Chain of Learning: Leadership Strategies for Transforming Culture, Developing People, and Getting Results

Efficiency and cost savings aren't what makes operational excellence last. People are. The leaders who create enduring, high-performing organizations are after something beyond business results. They want a company where people end the day more capable, more confident, more energized than when it began. That's the difference between a workplace that wears people down and one that builds powerful p...

Have you poured months into a strategy your team couldn't bring to life? Or watched capable people work harder than ever, and still struggle to pull together as a team? High performance isn't about a better strategy, more talent, or longer hours. It's about how your team works together, every single day. Karina Mangu-Ward, author of Teams That Meet the Moment , has spent more than a decade helping...

Joy isn't a perk. It's a business strategy. Have you ever wondered whether work has to feel this hard? Whether the team you've built can actually function without you? Whether there's a way to lead that doesn't burn you — or your people — out? Rich Sheridan built Menlo Innovations around one bold idea: ending human suffering in the workplace. The result is a company where joy isn't a slogan. It's...

What does it really take to sustain a culture of continuous improvement –  through pressure for results, across generations, and into an era of AI? In this final episode of my three-part series with John Shook, one of the most influential leaders and thinkers in the global lean community, we turned to the questions on your mind.  Before we sat down to record, I asked listeners to submit your quest...

Lean has always been about people. We just kept reaching for the tools, without understanding the human purpose behind them. In part two of my three-part conversation with John Shook, we go behind the scenes of Toyota's culture and leadership — sharing stories of the system-building leaders who actually made it what it is, and exploring what it really means to lead people-centered change. John sha...

Has lean really failed? That question sparked one of the most listened-to conversations in the history of this podcast — my two-part series with Jim Womack in episodes 37 and 38. When I sat down with John Shook — one of the most influential thought leaders and practitioners in the global lean and continuous improvement community — we explored a different angle. John's perspective isn't a rebuttal....

The way you’re leading transformation might be getting in the way of the culture you’re trying to build. As change leaders and practitioners, we care about results. But in that focus, it’s easy to stay on the outer work—processes, metrics, systems—and underestimate the inner work – our mindset, behaviors, and relationships – that actually moves people. Our passion can unintentionally pull us away...

The messy middle is part of the learning process. It’s the point where what worked before no longer fully fits—but what comes next is not yet clear. Where your thinking is still forming, your ideas are evolving, and the answer has not fully emerged. And while it can feel uncertain, this is often where the deepest continuous learning happens. In this behind-the-scenes bonus episode on Chain of Lear...

Caring becomes carrying. It happens so naturally we rarely notice it. Someone brings us a problem. We care. We want to help. And somewhere in that desire to help, without meaning to, we take on the weight of solving it ourselves. That shift is subtle. And costly. Because the moment you take ownership of the thinking, you take away the very capability you're trying to build. In this episode, I expl...

What happens when leaders make decisions further and further away from the work itself? In a world of AI, automated dashboards, and remote work, it’s easy to manage representations of work instead of understanding what’s actually happening for the people who do it. Yet, when leaders rely on data rather than facts, they often end up solving the wrong problems, even with the best intentions. In this...

You're being told to use AI. But which tool you actually need to do your best work? Leaders and change practitioners everywhere feel the same pressures right now — more meetings, more information, more mandates to adopt AI — with less time to think and less clarity about where to start. And most of the advice begins in the wrong place: with the tool. In this episode of Chain of Learning, I talk wi...

What changes when leaders stop learning alone—and start learning together? Leadership development often focuses on individual insight: reading, listening, reflecting. But some of the most meaningful shifts in leadership don’t happen that way. They happen when leadership teams go see, ask questions, and reflect together. That shared experience becomes a catalyst—aligning leaders around a new way of...

What if your approach to learning is actually limiting your influence as a change leader? Many of us pride ourselves on being lifelong learners. We read, earn certifications, study new tools, and go deep into our methodology. That depth is a strength. But as your responsibility grows—from running projects to shaping transformation—what’s required of you changes. At some point, going deeper into yo...

What does it really take to lead transformation as responsibility grows? At some point, leadership stops being about doing the improvement work or having the right answers. For operational leaders and change practitioners alike, the work moves to holding the system—people, priorities, and consequences—and helping others learn how to do the same. In this episode of Chain of Learning, I’m joined by...

What if the reason your learning feels productive—but your impact feels stuck—has nothing to do with effort? Many change leaders and improvement practitioners are excellent learners. You’re likely a Learning Enthusiast—like me. You read the books, attend the workshops, listen to podcasts, and gather ideas with genuine enthusiasm. And yet, despite all that effort, learning doesn’t always turn into...

What if the reason leading your organization’s transformation feels heavy isn’t the work itself—but the role you’ve been playing as a change leader? If you’re a change leader, continuous improvement professional, or internal consultant, this tension may feel familiar. You’re helping. You’re busy. You’re delivering results. And before you realize it, you’re wearing every hat—facilitator, teacher, p...

Many major transformations, including lean and sustainability—don’t stall because leaders don’t care. They stall because of an execution gap: the gap between what organizations say matters and what actually shows up in daily work, decisions, and priorities. When you hear the word sustainability , what comes to mind first? If it’s recycling, you’re not alone.  But sustainability is far bigger—and m...

What if the very thing weighing on you right now is the key to your next level of growth? Many of us carry more than we realize: unfinished goals, unmet expectations, family pressures, and the constant mental load of what still needs to be done. In this episode of Chain of Learning, I share a grounding teaching from a Zen priest in Japan after a Zazen guided meditation session that has deeply reso...

Have you ever stepped outside your routine and suddenly seen your work—or yourself—with fresh clarity? Sometimes the most meaningful leadership breakthroughs happen when we pause and immerse ourselves in a space designed for reflection, curiosity, and connection. In this bonus episode—recorded live in Tokyo the morning after Cohort 8 of my Japan Leadership Experience wrapped up—I’m joined by Ikiga...

We all know that moment where something falls apart. A project slips. A conversation goes sideways. The promotion doesn’t happen. We call it “failure,” but it’s often not the mistake itself that stops us. It’s the fear, the funk, and the uncertainty that follow. And those emotions can hold us back far more than the faceplant ever did. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Melisa Buie and Keeley Hurle...

AI is everywhere. And its use and capabilities are accelerating every day.  But is AI actually helping us get better at getting better?  Or is it just amplifying the friction, bottlenecks, and complexity that already exists in our workflows and processes? In this episode, Nathen Harvey, leader of the DORA Research team at Google, explores how AI is reshaping not just how we work, but how we can us...

Where is your primary focus as a leader, change practitioner, or organization?  Getting business results?  Improving processes?  Or developing people?  What if the real key to lasting business success isn’t found in metrics or milestones—but in how you create a culture that nurtures people and their problem-solving capabilities?  In this episode I explore what it really takes to deliver sustainabl...

What does it really take to become lean—not just do lean? This is the secret to transformational lean leadership that Larry Culp, CEO of GE and GE Aerospace shared with me on stage three years ago. In this special bonus episode, I want to share his insights and wisdom about leadership and lean culture with you. This bonus episode marks two milestones in my own Chain of Learning® journey:  🎙 The tw...

How often do you find yourself racing from meeting to meeting, rushing through tasks, or filling every silence with your own voice?  In our doing-oriented culture, pausing feels uncomfortable—even counterproductive. Yet left unchecked, our instinct for action and answers can limit learning, development, and innovation. In this episode, I explore the power of the pause and why mastering it may be o...

Enter to Win a Copy of David Yeager's book "10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People" - Register to win before October 24th at 11:45pm Pacific: http://chainoflearning.com/55 How do you motivate, coach, or lead someone younger—without sounding critical, nagging, or controlling? We’ve all heard the stereotypes: “Young people don’t care.” “They’re entitled.” “They can’t take feedback.” But wh...