Here is a review and summary of my book Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More that was posted on LinkedIn by Manasi Kekan MD MSBE MMM FACP. Thanks to Dr. Kekan for writing it. She shares a…
tl;dr: Red/green metrics and single-point comparisons hide important signals in your data. Time-series charts and Process Behavior Charts reveal when systems actually change–and when leaders should learn instead of overreact. In many organizations, leaders rely on red/green color-coding to evaluate…
My guest for episode #349 is John Dyer, president of his consulting firm, John Dyer & Associates, Inc., and author of the new book, The Façade of Excellence: Defining a New Normal of Leadership, which will be released on October 1,…
Our guest today for Episode 347 is Brad Parsons, the CEO of NEA Baptist, in Jonesboro, Arkansas. NEA Baptist is a 228-bed hospital and 140-provider medical group serving northeast Arkansas — part of Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation. Brad is…
W. Edwards Deming’s ideas about systems thinking, measurement, psychology, and leadership remain highly relevant for healthcare improvement today, even decades after they were first articulated. Why Deming Still Matters in Healthcare Today Healthcare leaders continue to struggle with quality improvement…
TL;DR: Gordon Deal and Mark Graban discuss why leaders overreact to routine ups and downs in metrics-and how Process Behavior Charts help filter noise, identify real signals, and improve decisions without wasted effort or stress. Why Leaders Overreact to Metrics…
The last time I ran a short-term book sale — lowering the Kindle book price of Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More to $2.99 — I was curious what would happen. I saw a short-term spike in…
Each time I teach my “Measures of Success” workshop for Catalysis at one of their events, they give me feedback scores from the attendees. I try to practice what I preach — around reflection, the voice of the customer, continuous…
TL;DR: Home runs in MLB haven’t just “gone up”–the data shows a real system shift, not random year-to-year variation. Process Behavior Charts help separate signal from noise, revealing when it’s worth investigating what truly changed instead of overreacting to single-season…
Last week was the 10th annual Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit. I’ve had the opportunity to take part in all ten of them, going back to my days as an employee of the Lean Enterprise Institute, who used to partner with…
TL;DR: Red-amber-green (RAG) dashboards mislead leaders by turning random variation into “red” crises that trigger overreaction and explanation-seeking. The BMJ shows that most performance data reflects normal system behavior, not meaningful change. Process Behavior Charts (control charts) help leaders distinguish…
TL;DR: Numbers don’t make decisions–people do. Metrics that look “good” or “bad” can be dangerously misleading when leaders ignore context, system limits, and natural variation. The Chernobyl disaster shows what happens when incomplete data, fear of speaking up, and rigid…
