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.
Healthcare – Creating Value for Patients The last place I want to receive care is the hospital. There are innumerable advantages to being treated in home for the patient, family, and healthcare system. Treating acute care patients in the home…
Joining me for Episode 346 of the podcast is Mark Ryan, a Transformation Coach and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt at Franciscan Health. Mark will be one of the hosts and facilitators at our upcoming “Kaizen Live!” site visit event…
Healthcare – Creating Value for Patients An experienced doctor in Toronto caused harm, operated without consent, and intimidated staff for years. A disturbing but unsurprising tale of greed, betrayal, and medical misconduct at North York General Hospital. One way to better…
After the last episode with guest host Paul Critchley, I’m once again joined by Jamie Flinchbaugh for another “Lean Whiskey” podcast. In Episode 6 of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh explore two icons as leaders and the impact…
Recently, KaiNexus and I hosted another webinar in our free series and I hope you were able to join us. Taryn Davis, of the firm tbd strategies, gave an engaging and practical presentation titled, “Burn Your Ships! Generating Momentum for…
Healthcare – Creating Value for Patients In 2008, I worked at a hospital when, during an Executive meeting, an Executive suggested that patients are sometimes harmed during their care. There was much discourse on whether this was true, or if true,…
Hi All – Summer in Manitoba requires part-time work, as the precious weeks of glorious weather need to be savoured and stored up for the grueling winters. As such, I give you a summary of the most frequently clicked links from…
Regular readers will realize I’ve been away from the blog a lot this month. I was fortunate to get away for two weeks of vacation in Spain and France with family and friends. Blog readership is always low in July,…
Here is an article that caught my eye recently, from HBR: “How One Health System Overcame Resistance to a Surgical Checklist“ Seeing the word “resistance” always makes me wonder if the health system in the article was blaming surgeons (or…
Healthcare – Creating Value for Patients Imagine a healthcare system that responds to each patient’s circumstances and preferences in real-time. Real-time measurement of a patient’s experience could be the holy grail of patient-centred design, and a group of physicians tested out…
Chick-fil-A is widely known for fast service, high quality, and a strong culture–but behind that reputation is a deliberate approach to Lean and Kaizen that engages every employee in continuous improvement. In this podcast episode, I’m joined by David B.…
Healthcare – Creating Value for Patients Many healthcare providers are driven by a deep commitment to the mission of healthcare. Some refer to it as a calling. The New York Times suggests that the healthcare industry exploits the goodwill and commitment…
