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.
Since we’ve been talking about leadership and Lean, it’s coincidence that I got this email from a reader. I’ll let the blog readers answer this Posted with permission: I am [name withheld], 25yrs old, working for a small manufacturing firm…
Following up on the LEI survey that was released and discussed here, I’ve been talking with a few folks offline about what the “root causes” really are for Lean struggles. Instead of pointing at “who?” what would we find if…
The LEI is out with their annual survey (pdf) about our ongoing struggles implementing Lean, with articles (reprinting the press release) and blog posts already written, The results aren’t the views of the LEI, but are the views of the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
