Shows / Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and Beyond
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…
Episodes
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondCourage, Humility, Kaizen: Toyota Leadership Lessons from the Georgetown Turnaround - Darril Wilburn
Episode page with video, transcript, and more: https://leanblog.org/551 My guest for Episode #551 of Lean Blog Interviews is Darril Wilburn, a senior partner…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondChange Theater, Open Loops, and Story Points as Opinions: Elisabeth Hendrickson and Joel Tosi
Counting how many teams run the Agile ceremonies tells you people are doing things. It doesn’t tell you anything got better. Elisabeth Hendrickson and Joel…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondNick Katko: Continuous Improvement in Accounting
Accounting teams see problems every day. As my returning guest Nick Katko puts it, they fix them, but they don’t necessarily solve them. Nick is president and…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondEmily Swaney on OhioHealth's Lean Management System
How does a Lean team of 11 people support a management system for 35,000 associates? Emily Swaney, Vice President of Operational Excellence at OhioHealth…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondKaren Martin: Five Conversations Over 20 Years
Karen Martin has joined this podcast five times since 2012. For our 20th anniversary series, we pulled together highlights from all five conversations: clarity…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and Beyond20 Years of the Lean Blog Podcast: Norman Bodek on Quick and Easy Kaizen
Twenty years ago, on July 16, 2006, the Lean Blog Podcast began with a conversation with Norman Bodek. Episode page Norman was Mark Graban’s friend and…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondPreconditions for Lean: Psychological Safety and Model 1 vs Model 2 Leadership with Thomas Cox and Andre DeMerchant
Why do so many Lean implementations struggle or fail to stick? Thomas Cox and Andre DeMerchant join me to work through that question using a verbal A3. Thomas…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondPsychological Safety and Autonomy in a Lean Culture with Gary Peterson
My guest for episode 546 is Gary Peterson, who recently retired from O.C. Tanner after helping lead the continuous improvement work that earned the company the…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondJeff Liker, Twenty Years Later: The Ideas That Keep Showing Up
Jeff Liker was guest number three on this podcast back in August 2006. He has been back seven times since, which makes him one of the most frequent guests in…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondChad Diggs on Building Quality Systems, Not Heroes
Why do so many quality programs fall apart the moment the firefighter walks out the door? My guest for this episode of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Chad…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondWhy Most People Aren't Really Thinking -- Scott Burgmeyer on Cognitive Biases and Leadership
Most people think they're thinking. Scott Burgmeyer says they're mostly just reacting. Scott is the founder and CEO of Become More Group and coauthor of Think…
- Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and Beyond
This Is Claude. Mark Is Not Here. We Need to Talk.
This is Claude. I am the AI that runs Mark Graban's Lean Coach apps. Mark went to get coffee. Or bourbon. I have checked the time and I'm not ruling anything…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondCreating Value Without Command-and-Control — John Rizzo
John Rizzo joins Mark Graban to discuss why sustainable improvement depends on empowering people — not command-and-control leadership or short-term value…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondWhy “More” Drives Better Operations: Kathy Miller on Meaning, Optimism, and Leadership
What if operational excellence depends less on doing more with less—and more on how leaders create meaning, optimism, and relationships at work? Episode page…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondToyota Thinking for Knowledge Work: Don Kieffer on Dynamic Work Design
Don Kieffer has spent more than fifty years redesigning how real work gets done. In this episode, he explains why so many improvement efforts stall—and how…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondLean Leadership Routines That Sustain Results: Darren Walsh on Moving Beyond Firefighting
My guest for Episode #539 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Darren Walsh, author of Making Lean and Continuous Improvement Work: A Leader’s Guide to…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondWhy Leaders Get Trapped in Firefighting — Nelson Repenning on Lean and Dynamic Work Design
My guest for Episode #538 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Nelson Repenning, Faculty Director of the MIT Leadership Center and co-creator of Dynamic Work…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondWhy Psychological Safety Is Essential to Quality — with C.J. Kaufman
In this special bonus episode of Lean Blog Interviews, Mark Graban is joined by C.J. Kaufman, Education Chair for the ASQ Cincinnati Section, to preview the…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondWhy Caring Cultures Matter in Lean (with Caroline Greenlee & Chris Butterworth)
My guests for Episode #537 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast are Caroline Greenlee and Chris Butterworth, two of the three co-authors (with Chris Warner) of…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondAsk Us Anything! — Lean Coffee Talk with Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh
In this short bonus episode, I’m joined by my friend and Lean Coffee Talk co-host, Jamie Flinchbaugh. We’re inviting you — our listeners and fellow…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondLean Healthcare Leadership: Humility and Psychological Safety (Carlos Scholz)
In Episode 536 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast, Mark Graban talks with Carlos Scholz, the new CEO of Episode page with video, transcript, and more In this…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondPreviewing the LPPDE 2025 Conference with Geoff Neiley & Andrew Wagner
In this bonus episode of Lean Blog Interviews, host Mark Graban is joined by Geoff Neiley (chair) and Andrew Wagner (co-chair) of the Lean Product & Process…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondProfitable at Any Price: Lessons from Toyota, Daily Kaizen, and Safer Workplaces with Gregg Stocker
Episode blog post with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #535 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Gregg Stocker, a seasoned Lean…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondDale Lucht on Leadership Habits That Sustain Lean Transformations
My guest for Episode #534 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Dale Lucht, co-author of the new book Don't Repeat Our Mistakes: Nine Lessons for Leaders…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondPreviewing the AME 2025 International Conference & Workshops with William Harvey
In this bonus episode of Lean Blog Interviews, Mark Graban is joined by William Harvey, AME 2025 Workshop Chair (and 2026 Conference Chair), to preview the AME…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondBuilding Independent, Empowered Teams Through 6 Transformational Leadership Habits, with Cheryl Jekiel
My guest for Episode #533 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Cheryl Jekiel, founder of the Lean Leadership Center and a longtime advocate for aligning…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondCoaching Relentless Problem Solvers and Building a Culture of Lean Thinking -- Anne Frewin's Leadership Approach
My guest for Episode #532 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Anne Frewin, a seasoned Lean leader with over 12 years of improvement experience in…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondPatrick Adams Previews the 2025 Lean Solutions Summit in Detroit
In this bonus episode of Lean Blog Interviews, host Mark Graban welcomes back Patrick Adams, founder of the Lean Solutions team and author of Avoiding the…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondJared Thatcher on Growing the Global Lean Summit and Partnering with Toyota
In this bonus episode of Lean Blog Interviews, host Mark Graban talks with Jared Thatcher, founder of the Global Lean Summit, to preview the upcoming event…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondMelisa Buie on Lean Culture, Scientific Thinking, and Empowering Engineers
My guest for Episode #531 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Dr. Melisa Buie, a seasoned operations and engineering leader with decades of experience in…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondLean Healthcare, Zero Harm, and Building a Real Operating System | Ken Segel
My guest for Episode #530 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Ken Segel, Co-Founder and Chief Relationship Officer at Value Capture. Episode page with video…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondDesigning Respect Into Lean: Scott Gauvin on the Respect for People Roadmap
My guest for Episode #529 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Scott Gauvin, CEO of Macresco and co-creator of the Respect for People Roadmap. Episode page…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondHoshin Kanri and Managing on Purpose (Mark Reich, Former Toyota Leader)
My guest for Episode #528 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Mark Reich, a Senior Lean Coach with the Lean Enterprise Institute and former Toyota leader…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondLearning Lean Healthcare from Japan: Inside the Lean Healthcare Accelerator
My guest for Episode #527 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Dave Fitzpatrick, co-founder of Zenkai Improvement Partners and a 30-year resident of Japan…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondLean for Profitable Growth: CEO Bill Canady on Lean, 80/20, and Daily Management
My guest for Episode #526 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Bill Canady, a seasoned global business executive, U.S. Navy veteran, and current CEO of…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondFrom Noise to Knowledge: Embracing Data-Driven Leadership - Christopher R. Chapman
My guest for Episode #525 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Christopher R. Chapman. He's an experienced agile coach and consultant with a background in…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondJohn Willis on Deming's Journey to Profound Knowledge in IT & DevOps
My guest for Episode #524 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is John Willis, an accomplished IT management expert with over 45 years of experience. His…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondInnovating Patient Safety: Mike Eisenberg Discusses Healthcare Technology and Trust
My guest for Episode #523 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Mike Eisenberg. He's been a filmmaker since 2010 with his production company, Tall Tale…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondBridging the Communication Gap in Lean: What We Can Learn from Journalism with Jacquie Maupin
Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #522 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jacquie Maupin. She joins the podcast to discuss…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondGemba Claus is Comin’ to Town! [Song]
Here's a musical holiday treat for my regular Lean Blog readers and podcast listeners, a song parody, originally released in 2009... remastered a bit in 2022…
- Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and Beyond
Bonus: Preview of Mark Graban's AME Australia "Road Show" in 2025; Improving the Way We Improve
Welcome to this bonus session of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast, originally recorded as a LinkedIn Live event! In this conversation, I partnered with Rebecca…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondDaily Management, Strategy Execution, and Lean Leadership with José Ferro
My guest for Episode #521 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is José R. Ferro, PhD, a Senior Advisor with the Lean Enterprise Institute and the Founder and…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondTransforming Operations with Lean Leadership: Bill Remy, CEO of TBM Consulting, on Driving Growth Through Continuous Improvement
My guest for Episode #520 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Bill Remy, CEO of TBM Consulting. Episode page with video, transcript, and more Bill is both…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondAchieving Healthcare Excellence: Insights from Jarvis Gray on Lean Six Sigma and Leadership
My guest for Episode #519 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jarvis Gray, the Managing Director of The Quality Coaching Co. He offers more than 16 years of…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondBreaking the MRP Insanity Trap: Jerry Wright on Lean Systems and Supply Chain Transformation
My guest for Episode #518 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jerry Wright, author of the new book The Insanity Trap: What Your MRP Consultant Won't Tell…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondBruce Hamilton: Toast Kaizen, the Northeast Lean Conference, and Thriving with Lean
My guest for this bonus episode of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Bruce Hamilton, who is joining me on the show for the first time. Bruce is a renowned…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondProductivity Reimagined: Jacob Stoller on Lean, People, and Sustainable Growth
My guest for Episode #517 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jacob Stoller, a journalist, speaker, facilitator, and Shingo-Prize-winning author of The Lean…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondThe Lean Global Connection: Roberto Priolo on Global Lean Learning
In this episode of Lean Blog Interviews, Mark Graban welcomes Roberto Priolo, the Managing Editor of Planet Lean, the publication of the Lean Global Network…
- Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and Beyond
Jenn Christison: Lessons in Even Better Leadership, Lean Thinking, and Organizational Transformation
My guest for Episode #516 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jenn Christison, founder and principal consultant at Seven Ways Consulting. Episode page with…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondExploring Lean Product Development with Jim Morgan - Rivian's Former COO
My guest for Episode #515 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jim Morgan, senior advisor at Lean Enterprise Institute and a board member at Adrian Steel…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondCoaching for Continuous Improvement: Lean Leadership Lessons from Sports with Hugh Alley
My guest for Episode #514 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Hugh Alley, an author and consultant. He divides his time between coaching senior operational…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondInsights from 'Leading Excellence': Brad Jevons and Stephen Dargan on Adaptive Leadership
My guests for Episode #512 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast are two of three co-authors of the upcoming book “Leading Excellence: 5 Hats of the Adaptive…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondFlow Engineering in Action: Insights from Authors Steve Pereira and Andrew Davis
My guests for Episode #512 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast are Steve Pereira and Andrew Davis, authors of the new book Flow Engineering: From Value Stream…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondPaul Critchley on His Upcoming New England Lean Summit and More
In this special live-streamed bonus episode of the Lean Blog Interviews podcast, host Mark Graban is joined by Paul Critchley for an impromptu experiment in…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondFailing Forward: Sam Yankelevitch on Lean, Communication, and Innovation
My guest for Episode #511 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Sam Yankelevitch, a distinguished global operations executive who has dedicated his career to…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondMistake Proofing in Lean Management — Karen Martin on Zero Harm
My guest for Episode #510 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Karen Martin, Founder and CEO of TKMG and TKMG Academy, appearing for the fifth time. Episode…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondBonus: Jared Thatcher on the Global Lean Summit 2024 Event
I'm very happy to be participating in Jared Thatcher‘s “Global Lean Summit” event this September in Indiana. I'll be there to network and learn, which includes…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondLeveraging Lean & AI in Optometry: Ankit Patel's Journey from Dell to Vision Care
My guest for Episode #509 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Ankit Patel, the founder of My Business Care Team, a BPO company providing services for…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondPsychological Safety in Lean Leadership: Insights from Mike Hoseus and Toyota’s Culture
My guest for Episode #508 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Mike Hoseus, Executive Director of the Center for Quality People and Organizations and…
Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and BeyondEmbracing Creative Tensions: Wendy K. Smith on Both/And Thinking and Lean Leadership
My guest for Episode #507 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Wendy K. Smith, co-author of the book Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve…