Mark Graban Podcasts

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Channel • 5 Shows

Management

Management

Updated Weekly
Management

Management

Updated Biweekly
Management

Management

Updated Semiweekly
Business

Business

Updated Biweekly
Management

Management

Updated Monthly

JAN 7

Why “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 with video, transcript, and more In this episode, Mark Graban is joined by Kathy Miller, senior operations executive, leadership coach, and author of More Is Better: Leading Operations with Meaning, Optimism, and Relationships for Excellence. Drawing on decades of experience in manufacturing and aerospace, along with research from positive psychology, Kathy explains how leadership behavior directly shapes safety, quality, engagement, and performance. The conversation explores why “soft skills” are not soft at all, how leaders can practice realistic optimism without ignoring real problems, and how everyday interactions either build psychological safety or quietly undermine it. Kathy also shares practical insights for leading under pressure, balancing compassion with accountability, and helping people find meaning even in highly segmented operational work. This episode is especially relevant for leaders in manufacturing, healthcare, and operations who want sustainable results without burnout, fear, or disengagement.

Jan 7

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54 min
2024-12-17

Continuous Improvement vs. Operational Excellence: Streamlining Business Operations

Read the blog post We are often asked if continuous improvement and operational excellence are the same. They are not, but they are closely related. Continuous improvement involves constantly improving your business processes to reduce waste, cut costs, improve quality, and maximize human potential. It focuses on making each existing process perfect. Operational excellence goes further. It involves setting the organization up for growth by understanding what the market wants and creating an uninterrupted value stream that continuously feeds the need. It is essential to understand the difference between these two complementary paradigms that guide business operations management so that you can apply elements of both to streamline operations and achieve your most critical strategic goals.

2024-12-17

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26 min
4D AGO

I Made a Marine Cry: Leadership, Authority, and Learning from Mistakes | Olaolu Ogunyemi

What happens when a leader realizes their approach caused real harm? In this episode of My Favorite Mistake, U.S. Marine Corps officer and leadership mentor Olaolu Ogunyemi shares a defining moment early in his career—recognizing that his leadership style, while well-intended, crossed a line and made a Marine cry. Episode page with links, video, and more Rather than defending his authority, Olaolu reflects on the gap between intent and impact, and how that moment forced him to rethink what effective leadership really looks like. We talk about learning from mistakes, the difference between fear-based compliance and true accountability, and why psychological safety is essential—even (and especially) in high-pressure environments like the military. This conversation explores how leaders grow when they confront mistakes honestly, respond with humility, and commit to changing their behavior—not just their words.

4d ago

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43 min
3D AGO

Safety First Isn't a Slogan: What GE Aerospace's CEO Gets Right About Respect for People

The blog post In this audio version of the post, Mark Graban reflects on a rare kind of CEO message—one that treats safety not as a compliance checkbox or slogan, but as a core leadership responsibility and a living example of Respect for People. Drawing from the 2025 annual report and CEO letter from GE Aerospace and its leader Larry Culp, Mark explores what it means when safety truly comes first in SQDC—and how that ordering signals what leaders value most, especially under pressure. This episode looks at how safety is embedded into systems, structure, incentives, and daily management through GE’s FLIGHT DECK operating system, rather than being isolated in a department or reduced to culture talk. You’ll hear why safe systems surface problems, why speaking up must be protected (not just encouraged), and why safety is one of the strongest leading indicators of psychological safety and continuous improvement. For leaders working to build trust, learning, and real operational excellence, this is a practical example of what “Respect for People” looks like in action.

3d ago

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11 min
2012-04-05

Mark Graban & Ron Pereira (Gemba Academy): SPC Webinar Q&A, Statistical Process Control and Management

Like podcast #133, this episode is a Q&A that follows up a webinar I did for my good friends at Gemba Academy recently, on the topic “Using Statistical Process Control (SPC) to Make Better Management Decisions.” You can view a recording of the webinar here or on the Gemba Academy website. You can get the slides here. This might seem like an esoteric topic, but it's one I've found to be VERY practical and helpful in my career and with my clients. Some feedback I got included, “That wasn't nearly as boring as one might have expected.” :-) Update: This topic is something I later explored in my 2018 book Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More. For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/143. For earlier episodes, visit the main Podcast page, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple Podcasts.

2012-04-05

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26 min
2024-11-19

[Webinar] Creating Leader Standard Work (LSW) Across a Distributed Business Model

Presented by Brent Loescher on Nov 19, 2024 Get slides and more TKMG Academy An exploration of implementing LSW throughout Sperber Companies, a distributed Landscape Maintenance business made up of organically-grown business and M&A (read multiple cultures). Covering everything from embracing current cultures, developing an organizational culture with a common language, level setting business leader responsibilities, introducing Lean thinking, and implementing daily rhythms, this webinar will discuss the efforts, hurdles, and learnings this 5-year-old business is living every day. Brent has spent more than 20 years working in and on the business, improving operations within high-speed manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, distributed-services environments, and governmental agencies. A Lean practitioner at heart, Brent received his formal Toyota Production System training while working for Toyota Motor Sales in their North American Parts Operations. While with Toyota, he was responsible for operational design of two new warehouses built in Puerto Rico and Mexico City. A certified TPS trainer, he developed strategic warehouse design standards, while also serving as the Toyota Customer Service Diversity and Inclusion Champion Coordinator. He helped develop a Lean program for the landscape maintenance industry, implementing and evolving continuous improvement programs across the country since 2009. This included co-leading a team focused on the operational integration of a $2 billion dollar merger. Brent is currently responsible for Learning & Development and CI for a start-up Landscape Maintenance & Construction company doing work in 14 states. He has a BA in Business Management from Mercyhurst University and is a retired military veteran, having served 21 years in the US Army and US Army Reserve.

2024-11-19

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59 min
FEB 5

When Diesel Ends Up Where It Shouldn’t — Mistake of the Week:

Most of us pull up to a gas pump on autopilot—until something goes wrong. In this Mistake of the Week, host Mark Graban looks at a real-world systems failure that affected hundreds of drivers across the Denver metro area. Due to an upstream error at a fuel terminal, diesel fuel was mistakenly delivered into the gasoline supply—leading to stalled cars, tow trucks, and costly repairs. Instead of rushing to blame or punishment, Colorado regulators emphasized learning, investigation, and prevention. That response matters—and it offers an important lesson about mistake-proofing, system design, and leadership. In this episode, Mark explores: Why focusing on who made the mistake misses the real problem How mistake-proofing works—and where it often fails Why downstream safeguards can’t fix upstream system errors What leaders can learn from choosing curiosity over blame Mistakes like this are disruptive and expensive—but they also create an opportunity to improve systems so the same error doesn’t happen again.

Feb 5

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5 min
FEB 6

When a CEO Talks About the Work: Larry Culp, GE Aerospace, and Real Lean Leadership

In this episode, Mark Graban reads and reflects on his LeanBlog.org post, “When a CEO Talks About the Work: Larry Culp, GE Aerospace, and Real Lean Leadership.” The post examines a rare example of a Fortune 50 CEO—Larry Culp of GE Aerospace—describing operational excellence not through slogans or dashboards, but through safety, trust, and small frontline improvements that compound into real results. This episode explores: What it looks like when a CEO truly understands the work Why Respect for People shows up in system design, not values statements How safety, trust, and daily improvement drive performance Why Lean leadership is about behavior, not buzzwords A practical and concrete example of Lean leadership in action—told through the words, stories, and operational details that CEOs rarely share this openly.

Feb 6

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13 min
2024-07-11

Kaizen Event Planning in 7 Simple Steps

Read the blog post Here at KaiNexus, we get the opportunity to chat with organizations across all industries and write about many different continuous improvement tools and techniques they use. Lately, I’ve been thinking about two things that most have in common. First, the tools they use are generally simple but not easy. And second, the key to success lies in the planning phase. Both of these observations apply to Kaizen events. The concept is straightforward. A team sets aside other responsibilities for a few days to focus on solving an important challenge in short order. That’s pretty simple, but getting results requires a significant amount of planning and preparation Fortunately, there is a well-defined path to success. Here are the seven simple steps to follow before you kick off your next event.

2024-07-11

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6 min
2025-11-12

Lean 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 Increasing Consistency and Getting Significantly More Done in Less Time. Episode page with video, transcript, and more Darren is the Director and Leadership Coach at Making Lean Work Ltd and holds a master’s degree from the Lean Enterprise Research Centre at Cardiff University. He brings more than 25 years of experience helping leaders transform organizations in automotive, aerospace, medical devices, energy, and healthcare. In this episode, Darren and Mark explore why so many Lean and continuous improvement programs fail to sustain—and how leaders can build the right systems and habits to make improvement last. Darren explains the three common pitfalls he’s seen across industries: choosing the wrong improvement approach, relying on traditional “solution thinking,” and lacking consistent leadership routines. Darren also introduces his DAMI model—Define, Achieve, Maintain, Improve—as a way for organizations to avoid “kaizening chaos” and instead create a stable foundation for improvement. He shares stories from across sectors, including healthcare examples where better standards and daily management led to faster care, higher throughput, and dramatically lower mortality rates. Mark and Darren discuss the difference between problem-solving and firefighting, the danger of “shiny Lean” initiatives that don’t address core issues, and the leadership routines that keep everyone aligned and focused on the right problems. The conversation offers a grounded reminder that Lean isn’t about tools or jargon—it’s about building consistency, clarity, and capability throughout the organization. “You can’t kaizen chaos. First, you have to define and stabilize the standard.” “Most organizations say they want improvement—but they haven’t built the routines to sustain it.” “If every team in your business is working on the right problem, that’s an incredibly powerful organization.” “Firefighting feels heroic, but it hides the real causes and keeps us from solving them.” Questions, Notes, and Highlights: What’s your Lean origin story? How did you first get introduced to Lean and continuous improvement? You’ve worked across industries—from electronics to oil and gas. How do you overcome the “we’re different” resistance when applying Lean in new settings? Why do some organizations still associate Lean with cost-cutting instead of learning and improvement? What led you to write Making Lean and Continuous Improvement Work? What problems were you seeing again and again? Can you explain the three common pitfalls you describe in the book? What is the DAMI model—Define, Achieve, Maintain, Improve—and how can leaders use it effectively? How can organizations build a strong foundation for improvement before jumping into tools like 5S or Kaizen? What are the essential leadership routines for sustaining Lean and consistency? Why do so many teams fall into firefighting mode, and how can leaders break that habit? How can visual management and daily management systems help teams focus on the right problems? How do you balance working on small employee-driven Kaizen improvements versus larger, strategic problems? You’ve said, “You can’t Kaizen chaos.” What does that mean in practice? What lessons from the healthcare case study—cutting waiting times by 88%—stand out most to you? How can leaders ensure alignment and help every team work on the right things? What’s next for your work and research? What will your next book focus on? This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network.

2025-11-12

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53 min

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.

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MANAGEMENT

Discover an extensive range of podcasts hosted and produced by Mark Graban, bringing you thought-provoking discussions on leadership, innovation, and continuous improvement. Whether you're a Lean enthusiast, business leader, or simply passionate about learning from mistakes and driving change, Mark’s podcasts offer a unique blend of insights, storytelling, and practical advice. Lean Blog Interviews – Join Mark as he interviews Lean experts, industry leaders, and authors who share their knowledge, experiences, and strategies for improving processes, boosting efficiency, and driving organizational success. These in-depth conversations cover a wide spectrum of industries, from healthcare to manufacturing and startups. My Favorite Mistake – Everyone makes mistakes, but the most successful people learn and grow from them. In this series, Mark talks with entrepreneurs, executives, authors, and leaders about their biggest mistakes and the valuable lessons they’ve drawn from those experiences. Expect inspiring stories of resilience, personal growth, and creative problem-solving. Lean Whiskey – A relaxed, conversational podcast where Lean thinkers discuss continuous improvement topics over a glass (or two) of whiskey. Mark and his co-host (usually Jamie Flinchbaugh) bring together thought-provoking discussions with a touch of fun, exploring the intersection of Lean principles and everyday life. KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast – Designed for continuous improvement professionals and those striving to make impactful changes within their organizations. Featuring interviews, webinars, and practical insights from experts, this podcast offers actionable tips to help you create a culture of improvement and sustain long-term success. Lean Blog Audio – Do you prefer listening on the go over sitting and reading? This podcast delivers narrated versions of Mark’s popular Lean Blog posts, giving you convenient access to the latest thoughts on Lean management, leadership, and organizational excellence without the need to read.

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Mark Graban Podcasts

Listen to episodes before public release

Top Shows

Why “More” Drives Better Operations: Kathy Miller on Meaning, Optimism, and Leadership

Continuous Improvement vs. Operational Excellence: Streamlining Business Operations

I Made a Marine Cry: Leadership, Authority, and Learning from Mistakes | Olaolu Ogunyemi

Safety First Isn't a Slogan: What GE Aerospace's CEO Gets Right About Respect for People

Mark Graban & Ron Pereira (Gemba Academy): SPC Webinar Q&A, Statistical Process Control and Management

[Webinar] Creating Leader Standard Work (LSW) Across a Distributed Business Model

When Diesel Ends Up Where It Shouldn’t — Mistake of the Week:

When a CEO Talks About the Work: Larry Culp, GE Aerospace, and Real Lean Leadership

Kaizen Event Planning in 7 Simple Steps

Lean Leadership Routines That Sustain Results: Darren Walsh on Moving Beyond Firefighting

Listen to episodes before public release

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Jim Womack's Observations and Reflections on the Evolution of Lean

$ Patrick Adams Previews the 2025 Lean Solutions Summit in Detroit

$ Jared Thatcher on Growing the Global Lean Summit and Partnering with Toyota

$ Previewing the AME 2025 International Conference & Workshops with William Harvey

$ Previewing the LPPDE 2025 Conference with Geoff Neiley & Andrew Wagner

$ Dale Lucht on Leadership Habits That Sustain Lean Transformations

$ Why “More” Drives Better Operations: Kathy Miller on Meaning, Optimism, and Leadership

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Mark Graban Podcasts

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