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

Mark Valenti, Motivational Interviewing

Podcast #306 - Mark D. Valenti, Motivational Interviewing and Health System Improvement My guest for Episode #306 is Mark D. Valenti, the manager of training, education, and workflow integration for the Enhanced Community Care Management (ECCM) at Highmark Health. In this episode, Mark and I talk about the use of "Motivational Interviewing" methods and mindsets in the ECCM program and how "everyday closer to better" is part of their mantra. We discuss the MI approach and how it's different than traditional healthcare or change management models that focus on telling people to change (or why they should change). There are many lessons that I think are helpful in any workplace or personal change context. ECCM is a "physician-led, patient-centered approach [that] focuses on prevention, high-quality and compassionate care, patient engagement and satisfaction, and health outcomes." According to Highmark, "In the first year, the ECCM program has provided a large Pennsylvania health plan with total medical care cost savings of greater than 19% for engaged members; equivalent to one inpatient admission per year per member engaged. More than 1,500 members are enrolled across more than 60 provider sites."

Mark Graban, "The Toyota Way" in Healthcare

Respect for People and Continuous Improvement for Healthcare I was recently asked to do a recorded video presentation for a medical conference in Turkey. I spoke about the dual pillars of "The Toyota Way": Respect for People Continuous Improvement The video is about 20 minutes, split about half and half on each of those interrelated topics. I'm coming to you from a hotel room, somewhat tired after a day of consulting. (Slides PDF and transcript also included)

David Meier, Lessons and Wisdom from Toyota

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Back on the podcast for the fifth time is my friend David Meier, a Lean / TPS consultant who is a former Toyota leader at their plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. He's gotten into what's, perhaps, the most Kentucky of industries… distilling bourbon (and more).
You can also listen to another, much longer episode where David and I talk about bourbon, whiskey, and continuous improvement for almost 90 minutes total there.
Today is a shorter episode, where we catch up and hear more about what David has been doing since his last podcast appearance in 2010 when we talked about the challenges Toyota was facing then. In this episode, David drops a lot of knowledge and wisdom in a very short time — thoughts on problem solving and how Lean thinking isn't easy for anybody, even if you're Japanese.
He's co-author, with Jeff Liker, of the books The Toyota Way Fieldbook and Toyota Talent.

Craig Deao, Effectively Engaging Employees

Joining me for Episode #303 is Craig Deao, a senior leader with Studer Group. From his bio: "Since 2006, Craig Deao, MHA, has been an integral part of Studer Group as a senior leader for the organization's speaking and conferences teams, and he now directs thought leadership across Huron [Consulting Group]'s broader healthcare practice. Craig is a highly regarded national speaker on leadership, engagement, quality and patient safety. He works with medical staffs and healthcare executives to create highly reliable organizations where employees want to work, physicians want to practice and patients want to receive care." Today, we're talking about his book The E-Factor: How Engaged Patients, Clinicians, Leaders, and Employees Will Transform Healthcare. We'll talk about the differences between satisfaction and engagement, how to tell if people are engaged in their work, and how to engage various stakeholders, including employees, clinicians, and executives. We'll also talk about how Studer Group became a recipient of the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award in 2010.

Katie Anderson on Japan: Standard Work, Customers, and

My guest for Episode #302 is Katie Anderson, following up on her last appearances in Episode #233 (when she was living in Japan) and Episode #275 (after she returned to the U.S.).
Today, we're chatting because I've just returned from a short trip to Japan and Katie's going back in May (and you can join her).
We're sharing observations and reflections on topics ranging from standardized work to Kaizen. Would it be easier to "implement Lean" (or whatever term you'd use) if you're a Japanese organization? And what are some of the approaches you see with quality improvement and Lean in Japan's hospitals?
Our conversation also meanders into topics like eating sushi and more.

Joe Swartz, "Champions of Change" in Supply Chains

This podcast is sponsored by Cardinal Health. All opinions expressed here are those of Joe Swartz and not of his employer or any other organization. Joining me again for episode #301 of the podcast is Joe Swartz, my friend and co-author for our books Healthcare Kaizen and The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen:. You can learn more about our books here. He also contributed a chapter to the book Practicing Lean. (read an excerpt). Today, we're talking about "Champions of Change," as I've been writing about for Cardinal Health.

Tracey & Ernie Richardson, The Toyota Engagement Equation *

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Remastered October 2022
My guests for Episode #300 of the podcast are Tracey and Ernie Richardson, authors of the excellent book titled:
The Toyota Engagement Equation: How to Understand and Implement Continuous Improvement Thinking in Any Organization
The book is full of solid insights and personal experiences from their time working for Toyota in Georgetown, Kentucky at the plant known as TMMK (Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky).
You can find their book's website. Tracey and Ernie are both faculty members for the Lean Enterprise Institute. Tracey's blog is called The Toyota Gal.
In our podcast, we talk about their experiences at Toyota, including lessons they've learned about problem solving, people development, and what they call “D and A” – discipline and accountability. We also talk about Ernie's experience within health clinics at Toyota and other healthcare organizations.
I hope you enjoy the discussion even if you work in healthcare or another realm outside of manufacturing.
 

Sustaining Healthcare Kaizen: Joe Swartz on 10+ Years of Continuous Improvement at Franciscan

Joining me again for episode #299 of the podcast is Joe Swartz, my friend and esteemed co-author for our books Healthcare Kaizen: Engaging Front-Line Staff in Sustainable Continuous Improvements and The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen: Leadership for a Continuously Learning and Improving Organization.
Episode page with links and more.
You can learn more about our books here. He was previously the guest in episode #187. Joe is Administrative Director of Business Transformation for Franciscan St. Francis Health System in Indiana (his full bio is here). Today is the first part of a two-part discussion, where Joe reflects on the history and evolution of more than ten years of "Kaizen" or continuous improvement in his system. In our next episode together, Joe will be talking about "Champions of Change." I hope you enjoy the discussion!

Billy Taylor, Lean Manufacturing Leadership, Part 2

Joining me again for Episode #298 is Billy R. Taylor, for Part 2 of a discussion we started in Episode #293. Last week, a friend texted me last week and said he couldn't wait for Part 2. He said he pulled off the road to take some notes when he listened to Part 1. So without further ado, here is Part 2. Here, we discuss "extreme ownership," why creating ownership is more important than forcing accountability, and important lessons he's learned along the way.

JJ Villarreal, Ed.D., #Lean in Education

My guest for Episode #297 is John (JJ) Villarreal, Ed.D., the superintendent of the Rockwall I.S.D. here in the Dallas area. In this podcast, we talk about the applications of Lean in education, how to move beyond what JJ calls "the behavior waste of judgment and blame," and how visiting a factory was inspiring and helpful, among other topics. Even if you don't work in education, I hope you'll be inspired by this podcast.