Changing the Culture at Ford
At Ford, the ‘Outsider’ Is Optimistic – WSJ.com There’s an interview with Ford CEO Alan Mulally today, we’ve featured him before on the blog (click the “Ford” link at the bottom of the post for more on the company). The…
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.
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The First Lean Dentist
I recorded my Podcast interview with Dr. Sami Bahri, “The First Lean Dentist,” last night. What a treat it has been to talk with Dr. Bahri. I can’t wait to get this edited and released so you all can hear…
Are You Really Asking?
Here’s one I came up with yesterday… having a discussion with supervisors about asking questions as leaders. There’s different tones of voice and different intents, when asking questions. The worst form would be, “Why the hell aren’t you following the…
Improving the ER on "ER"
YouTube – Improving the ER on ER I don’t always watch the NBC show ER, but this portion caught my attention when my wife was watching the final episode of the season and I clumsily taped it with my digital…
Are YOU Looking to Get Started?
Shop Management Lean Manufacturing – The Lean Question: How Soon Can I Get Started? – 04/07 From the not-so-widely read “Moldmaking Technology” magazine (no offense to mold makers)… Here’s a good “get going” kick-in-the-butt for those who are only considering…
Latest "Leading Lean" Columns
Here are the two most recent “Leading Lean” columns from Jamie Flinchbaugh: April 2007: Consistency Erodes Skepticism Here, Jamie maps out “a route through the terrain of skepticism” that we often face as Lean change agents. May 2007: Forging Your…
Lean Does Not Implement Itself
Seeing John Hunter’s post with data that says only 19% of companies are happy with their Lean results, here are my thoughts. Lean does not implement itself. Leaders implement Lean. Lean does not fail. Organizations fail. Rather than saying, “this…
Existing Culture vs. a New Manager
SI.com – Writers – The Bonus: Bobby Valentine’s Super Terrific Happy Hour As a lifelong baseball fan (especially as a kid), I found the above article interesting when I saw it yesterday. It’s about former Rangers and Mets manager Bobby…
The War for Talent
davidmaister.com > Passion, People and Principles > The War For Talent The linked blog post is about the war for consulting/professional services talent, but the framework reminds me of Lean and is something that could apply to any company. David…
L.A.M.E.: Not Involving Key Stakeholders
Got this story during an email exchange, used with express permission: —————————– I saw my doctor yesterday and told him I was doing a lean publication, and he immediately started complaining about well-intended but impractical top-down measures being taken in…
Iacocca’s Nine C’s of Leadership
USATODAY.com Former Chrysler chief Lee Iacocca has “failed” at retirement, he says. His latest project is a new book, Where Have All the Leaders Gone?. The book has made waves because of the political content (not the focus here), but…
American Airlines and Employee Input
NPR : American Airlines ‘Insources’ Maintenance Work Thanks to my friend Amber for passing this along. It’s too bad that management can’t empower the customer-facing staff at American the same way, which would undoubtedly improve their morale, as well. In…
