In yesterday’s blog post (“Safety is always our top priority” – From lip service to daily practice?“), I challenged hospital leaders to back up the “happy talk” with real action and stories about putting safety first. It’s easier said than…
It’s really easy to make statements like “patient safety is our top priority.” That same statement can be applied to hospital staff, as well. Or, it should. But the “happy talk” (as Pascal Dennis calls it) isn’t always followed up…
tl;dr: In many organizations, “accountability” is code for blame and punishment. Lean leadership redefines accountability as improving systems, clarifying expectations, and helping people succeed rather than singling them out for failure. “Accountability” is a word that’s easy to throw around…
Back in 2011, I wrote this homage to In-N-Out Burger. Their food is awesome, they treat managers and employees with respect, and they pay attention to details. One such example is the simple error proofing of their trashcans, as I wrote…
This article caught my attention the other day: “Philly VA employees ask for golf shirts in suggestion box for improving veteran care.“ I hesitate to throw stones, but there are some very predictable dynamics involved here… and I will provide…
It’s easy to point fingers at others who don’t do what they know they’re supposed to do. Why don’t those nurses and doctors properly clean their hands when they enter and leave every patient room? Why do some surgeons still…
I’ve been reading a preview copy of the upcoming book (due out in April) by Dr. Bob Wachter, The Digital Doctor. It’s fantastic and provides a real-world, even-handed take on healthcare IT, including EMR/EHR systems. What’s the promise, what works,…
For today’s “Throwback Thursday,” I recently re-watched parts of a DVD I helped produce a few years back for the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value — Thinking Lean at ThedaCare DVD: Strategy Deployment, Alignment & Leadership. In the video, ThedaCare’s CEO, Dr.…
My wife and I were late to the wildly popular podcast “Serial,” but we listened to the first six episodes while traveling over the holidays. I ran hot and cold on the serialized non-fiction story about a murder… it was…
Last week, I wrote a post (part 1) looking back at our visit to the Toyota Tsutsumi factory that was part of our Japan tour that took place two months ago now. See previous posts in this series. I’m going to try to…
I’ve been overdue in writing more posts about our Japan tour that took place two months ago now. See previous posts in this series. I’m going to try to do one post a week on this topic. It’s always fascinating…
It’s a bit of a modern management cliché to say, “Don’t bring problems! Bring me solutions!” I think what it’s meant to mean is, “Don’t just complain! Think about improving things!” Why “Don’t Bring Me Problems, Bring Me Solutions” Backfires…
