Lean Blog Audio: Practical Lean Thinking, Psychological Safety, and Continuous Improvement

Episode page with survey results and more When someone on your team makes a mistake, what happens next? Do they speak up–or stay quiet? Do leaders give feedback that demonstrates curiosity–or do they blame employees? After interviewing over 200 leaders and contributors for my  podcast “My Favorite Mistake ” and book,  The Mistakes That Make Us , one truth has become clear: Speaking up isn't ab...

The blog post I'm honored to share that my workshop, "The Deming Red Bead Game & Process Behavior Charts: Practical Applications for Lean Management," has been accepted for the 41st Annual International AME Conference , taking place this October in St. Louis. The conference theme-- Gateway to the Future: AI and Beyond --is both timely and forward-looking, and I'm grateful to...

Read the blog post We all say mistakes are a part of learning. Or at least many of us do, as individuals. But how many organizations actually act that way? Too often, people are punished for systemic errors. So, problems get hidden. When problems are discovered, blame is assigned instead of learning being shared. And we wonder why our teams hesitate to speak up. That's why I created a simple new r...

The blog post Thanks to NPR for  their recent story  about how today, April 23, 2025, marks the 40th anniversary of what is considered one of the biggest business or product marketing failures of my lifetime — the failed introduction of “New Coke.”

The blog post Are your improvement efforts falling flat, or are you constantly chasing red dots? Are you interested in improving the way we improve? I've had to re-tool  my Cincinnati workshop (June 17th)  since my collaboration partner is now, unfortunately, unable to make it. Join me for a practical and thought-provoking day exploring two essential foundations for sustainable performance: ps...

The blog post There's a phrase I've been thinking about a lot lately: "You get your say, not always your way." It's a short sentence, but it says a lot. It's about voice, it's about respect, and it's about the kind of culture we're building--especially when we aim for continuous improvement. In The Mistakes That Make Us , I wrote about the characteristics of learning organizations. One of the most...

Read the blog post Since 2012, I've had the opportunity to  visit Japan six times , each trip a deep learning experience–rich with lessons about Lean, Kaizen, leadership, culture, and continuous improvement. This June, I'm heading back for my  seventh visit –and what makes this one especially exciting is that it will be my  fifth trip focused on Lean in healthcare … and the  first  that I&...

The blog post Nearly 30 years ago, I had my first real encounter with what not to do as a leader. I was working in a General Motors factory where the culture was one of daily disrespect. Leaders--if you could call them that--were quick to belittle, yell, scream (with spittle flying) at employees on the floor. The lesson I learned wasn't the one they thought they were teaching. This behavior wa...

The blog post Before I departed for my recent  workshop tour of Australia and New Zealand , I knew that I would learn things in the process of teaching and facilitating on my favorite topics. I didn't expect to learn about  flying koalas , though! I did expect to learn something when I had the opportunity to meet up for lunch with a friend, former Toyota Australia leader  Barry McCarthy . Barry's...

Blog post I'm very excited to announce that my latest book,  The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation , has been officially selected as a recipient of the  Shingo Publication Award  by the  Shingo Institute  (the home of the Shingo Prize for organizations).

The blog post I'm excited to be presenting this webinar on February 12th at 1 pm ET as part of the  KaiNexus Continuous Improvement webinar series : The webinar description: “Are you looking for practical ways to eliminate errors and enhance efficiency in your organization? Join us for “Mistake-Proofing in Action: Real-World Examples Across Industries,” an insightful webinar showcasing how org...

The blog post Last Sunday, in Frankfurt, Germany, I took part in a guided walking tour of the city. Our group included a young professional from Australia in his early 20s. He has taken leave from work to travel, backpacking across Europe. We had an opportunity to chat over lunch and a local “ apfelwein ” (hard cider). He lamented his frustrations at work. He said, “My boss thinks he is giving cle...

Episode page At its core, Lean is about people–respecting them, empowering them, and ensuring their well-being while driving continuous improvement. Recently, GE Aerospace's Lynn, MA, facility provided an inspiring example of what it means to put these principles into action, even under challenging circumstances. Read more about this and/or watch a video at this link: Keep the Line Moving: GE...

Episode blog post A sad but true leadership tale: “Unlike most CEOs who rely on their executive team to keep them informed, [redacted] relies on his team to keep him feeling good about himself. And so whenever somebody would tell him something that he didn't know and make it very clear that he wasn't the smartest person in the room on each and every topic, he generally fired them.”

Read the blog post During  Katie Anderson ‘s  #JapanStudyTrip  this past November, a participant shared an observation with me that resonated deeply: “The biggest challenge is our blame culture. It's easier for people to do nothing because they don't get in trouble. But if they make a mistake, they get punished. And our company is successful enough that there's not a compelling reason for top lead...

Read the blog post: https://www.leanblog.org/2024/11/lost-iphone-japan-taxi-tokyo-kindness-culture/ I'm thrilled to be back in Japan for the first time in five years. Today is the start of  Katie Anderson's Japan Study Trip  (learn more about  joining  her in May 2025). It's great to be here for another week of learning and great experiences. Little did I know, I'd kick off the trip by nearly losi...

The blog post Just over a week ago, I got back from  Katie Anderson's Japan Study Trip . It was amazing! I have so much to write about and share. But first, Facebook reminded me of something from exactly ten years ago–the second time I  visited Japan with the  Kaizen Institute . I asked 2024 ChatGPT to translate this 2014 news story that's pictured below (with me sitting there and taking notes in...

The blog post: https://www.leanblog.org/2024/11/surveying-the-lean-global-connection-audience-on-barriers-to-speaking-up/ At yesterday's  Lean Global Connection event , I posed a straightforward yet revealing question to the audience: “What keeps you from speaking up at work?” The responses illustrated two of the common barriers. I posed the survey options based on the  research of Prof. Ethan Bur...

Blog post My whole career, I have worked with the Lean methodology (aka the Toyota Production System). I've just really never done much with Six Sigma. I've read about Six Sigma. I took a Green Belt course when I worked at Dell in the late 90s. I've studied and used  statistical methods  (especially what I learned in my  Industrial Engineering studies  and at  MIT ), but I've never done anything I...

How Often Does This Happen? Read the blog post It's a story I've heard too many times. An organization spends years, even decades, entrenched in a top-down, command-and-control culture. In this environment, employees are micromanaged, decision-making is reserved for those at the top, and when things go wrong, the finger-pointing begins. “Blame and shame” becomes the norm. Then, someone decides, “W...

I've played around with ChatGPT before ( including in a few blog posts ), but the advancements in A.I. technologies are pretty breathtaking. Check out the blog post I recently tried out the new “ Notebook LM” tool from Google . I uploaded a PDF of my latest book,  The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation , and it was able to generate a realistic-sounding podcast...

Read the blog post When discussing mistakes, it's common to hear terms like “stupid mistake” or “dumb mistake” thrown around, especially when reflecting on our own errors. However, labeling mistakes in this way is unproductive. In  The Mistakes That Make Us , one of the key ideas is that we shouldn't label mistakes as “stupid” or “dumb.” Mistakes are a natural part of the human experience, and eve...

Read the blog post “I am never, ever wrong.” That's a statement that should disqualify an applicant from ANY leadership position. True leadership isn't about projecting infallibility–it's about fostering a culture where mistakes are seen as opportunities for learning and growth. Leaders who claim they're never wrong create an environment where fear of failure stifles innovation, and team members a...

The blog post Today, I want to share a section from my book, The Mistakes That Make Us . I'm sharing an excerpt here in this post, and I'm also making it available as a podcast episode using an excerpt from the audiobook version. In this book, I explore how mistakes can actually be one of the best ways we learn and grow—whether it’s in business or life in general. The excerpt I’m about to share is...

I've blogged about this before , but I'm going back to the problems at Starbucks again with today's post. Starbucks has a new CEO who is talking about how the coffee shop experience is broken . Many aspects of the Starbucks mobile ordering process are broken. Well, the ordering process is fine... it's the fulfillment process that needs improving.