Tag: Books

Books: Learning, Leadership, and Lean Thinking in Practice

Books shape how we think about leadership, improvement, and learning—but only if we reflect on them and apply their lessons thoughtfully. This archive includes blog posts and podcast episodes about Lean, healthcare, leadership, mistakes, psychological safety, and continuous improvement, including reflections on my own books and conversations with authors whose work has influenced how organizations build better systems and cultures.

Captain Sully and Patient Safety Lessons with Naida Grunden

2
Captain Sully and patient safety come together in this conversation with Naida Grunden, author of The Pittsburgh Way to Efficient Healthcare, who was corresponding...

Jeffrey Liker on Toyota’s Crisis, Recalls, and the Real Test of...

8
Jeffrey Liker explains why Toyota's recalls were not a failure of the Toyota Way, but a breakdown in listening, speed, and customer understanding. The...

Gwendolyn Galsworth, Respect for People and “Work That Makes Sense”

0
Episode #108 is a discussion with Dr. Gwendolyn Galsworth, recorded in person at the 2010 Shingo Prize Conference in Salt Lake City. Gwendolyn was...

Announcement: Working on a 2nd Revised, New Edition of “Lean Hospitals”

4
Happy New Year! Today, I will have two posts that are embarrassingly self referential. Then back to normal stuff tomorrow. My main announcement is that...

Podcast #105 – Bill Waddell & Adam Zak, “Simple Excellence”

4
Podcast #105 is a conversation with the co-authors of the new book Simple Excellence: Organizing and Aligning the Management Team in a Lean Transformation...

Mini-Review: First Three Chapters of the Virginia Mason Medical Center Lean...

12
I've finally started reading the new book by Charles Kenney, Transforming Health Care: Virginia Mason Medical Center's Pursuit of the Perfect Patient Experience, and...

Interview with Masaaki Imai on Taiichi Ohno and Respect for People

10
TL;DR (2026): This interview with Masaaki Imai still matters because it captures an early, unvarnished view of how "respect for people" was practiced--not idealized--by...

Podcast #103 – Matthew E. May, “The Shibumi Strategy”

0
My guest for Episode #103 is Matthew E. May, returning to talk about his latest book, a business fable called The Shibumi Strategy: A Powerful...

Follow Up Q&A from “On the Mend” Webinar

2
The Lean Enterprise Institute has posted the follow up text Q&A by John Toussaint MD and Roger Gerard PhD, co-authors of the book On...

Dave Crenshaw, Interview with the Author of ‘The Myth of Multitasking’...

9
Listen: Wow, 100 episodes of my podcast since 2006! For this episode, I'm thankful to have the author of one of my favorite books in...

Two Upcoming Lean Healthcare Books from Seattle

1
I'm really excited about these two books coming out later this year -- both from innovative leading lean healthcare organizations in Seattle. What's in...

Podcast #99 – The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development

7
For episode #99 of the podcast, I'm talking with the authors of the book The Entrepreneur's Guide to Customer Development: A cheat sheet to...
An AI that won't just give you the answer. That's what makes it useful.Free Demo -- Learn More
+ +
lean coach ad