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Two speech bubbles side by side: one contains a bulleted list, the other contains a question mark.

Why a Lean Coach Asks Questions Instead of Giving Answers

Mark Graban - March 1, 2026

A split illustration of two open books on a wooden desk with a stethoscope. The left book shows a cloud of random floating letters forming a cloud, with diffuse light. The right book shows structured bulleted text flowing through a mechanical spine into an organized outline with a light beam. A bookshelf is in the blurred background. Modern digital style with teal and warm tones.

Why I Built My Own AI Instead of Telling You to Use ChatGPT

Mark Graban - February 28, 2026

Japanese-style graphic depicting the human-centric side of Lean production. An AI character explains to a student that true Lean means eliminating waste while protecting jobs ("No Layoffs"), represented by a collaborative team icon and a "Kaizen" whiteboard.

“How Do I Use Lean to Reduce Headcount?” — Why ChatGPT’s Answer Should...

Mark Graban - February 26, 2026

fujio cho speech standardized work lean TPS

Fujio Cho on Standardized Work: The Foundation for Improvement, Not Control

Mark Graban - February 25, 2026

Brandi Carlile and her band rehearse during sound check before their show near Chicago, working on specific improvements to their setlist.

What a Brandi Carlile Concert Teaches About Practicing Continuous Improvement

Mark Graban - February 24, 2026

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All posts from Mark Graban's LeanBlog.org, including podcasts, announcements, articles, and more.

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Toyota’s Fujio Cho: Act. Improve. Repeat.

Mark Graban - April 3, 2005 0

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Help Wanted: China Finds Itself With a Labor Shortage

Mark Graban - April 2, 2005 0

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Streamlined Plane Making

Mark Graban - April 1, 2005 0

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Steelcase to close some plants, cut 600 employees

Mark Graban - March 30, 2005 0

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Fighting rivals with efficiency

Mark Graban - March 15, 2005 0

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‘India may have to face threat from Russian firms’

Mark Graban - March 9, 2005 0

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“Standard Work” for LeanBlog.org

Mark Graban - February 16, 2005 3

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The father of Kaizen, Masaaki Imai, speaks!

Mark Graban - January 29, 2005 0

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Boeing Reduces 737 Airplane’s Final-Assembly Time by 50 Percent

Mark Graban - January 28, 2005 1

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Toyota’s Fujio Cho: Act. Improve. Repeat.

Mark Graban - January 27, 2005 0

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Budget-cutters take aim at MEP

Mark Graban - January 26, 2005 1

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Another Mitsubishi Bailout?

Mark Graban - January 20, 2005 0

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Zachary Capen on The Longer Starbucks Coffee Stopper Is Obviously Waste… Unless It Is NotMarch 2, 2026
I agree! At first glance, the longer stopper did look a lot like a waste. It is so easy to…
Jack Benedict on Before “Just Culture,” There Was NUMMI: Learning Instead of BlamingFebruary 25, 2026
While reading this blog post I found it very interesting how NUMMI is explained. The author discusses that NUMMI results…
William Brew on When “AI Improvement” Adds Waste Instead of Value: A Hotel Valet ExampleFebruary 24, 2026
One takeaway I have from this article is that, as stated, adding technology does not always add value. Adding the…
Zachary Capen on Daily Healthcare Kaizen: Real Examples of Small Improvements That Make a DifferenceFebruary 23, 2026
This post highlights how important daily kaizen practices are in making small improvement so that you don't have to make…
William Brew on Ray Zinn on Learning from Mistakes — and Why “Fail Fast, Fail Often” Misses the PointFebruary 10, 2026
I love how this post talks about why "fail fast, fail often" can be misleading. The blog states that the…

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Why a Lean Coach Asks Questions Instead of Giving Answers

March 1, 2026

Why I Built My Own AI Instead of Telling You to...

February 28, 2026

“How Do I Use Lean to Reduce Headcount?” — Why ChatGPT’s...

February 26, 2026

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