Popular Posts
Toyota’s $20-an-Idea Experiment–and the Risk of Fixing the Wrong Problem What the First Twelve Years of Writing About Sports Taught Me About Leadership Toyota’s 1992 View: Standardized Work and Kaizen Are Two Sides of the Same Coin Four Headers, Zero Metrics: An Empty Huddle Board in the ICU Hallway A Locked Complaint Box in Greece: Learning From Customer Complaints, or Just Bureaucracy? If This Were Assembly Line Medicine, You Could Stop the Line Workplace Deaths by Age: Why Counts and Rates Tell Different Stories
Composite blog cover image showing four factory workers of different ages in safety gear standing in an industrial workplace, above two side-by-side charts comparing workplace fatality counts and rates by age; the left chart suggests higher total deaths in middle age groups, while the right chart shows fatality rates rising sharply for older workers.

Workplace Deaths by Age: Why Counts and Rates Tell Different Stories

ByMark Graban July 29, 2026 Comment (0) 56
A pitch from a personal injury law firm showed up in my inbox. The subject line was about older...
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A Locked Complaint Box in Greece: Learning From Customer Complaints, or Just Bureaucracy?

ByMark Graban July 28, 2026 Comment (0) 126
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If This Were Assembly Line Medicine, You Could Stop the Line

ByMark Graban July 27, 2026 Comment (0) 122
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Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape: July 24, 2026

ByRyan McCormack July 24, 2026 Comment (0) 3829
Bulletin board with headers Patient Safety, Quality, Patient Satisfaction, Financial Stewardship and no metrics posted.

Four Headers, Zero Metrics: An Empty Huddle Board in the ICU Hallway

ByMark Graban July 23, 2026 Comment (0) 218

Mark Graban

Welcome to my blog!

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

The Lean CEO: Why Culture and Leadership Matter More Than Tools (With Jacob Stoller)

The Lean CEO: Why Culture and Leadership Matter More Than Tools (With Jacob Stoller)

ByMark Graban April 8, 2015 3511
In this podcast episode, Jacob Stoller shares insights from interviewing CEOs across industries and explains why Lean succeeds or fails based less on tools and more on culture, leadership humility...
Bob Wachter on The Digital Doctor, Patient Safety, and Lean in Healthcare

Bob Wachter on The Digital Doctor, Patient Safety, and Lean in Healthcare

ByMark Graban March 29, 2015 2344
My guest for episode #220 is somebody I've wanted to interview for a long time, Dr. Robert Wachter, one of the leading voices in the modern patient safety movement. He's most recently author of a...
Podcast #219 – Interview With Tristan Kromer on #LeanStartup Coaching

Podcast #219 – Interview With Tristan Kromer on #LeanStartup Coaching

ByMark Graban March 24, 2015 1314
Joining me for episode #219 is Tristan Kromer, a professional “Lean Startup” coach who works with startups around the world and volunteers for the non-profit Lean Startup Circle. In this...
Baldrige, Lean, and Healthcare Quality: Karen Kiel-Rosser of Mary Greeley Medical Center

Baldrige, Lean, and Healthcare Quality: Karen Kiel-Rosser of Mary Greeley Medical Center

ByMark Graban March 16, 2015 2012
My guest for episode #218 is Karen Kiel-Rosser, Vice President/Quality Improvement Officer at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Iowa. You might remember Karen from a recent post where she told a great...

More Blog Posts

Psychological Safety vs. Psychological Comfort: Understanding the Distinction

Psychological Safety vs. Psychological Comfort: Understanding the Distinction

Mark GrabanByMark Graban June 13, 2024 3552
TL;DR: Psychological safety doesn't mean comfort or avoiding disagreement. It means people can speak up, challenge ideas, and surface problems without fear–essential for learning, improvement...

Embracing Creative Tensions: Wendy K. Smith on Both/And Thinking and Lean Leadership

Mark GrabanByMark Graban June 12, 2024 3904

Learning From Mistakes: Psychological Safety and Continuous Improvement

Mark GrabanByMark Graban June 11, 2024 1689

Flashback Friday: My First Video Podcast with Jamie Flinchbaugh in 2009

Mark GrabanByMark Graban June 7, 2024 2536

The Pitfalls of Safety Bonuses in Lean Factories: A True Story

Mark GrabanByMark Graban June 5, 2024 1442

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

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Mark Graban on YouTube

Leaders often say they want the bad news fast -- but punish people for actually bringing it. Boo Boucousis, former fighter pilot and CEO of Afterburner, explains why sweeping a mistake under the carpet as a leader teaches everyone else to do the same, and how the debrief habit that fighter pilots use can cut the emotional residue and reset the room. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/K2qUVIkn_vc Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, psychological safety, and learning without blame.
Why Sweeping Mistakes Under the Carpet Costs Leaders the Big Picture
In fighter jet aviation, errors can be fatal -- so the systems built around learning from them have to work. My guest is Christian "Boo" Boucousis, a former Australian fighter pilot and CEO of Afterburner, a leadership firm that has spent 30 years translating combat aviation discipline into frameworks for business. Boo explains why fighter pilots don't use the word "mistake" at all -- they debrief "other things that happened" -- and how that single shift in language changes what people are willing to admit, and how fast a team can learn. Episode page with links and more http://markgraban.com/mistake359 We get into the ORCA debrief method (Objective, Result, Cause, Action), why even the most senior pilots in the room are expected to raise their hand first, and why Boo now teaches leaders to aim for "flawless" instead of "perfect" -- a distinction that changes how you handle things you can't control. What you'll learn: 🔵 Why fighter pilot culture has no concept of "mistake," only data to debrief 🔵 The ORCA method: Objective, Result, Cause, Action 🔵 Why senior leaders admitting error first is what makes psychological safety real, not aspirational 🔵 The difference between "perfect" and "flawless" -- and why one leads to burnout 🔵 Why 86% of leaders may have undiagnosed perfectionism, and how it shows up as control 🔵 How "to-do" lists differ from "achieve" lists, and why the switch matters 🔵 Why slowing down intentionally is often the fastest way through ambiguity Chapters 🔵 00:00 Introduction: fighter pilots and psychological safety 🔵 01:57 Boo's favorite mistake -- and why fighter pilots don't use that word 🔵 05:13 The mission commander debrief: senior leaders admit error first 🔵 09:44 The ORCA method explained 🔵 17:04 Leaving the military: why business commitments felt different 🔵 21:10 Reprogramming leaders who were taught to fear mistakes 🔵 31:30 Speed vs. velocity, and starting meetings at the finish line 🔵 44:16 Perfect vs. flawless: the healthier standard for leaders About Christian "Boo" Boucousis: Boo is a former Royal Australian Air Force fighter pilot and the CEO of Afterburner, which has worked with more than 3,500 organizations, including two Super Bowl-winning NFL teams. He is the author of The Afterburner Advantage and the upcoming Flawless Leadership.
The Fighter Pilot Debrief Method That Kills Blame at Work | Christian "Boo" Boucousis
A young fighter pilot watches three of the most senior leaders in the Air Force admit their own mistakes first, in front of everyone. Boo Boucousis, former fighter pilot and CEO of Afterburner, explains why that moment shaped how he thinks about psychological safety, and why the mistake itself matters less than the admission and what happens next. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/K2qUVIkn_vc Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, psychological safety, and learning without blame
The Debrief Where Three of the Air Force's Top Leaders Raised Their Hands
In the middle of negotiating her way into Elizabeth Ledoux's business as a successor, Andrea Carpenter got news that changed the timeline: she was pregnant. Looking back, she doesn't call the pregnancy the mistake -- it was her rigidity, the insistence that the deal had to happen a certain way on a certain schedule. It's an honest look at what happens when a real life event collides with a fixed plan, and why flexibility matters as much in a business transition as any spreadsheet. Full episode: https://youtu.be/Y4KxmErxWy0 Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, mistakes, and learning without blame. #FamilyBusiness #Succession #Leadership #BusinessTransition
The Real Mistake Wasn't the Timing. It Was Refusing to Change the Plan | Andrea Carpenter
Most people think pulling Toyota's andon cord immediately stops the entire factory. It usually doesn't. Here's what actually happens, and why the real lesson isn't about the cord at all. Follow for more on Lean, leadership, and psychological safety. #Toyota #LeanManufacturing #AndonCord #ContinuousImprovement #Leadership
The Andon Cord Myth: Does One Worker Really Stop the Entire Line?
Only about a third of businesses make it into the next generation. Only about a third of businesses make it into the next generation. Elizabeth Ledoux explains what the successful ones do differently -- owners who plan early, develop the successor's skills, and treat the transition as a journey rather than a single closing date. She breaks down the small-business nuances, from cash flow to banking relationships, that a new owner has to actually understand to beat the odds. Full episode: https://youtu.be/Y4KxmErxWy0 Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, mistakes, and learning without blame. #Succession #FamilyBusiness #BusinessTransition #Leadership
Two-Thirds of Business Transitions Fail. Here's What Separates the Rest | Elizabeth Ledoux
"Lean is for speed, Six Sigma is for quality." You've heard it in training classes, certification courses, and all over LinkedIn. It's tidy, it's memorable -- and it's wrong about both. Toyota's system rests on two pillars: flow AND quality built in at the source. Quality isn't a side effect of Lean. It's half the structure. In this short, I break down where the myth comes from, why "making bad stuff faster" was never the goal, and the lesson a Toyota-trained plant manager taught me in 1996 that's stuck with me for 30 years. Speed and quality were never enemies. In a well-designed system, they're two sides of the same coin. More on Lean leadership, psychological safety, and continuous improvement at LeanBlog.org. #Lean #LeanManufacturing #SixSigma #ContinuousImprovement #Leadership #LeanSixSigma #OperationalExcellence #Toyota #ProcessImprovement #Kaizen
Lean Is NOT About Speed (Here's What Toyota Actually Says)
Toyota once paid employees $20 for every improvement idea. Employees quickly learned how to maximize the incentive—including one person who reportedly earned enough for a swimming pool. Norman Bodek explains why the answer was not to abandon employee ideas, but to fix the poorly designed reward system. People respond to the incentives leaders create. Watch the full episode: https://leanblog.org/1 #Shorts #Kaizen #Toyota #Lean #ContinuousImprovement #Incentives #NormanBodek
Toyota Paid $20 Per Idea—It Didn't Go Well
Most people want their idea to get an enthusiastic yes. Larry Kasanoff has learned to distrust it. When he pitches a movie and the room says "great idea, easy, no problem," he gets a little nervous -- because an idea everyone instantly approves is usually one that's been done before. When people tell him he's crazy and it'll never work, he feels something closer to calm. That reaction, to him, is a sign he might be onto something. There's a useful distinction buried in this, and Mark draws it out in the clip: being told an idea is a little crazy might actually be a warning -- a signal you've wandered into a bad bet. But being told it's really crazy, the kind that makes people worry about your career, can mean you've found something genuinely new. The easy, comfortable yes is the one to watch. This is worth holding loosely rather than as a rule. Plenty of bad ideas also get called crazy. The point isn't that resistance proves you're right -- it's that universal, instant agreement should make you ask whether you're actually doing anything new, or just reaching for everyone's safe second choice. 🔵 Why an enthusiastic yes can be a warning sign 🔵 The difference between "a little crazy" and "really crazy" 🔵 What strong resistance might be telling you 🔵 Why instant agreement often means the idea isn't new Larry Kasanoff is a film producer and studio head behind Terminator 2, True Lies, Mortal Kombat, and Platoon, and the author of A Touch of the Madness. From the My Favorite Mistake podcast with Mark Graban. Full video: https://youtu.be/Zx9IuIB2m0g #Leadership #Innovation #DecisionMaking #LarryKasanoff #MyFavoriteMistake #Shorts
When Everyone Loves Your Idea, Get Nervous | Larry Kasanoff
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