52| What You Love About Lean and Operational Excellence - And Your #1 Frustration: Executive Buy-In

Register for a chance to win a copy of Karina Mangu-Ward's book "Teams that Meet the Moment"  Learn more and apply for the November 2026 cohort of my Japan Leadership Experience: https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/What’s the #1 frustration most lean and continuous improvement practitioners face?It's something that I bet you've felt too, no matter how passionate you are about the work, no matter what you call it: lean, agile, continuous improvement, operational excellence, or DevOps...Too often, we struggle to clearly explain what we actually do as CI change leaders and why it matters. And when you can’t articulate the deeper value of lean or OpEx, it’s hard to get the buy-in needed to lead the organizational transformation you envision.In this episode, I take you inside a qualitative survey of 100+ change leaders—from internal continuous improvement practitioners and leaders, to external consultants and coaches, executives and operations leaders—on what draws us to this field of organizational improvement, what fuels our passion, and what holds us back from the impact we know is possible.Before listening to this episode, take a moment to reflect on:What lights you up about your work?What’s the top challenge you keep running into?If you love lean and continuous improvement and are ready to overcome the frustrations holding you and your organization back from real transformation, then this episode is for you.YOU’LL LEARN:Three things we love the most about this work as continuous improvement and lean change leadersThe #1 frustration holding you back (hint: it’s not about the tools or frameworks)Why a shift from McGregor’s Theory X (command and control) to Theory Y (empowered problem-solving) management mindset is critical to your impact—and why lean efforts fail without itThe paradox of trying to influence deeply ingrained management and leadership beliefs and behaviorsThree practical ways you can start changing both the story and the system IMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/52Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonDownload my free KATALYST™ Change Leader Self-Assessment: KBJAnderson.com/katalyst Hear how Gustavo influenced significant business results after participating in my Japan Leadership ExperienceTIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:03:01 Reflection questions on your own experience as a lean and continuous improvement practitioner03:53 Top three things that light us up and fuels our passion03:58 [FIRST] Problem solving that directly impact people’s ability to work meaningfully04:51 Survey examples of what leaders love about solving problems06:16 [SECOND] People development and empowerment07:07 Survey examples of what leaders love about empowering people to solve problems08:50 [THIRD] Tangible and meaningful impact09:52 Survey examples of what leaders love about creating meaningful impact for people, organizations, and systems10:46 Change leader’s frustration: leadership buy-in 12:57 The deeper truth in what’s stopping us from leading real organizational transformation13:18 Challenges in changing mindsets and shifting behaviors in an organization13:42 The meaning of Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y and the relationship to lean16:00 The paradox in changing mindset management and leadership for change leaders17:12 Three practical tips to shift shift the story and the system17:18 [FIRST] Acknowledge the size of the challenge18:07 [SECOND] Speak the language of business19:07 One of the best examples of how a leader effectively led change through influence 20:54 [THIRD] Pair technical process improvement skills with influence and human-focused skills22:54 The consistent themes from the survey of loving this work and wanting to make meaningful impact23:54 Take the next step in expanding your influence skills Register for a chance to win a copy of Karina Mangu-Ward's book "Teams that Meet the Moment" : https://kbjanderson.com/giveaways/teams-that-meet-the-moment/ Learn more and apply for the November 2026 cohort of my Japan Leadership Experience: https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/