Hoarders and Stashers? Ask Why…
Short post today, but a simple message, I think. One of the best lessons I’ve learned about Lean management is about the need to ask “why?” Don’t assume, don’t blame – ask why. It’s a very common situation in a…
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.
Tampa Bay Business Journal Features Lean at Moffitt Cancer Center
The full article requires a subscription, but John Toussaint and I were each quoted in this article from last Friday: “Toyota techniques drive profit, efficiency gains at Moffitt.” As with many of these articles, the full story tells a picture…
$500k in Stimulus Money for Lean Healthcare Training – Then What?
This headline jumped out at me: “Local hospital receives $500,000 to train workers.” What also jumped out at me, in the article, is that the money comes from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (commonly referred to as the…
A Brief Video Look into Lean at VIBCO
I may have shared this video before, but it’s worth taking a quick video peek into one of my favorite companies – VIBCO. When I was living in Boston, I had the pleasure of visiting the gemba a few times…
Avoiding the Risks of Using Glib Quotes in Patient Safety Discussions
Yesterday, I tweeted a quote about patient safety that I’ve seen posted on the wall or bulletin board in many hospitals: “To err is human, to cover up is unforgivable, and to fail to learn is inexcusable.” – Sir Liam…
Depersonalized Workplaces are L.A.M.E., not Lean, Harming Productivity and People
When I was traveling last week, a magazine caught my eye, one I don’t normally read: Scientific American Mind and the article “Cubicle, Sweet Cubicle: The Best Ways to Make Office Spaces Not So Bad ( Preview )“. The whole…
3 Questions to Ask Before Starting with Lean
This is a companion post to yesterday’s “3 Reasons the General Public Thinks Hospitals Can’t Improve.” Lean zealots often take for granted that, not only does Lean work, but that people want to improve. Before we dive into teaching people…
Reminder: Free Lean Leadership Webinar at 2 PM EDT Today, “On the Mend”
Join the co-authors of the book “On the Mend: Revolutionizing Healthcare to Save Lives and Transform the Industry“, John Toussaint MD and Roger Gerard PhD, for a free webinar on lean leadership – today at 2 PM eastern. You can…
Start Every Hospital Meeting w/ 5 Minutes on Employee and Patient Safety
Recently, I posted a video of a “daily huddle” meeting at Everett Clinic (not exactly the type of huddle pictured at left). Yesterday, in honor of the Labor Day holiday, I had a post about employee safety and how that…
Labor Day – Our Obligation for Worker Safety
Today is a federal holiday in the United States, Labor Day. I know that’s obvious to the 70% of you reading from the U.S., but it seemed worth pointing out to the international readers. Labor Day became a holiday in…
My Interview with Justin Holland, of GE Healthcare
Today’s post is an interview I conducted via email with Justin Holland, Managing Principal of GE Healthcare Americas. Before joining GE, he was most recently Vice President of Business Performance at Cleveland Clinic. In this interview we cover topics including…
Interview with Paul O’Neill; The Right Goals in Healthcare
Many of you may know of Paul O’Neill for the dramatic employee safety improvements at aluminum maker Alcoa and you may know of him from his work in promoting healthcare improvement (he is the “bureaucrat” in “The Nun & the…
