Thanks as always to Ryan McCormack for this… Healthcare — Creating Value for Patients Why did Covid overwhelm hospitals? By trying to “over-optimize” for years. The Wall Street Journal reports on the years-long drive for efficiency that made our systems vulnerable…
Steve Spear shares lessons from Hajime Oba, who founded Toyota’s Supplier Support Center (TSSC) and became one of the most influential teachers of the Toyota Production System in North America. In this episode, Spear describes how Mr. Oba looked at…
I’ve seen a number of people post on LinkedIn about the passing of the legendary “Mr. Oba” of Toyota (sometimes spelled “Mr. Ohba”) — Hajime Oba passed away on September 4th, in Connecticut. I’ve heard many stories from people who…
Today is the World Health Organization “World Patient Safety Day 2020.” Patient safety is not just an American healthcare issue — see some statistics I have compiled over the years. At one point, the per capita rate of people killed…
TL;DR: Through personal stories and history, this post highlights how George Washington Carver modeled humble, purpose-driven leadership: respect for people, experimentation, systems thinking, and a “disgust of waste” in service of the common good. By Joseph E. Swartz (in honor…
In this Lean Blog Podcast episode, Tom Peters reflects on leading through the chaos of COVID-19. He shares why people-first leadership, training, kindness, and trust become non-negotiable during crisis. I’m really excited to be speaking to my guest for Episode…
Joining me for the ninth time on the podcast, for Episode #381, is Dr. John Toussaint, chairman of Catalysis. John is author or co-author of three books — well actually it’s four books, as a new one is available for…
In 1776 , Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston (also known as our nation’s founding fathers) authored the Declaration of Independence. Its purpose — to serve as a guiding light of the principles on which…
“In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there “is” such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.” Martin Luther King, Jr. In 2001,…
What do you do when you’ve clearly earned the win but you’re treated differently than everyone who won before you? Dr. Randal Pinkett and Dr. Jeffrey Robinson join me to talk through that question, from Randal’s refusal to share his…
I was excited. I was young-enough, studied-enough, passionate-enough. I knew that with the right staff, right curriculum, right strategies, right systems and with the right energy we could raise test scores to pass all the other schools in the state.…
Change can be hard; especially for those of us who have always done things a certain way. As human beings, we are indeed creatures of habit. Even those of us who are adventurous and ambitious, we still find comfort in our…