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.
Listen: Episode #94 of the LeanBlog Podcast is here and our guest is Robert Miller, Executive Director of the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. Bob was previously a guest for Podcast #59, talking about changes to the Shingo Prize criteria.…
I’ve had the pleasure to work with Dr. John Toussaint, CEO of the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value, over the past year. John’s no “ivory tower” guy, he speaks from his practical and hard-fought experience as the CEO and Lean…
Mark’s note: Today’s post is from a regular guest blogger and a friend of mine, Dan Markovitz – his regular blog can be found at his ‘Markovitz Consulting site. I saw Dan again a few weeks back at the Lean…
Mark’s note: Today’s post is from a relatively new friend of my blog, introduced initially through our mutual friend, Jamie Flinchbaugh. Ankit Patel, today’s guest blogger, also shares with me former employment at Dell Computer Inc. I worked there so…
Mark’s note: Today is the first of a series of guest posts that will appear over the next two weeks from a variety of bloggers while I’m on vacation. Tracey Richardson is a consultant and LEI faculty member who previously…
In this interview, Stephen Covey shares his perspective on Toyota’s “Respect for People” principle and why trust, empowerment, and leadership beyond command-and-control are essential to Lean success. Recorded at the Shingo Prize Conference, the conversation connects Covey’s ideas about the…
I heard a great line from an Emergency Department doc and physician leader yesterday. Talking about his hospital’s Lean efforts, he said, simply: “Data should create light, not heat.” Brilliant. Simply brilliant. What he meant was that data should be…
I was able to have a chat with Eric Ries yesterday as we were recording some video of him answering some follow up questions from the LEI webinar he did for us last week on Lean Startups (that will be…
Mark’s note: I’m happy to welcome a relatively new friend, Mike Stoecklein, as a guest author here on my Lean Blog. We have shared interests in healthcare improvement and, particularly, in Dr. W. Edwards Deming, with whom Mike had personal…
Recently, I was able to visit VIBCO, a Lean manufacturing company in Rhode Island. Company President Karl Wadensten is the host of “The Lean Nation” radio show. It was my third time visiting the factory in the last six months,…
Listen to my podcast with Nick One of my blog themes is the idea of “Like Lean” – practices that seem very much like the Lean philosophy and management system, but it’s not directly inspired by Toyota or Dr. Deming.…
I have strong ties and connections to the state of Michigan, growing up in Livonia, starting my career there in Livonia, and having my parents and many friends in the area, although I moved away in 1997. I was thrilled…
