As I mentioned the other day, I’ve helped the firm Value Capture launch a new podcast called “Habitual Excellence.” The first full episode has been released, with audio of a speech by the late Paul H. O’Neill, Sr. See this…
During this week-from-home pandemic era, one of my projects has been to set up a podcast for the firm Value Capture. A month ago, we decided to name the podcast “Habitual Excellence” as a way of recognizing and building upon…
Thanks as always to Ryan McCormack for this… Healthcare – Creating Value for Patients Paul O’Neill was a pioneer in establishing an all-encompassing pursuit of safety and zero harm as the path to excellence and profitability at Alcoa, and then…
Today, I went for a brisk 50-minute walk on a sunny morning and my companion was the voice of the late Paul O’Neill as I listened to the audio from a video I’m sharing here. I listened to it and…
TL;DR: Paul O’Neill showed that safety isn’t a metric–it’s a leadership obligation, and the foundation for what he called habitual excellence. It was a sad weekend, hearing about the passing of Paul H O’Neill, Sr. on Saturday. He was 84.…
Hat tip to Stan Feingold from StoreSMART (a Lean Blog sponsor) for sending me this article: Bob Lutz Talks Panel Gaps, Tesla, and Why Every Detail Matters — Getting it right starts at the top. Bob Lutz is a legend…
TL;DR: Dr. Gary Kaplan describes Virginia Mason’s adoption of Lean as a “war on waste,” but the real impact goes beyond waste reduction. By applying the Toyota Production System as a management system–not just a set of tools–Virginia Mason improved…
It’s my second straight podcast with a healthcare CEO. This time, joining me for Episode #337 is Vance Jackson, FACHE, FACMPE, the President & CEO of Davis Health System, based in Elkins, West Virginia. Vance and I talk about how…
My typing is a bit hampered after my finger surgery still. At least my surgery was safe and my outcomes seem to be good. Not everybody is so lucky. This week is the annual Patient Safety Awareness Week. In this…
TL;DR: Pursuing zero harm isn’t about unrealistic goals or punishing people for failure. It’s a leadership choice that creates psychological safety, accelerates learning, and strengthens Lean systems. When organizations treat safety–physical, emotional, and professional–as a non-negotiable value, improvement capability follows…
I'm often reminded of three challenging questions that are asked by Paul O'Neill, former CEO of Alcoa and former US Treasury Secretary.
I've mentioned the questions before, in this blog post about Eric Ries and an employee's bill of rights. See more blog posts and my podcast with Mr. O'Neill.
Sadly, I'm reminded of the questions when I'm around people who cannot answer "yes" to them in healthcare workplaces. This is a widespread problem.
TL;DR: Captain “Sully” Sullenberger’s leadership lessons from Flight 1549 highlight that safety depends on humility, trust, teamwork, and learning from mistakes–not heroics or checklists alone. High-risk industries like aviation improve safety by focusing on systems, psychological safety, and fact-based decisions.…
