I watched the HBO documentary “Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare” the other day. It’s chilling. The film gives a detailed account of the nine days after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, focusing on the workers who risked their lives to…
Dr. Eric Dickson spent the early part of his leadership career telling people what to do. It nearly cost him everything. What he built after that failure — over 23 years and eventually across a $5 billion health system —…
If you’ve used ChatGPT, you’ve seen the small text at the bottom of the screen: “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.” I noticed it again the other day and thought (and wrote on LinkedIn) — I need the same…
TL;DR: A sound check, live song requests, and a naming regret — what watching Brandi Carlile perform taught me about specific problem-solving, vulnerability, and continuous improvement. My wife and I got to see the amazing Brandi Carlile perform near Chicago…
TL;DR: NUMMI proved in the 1980s what healthcare is still learning today: you can’t punish your way to safety. Real improvement comes from mutual trust, system thinking, and leaders who respond to problems with curiosity–not blame. When we talk about…
TL;DR: GM said it believed in long-term thinking. NUMMI actually practiced it. A 1987 GM executive summary admitted that short-term financial pressure drove decisions at GM far more than at NUMMI. The difference wasn’t philosophy — it was system design.…
TL;DR: NUMMI’s success was not driven by Lean tools alone, but by leadership behaviors that treated people as partners in quality and improvement. When you open the NUMMI Management Practices: Executive Summary–that thin, yellow-covered 1987 report preserved in the Don…
TL;DR: In 1987, GM accurately documented why NUMMI worked–and it wasn’t tools, techniques, or discipline. This internal report reveals a management system built on trust, learning, and problem-solving, and exposes how hard it is to act on insight when it…
The Real Lesson from Japan Wasn’t Tools — It Was Trust and Listening TL;DR: When a group of Ford and UAW leaders traveled to Japan in 1981, they went looking for secrets — faster machines, tighter processes, smarter tools. What…
Executive Summary for Leaders Continuous Improvement–often called Kaizen–is not a program, a department, or a suggestion box. It is the daily practice that makes Lean real. At its core, Kaizen means improving systems by engaging the people who do the…
TL;DR: Psychological safety in Lean organizations means people can surface problems, admit mistakes, and challenge assumptions without fear. It is not about comfort or lowering standards–it is the foundation that makes Respect for People, learning, and continuous improvement possible. In…
Last year, my friend (and long-time fellow blogger) Tim McMahon from the A Lean Journey blog sent me a set of questions he’s asked various Lean practitioners over the years. His goal is simple but valuable: create reflection, encourage dialogue,…