TL;DR Leader Standard Work isn’t a calendar or a checklist. It’s the daily responsibility of leaders to show up with the right behaviors–listening, asking, following up, and creating psychological safety. How leaders act in everyday moments matters far more than…
TL;DR: Fred Noe of Jim Beam offers powerful leadership lessons on learning from mistakes, small-batch experimentation, and long-term thinking. His approach shows how psychological safety, humility, and starting small enable innovation that scales–whether you’re leading a distillery, a hospital, or…
This article is based on my recent Catalysis webinar, “Lean Lessons from Japan: Mindsets, Culture, and the Challenge of Speaking Up.” The session was part of their ongoing learning series, and the recording will be available soon through Catalysis and…
TL;DR: I learned SQDC the hard way at GM–first under cost- and throughput-obsessed leadership, then from a NUMMI-trained plant manager who showed me why safety and quality must come first if you want performance (and cost) to truly improve. Two…
This October, I’ll be returning to Japan for another Lean healthcare study trip–my seventh time overall and my fifth healthcare-focused visit. With each visit, I find new layers of learning. While my earlier trips were filled with curiosity about Lean…
tl;dr: Kaiteki is a Japanese management philosophy focused on comfort, purpose, and respect for people–and it helps explain why motivated employees and Lean success go hand in hand. During my most recent visit to Japan (as part of a tour…
TL;DR: While some Japanese hospitals excel at Lean, many face the same cultural and systemic barriers seen elsewhere. Visiting Japan isn’t about finding a Lean utopia–it’s about sharpening your thinking by seeing what’s possible and how leadership, not geography, drives…
Why Lean Thinking Succeeds in Japan–Not Because of Culture, But Because of Intentional Leadership and Systems One of the most persistent myths I’ve encountered over the years goes something like this: “Well, of course they can do Lean… they’re Japanese.”…
Learning Lean from Japan isn’t about copying tools or culture–it’s about seeing what’s possible when organizations commit to respect for people, continuous improvement, and long-term thinking. In this episode, Dave Fitzpatrick and I discuss the Lean Healthcare Accelerator Experience: an…
I’m very excited to announce that my latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, has been officially selected as a recipient of the Shingo Publication Award by the Shingo Institute (the home of…
Just over a week ago, I got back from Katie Anderson’s Japan Study Trip. It was amazing! I have so much to write about and share. But first, Facebook reminded me of something from exactly ten years ago–the second time…
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #518 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jerry Wright, author of the new book The Insanity Trap: What Your MRP Consultant Won’t Tell You. Jerry M.…