What Were the 10 Most Read LeanBlog.org Posts of the First Half of 2025?

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Mark Graban
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Thanks, everybody, for reading my blog here in 2025. And for listening to podcasts… oh so many podcasts.

This blog post is the annual “year-end” report with the most read posts of the first half of the year.

I released 8 “Lean Blog Interviews” podcasts in the last six months. This year (June) marks the 19th birthday of my podcast, which started with this first Norman Bodek episode.

I was also happy to continue the “Lean Whiskey” podcast series–although it's been retooled as the “Lean Coffee Talk” podcast, and we released four episodes of that series by me and Jamie.

I also released 27 more episodes, including bonus episodes, of “My Favorite Mistake” for the first half of the year (a podcast that inspired my most recent book).

Below are the ten most-read posts of the year, according to Google Analytics (popularity doesn't imply quality, but it's interesting to see what people are reading and sharing) — data through December 15th.

You can also see which posts or pages have the most views, all time, since I started the blog in 2005.

Posts Written in the First Half of 2025

Here are the top 10 most-read posts that I wrote in the second half of this year as I picked up the pace on my blogging a bit (data through June 24):

  1. I'm Still Dreaming About My Meal at Sukiyabashi Jiro's Sushi in Tokyo (905 views)
  2. Toyota Raku: Respect for People, Comfort, Ease, & Ergonomics (392)
  3. New Book: How Psychological Safety Drives Digital Transformation and the Toyota Production System (315)
  4. From Game Film to Gemba: How Chick-fil-A Studies the Work (and Wins) (267)
  5. The Transformation at NUMMI: Isao Yoshino Reflects on Toyota's First U.S. Manufacturing Experience (218)
  6. Starting the New Year with Global Leadership Resolutions: Building a Foundation of Psychological Safety (202)
  7. Why Thinking and Action Matter More Than Templates in Lean (137)
  8. Why Great Leaders Share Responsibility Instead of Throwing Others Under the Bus (132)
  9. Measures Matter, but Make Sure Your Success is Real, not Fake (126)
  10. Whose Fault Is It Anyway? The Case for Learning Over Blaming (112)

Some of these posts are habitually popular, appearing on this list every six months, and some of them are new to the list compared to last year:

One of those links / posts (and its video) regularly appears on my “top posts” lists:

When 5S Goes Wrong: A Hilarious (and Cringe-worthy) Office Fiasco Caught on Video, Sort Of

Thanks for being part of my community here! Thanks for reading and listening! Happy Holidays!

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Let’s work together to build a culture of continuous improvement and psychological safety. If you're a leader looking to create lasting change—not just 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

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Mark Graban
Mark Graban
https://www.markgraban.com
Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker, and podcaster with experience in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. Mark's latest book is The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, a recipient of the Shingo Publication Award. He is also the author of Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More, Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, and the anthology Practicing Lean, previous Shingo recipients. Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.

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