All posts from Mark Graban’s LeanBlog.org, including podcasts, announcements, articles, and more.
When I launched the My Favorite Mistake podcast in September 2020, I hoped to create space for leaders and innovators to share the moments they wished they could take back — and more importantly, what they learned from them. Five…
A lot of companies “define” their values by gathering the leadership team in a room, tossing around words like “integrity” or “excellence,” and selecting the ones that sound good on a slide. Then they hope–maybe even expect–that the rest of…
At first glance, it might look like a group of adults playing make-believe in a large garage. But what’s happening at the Swiss Center for Design and Health (SCDH) in Nidau is far more serious–and far more Lean–than that. In…
Fear and futility are two of the biggest barriers to continuous improvement. When people are afraid to speak up–or believe nothing will change–problems stay hidden. Lean leaders can remove fear and futility by creating psychological safety, responding with curiosity, and…
TL;DR: Jim Womack explains how the term “Lean” was coined to describe creating more value with less waste–and how it became misunderstood as cost cutting. Nearly 40 years later, the real purpose of Lean remains respect for people and continuous…
This article is based on my recent Catalysis webinar, “Lean Lessons from Japan: Mindsets, Culture, and the Challenge of Speaking Up.” The session was part of their ongoing learning series, and the recording will be available soon through Catalysis and…
This edition of Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape focuses on disciplined thinking, ethical use of data, and people-centered improvement in an AI-enabled world. From reminders that data have no meaning without context and the risks of p-hacking, to human-centered approaches…
How long would you expect it to take for the police to respond to a burglar alarm at your home? Why do I bring this up? I had applied online for a burglar alarm permit in Newport, Kentucky. A few…
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #533 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Cheryl Jekiel, founder of the Lean Leadership Center and a longtime advocate for aligning continuous improvement with people-centered leadership.…
The most dangerous moment in Lean is often right after your first belt class–when you think you’ve mastered it all. You may have seen the joke image that I posted on LinkedIn–it sparked some good discussion: “I’m an expert in…
A Word Worth Remembering (But Hard to Say and Spell) You might recall when I first learned about the German word “verschlimmbesserung“–that wonderfully precise term for “an attempted improvement that only makes things worse”–and blogged about it. The concept still…
TL;DR: Daily Kaizen is essential–but it can’t overcome broken systems. Only leaders can fix structural constraints like layout, staffing, policies, and budgets. When leaders remove those barriers first, Kaizen can finally deliver real, sustained improvement. One of the most persistent…
