All posts from Mark Graban’s LeanBlog.org, including podcasts, announcements, articles, and more.
TL;DR: Healthcare cost pressures are real, but the cost of patient harm in healthcare is far higher. Preventable events like wrong-site surgery drive massive financial losses through litigation, regulatory action, staff burnout, and reputational damage. Investing in patient safety, psychological…
Listen: Submit your question (and maybe win a Lean Coffee Talk mug!) at: LeanBlog.org/coffeequestions In this short bonus episode of Lean Coffee Talk, hosts Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh share an invitation for you to help shape future conversations. They’re…
TL;DR: Lockout/tagout failures kill workers every year–and they’re not “operator errors.” This post explains why ignoring LOTO is a leadership and culture failure, why productivity pressure drives deadly shortcuts, and what Lean leaders must do to put safety truly first.…
TL;DR Leader Standard Work isn’t a calendar or a checklist. It’s the daily responsibility of leaders to show up with the right behaviors–listening, asking, following up, and creating psychological safety. How leaders act in everyday moments matters far more than…
TL;DR: This look back at Allina Health shows how continuous improvement at the bedside actually works: frontline staff identifying real problems, leaders acting as coaches, and Kaizen routines supported by psychological safety. The result wasn’t abstract “culture change,” but measurable…
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with a supply chain student (taking undergraduate courses) who reached out with thoughtful questions about Lean principles. We had a wide-ranging conversation–covering culture, communication, frontline engagement, and even organizing a water chemistry lab.…
This edition of Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape examines why true operational excellence remains elusive despite decades of tools, frameworks, and good intentions. From reflections on learning organizations at LEGO and leadership discipline at Costco, to the hidden costs of…
In this episode of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast, Carlos Scholz discusses Lean healthcare leadership, psychological safety, and humility–why improvement depends on leadership behaviors, not just tools or events. Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest…
Starbucks has been in the headlines for a renewed push toward hospitality and “moments of connection.” The Wall Street Journal recently reported on new training that scripts greetings, eye contact, and even handwritten cup messages–along with operational changes like better…
tl;dr: Headlines say kickoff returns are “dramatically up” in 2025, but process behavior charts show this isn’t random fluctuation. The NFL’s new dynamic kickoff rules created a true signal — proof that system changes drive performance, just as Lean teaches…
Lessons from my book The Mistakes That Make Us, plus conversations with Phillip Cantrell and Damon Lembi One of the central themes in my book, The Mistakes That Make Us, is the shift leaders must make from needing to be right to being willing…
Formerly known as “Lean Whiskey” Listen: In Season 2, Episode 5, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh are going back in time (apologies to Huey Lewis and the News) to the 1990s and examining companies that were iconic then and trying…