Lean Boot Camp is a far cry from the traditional conference-in-hotel-meeting-room learning environment. Gone are the suits and ties, coffee and donuts, and cell phones interrupting speakers. Welcome to a world in which registration takes place at least an hour's drive from all major airports and orientation is when you're given a T-shirt, backpack and water bottle.
Orientation also includes a one-on-one meeting with a drill sergeant followed by a survival session that includes basic first aid tips and, should you become lost, how to find your way back to camp. Morning sessions for the next five days begin with reveille at 0600 and the hour-long morning hike begins at 0615. Then it's off to breakfast and at 0800 begins 12 hours of learning the basics of lean manufacturing.