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.

The Value Stream of Succession Planning and Leader Development

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by Jamie Flinchbaugh, co-author, The Hitchhiker's Guide to LeanWhat's the purpose of thinking about work as a value stream? Is it just a buzzword?...

A Lean Guy Reads FORTUNE

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As I was catching up on my back issues of FORTUNE, I had a few Lean thoughts as I read.In the June 9 edition,...

Jamie Flinchbaugh Video: Daily Improvement

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Everybody Everyday: Managing for Daily Improvement The link above is an online video presentation by Jamie Flinchbaugh, courtesy of IndustryWeek (click here to subscribe to...

The Risks of Superficial Change

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Rupert Cornwell: Cuban leader must learn from Gorbachev's mistakes - Commentators, Opinion - The IndependentI was reading this column yesterday and I thought of...

Toyota Quotes That Reveal the Real Toyota Way (Not What Most...

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TL;DR: Toyota's leadership philosophy isn't about control -- it's about confirming processes, supporting people, and solving problems without blame. This quote from The Toyota...

Can Convis Turn Dana Around?

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toledoblade.com -- Dana CEO, veteran of Toyota, hailed as mentorHere's another nice article that gives an overview of the leadership style of Gary Convis,...

Trouble in a Fort Worth Hospital

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JPS patients get shortchanged as cash surpluses keep growingThis linked article is a preview of what I'll be blogging about next. I'm trying an...

Lean Blog Podcast #40 – An Anonymous UAW Retiree Who is...

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Listen: Here is LeanBlog Podcast #40, an interview with a retired UAW/GM employee who wishes to remain anonymous, at this point. We have traded many...

Leadership versus Management

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For a long time, we have been saying that leadership is one of the top reasons that lean efforts fail. Many have begun to...

A Lean Guy Reads the WSJ

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A few short thoughts from today's WSJ:'Headwind' Blows As Top Executives Navigate Trouble - WSJ.comAs I was reading the first article, above, about executives...

Some Questions About Managers

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Earlier this week, I asked some questions that managers and leaders should ask, prompted by an email I received through the blog.I've been thinking...

Some Questions for Managers

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Some rhetorical questions to managers who say they want to "be Lean":Do you properly train new employees or do you just throw them into...
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