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.
Thanks to Charlie P. for sharing this gem from the now out of print book: 40 Years, 20 Million Ideas: The Toyota Suggestion System by Yuzo Yasuda. This book was originally published by Productivity Press when Norman Bodek was still…
Wildcats know they have room to improve — chicagotribune.com Those of you who know me recognize me as a diehard Northwestern Wildcats fan. Yes, it’s often a tortured existence. Our football team is 3-0. That’s nothing to get too excited…
I heard a great quote at a conference today. I would give attribution, but I’m not sure if I have the OK to cite the person and company (they keep below the radar): “Lean can make a good manager great.…
by Jamie Flinchbaugh, co-author, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean Some of you have read the beginning of my Leading Lean A-Z. You can see the introduction and the first post here. I continue, quite out of sequence, with I. I:…
What people often think Lean is — a superhero there to “save them” or to “make them Lean.” As illustrated below: How people should really view Lean: The asterisk text reads “warning: requires effort and leadership (not a silver…
by Jamie Flinchbaugh, co-author, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean What’s the purpose of thinking about work as a value stream? Is it just a buzzword? It helps us identify how our activities connect and flow together in order to deliver…
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, the article “Wal-Mart puts the squeeze on food costs” caught my eye. It says: Wal-Mart…
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 their print edition of the magazine). In This Presentation You Will See How 90% of…
Rupert Cornwell: Cuban leader must learn from Gorbachev’s mistakes – Commentators, Opinion – The Independent I was reading this column yesterday and I thought of Lean and change management. As the author discusses reforms in Cuba, he opined: Mr Castro’s…
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 Way 2001 shows how “thoughtful leaders” build quality and psychological safety into the system. A Powerful…
toledoblade.com — Dana CEO, veteran of Toyota, hailed as mentor Here’s another nice article that gives an overview of the leadership style of Gary Convis, a long-time Toyota exec who is now CEO of parts maker Dana. IF DANA Holding…
JPS patients get shortchanged as cash surpluses keep growing This linked article is a preview of what I’ll be blogging about next. I’m trying an experiment in posting an article first… what comments do you have? Don’t worry, I’m not…
