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.

What Does “Holding People Accountable” Really Mean in a Lean Culture?

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tl;dr: "Accountability" in most organizations means blame -- but real accountability starts with leaders fixing systems, not punishing individuals who can't do the right...

Kaizen Coaching: Avoid the Shut Down

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Mark's Note: Today brings another guest post from Joe Swartz, my co-author for our Healthcare Kaizen series of books. Read his previous posts here....

Kaizen Coaching – The First Rule: Keep Ideas with the Creator

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Mark's Note: Today's guest post is by Joe Swartz, my co-author for the books  Healthcare Kaizen  and  The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. Joe...

A Health System CEO, Gary Passama, Blogs About Lean

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It's great to see CEOs blogging and sharing transparently on the web, sharing their views, stories, and opinions. Paul Levy was a real innovator...

Talking about Lean Healthcare in Winnipeg – #SDEC13 – and Visiting...

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Thanks to the organizing sponsor Protegra and other sponsors, including my friends at LeanKit, for having me give a keynote talk about the Software...

Too Many Patients Harmed, Too Few Leaders Committed to Real Change?

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I recently received two emails that are worth sharing, in anonymous form here. One was from somebody I know who just quit a Lean...

Key Takeaways from the 2013 Northeast Shingo Prize Conference

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Mark's Note: Today's post is by a regular guest contributor, Christina Kach. I was disappointed that I couldn't attend this year's event in Massachusetts,...

There’s Only One Acceptable Answer to “Are You Busy?”

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In some  "Kaizen Kickoff" coaching that I've been doing recently, I've been spending time with managers and other leaders as they interact with nurses...

Joe Swartz Discusses Healthcare Kaizen and a Culture of Continuous Improvement...

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Joining me for episode #187 is Joe Swartz, my friend and esteemed co-author of our books Healthcare Kaizen: Engaging Front-Line Staff in Sustainable Continuous...

Podcast #186 – Jon Miller Discusses His Book Creating a Kaizen...

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My guest for episode #186 is my friend Jon Miller, CEO of Kaizen Institute and a long-time blogger at Gemba Panta Rei. Today, we're...

Brilliant 1981 Article: “Why Japanese factories work” – Relevant for Healthcare...

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The year is 1981. A Major League Baseball strike interrupts the season. We're in the midst of the Cold War. President Reagan is shot....

Gemba Wine: A Lean Geek Visits Wineries, Part 3

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Following up on my previous posts (here and here) on a recent visit to the Northern California Wine Country, I'm going to share a...
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