Mark Graban
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.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Continuous Improvement, Respect for People, and...
Let's commemorate today's national holiday for Dr. King with a look back at my post from 2012:
A Lean Lesson from Dr. Martin Luther King,...
Lean Is for Speed, Six Sigma Is for Quality? That’s a...
TL;DR: "Lean is for speed, Six Sigma is for quality" is a false trade-off. Lean improves flow by removing obstacles like waiting and rework--and...
Why Psychological Safety Is the Foundation for Continuous Improvement — and...
I'm looking forward to facilitating a workshop at Shingo Connect: USA 2026 in San Diego titled "Psychological Safety as a Foundation for Continuous Improvement."...
Gemba Walks, Daily Improvement, and the Leadership Behaviors That Make Kaizen...
At our 2016 Kaizen Live! event at Franciscan St. Francis Health, Mischelle McMillin shared practical, honest, and refreshingly human insights on Gemba Walks that...
Free Safety Cross and SQDC Templates for Lean Daily Management
Thanks to StoreSMART for being a long-term advertiser and partner here on the blog. Check out their useful products for Lean metrics boards, visual...
Bourbon, Busts, and Bad Metrics: Why Leaders Need More Than Short-Term...
TL;DR: Headlines say Bourbon and alcohol sales are collapsing. But when you zoom out, the data tells a different story. In this post, I...
Offer: A Free Lean Reflection or Strategy Session
If you're a regular reader of my blog, you might appreciate how I think about Lean, leadership, and improvement. Or maybe you don't --...
Lean Coffee Talk #6: System Design, Higher Ed Innovation, and Navigating...
Formerly known as "Lean Whiskey."
Mark and Jamie Answer Listener Questions
Listen:
In Season 2, Episode 6, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh bring "lean coffee" to Lean...
“Toyota Culture” 20 Years Later: Why Liker’s Lessons Still Matter in...
TL;DR Twenty years later, Jeffrey Liker's message still applies: Lean fails when it's treated as a set of tools instead of a leadership system....
Kathy Miller on “MORE Is Better”: Meaning, Optimism, and Relationships in...
What if stronger operations don't come from doing less--but from leading with more meaning, optimism, and connection? In this conversation, Kathy Miller shares insights...
From “White Coat Leadership” to Lean Leadership: John Toussaint’s Message Still...
TL;DR: Dr. John Toussaint says healthcare culture won't change until leaders do--moving from "white coat leadership" (all-knowing, autocratic, blaming) to Lean leadership as facilitator,...
Are Executive Teams Solving Problems — or Just Making Decisions?
Many executive teams move quickly to decisions but skip the shared learning needed to solve complex problems for good. This post explores a working...
