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.
A few thoughts while waiting for a Sunday flight… at least it’s a Sunday flight towards home. One reason traditional organizations (and traditional leaders) struggle with Lean is because the mental models are different. The problem isn’t understanding tools; the…
Dr. W. Edwards Deming always said we need to drive out fear from organizations, as point 8 of the 14 Points said: “Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the company.” Too many organizations, including hospitals, are…
Episode #97 is a discussion with Bob Sutton, a Stanford University Professor of Management Science and Engineering and the best-selling author of The No A-hole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t. Other books by Bob include The…
TL;DR: Effective daily huddles are short, visual, two-way conversations held in the gemba–focused on safety, performance, and surfacing issues, not solving them on the spot. A key cultural aspect of Lean is the “daily huddle.” Sure, this practice isn’t exclusive…
Here’s a great article with a number of quotes from William Considine, the CEO of Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio. The article, from the Akron/Canton Smart Business publication is titled “William Considine embraces Lean Six Sigma to improve Akron Children’s…
There are lots of places online where people can ask questions about Lean, such as the LEI forums and numerous LinkedIn groups. I saw one question in a LinkedIn group that really gave me pause… I won’t use her name…
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…
