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Mark Graban

Lean Leadership, Psychological Safety, and Continuous Improvement

Since 2005, LeanBlog.org has shared practical insights from real-world work in healthcare, manufacturing, and beyond.

Books Keynote Speaking Coaching / Advisory Podcasts
Books by Mark Graban on Lean, Leadership, and Learning (4)

Lean Blog Interviews Podcast

Unlocking The Power Of Kata: Tracy Defoe On Adult Learning, Coaching, And Asking Questions

Unlocking The Power Of Kata: Tracy Defoe On Adult Learning, Coaching, And Asking Questions

ByMark Graban January 25, 2023 2162
Joining us for Episode #467 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Tracy Defoe. She is an adult education consultant and researcher specializing in workplace education. For parts of the...
Billy Taylor on The Winning Link: Defining Strategy, Building Trust, and Making Jobs Better

Billy Taylor on The Winning Link: Defining Strategy, Building Trust, and Making Jobs Better

ByMark Graban January 11, 2023 2415
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more Joining us for Episode #466 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is a returning guest, Billy Taylor. Since his last appearance, Billy has written...
Tom Peters on Extreme Humanism, Leadership, and His Compact Guide to Excellence

Tom Peters on Extreme Humanism, Leadership, and His Compact Guide to Excellence

ByMark Graban December 13, 2022 2975
In this LeanBlog Podcast episode, Tom Peters shares why “extreme humanism” is essential to modern leadership. He explains why caring deeply about people isn't soft–it's the...
Katie Anderson Discusses Larry Culp’s AME Keynote And Their Fireside Chat

Katie Anderson Discusses Larry Culp’s AME Keynote And Their Fireside Chat

ByMark Graban November 30, 2022 4126
TL;DR: Larry Culp's AME keynote shows that Lean leadership at GE is about how leaders think, learn, and respond to problems–not tools. Katie Anderson and Mark Graban discuss psychological...

More Blog Posts

A yellow andon cord hangs in an empty automotive assembly plant, with one section slightly frayed and worn. Soft overhead industrial light illuminates the cord against a muted backdrop of grays and concrete tones.

Did Ford’s Andon Cord Problem Ever Get Fixed? Help Me Find Out.

Mark GrabanByMark Graban April 23, 2026 1135
In 2007, I wrote about a BBC article that included a number I've never quite been able to shake. Workers at Toyota's Georgetown, Kentucky plant were pulling the andon cord – the mechanism that...
A yellow andon cord stretches horizontally across the upper part of an empty factory interior, slightly slack and attached to a dark overhead beam. Below it, a large expanse of smooth concrete floor and muted gray walls creates generous open space, while a softly blurred production line runs along the right side. Natural overhead light and subdued editorial color grading give the scene a calm, documentary feel.

New Book Announcement: Psychological Safety for Lean Leaders — Vote on the Title

Mark GrabanByMark Graban April 22, 2026 590
Empty conference room with whiteboard covered in a fishbone diagram and sticky notes, chairs pushed back after a meeting

Why You Can’t Think Your Way to a Root Cause

Mark GrabanByMark Graban April 22, 2026 1264
Lean Blog Post Cover Image - 2026-04-17T070148.509

Staff Had Concerns: What a Surgeon’s Manslaughter Charge Tells Us About Speaking Up

Mark GrabanByMark Graban April 21, 2026 766
Yellow diamond warning sign on a pole showing a cyclist flying over handlebars after hitting streetcar tracks, along the Ohio River in Cincinnati

Warning: Signs! Mistake-Proofing Is More Effective Than Warnings

Mark GrabanByMark Graban April 20, 2026 779

Webinars

karen martin ask the expert webinar kainexus

Ask Karen Martin Anything on Operational Excellence: A KaiNexus Webinar

March 5, 2026
Karen Martin is one of those people I've been lucky to know and learn from for a long time. She's...
1. Professor with glasses in front of EMS 20th anniversary logo and KaiNexus logo on blue background.

Unlock the Power of Leadership: A Preview of the Electrolux Manufacturing System (EMS) Webinar

December 4, 2025
KaiNexus recently hosted a webinar I was especially looking forward to: “Unlock the Power of...
Breaking Through Cultural Friction: Respect for People and Sustainable Performance

Breaking Through Cultural Friction: Respect for People and Sustainable Performance

June 9, 2025
When organizations struggle to sustain Lean transformation, people often look first at tools...
Driving a Culture of Patient Safety: Lessons for Healthcare and Beyond

Driving a Culture of Patient Safety: Lessons for Healthcare and Beyond

April 28, 2025
Recently, I had the pleasure of moderating a webinar titled “Driving a Culture of Transforming...
Why Lean Fails Without Psychological Safety

Why Lean Fails Without Psychological Safety

April 16, 2025
TL;DR: Lean tools don't fail because people resist change–they fail because people don't feel...
Preview: Driving a Culture of Accountability – Transforming Patient Safety with KaiNexus (Webinar, April 15)

Preview: Driving a Culture of Accountability – Transforming Patient Safety with KaiNexus (Webinar, April 15)

April 8, 2025
One of the most powerful elements of continuous improvement is the ability to learn from each other...
My Upcoming Webinar on Mistake-Proofing Across Industries

My Upcoming Webinar on Mistake-Proofing Across Industries

February 3, 2025
I'm excited to be presenting this webinar on February 12th at 1 pm ET as part of the KaiNexus...
Top 5 Takeaways from my KaiNexus Webinar: Psychological Safety as a Precondition for Continuous Improvement

Top 5 Takeaways from my KaiNexus Webinar: Psychological Safety as a Precondition for Continuous Improvement

January 8, 2025
TL;DR: Psychological safety isn't optional for continuous improvement. This KaiNexus webinar...
Creating Leader Standard Work (LSW) Across a Distributed Business Model — Webinar Preview

Creating Leader Standard Work (LSW) Across a Distributed Business Model — Webinar Preview

November 7, 2024
I'm happy to be hosting and moderating this webinar that will be presented by Brent Loescher, a...
Embedding Change Management into your Continuous Improvement Initiatives – Webinar Preview

Embedding Change Management into your Continuous Improvement Initiatives – Webinar Preview

September 25, 2024
I'm happy to be hosting and moderating this webinar that will be presented by Melissa Sherman, a...
View Our “Ask Us Anything” Event on Psychological Safety and Lean

View Our “Ask Us Anything” Event on Psychological Safety and Lean

August 20, 2024
Psychological safety is often described as “feeling safe to speak up.” In Lean...
From Strategy to Execution: Webinar with Karen Friedenberg

From Strategy to Execution: Webinar with Karen Friedenberg

July 17, 2024
Are you looking to transform your business strategy into actionable results? Join us for our...

Videos

Video Interviews with Karl Wadensten and Paul Akers

Video Interviews with Karl Wadensten and Paul Akers

ByMark Graban September 10, 2014 Comments (2) 1295
Our theme this month on the KaiNexus blog is executive leadership. We are concluding that series...
Six-Second Vine Video: Plan then Do then Study then Adjust then…

Six-Second Vine Video: Plan then Do then Study then Adjust then…

ByMark Graban September 3, 2014 Comment (0) 905
For those of you not familiar with Vine, it's a social network owned by Twitter that allows you post...
Proof That Nelson from The Simpsons is Not a Good Kaizen Coach

Proof That Nelson from The Simpsons is Not a Good Kaizen Coach

ByMark Graban August 24, 2014 Comments (5) 2036
If you know me, you know I'm a huge fan of The Simpsons. The show has been on TV for 25 of my 40...

Mark Graban on YouTube

"Great idea. Why don't you run with it?" Leaders mean it as trust. To the employee, it often means a second job on top of the first. At a fireside chat in Cleveland, Tennessee, someone asked me about the employee who keeps an idea to themselves because they figure they'll be stuck doing the work. It looks like fear. I think it's futility: they've learned what usually happens next. 🔵 Why "run with it" can turn an idea into unpaid extra work 🔵 When handing someone their own idea is a real opportunity, and when it isn't 🔵 The late Kim Barnas's rule: don't assign the follow-up to the person who raised the concern 🔵 Two questions to ask before you hand an idea back My upcoming book, The Silence Tax, is about the fear and futility that keep people quiet at work. Early chapters are on Leanpub: https://leanpub.com/silence-tax #Leadership #PsychologicalSafety #ContinuousImprovement #Lean #Shorts
Why Your Employees Stop Sharing Ideas (It's Not Fear)
Do we want to be right, or help others change? This speaker reel connects psychological safety, problem-solving, and continuous improvement. I’m Mark Graban, an author, speaker, and consultant. In these keynote clips, I discuss stories from Toyota and a comparison with Ford to explore how leadership and culture shape people’s willingness to speak up. The clips cover: - Responding constructively when mistakes happen - Combining psychological safety with practical problem-solving - Modeling vulnerability and rewarding people for speaking up Planning a conference, leadership meeting, or workshop? Let’s discuss your audience and goals. Speaking topics: https://www.markgraban.com/speaking/topics/ Booking inquiries: https://www.markgraban.com/speaking/book-mark/
Mark Graban Speaker Reel | Psychological Safety & Leadership
A patient was supposed to undergo surgery for a right-sided inguinal hernia. But the incision was made on the left side. Dr. David Mayer, then a senior anesthesia resident, recalls how the operating room team moved quickly into the procedure while everyone focused on their own responsibilities. About two minutes after the incision, the attending surgeon entered the room, looked at the patient, and asked: “I thought this was a right-sided inguinal hernia?” That was the moment the team realized what had happened. In this clip from *My Favorite Mistake*, Dr. Mayer describes the wrong-site surgery that became a defining experience in his career—and helped shape his commitment to patient safety, transparency, and learning from medical errors. The larger lesson isn’t simply “be more careful.” It’s to understand how systems, communication, time pressure, teamwork, and culture can allow an error to reach a patient. Full episode: **The Surgical Mistake That Changed a Doctor’s Life: Dr. David Mayer on Honesty and Patient Safety** #PatientSafety #MedicalErrors #Healthcare #Leadership #SurgicalSafety #MyFavoriteMistake
Wrong-Site Surgery: The Mistake Discovered Mid-Procedure
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