went on to
train four more senior leaders who run other divisions. One division has 700 employees who provide direct
customer service in 22 offices all over our state. The leaders trained by our in-house consultants have already led
multiple rapid Kaizen events with excellent results. Their divisions are adopting Lean practices.
Rarely have I seen a consultant do such an effective job at translating corporate vision and goals into reality.
Monte’s training and coaching made it possible for our leaders to systematically shift from a less analytical style
of management to a more deliberate problem-solving approach based on analysis of facts. Our division leaders
now regularly apply their Lean skills and involve employees in finding and fixing problems, which is improving
delivery times, reducing quality problems, lowering costs, and increasing revenue.
I would rate Monte in the top 1% of consultants I have worked with in my past 25 years of directing performance
improvement projects in the public and private sectors. Please feel free to call me at the number above, if you
would like more information.
Sincerely,
Roy Plaeger-Brockway, Director
Lean Transformation Office