Tag: Leadership

Leadership That Builds Better Systems, Better Results, and Better Work

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.

Jumping to Solutions

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We've all seen it. We've probably all done it. What's that? Jumping to solutions. I hope this illustration I created gives you a bit of pause... not just...

You Get What You Expect and Deserve What You Tolerate: A...

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Along my Lean journey, I learned an expression about the role of leaders, and I shared this in my first book, Lean Hospitals: "You get what...

Super Bowl Commercial: American Factories? You Can’t Do That! Really?

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I'm a bit of a counter-culturalist when it comes to the hype about Super Bowl commercials being entertainment and being something we "have to...

Parallels (and Differences) Between the Book “Traction” and Kaizen

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When I recently did a Healthcare Kaizen workshop near Detroit, I invited an old friend of mine to attend as a guest. Marisa Smith, an...

Healthcare Leaders Need to Actively Manage the System

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Thanks to my friends at the Lean Enterprise Institute for hosting a new article of mine on their Lean Post blog. "The Question All Healthcare...

Fantastic Mixed Media Online Presentation about Lean in Healthcare

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I recently stumbled across a very interesting and well-produced mixed-media presentation that starts with the sounds of snow crackling under a pair a boots......

Parallels Between Philadelphia Eagles’ Coach Chip Kelly & A Lean Leader

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The Philadelphia Eagles are playing in an NFL playoff matchup tonight against the New Orleans Saints. I'd admired Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and...

Guest Post: Book Chapter on VIBCO and “Captain Karl”

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Mark's note: Today's guest post is an excerpt from the book Remarkable by Toby LaVigne. Toby's bio can be found at the bottom of this...

What Does “Holding People Accountable” Really Mean in a Lean Culture?

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tl;dr: "Accountability" in most organizations means blame -- but real accountability starts with leaders fixing systems, not punishing individuals who can't do the right...

Kaizen Coaching: Avoid the Shut Down

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Mark's Note: Today brings another guest post from Joe Swartz, my co-author for our Healthcare Kaizen series of books. Read his previous posts here....

Kaizen Coaching – The First Rule: Keep Ideas with the Creator

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Mark's Note: Today's guest post is by Joe Swartz, my co-author for the books  Healthcare Kaizen  and  The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. Joe...

A Health System CEO, Gary Passama, Blogs About Lean

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It's great to see CEOs blogging and sharing transparently on the web, sharing their views, stories, and opinions. Paul Levy was a real innovator...
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