Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #490 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Quint Studer, the co-founder of HealthCare Plus Solutions Group and owner of the minor league baseball team, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He’s a returning guest, having joined us in Episode #353 (2019) when we […]

Company culture has been a hot topic among people leaders in recent years. Many executives will probably say their organizational culture is their most valued asset when considering what makes their company unique.  While many organizations take pride in their culture, the truth is not many leaders have wrapped their heads around it. Company culture […]

In my previous posts I went into great detail through all the categories of the Toyota KPI dashboard: safety, quality, productivity, and cost. I also explained the additional section on HR development, albeit this may not really be KPI in the normal sense. However, the dashboard often contains even more: a section with the monthly […]

With a week to go to the Manchester training, let me mention a recent (post-Melbourne) update to the Constraints Club exercise. As you may recall, this forms part of the string of exercises described in some detail in the blog post What Lies Beneath (Spoiler: Constraints), which I have updated too. For full context, read that […]

What is willful ignorance? It is to intentionally keep one’s self unaware of the facts to avoid negative consequences associated with the actions that one takes. For example, going all out to promote Lean while knowing that all is not well with Lean (misunderstandings, misapplications, etc.) while failing to investigate why Lean is not doing […]

How would you feel about paying for the burnt coffee beans, extra coffee they made, the fuel spent transporting your creamer from the grocery store, and so on? That is exactly how your customers will feel if you do not eliminate waste in your process and make them pay for it. What is ‘Waste’ anyway? […]

Waste in project management refers to any resource or effort expended without adding value to the project’s ultimate goals and objectives. Waste can manifest in various forms throughout the project lifecycle and significantly impact a project’s success. Adopting Lean Agile project management principles, which maximize value while minimizing waste, is essential to mitigate waste in […]

Courage is essential in the professional realm because it allows us to face challenges and take risks, to take the next step with confidence. Leaders who have courage are those who dare to lead by example, who can make difficult decisions and act accordingly, even when the outcome is not certain. They are those who […]

Packaging serves a multi-faceted role within the manufacturing and logistics industries. Beyond its primary function of protecting parts, the choice of packaging material, design, and process has far-reaching implications for cost, sustainability, and overall operational efficiency.  Let’s explore some key characteristics of a lean packaging and handling process, highlighting how purposeful packaging and material flow […]

I’m happy to host another session in the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement webinar series. Learn more and register here: No More Flavor of the Month! Learn How To Deliver Sustainable Change It’s being presented by D. Lynn Kelley, Ph.D., who was recently my guest on the Lean Blog Interviews podcast. Scroll down for a short video […]

As you may know from my writings, I have long had a great interest in social, political, economic, and management history. And as the Baby Boomer generation of Lean thinkers and innovators get older, we become part of history — Lean history. The younger generation of Lean practitioners and continuous improvement professionals — Generation Y […]

After authoring or co-authoring 28 books in 20 years, you may wonder why I stopped doing something that I love to do and which gave me so much pleasure. The reasons are many… 1. I accomplished what I set out to do. 2. I have exhausted my initial three lines of research questions to my […]

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on […]

Long ago I fell out of favor with a friend and colleague over my “no nonsense approach” to writing and speaking about Lean management. Many years have now passed. Today, here is what he had to say: We may have butted heads a couple times in terms of approach, but I have tremendous and deep […]

Excel Like a Pro with These Tips! Excel is more than just a spreadsheet tool; it’s a robust platform that allows you to manage data, perform complex calculations, and even develop custom applications. Whether you’re a finance expert, a data analyst, or someone who loves to organize and analyze data, Excel can be your best […]

Background: I wrote this article as a response to what was then (early 2000s) the still-strong focus on “Continuous Improvement” while neglecting “Respect for People.” The article was first published in 2009 in The Lean CEO, a website created by Kevin Meyer. I was a frequent contributor to The Lean CEO, with most of the […]

Many employees who choose to leave their job claim lack of appreciation as a major reason for leaving. Therefore, every organization should try to provide and encourage recognition as much as possible. But, the main problem is that each employee values different things, and they want to be rewarded in different ways. Fortunately, modern HR […]

In today’s fiercely competitive business landscape, success hinges on the relentless pursuit of improvement. Within this demanding landscape, the efficient management of business processes becomes paramount. That’s where cutting-edge process management software comes into play. Continuous and process improvement are twin pillars of organizational growth, underpinning the essence of business evolution.  This article will provide […]

Here is a short, 60-second video to help you decide which books to read.

Thanks as always to Ryan McCormack for this… there’s always so much good reading, listening, and viewing shared here by him! Subscribe to get these directly from Ryan via email. Insights about improvement, innovation, and leadership… Operational Excellence, Improvement, and Innovation If you build it, will they improve?  Productivity software platforms are big business and […]

The continuing faith that the Lean community has on changing top leaders’ behaviors, from the old way of leading to the new Lean way of leading, is worrisome. Why? Because it is based on a preconception that leaders’ behaviors are rationally informed and thus can be changed via facts, persuasion, etc. As such, it totally […]

Nobody likes making mistakes. It is human nature to make mistakes. If you go through life afraid to make a mistake, you’ll spend most of your life doing absolutely nothing. There is no harm in making mistakes, it is an essential part of learning. If you feel the need to avoid mistakes at all costs, […]

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #489 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Ward Vuillemot, a seasoned C-suite executive with over six years of leading fully remotely while building technology organizations from the ground up for companies 150 to 650 employees in size and $50M to $125M […]

Cultivating Organizational Growth, Learning, and Innovation What is a growth mindset and how is it a critical foundation if you want to develop a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence? In this episode, I speak with Professor Carol Dweck –  Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and bestselling author of Mindset – about how […]