
Today's post is something that I wrote for a broader LinkedIn audience, but might have meaning and significance to my Lean readers:
“What Bad Managers, Good Managers, and Great Managers Do“
You can also read this on Medium.com.
You might particularly enjoy the old blog post I linked to about the “power of why” at NUMMI, compared to my experiences at GM.
Feel free to comment on LinkedIn or here.
Here is picture of mine from a hospital lab… there was a warning label that I've illustrated because it wasn't readable in the picture:

A bad manager would just say “Do not lean on here!”
A good manager (and sign) explains why.
A great manager might engage people in figuring out how to error proof the system in some way…
Do you have examples of good managers explaining why rules or policies are necessary instead of just forcing things on people in a “command and control” manner? Do you have examples of how you've helped leaders better engage employees in the development of policies, procedures, or standardized work?
Please scroll down (or click) to post a comment. Connect with me on LinkedIn.
Let’s build a culture of continuous improvement and psychological safety—together. If you're a leader aiming for lasting change (not just more projects), I help organizations:
- Engage people at all levels in sustainable improvement
- Shift from fear of mistakes to learning from them
- Apply Lean thinking in practical, people-centered ways
Interested in coaching or a keynote talk? Let’s talk.
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The LinkedIn piece has now been read over 82,000 times… wow.
Here is an email that I received from somebody who read this article:
The article has now been read over 145,000 times. Again, wow.