Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and Beyond
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations features thoughtful, in-depth discussions with leaders, authors, executives, and practitioners who are applying Lean thinking in the real world.
Hosted by Mark Graban—author of Lean Hospitals, Measures of Success, and The Mistakes That Make Us—the podcast explores Lean as a management system, a leadership philosophy, and a people-centered approach to continuous improvement.
Episodes span healthcare, manufacturing, startups, technology, and professional services. Guests share candid stories about what actually works—and what doesn’t—when organizations try to improve.
This is not a podcast about chasing tools, jargon, or “Lean theater.” Instead, you’ll hear honest conversations about leadership behaviors, culture, psychological safety, learning from mistakes, and building systems that help people do their best work.
If you believe improvement starts with respect for people—and that better systems beat blaming individuals—this podcast is for you.
Find show notes and all episodes at LeanCast.org.
Learn more about Mark Graban at MarkGraban.com.
Episodes
May 14, 2009
May 14, 2009
20 min
SPONSOR: MIT Professional Education - Short Programs: MIT will be holding three short courses on campus this July focused on various lean concepts geared towards busy professionals (Lean Academy® Course, Lean Engineering Seminar, Lean Healthcare Academy). To learn more visit them on the web at http://shortprograms.mit.edu/lean. CONTENT: LeanBlog Podcast #66 This is a discussion with Joe Rizzo, Chairman of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) Annual Conference, to be held in Covington, Kentucky. The dates are October 19 to 23, 2009. For more info, visit http://www.ameconference.org. In this podcast, Joe talks about his lean background and what to expect if you attend the event. For earlier episodes, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes. If you have feedback on the podcast, or any questions for me or my guests, you can email me at leanpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave a voicemail by calling the "Lean Line" at (817) 776-LEAN (817-776-5326) or contact me via Skype id "mgraban". Please give your location and your first name. Any comments (email or voicemail) might be used in follow ups to the podcast.
Apr 20, 2009
Apr 20, 2009
18 min
LeanBlog Podcast #65 is a discussion with Kevin Frieswick, a Lean Process Manager, with MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham, MA. I found Kevin earlier this year when I discovered their YouTube video about innovations at MWMC, which included a unique error proofing device to help encourage handwashing by staff and physicians before entering patient rooms. I recommend you first watch the video here (http://www.leanblog.org/2009/02/error-proofing-handwashing.html) before listening to the podcast. In this podcast, Kevin gives us more details behind the invention of the device and how it has been received in the hospital. For earlier episodes, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes. If you have feedback on the podcast, or any questions for me or my guests, you can email me at leanpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave a voicemail by calling the "Lean Line" at (817) 776-LEAN (817-776-5326) or contact me via Skype id "mgraban". Please give your location and your first name. Any comments (email or voicemail) might be used in follow ups to the podcast.
Apr 11, 2009
Apr 11, 2009
28 min
Episode #56 of the podcast is a discussion with John Shook, one of my absolute favorite people in the Lean world.
Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/56
Remastered August 2021
Episode #56 of the podcast is a discussion with John Shook, one of my absolute favorite people in the Lean world.
The few times I've seen John present or had the chance to chat in person, I've learned more in that amount of time than from anyone else, so I'm thrilled to have him here. John has a new book, published by the Lean Enterprise Institute, about the “A3” problem solving process called Managing to Learn: Using the A3 Management Process to Solve Problems, Gain Agreement, Mentor, and Lead. John also has a new blog on the LEI website, which is exciting to see. In the podcast, we discuss the story behind the book and some thoughts on how to get started with A3 thinking from scratch in your organization.
Episode #56 Key Words and Links:
About A3s (via John's blog)
Lean Enterprise Institute
John Shook's Lean Management Column (blog)
Problem solving, kaizen, A3 thinking, A3 reports
Mar 5, 2009
Mar 5, 2009
13 min
Here is LeanBlog Podcast #64, again with Jamie Flinchbaugh, Founder of and Partner with the Lean Learning Center and co-author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean. In this Podcast, we talk about the role of coaching in a Lean transformation effort. What is the difference between coaching toward a solution and coaching to learn a method, for example? This was also the first attempt at a "video podcast", this is the audio from that. The video, if desired, can be found at this address: http://www.leanblog.org/2009/03/video-podcast-beta-v-10-jamie.html . The video admittedly doesn't add too much to the discussion, but it's an experiment and I'll continue to put audio from the discussions here in the audio podcast series if I do more videos. For past episodes, please visit www.leanpodcast.org. If you have feedback on the podcast, or any questions for me or my guests, you can email me at leanpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave a voicemail by calling the "Lean Line" at (817) 776-LEAN (817-776-5326) or contact me via Skype id "mgraban". Please give your location and your first name. Any comments (email or voicemail) might be used in follow ups to the podcast.
Feb 24, 2009
Feb 24, 2009
20 min
Episode Page
I have a very special guest today… it's a very spur of the moment podcast with L.A. mayoral candidate, David “Zuma Dogg” Saltsburg. This went from email, to phone call, to podcast all in a few hours.
He is running on a platform is using Dr. W. Edwards Deming's 14 points for management. It's very interesting listening — David paid his own way to a Dr. Deming 4-day seminar in Houston in 1991 and it changed his life. He's talking about Dr. Deming on TV and all the media — what a great service to Dr. Deming and hopefully to the residents of Los Angeles. Check out my earlier blog post with him and his videos.
For earlier episodes, visit the main Podcast page, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple Podcasts.
Feb 24, 2009
Feb 24, 2009
19 min
Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/57
Audio remastered July 2021
My guest for LeanBlog Podcast #57 is Alfie Kohn, an author and lecturer in the fields of education, parenting, and human behavior. His books include Punished By Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes and The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing. I reached out to Alfie after there was some very good discussion on the blog about Chicago Public Schools giving incentive payments to high school students earning A's, B's, and C's. Many of the arguments that Alfie makes are reminiscent of Dr. W. Edwards Deming and can be applied, more generally, to many organization settings where rewards and incentives are used. I hope you find this interesting and thought provoking. If anything, the Dr. Deming fans will want to listen to the end of the Podcast where Alfie does a dead-on impression of Dr. Deming. To read more articles, Alfie's website is http://www.alfiekohn.org/ . For earlier episodes, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes. The podcast is available there in MP3 or AAC formats.
Feb 24, 2009
Feb 24, 2009
27 min
Episode #58 of the LeanBlog Podcast brings us Steven J. Spear as our guest. Spear is a Senior Researcher at MIT, a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and is the author of the new book Chasing the Rabbit: How Market Leaders Outdistance the Competition and How Great Companies Can Catch Up and Win. Today, we talk about he started studying Toyota and his new book, which includes examples from many high-performing organizations in manufacturing, healthcare, and other industries - fascinating reading. If you have feedback on the podcast, or any questions for me or my guests, you can email me at leanpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave a voicemail by calling the "Lean Line" at (817) 776-LEAN (817-776-5326) or contact me via Skype id "mgraban". Please give your location and your first name. Any comments (email or voicemail) might be used in follow ups to the podcast.
Feb 24, 2009
Feb 24, 2009
21 min
Episode Page
Episode #59 of the LeanBlog Podcast is here and our guest is Robert Miller, Executive Director of the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. We are discussing the Prize, some of the recent changes made in its criteria, and some future directions for the Prize named after Dr. Shigeo Shingo, of Toyota Production System fame.
For earlier episodes, visit the main Podcast page, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple Podcasts.
Feb 22, 2009
Feb 22, 2009
19 min
Once again, our guest for Episode #62 is John S. Toussaint, MD, the CEO emeritus of ThedaCare, and CEO of the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value. Dr. Toussaint is very well known for his leadership of the Lean efforts in the ThedaCare system, done under the heading of the ThedaCare Improvement System. ThedaCare has been profiled in the WSJ and many other articles about the quality and cost improvements they have achieved. This is the first of two podcast discussions we recorded (Part 1 is episode #54). In this podcast Dr. Toussaint talks about the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value and some big picture issues related to Lean and healthcare improvement. For past episodes, please visit www.leanpodcast.org. If you have feedback on the podcast, or any questions for me or my guests, you can email me at leanpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave a voicemail by calling the "Lean Line" at (817) 776-LEAN (817-776-5326) or contact me via Skype id "mgraban". Please give your location and your first name. Any comments (email or voicemail) might be used in follow ups to the podcast.
Feb 11, 2009
Feb 11, 2009
17 min
Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/61
Remastered audio June 2021
Norman Bodek is once again back for episode #61 of the LeanBlog Podcast, talking about his discovery of a unique system in Japan, at Canon, called the “Super Meister” system that trains employees to be able to build an entire copier on their own.
This was introduced in Episode #55 of the Podcast. Norman also talks a little more about Gerry Corrigan and his Lean/5S work in Ireland, employee ideas, and his video terminal that allows him to teach people remotely.
Episode #61 Key Words and Links:
Canon, Japan, “Super Meister”
Tony Corrigan
Institute for Lean Systems
About Mark Graban
Mark Graban is an author, speaker, and consultant, whose latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, is available now.
He is also the author of the award-winning book Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Engagement and others, including Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More.
He serves as a consultant through his company, Constancy, Inc, and is also a Senior Advisor for the technology company KaiNexus.
Mark hosts podcasts, including “Lean Blog Interviews” and “My Favorite Mistake.”
Education: B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University; M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and M.B.A. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Leaders for Global Operations Program.