Lean Blog Interviews Podcast
Leadership Conversations on Lean, Culture, and Continuous Improvement Across Industries
Lean Blog Interviews brings you honest, real-world conversations about Lean leadership, culture, and continuous improvement. Since 2006, host Mark Graban has interviewed leaders and practitioners who are doing the hard work of improving systems–not just talking about tools.
These conversations focus on practical experience: what helped, what got in the way, and what leaders learned along the path. Whether the setting is a hospital, factory, startup, or office, each episode highlights how respect for people, psychological safety, and better systems drive sustainable improvement.
If you believe improvement starts with respect for people–and that better systems beat blaming individuals–you’ll feel at home here.
What This Podcast Focuses On
- Lean as a management system–not just a toolbox
- Leadership behaviors that enable trust, learning, and improvement
- Continuous improvement, Kaizen, and problem-solving at every level
- Psychological safety and learning from mistakes
- Lessons from Toyota, healthcare, startups, and beyond
- Honest discussions about challenges, setbacks, and real progress
This is not a podcast about “Lean theater,” certifications, or chasing the latest jargon.
Who This Podcast Is For
- Lean practitioners and continuous improvement professionals
- Healthcare leaders and clinicians
- Executives and senior leaders
- Coaches, consultants, and facilitators
- Anyone interested in building better systems–not blaming people
If you believe improvement starts with respect for people, this podcast is for you.
How This Podcast Fits with Mark’s Other Shows
You are here
Lean Blog Interviews
In-depth conversations with leaders and practitioners about Lean, culture, and real-world improvement across industries.
Short audio essays
Lean Blog Audio
Short-form audio essays based on LeanBlog.org posts, read and expanded by Mark Graban.
Stories of mistakes
My Favorite Mistake
Personal stories from leaders about mistakes, learning, and psychological safety, across all industries.
Audience Q&A
Lean Coffee Talk
Informal, unscripted conversations about Lean thinking, leadership, and improvement, driven by audience questions.
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Recent Episodes
See all Lean Blog Interviews episodes
Former Toyota team member Darril Wilburn, co-author with Hiro Yoshiki of Courage, Humility, Kaizen: The Three…
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guests for Episode #550 of the Lean Blog Interviews…
Accounting teams see problems every day. As Nick Katko puts it, they fix them, but they don’t necessarily…
Emily Swaney, VP of Operational Excellence at OhioHealth, explains how a Lean Promotion Office of 11 people…
Twenty years ago, on July 16, 2006, the Lean Blog Podcast began with a conversation with Norman Bodek. Norman…
Why does Lean fail to stick so often? Thomas Cox and Andre DeMerchant join me on Episode 547 to make the case…
Lean Blog Interviews has been published continuously since 2006 and is part of the Lean Communicators network.
Learn more about Mark Graban and his work at MarkGraban.com.
