Thanks as always to Ryan McCormack for this… there’s always so much good reading, listening, and viewing shared here by him! Get these directly from Ryan via email. Insights about improvement, innovation, and leadership… Operational Excellence, Improvement, and Innovation Deliberate…
TL;DR: Looking for powerful Toyota quotes? Here are verified quotes from The Toyota Way and Toyota leaders on mistakes, learning, psychological safety, and continuous improvement — plus context on what they really mean. Toyota Quotes on Learning, Mistakes, and Psychological…
This post shares a simple, real example of Lean thinking in action–using small tests of change to learn safely and avoid bigger, more costly mistakes. A Real-World Example of Lean Thinking in Action In the history of our KaiNexus continuous…
Here is an article I first published on Linked seven years ago this week. This is lightly edited and updated. We’ve all seen it happening around us. We’ve probably all done it. What’s that? Jumping to solutions. I hope the…
Starting With the Grand-Daddies of Quality A few years back I developed a blog series titled, “The Grand-Daddies of Quality“– my goal was to delve deeply into our industry history, but what I discovered sent me on an entirely unexpected…
For years, I’ve scheduled many phone calls and web meetings. That’s only increased during this current Covid-19 era. Sooooo many Zoom meetings. I do like Zoom a lot better than GoToMeeting, Webex, and Google Hangouts. One day, I had meetings…
TL;DR: Most organizations say continuous improvement matters, but treat it as optional–while performance reviews are non-negotiable. That choice reveals more about leadership priorities than any strategy statement. There’s a very well-known cartoon that you might have seen where a caveman…
tl;dr: We often label small changes as “Just Do Its,” but that can skip over useful thinking. Even the simplest Kaizen can follow a quick PDSA cycle–Plan, Do, Study, Adjust–to ensure we’re learning and improving, not just acting. Maybe it’s…
TL;DR: The wedge metaphor, often used to represent standardized work in Lean, can send the wrong message. Instead of assuming people will backslide without enforcement, we should focus on engaging them in meaningful improvements they want to sustain. Maybe it’s…
tl;dr: ESPN’s quick change to a confusing MNF scoreboard graphic shows how fast feedback and responsiveness can turn a misstep into a learning moment. Real-world PDSA doesn’t require perfection–just the willingness to study, adjust, and improve quickly. Whether in sports…
tl;dr: A small personal annoyance led me through an informal PDSA cycle and revealed how flawed mental models and vague “standardized work” can create problems. Even everyday habits improve when we test assumptions, learn from results, and adjust–just like in…
tl;dr: Wineries in Spain and France–many with centuries of history–continue to improve through experimentation. They run small tests, learn from both successes and failures, and adapt over time. It’s a clear real-world example of PDSA in action: long-term excellence comes…
