Tag: Leadership

Leadership That Builds Better Systems, Better Results, and Better Work

Leadership isn’t about titles, charisma, or quick decisions—it’s about creating systems where people can do their best work and continuously improve. This archive brings together blog posts, podcasts, and reflections on leadership through a Lean lens, drawing on ideas from Deming, Toyota, healthcare, and real-world management practice. The common theme: leaders shape culture, influence behavior, and own the systems that produce results—for better or worse.

Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape: January 9, 2026

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Summary: Today's "mixtape" post brings together timely ideas on continuous improvement, leadership, productivity, and workplace culture. From avoiding "blank slate" metrics and rethinking PDCA/PDSA...

“Toyota Culture” 20 Years Later: Why Liker’s Lessons Still Matter in...

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TL;DR Twenty years later, Jeffrey Liker's message still applies: Lean fails when it's treated as a set of tools instead of a leadership system....

From “White Coat Leadership” to Lean Leadership: John Toussaint’s Message Still...

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TL;DR: Dr. John Toussaint says healthcare culture won't change until leaders do--moving from "white coat leadership" (all-knowing, autocratic, blaming) to Lean leadership as facilitator,...

Are Executive Teams Solving Problems — or Just Making Decisions?

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Many executive teams move quickly to decisions but skip the shared learning needed to solve complex problems for good. This post explores a working...

Five NUMMI Tour Lessons That Still Define Lean Thinking

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A 2005 tour of the NUMMI plant revealed lessons about Lean that had little to do with tools and everything to do with leadership,...

How Don Kieffer Applies Toyota Thinking to Modern Knowledge Work

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Why do so many Lean efforts fail in offices, engineering, and executive work? In this episode, Don Kieffer explains why copying Toyota's rituals misses...

Stop Forcing Change: Use These Motivational Interviewing Questions Instead

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When we think about how change happens in organizations, especially those practicing Lean, we often focus on tools, plans, and communication strategies. But what...

From Firefighting to Flow — Darren Walsh on Lean Leadership Routines...

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Why do so many Lean efforts stall after early wins? In this episode, Darren Walsh explains why firefighting feels productive but prevents real progress--and...

GE’s Larry Culp: Why Lean Thinking Starts with Safety and Respect...

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TL;DR Larry Culp, CEO of GE Aerospace, shows that Lean leadership isn't about tools or slogans--it's about daily behaviors. By grounding Lean in safety,...

The Lasting Impact of a 2009 Kaizen Study in Emergency Medicine...

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Back in 2009, my friend and KaiNexus co-founder Dr. Greg Jacobson and his colleagues at Vanderbilt University Medical Center published an article that still...

What Lean Leaders Can Learn from Dan Quinn: Accountability Without Blame

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Leadership isn't about avoiding mistakes--it's about responding to them with honesty and humility. This week, Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn offered a clear example....

How Great Leaders Prevent Mistakes and Learn from the Ones That...

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I recently gave a virtual keynote for a global manufacturing company that's a customer of KaiNexus. Their leaders wanted to explore how to strengthen...
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