Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and Beyond

Nicole Tschierske: Lean Reduces Stress and Burnout in the Workplace

My guest for Episode #443 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Dr. Nicole Tschierske, a scientist and positive psychology coach who helps experts and teams in STEM do better work.
Nicole works with her clients to improve their collaboration and communication skills so their work gets the momentum and recognition it deserves. She also helps construct ways of working that reduce stress, increase motivation and engagement, and deliver results.
Nicole lives in Hamburg, Germany, holds a PhD in chemistry and is trained in coaching, positive psychology, change management, and advanced problem-solving.
When she's not buried in research papers and books you can find her taking long hikes in the German countryside or mesmerised by Mary Poppins on the screen.
Her new podcast is called “Better Work” and I had the honor of being her first guest!
Today, we discuss topics and questions including:
How and where were you first introduced to Lean?
Why she was burned out in a product research team
Moved from science to supply chain — they were starting with Lean 
Why was this important to you? Was was energizing about this?
The collaborative, engaging approach of Lean
Workshops? Kaizen events (and then into science areas, finance)
As a scientist likes an approach that's “rigorous not rigid”
Avoid moving too fast, avoid jumping to solutions, not jumping to causes
“When ‘is' deviates from the ‘should'
What does Lean have to do with stress and burnout prevention?
Physical, cognitive, emotional demands on people
Getting to the root causes of stress vs countermeasures?
Supply chain impact and social support with war going on?
Tell us about some Deep-dive process improvements
How does Lean apply to Roles & Responsibilities and partnerships?
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Crystal Davis on Courageous Leadership and Pandemic Supply Chains

Episode Page: https://www.leanblog.org/442
My guest for Episode #442 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Crystal Davis, the Founder, CEO & Principal Lean Practitioner at her firm, The Lean Coach, Inc. She was previously a guest in Episode 363 of the series, at the start of the pandemic.
Crystal Davis is an experienced business management consultant with twenty years of experience in the design, development, and implementation of Lean Business System solutions. She has extensive domestic and international expertise in the design and implementation of solutions for automotive and healthcare manufacturing, and consumer packaged industries. 
Her podcast is “Lead Lean with Crystal Y. Davis“
Today, we discuss topics and questions including:
Reflections back on Covid times, in general?
How do we move from crisis mode, to survival mode, to recovery mode?
How long was the crisis mode? CPG supply chains — hoarding
Why do we need courageous leadership during these challenging times?
Courageous to do something everyone else isn't doing 
Eric Dickson – UMass Memorial Health, link to latest episode
Principles — Toyota vs GM during this current shutdown
Principles and values are scaleable
Principles vs. biz decisions
Focused on honing in on what it takes for Leaders to make a shift with all of these supply chain challenges?
What leadership characteristics are needed?
How do you define a “Lean Business System”?
People, process, and infrastructure and how that works together
Using the Socratic method?
People sometimes get annoyed by this?
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Dan Pink’s Favorite Mistake -- and the Power of Regret

This bonus episode is a cross posting of Episode 137 of "My Favorite Mistake" with author Daniel H. Pink. Show notes and more: https://www.markgraban.com/author-dan-pink-on-the-mistake-of-not-having-a-mentor-and-the-power-of-regret/ 

John Dues on Continual Improvement, Deming, and Process Behavior Charts in Education

Episode page: https://www.leanblog.org/441 
My guest for Episode #441 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is John Dues, an accomplished education systems leader and improvement science scholar-practitioner with more than two decades of experience in the sector. 
He is the Chief Learning Officer of the United Schools Network (USN) where he directs the network's Continual Improvement Fellowship and serves as an improvement advisor. 
He draws heavily on the work of W. Edwards Deming and his System of Profound Knowledge (SoPK) to equip him with the theory and statistical tools by which to perform this role. 
Under John's leadership, USN schools have regularly been among the state and nation's highest performing urban schools. In 2013, John was recognized as the Ohio School Leader of the Year by the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools. 
John graduated with Honors from Miami (OH) University, holds a Master of Education degree from the University of Cincinnati, and is an alumnus of Teach For America
He is currently continuing his education through the Improvement Advisor program at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Boston, Massachusetts. 
John is the author of a free eBook, Rethinking Improvement.
Today, we discuss topics and questions including:
“System” – design and then improvement?
Voice of the Customer – who is the “customer” for education? Or customers?
Where did you first learn about continuous / continual improvement practices and principles?
Book Learning to Improve
Carnegie Foundation — “improvement science“
Factors out of your control including poverty, home life instability? Focusing on what you can control?
Learning from IHI?
Deming? Initially turned off by Deming? – hard to understand?
What changed in March 2020?
Applicability into education?
Things Deming said specifically about education?
Alfie Kohn, episode #57
Don Wheeler, also using my book Measures of Success
Use of Process Behavior Charts
What is “engagement” for remote learning? in education?
Signal vs. noise
The trouble with arbitrary targets?
The role of “the system” on performance?
Under appreciation of systems thinking?
What's the impact of spending on individual “professional development”?
Theory of knowledge – why do we do the things we do? So engrained we don't question them? 
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Interview with Bella Englebach on The Edges of Lean and More

Episode page: https://www.leanblog.org/440
My guest for Episode #440 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Bella Englebach, the Lead Consultant at her firm “Lean for Humans.”
She is also the host of the podcast “The Edges of Lean,” which is part of the Lean Communicators group. Bella is also the author of the book Creatively Lean: How to Get Out of Your Own Way and Drive Innovation Throughout Your Organization.
Today, we discuss topics and questions including:
Finding the balance between listening to a sensei vs. trying things and experimenting yourself?
Managing to Learn book – pulling back from telling
Working with middle managers caught in the middle
What's your Lean origin story??
Getting out of the “way we've always done it” habit
Six Sigma – didn't work well in R&D — why?
Creative problem solving methodology?
Creative solution generation?
“Don't be so sure!”
Lean – at a company via the phrase “process excellence”
Are we solving the right / biggest problem??
The people side… Meaning behind the name of your company? “Lean for Humans”
Episode 32 of “Lean Whiskey”
Host of “The Edges of Lean” — podcast
Episode 437 Peter Docker
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Prof. Elliott Weiss on Steph Curry Tweaking His 3-Point Shot and Not Reacting to Noise in Other Settings

Prof. Emeritus - Darden / University of Virginia
Episode Page: https://www.leanblog.org/439
My guest for Episode #439 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Elliott Weiss, the Oliver Wight Professor Emeritus of Business Administration, having taught in the Technology and Operations Management area at Darden. 
He is the author of numerous articles in the areas of production and operations management and has extensive consulting experience for both manufacturing and service companies in the areas of production scheduling, workflow management, logistics, lean conversions and total productive maintenance.
He's also a co-author of the book The Lean Anthology: A Practical Primer in Continual Improvement.
Before coming to Darden in 1987, Weiss was on the faculty of the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. He has held visiting appointments at the Graduate School of Management and the University of Melbourne, Australia, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Elliott's degrees are all from the University of Pennsylvania:
B.S., B.A., Math & Economics
MS Operations Research
MBA
Ph.D., Operations Research
I reached out to Elliott to discuss his recent writing:
ON THE (BASKET)BALL: WHAT BUSINESS CAN LEARN FROM STEPH CURRY
He was writing about this excellent WSJ article:
Stephen Curry's Scientific Quest for the Perfect Shot
Today, we discuss topics and questions including:
Lean & operations origin story — what sparked your interest in this as a field?
The vanity plate? 0 MUDA — also had one NOMUDA
Elimination of variation, enhancement of the wait, expectations management 
Lean applied to teaching? Research?
Taguchi loss function?
Is Curry reacting to noise?
Hoshin Kanri — Application to retirement – mind/body/soul
Book — “The Lean Anthology” case studies
Chapter on using SPC charts to monitor blood sugar & diabetes
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Steel Toes and Stilettos, an Interview with Kathy Miller and Shannon Karels

Episode page: https://www.leanblog.org/438
My guests for Episode #438 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast are Shannon Karels and Kathy Miller, the authors of the recently-released book Steel Toes and Stilettos: A True Story of Women Manufacturing Leaders and Lean Transformation Success. Their website is opsisters.com.
Kathy Miller is a Senior Operations Executive who has held numerous global vice president and director roles both in manufacturing and lean enterprise leadership.  Kathy is a Shingo Prize Recipient for Large Businesses as a Plant Manager.  
She started her career in Operations as a 17-year-old co-op student at a vehicle assembly plant, and progressed through engineering, marketing, lean, and operations leadership roles, working for four large publicly traded corporations in executive roles.  
Shannon Karels is a Senior Operations Manager who has led multiple lean transformations and run operations for two large publicly traded corporations across various industries and business models.  She started her career in supply chain management and progressed through lean and operations leadership roles. 
Today, we discuss topics and questions including:
What are your Lean origin stories?
Kathy – what was the motivation for Lean– catching up to Toyota? Main goals? 
Shannon – starting point, the business was losing money?
The “right way to run a business” – what appealed most to you?
Kathy: how to help break old habits and truly embrace what's being taught?
Other coaches and influences?
Including Chris Harris, John Shook, Jim Womack
How did auto experience translate to first job outside of GM/Delphi?
Story behind the book?
How much of the book is about issues faced by women in manufacturing?
The lean facilitator and the General Manager – how do the roles and responsibilities break down in a lean transformation?
Your passion for safety? Where did that develop in each of you?
Lean in the office? Carpet land?
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Retired RAF Pilot Peter Docker, on Leadership From the Jumpseat

Episode page: https://www.leanblog.org/437
My guest for Episode #437 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Peter Docker. He is the author of the book Leading From the Jumpseat: How to Create Extraordinary Opportunities by Handing Over Control.
He was the co-author of the book Find Your Why and formerly a founding Igniter at Simon Sinek Inc. Peter draws on his 25-year career in the Royal Air Force, and over 14 years spent partnering with businesses around the world, to inspire others to “Lead from the Jumpseat.”
There are opportunities today to connect the dots to Lean, as we focus on styles of leadership that are very compatible with Lean.
Today, we discuss topics and questions including:
Mutual respect… “respect for people” connection
What is jumpseat leadership?
Humility / courage to ask for help — a culture that invites that?
Doing nothing vs. choosing to not intervene
React vs. response
Planning for likely events – checklists 
Standardized Work parallel — Mental capacity to deal with the unexpected
Hospitals – sense of belonging – love for others
Eric Dickson example – link to his episode of “Habitual Excellence“
Driven by love or driven by fear? — Fear is not sustainable
“Humble Confidence” — can somebody become more humble? Or do the humble become more confident?
Leadership under pressure?
PROGRESSION AS A LEADER:
Learning to fly
Flying
Teaching others to fly
Leading from the Jumpseat
Belonging – how can leaders create a sense of belonging?
This goes beyond the word “engagement”?
“Learning is a large part of military culture” — what creates that?
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 
 

Cindy Young, PhD on Knowledge Management and Lean

Founder/CEO of CJ Young Consulting, LLC
Episode page: https://www.leanblog.org/436
My guest for Episode #436 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Dr. Cynthia J. Young, PMP, LSS MBB, CMQ-OE, the Founder/CEO of CJ Young Consulting, LLC.
Cindy helps organizations optimize human-centric knowledge to increase trust and support collaboration and inclusion. She is a TEDx Speaker, an HBR Contributor, and a Veteran (23 years in the U.S. Navy)
She is also a Curriculum Developer and Instructor with Leidos, an engineering and defense contractor.
Cindy is also presenting a webinar on February 10th, part of the KaiNexus CI Webinar series… learn more and register here:
Impactful Methods to Benefit Organizational Knowledge Management and Continuous Improvement Efforts
She is also leading an upcoming “Knowledge Management Bootcamp.”
Today, we discuss topics and questions including:
Origin story as a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt? –> In the Navy
Combining LSS, PMP, CMQ-OE certifications?
What is “knowledge management” in the context of organizations? Leadership & technology??
Five Ways to Protect Yourself from a Layoff Using Knowledge Management
We should “Resist hoarding knowledge” — is that counterintuitive?
This sharing had big benefits to you and your career?
Breaking down silos?
Applying KM to Lean and applying Lean to KM?
Waste of capturing knowledge that doesn't get used?
Examples of good practices? 
Mistakes people make with knowledge?
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Lean in Mental Healthcare with Sunil Khushalani, MD and Antonio DePaolo, PhD

Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/435 
My guests for Episode #435 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast are Sunil Khushalani, MD, a psychiatrist who specializes in Addiction Psychiatry and Antonio DePaolo, PhD, a transformation executive and a Baldrige Fellow with over 22 years of experience in improvement science.
My guests today are the co-authors of the new book, released in December, titled Transforming Mental Healthcare: Applying Performance Improvement Methods to Mental Healthcare.
You can order the book through the publisher at a 20% discount, using code ESBAC.
They are a physician (psychiatrist more specifically) and an industrial engineer:
Sunil Khushalani, MD, a psychiatrist who specializes in Addiction Psychiatry
Antonio DePaolo, PhD, a transformation executive and a Baldrige Fellow with over 22 years of experience in improvement science.
Today, we discuss topics and questions including:
 I'm always fascinated to hear your ‘lean origin stories” if you will
Antonio? 16 years in manufacturing, Lean and Six Sigma, GM/Delphi, Sensei Nakao from Shingujitsu
Suni? At Shepard Pratt – Chip Davis, patient safety course, Steve Spear “Fixing Healthcare“, the “Pittsburgh Way” book, “Perfecting Patient Care” with Spear and Paul O'Neill
Antonio coming into healthcare? Via Stiles Associates (our sponsor)
Experts in behavior — lessons in behavioral health?
Ron Oslin webinar on Motivational Interviewing (still trying to find the new location on lean.org)
“Addicted to the status quo” — How does this idea apply to leaders?
“A conservative 30-50% of every step in the mental healthcare process does not help patients feel better or stay better”??
Motivations for Lean then and there?
Sunil: hearing about quality & safety problems?
How did you approach transformation / Lean in the Mental Healthcare setting?
1 in 5 Americans experience a “mental illness” each year — which is most common? How many people don't get access to the right treatment?
When should people reach out for mental health care?
How do you define Lean Daily Management?
Burnout amongst healthcare workers?
Sunil – tell us more about the natural reaction to being told?
Don't blame people for being resistant to change
Pitfalls / lessons learned?? 
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network.