This summer marked 30 years since I started my first job out of college–working as an engineer at a General Motors engine plant in Livonia, Michigan. It’s strange to say that out loud. In some ways, it feels like yesterday.…
I’m excited to announce that I’ll be speaking at the 2025 Lean Solutions Summit, which will take place September 24-26 in Detroit, Michigan. This year’s theme, “Catalysts of Tomorrow: Shaping Future Leaders,” is a powerful call to action–and it aligns…
This edition of Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape explores strategy, flow, and culture in environments where improvement is harder than it looks. From how organizations can “play to win” without direct competition, to learning through cardboard simulations in healthcare design,…
In this episode of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast, Dale Lucht reflects on the leadership habits that separate short-lived Lean gains from lasting cultural transformation–and the mistakes leaders must stop repeating. Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more…
This edition of Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape focuses on disciplined thinking, ethical use of data, and people-centered improvement in an AI-enabled world. From reminders that data have no meaning without context and the risks of p-hacking, to human-centered approaches…
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #533 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Cheryl Jekiel, founder of the Lean Leadership Center and a longtime advocate for aligning continuous improvement with people-centered leadership.…
This edition of Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape explores how organizations build improvement capability through goals, learning, and culture–not gimmicks or shortcuts. From designing effective team goals and learning from the long history of suggestion systems, to insights on change…
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #532 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Anne Frewin, a seasoned Lean leader with over 12 years of improvement experience in healthcare, laboratories, and manufacturing. Anne’s…
Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #531 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Dr. Melisa Buie, a seasoned operations and engineering leader with decades of experience in high-tech manufacturing. Melisa has held…
This edition of Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape reflects on the systems, leadership, and mindsets required for lasting improvement. From honoring Dr. Lucian Leape’s foundational work on patient safety and system-based thinking, to lessons from GE Aerospace’s Lean transformation, productivity…
In Episode #530 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast, I’m joined by Ken Segel of Value Capture to discuss what it really takes to build a comprehensive Lean healthcare operating system, starting with safety. Scroll down for how to subscribe,…
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…