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.

Talking about Lean Healthcare in Winnipeg – #SDEC13 – and Visiting...

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Thanks to the organizing sponsor Protegra and other sponsors, including my friends at LeanKit, for having me give a keynote talk about the Software...

Too Many Patients Harmed, Too Few Leaders Committed to Real Change?

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I recently received two emails that are worth sharing, in anonymous form here. One was from somebody I know who just quit a Lean...

Key Takeaways from the 2013 Northeast Shingo Prize Conference

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Mark's Note: Today's post is by a regular guest contributor, Christina Kach. I was disappointed that I couldn't attend this year's event in Massachusetts,...

There’s Only One Acceptable Answer to “Are You Busy?”

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In some  "Kaizen Kickoff" coaching that I've been doing recently, I've been spending time with managers and other leaders as they interact with nurses...

Joe Swartz Discusses Healthcare Kaizen and a Culture of Continuous Improvement...

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Joining me for episode #187 is Joe Swartz, my friend and esteemed co-author of our books Healthcare Kaizen: Engaging Front-Line Staff in Sustainable Continuous...

Podcast #186 – Jon Miller Discusses His Book Creating a Kaizen...

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My guest for episode #186 is my friend Jon Miller, CEO of Kaizen Institute and a long-time blogger at Gemba Panta Rei. Today, we're...

Brilliant 1981 Article: “Why Japanese factories work” – Relevant for Healthcare...

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The year is 1981. A Major League Baseball strike interrupts the season. We're in the midst of the Cold War. President Reagan is shot....

Gemba Wine: A Lean Geek Visits Wineries, Part 3

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Following up on my previous posts (here and here) on a recent visit to the Northern California Wine Country, I'm going to share a...

25 Key Leader Behaviors that Encourage Continuous Improvement

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Last Wednesday, Dr. Greg Jacobson and I gave a webinar for Gemba Academy titled Leadership Behaviors that Create a Culture of Continuous Improvement. You can...

Podcast #184 – John Toussaint, MD on CEO Challenges & Enduring...

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Listen It's great to have Dr. John Toussaint back for episode #184 of the podcast (see links to previous episodes below). He is, of course,...

Is Lean Management a “Slow Idea”? Why Lean and Kaizen Spread...

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Is Lean management a "slow idea"? In this post, I reflect on why Lean and Kaizen often spread slowly in healthcare and organizations, drawing...

Management Improvement Carnival #197: Lean & Deming

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Again, I'm very happy to host the Carnival for  John Hunter  and his  Curious Cat management improvement blog. My job here is to share...
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