Lean Blog Audio: Practical Lean Thinking, Psychological Safety, and Continuous Improvement
by Mark Graban
Mark Graban reads and expands upon selected posts from LeanBlog.org. Topics include Lean principles and leadership in healthcare, manufacturing, business, and the world around us, Learn more at http://www.leanblog.org/audio
Episodes
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The Toyota Andon System in South Africa: Two Buttons Instead of a Cord
In this episode, I read my recent post about a visit to Toyota’s plant in Durban, South Africa, before I spoke at the KZN Lean Conference. I asked to see one thing: how the andon system works there and how it compares to other Toyota plants I’ve visited. About a year ago, the plant replaced the...
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Fear-Based Leadership Worked at Volkswagen. Until It Didn't.
In July 2013, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn stopped a test drive to lecture his engineers about paint that was less than a millimeter too thick. A year later, he complained to Der Spiegel that his team never pushed back on him -- that they should have jumped on his desk. That same year, Bob…
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We Thought We Solved That: The Art and Judgment Calls in the PDSA Cycle
What does it really mean when a problem “comes back” after a team thought it had been solved? In this episode, Mark Graban reads his article, “We Thought We Solved That: The Art and Judgment Calls in the PDSA Cycle.” He examines how a frustrated executive’s question—“Why did the problem come...
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A Bending Column, a Bad Answer, and the Real Test of a Speak-Up Culture
A construction worker named Sean Dow was working on the 22nd floor of Pfizer’s former Manhattan headquarters, a massive office building now being converted into residential apartments with additional floors being added. Dow noticed cracks in a concrete slab. When he investigated further, he found…
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Calling Someone a "Process Coach" Doesn't Make Them One
A title change is not a culture change. In this episode, Mark Graban draws on his early experience at GM in the mid-1990s — where "foreman" became "team coordinator" overnight without anything else changing — to explore why renaming supervisors with Lean-sounding titles so often fails to deliver...
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Still Learning: A Live Event with Elisabeth Swan on May 7
Blog post with links Three years ago, The Mistakes That Make Us came out. Around the same time, Elisabeth Swan published Picture Yourself a Leader. Both books' third birthdays felt like a decent reason to get together and talk. On Thursday, May 7, at 1 PM ET, Elisabeth and I are co-hosting a live...
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Watch the Lean Hospitals Coach in Action -- Live, Unscripted, With Your Questions
Most AI tools answer your question with a 500-word essay full of numbered steps. You nod, close the tab, and carry on doing what you were already doing. The Lean Hospitals Coach is built around the opposite instinct -- asking questions before giving answers, the way good coaching actually works....
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What a Brandi Carlile Concert Teaches About Practicing Continuous Improvement
Read the blog post TL;DR: A sound check, live song requests, and a naming regret — what watching Brandi Carlile perform taught me about specific problem-solving, vulnerability, and continuous improvement. My wife and I got to see the amazing Brandi Carlile perform near Chicago on Friday night.…
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What Deming and Fujio Cho Agreed On: Stop Demotivating People
The blog post TL;DR: Deming and Toyota's Fujio Cho asked the same uncomfortable question: why do management systems destroy motivation in people who started out wanting to do good work? The answer points to practices leaders can actually change. Check part 1 of this series in episode 464,
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Create Your Own Lean System — But Don’t Lose Sight of These Three Things
Read the blog post TL;DR: In a 1993 speech, Toyota leader Fujio Cho said organizations can create their own Lean systems, but success depends on three principles: leaders going to the gemba, asking “why” to learn from problems, and respecting and motivating people — not copying Lean tools.
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Building an AI Chat Assistant From My Lean Hospitals Book
The blog post What if a book could become an interactive coach instead of a static reference? In this episode, Mark Graban shares a behind-the-scenes look at his experiment turning the award-winning book Lean Hospitals into an AI-powered chat assistant embedded directly on his website. What…
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Inside the 1987 NUMMI Management Practices Executive Summary: Why Leadership Mattered More Than Lean Tools
The blog post In this episode, I explore the 1987 NUMMI Management Practices Executive Summary — a confidential General Motors report that documented why the joint venture between GM and Toyota was succeeding so dramatically. What’s striking is how clearly GM’s own study team understood the real...
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Safety First Isn't a Slogan: What GE Aerospace's CEO Gets Right About Respect for People
The blog post In this audio version of the post, Mark Graban reflects on a rare kind of CEO message—one that treats safety not as a compliance checkbox or slogan, but as a core leadership responsibility and a living example of Respect for People. Drawing from the 2025 annual report and CEO letter...
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When a CEO Talks About the Work: Larry Culp, GE Aerospace, and Real Lean Leadership
In this episode, Mark Graban reads and reflects on his LeanBlog.org post, “When a CEO Talks About the Work: Larry Culp, GE Aerospace, and Real Lean Leadership.” The post examines a rare example of a Fortune 50 CEO—Larry Culp of GE Aerospace—describing operational excellence not through slogans or...
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Psychological Safety, Learning from Mistakes, and Continuous Improvement
The blog post Many improvement efforts stall not because of poor strategy or missing Lean tools, but because people don’t feel safe speaking up. In this Lean Blog Audio episode, Mark Graban explains why psychological safety is a foundational requirement for continuous improvement. Drawing from…
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What Ford and the UAW Really Learned from Japan: Listening, Respect, and a Better System
The blog post When Ford and UAW leaders traveled to Japan in 1981, they expected to find better machines, tighter processes, and technical secrets. What they found instead was something far more powerful: a management system built on listening, trust, and respect for people. In this Lean Blog…
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“Toyota Culture” 20 Years Later: Why Liker’s Lessons Still Matter in 2026
The Blog Post Twenty years after Toyota Culture was published, Jeffrey Liker’s lessons still expose why so many Lean efforts stall — and why Toyota’s thinking continues to matter in 2026. In this episode, Mark revisits a three-part podcast series recorded in 2008 with Professor Jeffrey Liker,...
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AI as a Thought Partner in Kaizen: Small PDSA Tests and Real Learning
The blog post How should organizations think about using AI in Kaizen and continuous improvement? In this AudioBlog, Mark Graban argues that there are no clear answers yet—and that uncertainty is exactly why AI should be approached through small, disciplined PDSA cycles rather than big bets or...
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You Can’t Cherry-Pick Lean: Why Pull, Heijunka, and CI Don’t Stick
the blog post Why do Lean practices like pull systems and heijunka fail to take hold in so many organizations? In this AudioBlog, Mark Graban argues that the problem isn’t the tools—it’s how Lean is applied. Too often, organizations cherry-pick visible practices like 5S, huddles, or kaizen events...
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Unlearning Old Habits: What a Pickleball Mistake Taught Me About Feedback and Learning
The blog post In this Lean Blog Audio episode, Mark Graban reflects on an unexpected leadership lesson learned on the pickleball court. As a beginner unlearning decades-old tennis habits, Mark experiences firsthand how execution errors, muscle memory, and self-criticism can quietly undermine...
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Five NUMMI Tour Lessons That Still Define Lean Thinking
The blog post In this episode, Mark reflects on a visit he made twenty years ago to the NUMMI plant in Fremont, California — the Toyota-GM joint venture that became legendary in Lean circles. What stayed with him wasn’t flashy tools or so-called Lean perfection, but a series of small, human…
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‘The Rock’ Says Getting Lean is Something Anybody Can Do… If You Work At It
The blog post Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson once joked that his incredible physical transformation came from one simple routine: working out six hours a day, every day, for twenty years. In this episode, Mark explores why that line from Central Intelligence mirrors how organizations misunderstand…
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5 Big Lean Questions with Mark Graban: Purpose, Misconceptions, and the Path Forward
The blog post In this episode, Mark Graban flips roles and becomes the guest—answering five core Lean questions posed by longtime Lean thinker Tim McMahon of the A Lean Journey blog. These questions have been answered by many practitioners over the years, and they cut straight to the purpose, the...
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Lean Without Layoffs: The Commitment That Makes Continuous Improvement Work
The blog post In this episode, Mark Graban explores one of the most misunderstood — and most essential — principles of Lean: the commitment to no layoffs due to improvement. Drawing from his work with Johnson & Johnson’s ValuMetrix Services team and stories from Lean Hospitals, Mark explains why...
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Stop Forcing Change: Use These Motivational Interviewing Questions Instead
The blog post In this episode, Mark Graban explores why so many organizational change efforts stall—not because people are resistant, but because leaders rely on telling instead of asking. Drawing from his recent Lean Blog article, Mark introduces five Motivational Interviewing questions that…
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GE’s Larry Culp: Why Lean Thinking Starts with Safety and Respect for People
The blog post This episode looks at how GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp grounds Lean leadership in two fundamentals: safety and respect for people. Drawing on his recent appearance on the Gray Matter podcast, we explore how Culp applies the core habits of the Toyota Production System—not as slogans,...
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Fred Noe of Jim Beam: Leadership Lessons on Mistakes, Innovation, and Long-Term Thinking
The blog post In this episode of Lean Blog Audio, Mark Graban reads and reflects on his post “Fred Noe of Jim Beam: Leadership Lessons on Mistakes, Innovation, and Long-Term Thinking.” What can a seventh-generation master distiller teach us about leadership, experimentation, and learning from...
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The Biggest Lean Six Sigma Myth: "Lean Is Just About Speed"
The blog post In this episode of the Lean Blog Audio podcast, Mark Graban reads and reflects on one of his classic posts: “The Biggest Lean Six Sigma Myth: ‘Lean Is Just About Speed.’” Far too often, consultants and trainers claim that “Lean is for speed” while “Six Sigma is for quality.” Mark...
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I’m Still Dreaming About My Meal at Sukiyabashi Jiro’s Sushi in Tokyo
The blog post In this episode of Lean Blog Audio, Mark Graban reads his reflection, “I’m Still Dreaming About My Meal at Sukiyabashi Jiro’s Sushi in Tokyo.” Join Mark as he shares a rare dining experience at the legendary Sukiyabashi Jiro — the Michelin-starred Tokyo restaurant made famous by…
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Fear and Futility: Two Barriers to Improvement (and How Leaders Can Remove Them)
The blog post In this Lean Blog Audio episode, Mark Graban explores two silent killers of improvement—fear and futility—and how leaders can dismantle both to unleash the full potential of their teams. Drawing from his book Lean Hospitals and more recent research by organizational psychologist…
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Leadership, Laughter, and Lean: How a CEO’s Shaved Head Symbolized $7 Million in Improvement
The blog post In this episode of the Lean Blog Audio podcast, Mark Graban shares a story that perfectly captures the human side of Lean leadership—how a CEO’s shaved head became a powerful symbol of trust, empowerment, and respect for people. At IU Health Goshen Hospital, Lean wasn’t just a set…
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Ghosts, Zombies, and Frankenstein Processes: A Lean Halloween Reflection
The blog post Halloween might be about ghosts, zombies, and monsters -- but those same creatures sometimes show up in our organizations all year long. They lurk in old processes, mindless routines, and fear-based management habits. Here's how to spot the spooky stuff in your systems -- and how…
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Leader Standard Work Is About Behavior, Not Just Your Calendar
The blog post Too many organizations treat Leader Standard Work (LSW) as a scheduling tool — a calendar filled with Gemba walks, meetings, and routines. But Lean leadership isn’t about how you plan your time — it’s about how you show up. In this episode, Mark reads and reflects on his…
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Coaching vs. Berating: Lessons from Football for Better Leadership
In this episode, I revisit a classic post—Coaching vs. Berating: Lessons from Football for Better Leadership. The blog post With Brian Kelly recently fired as LSU’s head coach, it’s worth contrasting his sideline outbursts with the calmer, teaching-oriented approach of Northwestern’s Pat...
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Plan, Do, Check, Act… or Plan, Do, Cover Your A**? Leadership Makes the Difference
The blog post In this solo episode, I explore the contrast between two powerful management cycles — PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) and its dysfunctional cousin, PDCYA (Plan, Do, Cover Your A**). Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s PDCA framework was meant to bring the scientific method into management — to help...
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A Look Back at Continuous Improvement at the Bedside: Allina Health Case Study
The blog post In this audio edition of the Lean Blog, Mark Graban revisits a 2014 case study co-authored with Gregory Clancy about Allina Health’s early Kaizen journey. What began as four pilot units became a model for engaging everyone in improvement—from nurses to leaders. Mark reflects on...
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Leader Standard Work Is About Behavior, Not Just Your Calendar
The blog post In this episode of Lean Blog Audio, Mark Graban reads and expands on his article, Leader Standard Work Is About Behavior, Not Just Your Calendar. Too many organizations treat “Leader Standard Work” (LSW) as a scheduling exercise—a calendar full of gemba walks, huddles, and recurring...
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From Know-It-All to Learn-It-All: Leadership Lessons from Mistakes
The blog post In this episode of Lean Blog Audio, Mark Graban reads and reflects on his recent article, From Know-It-All to Learn-It-All: Leadership Lessons from Mistakes. Drawing from themes in his Shingo Award–winning book The Mistakes That Make Us and interviews with leaders Phillip Cantrell…
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Gaming the System: What a USPS Smiley Face Teaches Us About Bad Metrics
The blog post In this episode, Mark Graban shares a small but revealing story from a local post office — and what it teaches us about bad metrics and broken systems. When a clerk tapped the “green smiley face” on a customer feedback device for the customer, it raised an important question: was…
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Why "You're Being Safe" Should Be the Norm in Every Operating Room
The blog post In this episode, Mark Graban shares a powerful story from an operating room that highlights the importance of culture, leadership, and psychological safety in healthcare. A nurse noticed a small break in sterility, spoke up, and apologized. The surgeon’s response? “Don’t be sorry,...
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95% of Enterprise AI Pilots “Fail”–Just Like Lean? Not So Fast
The blog post Are 95% of enterprise AI pilots really “failing”? And how does that compare to the long-repeated claim that 70% of Lean initiatives fail? In this episode of Lean Blog Audio, Mark Graban examines what’s really behind these numbers. He explains why many so-called “failures” stem not...
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Jim Womack on the Origins of ‘Lean’ and Why It’s Often Misunderstood
In this episode, Mark revisits a 2007 conversation with James P. (Jim) Womack, founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute and co-author of The Machine That Changed the World. Nearly two decades later, Jim’s reflections on the origins of the word “Lean” remain just as relevant. The blog post The...
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Lean Lessons from Japan: Mindsets, Culture, and the Challenge of Speaking Up
Episode page In this episode, I share a reading of my recent blog post, based on a Catalysis webinar where I explored what we can learn from Lean in Japan. Since 2012, I’ve been fortunate to travel to Japan six times with study groups, including those led by the Kaizen Institute, Honsha, and…
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Your Current Estimated Alarm Response Time Is... 13 Hours?
The blog post When Mark applied for a burglar alarm permit, he accidentally sent the form to the wrong Newport — Rhode Island instead of Kentucky. The voicemail he got back was kind, clear, and even funny: pointing out that an 845-mile police response probably wasn’t going to work. In this story,...
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Avoiding the Dunning-Kruger Trap in Lean: Lessons from Early Mistakes
The blog post In this episode, Mark explores how the Dunning-Kruger effect shows up in Lean—especially after a first belt course, workshop, or book. Early enthusiasm can turn into overconfidence, creating blind spots and stalling growth. Drawing from his book Practicing Lean, Mark shares stories...
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How a Vineyard “Improvement” Nearly Destroyed European Wine — and What We Can Learn from It
The blog post Sometimes an “improvement” makes things worse. The Germans even have a word for it: verschlimmbesserung. In this episode, Mark Graban shares the story of how a well-intentioned fix to Europe’s vineyard fungus problem in the 19th century nearly wiped out the continent’s wine…
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Kaizen Alone Isn’t Enough: Why Leaders Must Fix the System for Real Improvement
The blog post Too often, leaders think that if they simply “get everyone doing Kaizen,” performance will automatically improve. While daily improvement is essential, some problems are too deeply rooted in the system for frontline staff to fix on their own. In this episode, Mark Graban explores…
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Einstein’s Favorite Mistake — and What It Teaches Us About Lean Thinking
The blog post Albert Einstein once called the “cosmological constant” the biggest blunder of his life. But what if that so-called mistake actually holds timeless lessons for leaders today? In this episode, Mark Graban explores Einstein’s “favorite mistake” — why he altered his equations to fit...
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Join Me at AME St. Louis 2025 for an Interactive Workshop on Better Metrics and Better Management
the blog post In this episode, Mark Graban previews his upcoming half-day workshop at the AME St. Louis 2025 International Conference: The Deming Red Bead Game and Process Behavior Charts: Practical Applications for Lean Management. If you’ve ever felt stuck in the exhausting cycle of reacting to...
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Beyond Tools: Why Lean Healthcare Depends on Respect and Continuous Improvement
the blog post What does Lean healthcare really mean? It’s more than tools like 5S, A3s, or huddle boards. Lean is a management system that depends on two pillars: respect for people and continuous improvement. Without both, attempts to copy Lean practices in healthcare fail. In this episode, Mark...
About this show
Mark Graban reads and expands upon selected posts from LeanBlog.org. Topics include Lean principles and leadership in healthcare, manufacturing, business, and the world around us, Learn more at http://www.leanblog.org/audio
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