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.
I recorded an upcoming LeanBlog Podcast with Steven J. Spear yesterday. Here is that episode: He’s promoting his new book Chasing the Rabbit: How Market Leaders Outdistance the Competition and How Great Companies Can Catch Up and Win. Update: the…
Dear Blog Readers — I received an email from a blog reader and I’ll pass this question along to you, since I don’t have a recommendation one way or another: There are numerous books out there on “Lean Office.” Do…
Managing to Learn: Using the A3 management process to solve problems, gain agreement, mentor, & lead Published by the Lean Enterprise Institute, John Shook has a new book (available now) on the A3 problem solving process and on Lean leadership.…
The Ice Cream Maker: An Inspiring Tale About Making Quality The Key Ingredient in Everything You Do I was reading the WSJ a while back and was intrigued by a book recommendation by Chrysler’s Robert Nardelli (you can read that…
By Jason Turgeon: Edie.net, which bills itself as “Europe’s largest environmental website,” for what it’s worth, has a good article today on something it’s calling a “5-day-car.” The focus of the article is purportedly green, talking about waste reduction and…
A returning guest (episodes #30 and #38), Bob Emiliani is again featured in episode #48 of the LeanBlog Podcast. Since the mid-1990s, Bob has focused on de-mystifying what he calls the “black art” of Lean leadership. In this conversation, he…
RichCatalog – Free online bookI’m sure many of you got the email blast from the Lean Enterprise Institute, but this is really cool. It’s a free online version of the book “Reflections on Lean.” They’ve improved upon the printed version…
I’ve had the opportunity to read Bob Emiliani’s two collections of essays on “Real Lean” and I’m long overdue on posting about them. I’m especially late considering since Volume Three is coming out in June. These books are particularly recommended…
Mistake-proofing expert Martin Hinckley joins the podcast to explain why traditional inspection methods can’t catch rare mistakes — and what it actually takes to eliminate them. We cover the difference between mistakes and variation, the real meaning of poka-yoke, and…
IndustryWeek Article about the Book | Subscribe to IndustryWeek Amazon Link: Overcoming Inventoritis: The Silent Killer of Innovation When I first read this headline, I misread it, thinking it was about the “fear of inventory” (something that seems like a…
By Ralf Lippold, Leipzig Germany: Kaizen and the Art of Creative Thinking – The Scientific Thinking Mechanism How does it contribute to the lean knowledge base? Shigeo Shingo offers a scientific way to get into Kaizen from a bundle of…
Jeffrey Liker explains why Lean culture is difficult to replicate and why most organizations never move beyond tools and events. Sustainable Lean requires long-term leadership commitment, stability, and deep people development–not quick fixes. Here is LeanBlog Podcast #39, once again…
