Popular Posts
GE Aerospace’s Greenville Plant Proves Larry Culp’s “Safety First” Wasn’t Just Talk An Insulin Error Killed a Hospital Patient. How Does Every Other Hospital Learn From It? “Most People Wouldn’t”: Fear, Gratitude, and Reporting Medical Errors Larry Culp on Success Theater, Embracing Red, and the GE Turnaround What If Every Hospital Learned From Every Other Hospital’s Safety Incidents? Four Patients Got the Wrong Drug in Nashville. Ask a Better Question. Toyota Doesn’t Call It Lean? Its Own Websites Say Otherwise Ten Psychological Safety Outcomes, and What They Do and Don’t Prove The Independent Double Check and the Risk of Human Error
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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

Cindy Young, PhD on Knowledge Management and Lean

Cindy Young, PhD on Knowledge Management and Lean

ByMark Graban January 18, 2022 1620
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #436 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Dr. Cynthia J. Young, PMP, LSS MBB, CMQ-OE, the Founder/CEO of CJ Young...
Lean in Mental Healthcare with Sunil Khushalani, MD and Antonio DePaolo, PhD

Lean in Mental Healthcare with Sunil Khushalani, MD and Antonio DePaolo, PhD

ByMark Graban January 11, 2022 2163
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guests for Episode #435 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast are Sunil Khushalani, MD, a psychiatrist who specializes in Addiction Psychiatry...
Ben Bensaou: From Lean Production to “Built to Innovate”

Ben Bensaou: From Lean Production to “Built to Innovate”

ByMark Graban January 4, 2022 2168
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #434 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Ben Bensaou. He is an INSEAD professor and is the author of Built to Innovate:...
Gerard Ibarra on “Good Decisions, Better Outcomes” [New Book]

Gerard Ibarra on “Good Decisions, Better Outcomes” [New Book]

ByMark Graban December 7, 2021 1522
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #433 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Gerard Ibarra, an author, business consultant, speaker, and entrepreneur. Gerard...

More Blog Posts

curt-cignetti-lean-six-sigma

Lean Is for Speed, Six Sigma Is for Quality? That’s a False Trade-Off.

Mark GrabanByMark Graban January 15, 2026 1683
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 when work flows better, quality...
Mark Graban Shingo Workshop 2026

Why Psychological Safety Is the Foundation for Continuous Improvement — and Why I’m Teaching This at Shingo Connect 2026

Mark GrabanByMark Graban January 15, 2026 1855
Gemba Walk leadership behaviors discussed at Kaizen Live healthcare event

Gemba Walks, Daily Improvement, and the Leadership Behaviors That Make Kaizen Possible

Mark GrabanByMark Graban January 14, 2026 3314

Free Safety Cross and SQDC Templates for Lean Daily Management

Mark GrabanByMark Graban January 13, 2026 14570

The Bourbon “Bust” That Wasn’t: What Happens When You Zoom Out

Mark GrabanByMark Graban January 12, 2026 1125

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

“The Waiting Room” Documentary – a Virtual Gemba Visit (of Sorts) on PBS

“The Waiting Room” Documentary – a Virtual Gemba Visit (of Sorts) on PBS

ByMark Graban October 26, 2013 Comment (0) 752
PBS has aired a documentary about an Emergency Department in East Oakland, CA.  You can visit the...
Lean Healthcare Discussed on Cincinnati Local TV News

Lean Healthcare Discussed on Cincinnati Local TV News

ByMark Graban September 29, 2013 Comment (0) 1004
I've partnered up with the Ohio-based non-profit consulting group, TechSolve, over the past few...
Weekend Fun: An Example of Poor Problem Solving

Weekend Fun: An Example of Poor Problem Solving

ByMark Graban August 30, 2013 Comments (7) 1961
Here's a funny ESPN commercial featuring PGA golfer Rickie Fowler. Fowler is pouring coffee, yet he...

Mark Graban on YouTube

Is the "nice boss era" over? I joined Chris and Amy on KMOX in St. Louis to talk about tough bosses, why employees stay quiet, and what that silence costs. What we covered: - The difference between demanding and cruel, and why "kind" beats "nice" - Why the pendulum swings with the job market, and why both extremes backfire - Two kinds of bad boss: people promoted for the wrong reasons with no leadership training, and founders who never learn to ask - Why futility, not fear, is the most common reason people keep quiet - How to test the waters with one small, fact-based concern instead of a sweeping complaint - Whether it is safe to go to HR - The silence tax: a real cost that never appears on the financial statements 0:00 A bad boss bit, courtesy of Chris and Amy 0:57 Demanding versus cruel: a false trade-off 2:07 Is the nice boss era over? The pendulum and the job market 3:55 How common are cruel managers? 4:39 Two categories of bad boss 6:26 Fear versus futility 7:49 What to do when you cannot leave yet 8:34 Testing the waters with a small, specific issue 9:39 Can you trust HR? 13:06 What the silence tax is and what it costs 14:26 Setting goals without blaming people My next book, The Silence Tax: How Lean Leaders Can Drive Out Fear and Futility, is coming in early 2027. https://thesilencetaxbook.com/ Blog: https://www.leanblog.org Speaking and books: https://www.markgraban.com Podcast: My Favorite Mistake https://myfavoritemistakepodcast.com/
Is the Nice Boss Era Over? Fear, Futility, and the Silence Tax
Michael Chaleff spent a year working as a restaurant magician before law school, in rooms where something went wrong almost every night. In his first week, he opened his best card routine with "imagine you have a deck of cards in your hands," and the woman at the head of the table said, "I don't have hands." He lost the ability to speak. The rule he took from that year: the sin is not the mistake, the sin is what you do after it. 🔵 Why the recovery, not the error, is what an audience actually judges you on 🔵 How a mistake can be something you didn't cause but are still responsible for handling 🔵 What "don't draw attention to your mistake" means for a performer, and where it stops being useful for a leader 🔵 Why anticipating the ways a moment can go wrong is a skill you build before you need it 🔵 What cross-examination teaches about never asking a question blind 🔵 Why giving people more facts makes your case weaker, not stronger 🔵 The four-act structure for micro storytelling, and the fourth act Michael added himself Michael Chaleff served as a Naval officer during the Gulf War, went on to become a DOJ trial attorney, and has performed as a professional magician and mentalist for more than three decades. He now delivers keynotes and workshops on influence and storytelling through Practical Influence. Practical Influence: https://www.practicalinfluence.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-chaleff-9269305/ Full show notes and transcript: https://markgraban.com/mistake363 Subscribe for new episodes of My Favorite Mistake, where leaders share what they got wrong and what they learned. Chapters 00:00 Meet Michael Chaleff 00:54 A year as a restaurant magician 03:31 The card routine, performed live 07:41 "I don't have hands" 10:25 When the mistake isn't yours 13:36 The sin is not the mistake 19:30 Never ask a question you don't know the answer to 29:25 The four-act structure for micro storytelling 38:27 The book in progress
What Magicians Know About Mistakes | Michael Chaleff
Carl Pradelli and his wife Beth were about a year and a half into building Nature City when the Home Shopping Network offered to co-brand a skincare line with them. Eighteen months of work, a great product, packaging designed, launch date set. Then the first production run came back from the contract manufacturer -- and the formula was wrong. Ingredients meant to be at five percent came in at one. Ingredients meant to be at one came in at five. The women who had tested the original samples said the product no longer worked. Episode page with links and more: http://markgraban.com/mistake362 The manufacturer had been an acquaintance of a partner. Carl had visited, checked the certifications, and assumed the rest. When he brought the batch records back to them, they did not offer to remake it. They tried to convince him it was not that bad. Then their accounting department called about the invoice. In this episode of My Favorite Mistake, Carl talks about what he now does differently on any decision that can make or break the business, why he has used the same manufacturer for over 20 years instead of putting every job out to bid, and how he handles it when someone on his own team makes a mistake. What you will learn: 🔵 Why a contract manufacturer is a partner, not an order filler -- and how to tell the difference before you place an order 🔵 The difference between checking credentials and doing real due diligence 🔵 What it tells you when a supplier argues about the severity instead of fixing the problem 🔵 Why quoting every job to three vendors quietly costs more than it saves 🔵 How low barriers to entry reshaped the supplement industry over the last decade 🔵 Where fraud can enter a supply chain -- supplier, manufacturer, and brand owner 🔵 Why Nature City's 365-day guarantee lowered return rates instead of raising them 🔵 Carl's distinction between a mistake made with good intentions and one made twice 🔵 Why fixing the process beats telling people to be more careful Chapters: 00:00 Meet Carl Pradelli and Nature City 01:14 The favorite mistake: a co-branded launch with HSN 02:16 Picking a contract manufacturer on a referral 03:00 Warning signs from the early testers 03:41 What the batch records revealed 04:56 A manufacturer should be a partner, not an order taker 07:00 When a supplier will not own the mistake 08:49 Doing your own due diligence on make-or-break decisions 11:15 Why the cheapest supplier is rarely the cheapest 13:44 Regulation, low barriers, and a flood of new brands 24:12 Where fraud enters the supply chain 26:31 US manufacturing and knowing who made your product 30:08 Leaving private equity to start Nature City 32:41 Empowering employees to make customers happy 34:39 The 365-day guarantee that lowered returns 37:44 What to do when an employee makes a mistake 39:43 Fixing the process instead of saying "be more careful" About the guest: Carl Pradelli is co-founder and CEO of Nature City, a direct-to-consumer nutritional supplements company he and his wife Beth started in 2002. Before becoming an entrepreneur, he spent 12 years in investment banking and private equity focused on consumer goods. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School and a BS from NYU. Nature City: https://www.naturecity.com Subscribe for new episodes of My Favorite Mistake, where leaders share the mistakes that taught them the most -- and what they do differently now. More at https://www.markgraban.com/mistake362 #MyFavoriteMistake #Leadership #SupplyChain #DueDiligence #Entrepreneurship #QualityManagement #SupplierRelationships #ContinuousImprovement #LearningFromMistakes #Podcast
The Supplier Mistake That Sank a Major Launch | Carl Pradelli
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