As we wrap up an incredible year at AME of sharing, learning and growing, I want to share a funny story that has had me chuckling this past week and perfectly captures the spirit of unexpected waste, root-cause analysis and perhaps a little too much “spirit.”
By now, most of you have seen the adventurous raccoon that broke into an ABC liquor store through the ceiling in Virginia. Once inside, he went straight to work on enthusiastically taste-testing the inventory.
By the time the security alarm went off, the raccoon had created a full-blown LEAN waste extravaganza:
- Defects: Shattered bottles everywhere.
- Overproduction: Sampling every product in the store.
- Waiting: The raccoon lying face down in the bathroom, recovering from its hangover.
- Non-utilized talent: Its climbing skills were impressive but misapplied.
- Transportation: Moving from bottle to bottle with reckless abandon.
- Inventory: Significant losses across multiple spirits.
- Motion: Excessive and chaotic.
- Overprocessing: One raccoon, every bottle, every type of alcohol.
Animal control eventually arrived to find the raccoon uninjured, facedown, and probably reflecting on its life choices. After a brief recovery period, they released him safely back into the wild.
Besides being hilarious, this story is a perfect reminder of why continuous improvement matters. Problems don’t always sneak in through the front door. Sometimes they come crashing through the ceiling. When they do, LEAN thinking helps us ask the right questions:
- How did this disruption happen?
- Where were the gaps in our processes or controls?
- How can we redesign the system to prevent the next “raccoon event”?
As we head into 2026, let’s embrace the year with curiosity, resilience and just enough humor to keep us grounded, turning every unexpected event like this into an opportunity to remove waste and strengthen our systems.
Don’t forget to check out these incredible AME events, coming in 2026:
- Theory of Constraints flow solutions: Your path to operational excellence | Jan. 13 | St. Louis, Missouri
- Lean fundamentals: A practical way to start your lean journey and prepare for lean bronze certification | Jan. 13 | Virtual
- 2 Second lean tour - Die Co. Inc. | Jan. 14 | Virtual
- Value-driven Integrated Business Planning: Optimizing resources, costs & cash flow to deliver profitable growth | Jan. 14 | Virtual
- Keep your gemba walks fresh & meaningful: Engage your people | Jan. 14 | Virtual
- Lean into leadership | Jan. 15 | Virtual
- Lean yellow belt certification | Jan. 22 | Virtual
- Lean green belt certification | Feb. 9 -15 | Rockville, Maryland
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.