Lean Blog Audio

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 Aerospace's Lynn Facility Is Using FLIGHT DECK to Put Safety First

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 leaders to change the culture.” This isn't a story from the U.S., but the feeling is universal. A workplace culture where individuals are punished for mistakes–especially when those mistakes have systemic causes–is a significant barrier to progress. It's a global challenge, and addressing it requires rethinking how we approach leadership and learning.

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 losing my iPhone on the streets of Tokyo–a mistake that ended up teaching me a valuable lesson about Japan's culture of trust. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lean-blog-audio/support

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 front row of the meeting room). See the English text below the image: --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lean-blog-audio/support

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 Burris, from the University of Texas at Austin, who has found that fear and futility are the top two reasons why people choose to stay quiet. For some, fear stood in the way–the fear of reprisal, being judged, or being seen as a troublemaker. For others, the obstacle wasn't fear but futility–the belief that speaking up wouldn't make a difference. Four people, sadly, said BOTH were barriers. And yet, amidst these challenges, eight people shared that they felt no barriers at all, a testament to the environments they work in. That is the ideal we should all strive for. The survey results line up with the Burris research that

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 would call Six Sigma in my career. I have respect for Six Sigma as a discipline, just as if I were a chef, I would have respect for pastry chefs. They can co-exist in the kitchen. You might both use whisks, but you have slightly different training to do different things. These roles aren't interchangeable, and neither are Lean and Six Sigma. That's one reason I get riled up about so-called “Lean Sigma” or “Lean Six Sigma.” Most of the “L.A.M.E.” (Lean As Mistakenly Explained) examples that I see on the interwebs come from “Lean Sigma” discussions, especially on LinkedIn. What are the fallacies that are thrown around? They

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, “We're going to get Lean.” On the surface, this should be great news. Lean offers proven strategies to improve safety, quality, and employee engagement. But here's the catch: the organization doesn't change how it leads. It still clings to the same top-down mentality that has suffocated the workforce for years. What follows might be described as a superficial Lean transformation. It's probably more of a “Lean effort” (or “Lean hope”) than any sort of transformation. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lean-blog-audio/support

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 episode about the book. It's like an NPR podcast in tone and style. There's a male A.I. host and a female A.I. host bantering about the book as they recap some of the key points and themes. It's not perfect — they pronounce my name wrong in a few different ways — but it's a fascinating experiment in how to take a really long document and summarize it in a consumable way. They definitely didn't say everything exactly the way I would have stated it. However, the podcast seems to perfectly simulate the discussion that two people might have after both reading and enjoying the book. --- Support this podcast: https://podcaste

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 even the smartest, most capable people make them. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lean-blog-audio/support

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 are less likely to speak up or challenge ideas. This is the opposite of what effective leadership requires. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lean-blog-audio/support

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 from Chapter Three, where I talk about the importance of kindness. Often, we think that being "nice" is enough, but real kindness goes deeper. It’s not just about being pleasant or avoiding conflict; it’s about helping others—and ourselves—grow and improve through constructive action. In this chapter, I also touch on self-kindness, especially after making mistakes. We tend to be our own harshest critics, but kindness towards ourselves is crucial if we want to learn and move forward. If you find this excerpt helpful, I encourage you to check out the rest of the book, The Mistakes That Make Us (including this free sam

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. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lean-blog-audio/support

Read the blog post In many organizations, moving away from a culture of punishment when mistakes are made is a significant leap forward. It signals a shift toward understanding, systems thinking, and improvement. But once you've made that change, what's next? Do we need to replace punitive approaches with something better? If so, what? How do you ensure that your new approach leads to meaningful learning and continuous improvement? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lean-blog-audio/support

Read the blog post A friend of mine–with a long history of Lean and Toyota Production System knowledge practice–recently shared a troubling story about a relative who works at a manufacturing plant. I'll call this factory team member “Guy.” Call me cynical, if you must, but I totally believe this story, so I'm sharing it here. And my friend has zero reason to make this up. Guy's factory has a bonus system in place that's supposed to reward employees for hitting key performance targets each month. That might sound like a good idea on the surface, but here's where it gets dysfunctional: If there are any reported injuries, the entire bonus goes unpaid for the month. I've shared this story verbally with a few people, and they always start smirking or chuckling. They know the answer to this question: What could possibly go wrong? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lean-blog-audio/support

Read the blog post I've been writing about learning from mistakes for a long time, including my previous books before my latest, The Mistakes That Make Us. This idea isn't new, but it's essential–especially in fields like healthcare, where the stakes are incredibly high. From Lean Hospitals: “Mistakes are a reality in healthcare, and while we strive to prevent them, it's crucial to create an environment where they are identified quickly, addressed effectively, and used as opportunities for learning and improvement.” From The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen: “Leadership in a Kaizen culture means creating an environment where mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn, not as failures.” --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lean-blog-audio/support

Read the full blog post In writing The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, I wanted to challenge the way we think about mistakes, leadership, and organizational culture. Throughout my career, I've seen firsthand how the traditional responses to mistakes–punishment, fear, and blame–can stifle growth and innovation. The ideas I present in the book are meant to provoke thought and, in some cases, to stir debate. Here in this post, I'd like to share and dig into five of the most controversial quotes and concepts from the book, explaining why they're important and how they can transform the way we work. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lean-blog-audio/support

Read the blog post and more Imagine an NFL team that has been on a decades-long streak of winless seasons. The owner, who has been at the helm for most of that period, always believes that finding the right coach will solve the team's woes. But it doesn't. Every few years (or sometimes more often), the owner blames and fires the coach and hires a new one, but the team continues to lose. In a desperate attempt to turn things around, the owner signs a decent (but inexpensive) free-agent left guard away from the previous Super Bowl champion. This player, hailed for their leadership on and off the field, is expected to be the sole “transformational leader” and bring winning tactics and a winning culture to the struggling team. All. By. Himself. Would you expect that to work? I would not. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lean-blog-audio/support

The blog post Think about the last time you made a major career decision. I'm thinking of one of mine, in particular. Was it about leaving a job for a new one? Changing directions in your career altogether? Was it a debate about which of the job offers you would accept? How easy was that? How long did it take you? In hindsight, some of my career decisions took too long to play out. Afterward, my wife would ask, "Why didn't you do that sooner?" I'm also thinking of a major decision that was in the news today—it's been drawn out over the past few weeks, and it's a more important decision than one I've ever considered. During my career, one of the most helpful concepts I've learned about is "motivational interviewing." See more blog posts about this approach. This approach has roots in addiction counseling, developed by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick in the 1980s to help individuals struggling with substance abuse find their own motivations for change. Its

The full blog post This post draws upon and summarizes content in my book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation. Senior leaders must prioritize psychological safety and continuous improvement to foster an environment conducive to learning and innovation. Psychological safety is crucial for enabling employees to speak up about mistakes and ideas without fear of punishment. This executive summary outlines key strategies for cultivating psychological safety and leveraging it to drive continuous improvement. “Psychological safety is a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.” Hear my podcast with Amy on these topics. Prof. Amy Edmondson --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lean-blog-audio/support