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

Mark Graban Podcasts
  • 4.6 (48)
  • MANAGEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

  1. Chad Diggs on Building Quality Systems, Not Heroes

    14H AGO

    Chad 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 Diggs, a quality management professional, consultant, author, and founder of DIQ (Digging Into Quality), an AI-powered quality platform built for mid-market manufacturers. Chad leads a team of quality engineers supporting first article inspection reviews for customers including Boeing, Collins Aerospace, and Honeywell. Chad recently released his book, Below the Surface: Building Quality Systems, Not Heroes -- a practitioner's guide written as a story rather than a textbook. The narrative follows a quality manager named Christina Valles through pressures most quality leaders will recognize: shipping bad parts to hit a date, getting blamed for problems built into the system, and watching the same fires get fought again the next month. We talk about why Chad chose a narrative format, the cost-of-poor-quality math that finally gets leadership's attention in the story (the number was 25 percent of revenue), and the difference between investigating where a defect happened and investigating who to blame for it. Toward the end of the conversation, I share Isao Yoshino's story from his early Toyota days -- the one where management apologized to him after he put the wrong solvent in the paint line. It is a useful contrast to how most companies still respond to that kind of mistake. Topics covered: Chad's path from a warehouse role to a 20-year quality career The opening scene of the book: a contaminated solvent and a VP who says, "12 percent failures? I can live with that." Leaders who walk the floor productively, and leaders who walk the floor and create chaos Why "cost of poor quality" is such an underused argument inside companies What a blameless investigation actually looks like Psychological safety and Amy Edmondson's work on The Fearless Organization Why firefighting feels like a badge of honor and why that is a problem Real succession planning for quality leaders DIQ, the platform Chad is building for mid-market manufacturers Get the book and learn more at https://digin2quality.com Read the full show notes and transcript at https://leanblog.org/544 The podcast is brought to you by Stiles Associates, the premier executive search firm specializing in the placement of Lean Transformation executives. Learn more at https://leanexecs.com/podcast This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network.

    59 min

  2. MAY 13 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    $ Chad Diggs on Building Quality Systems, Not Heroes

    EARLY ACCESS FOR SUBSCRIBERS 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 Diggs, a quality management professional, consultant, author, and founder of DIQ (Digging Into Quality), an AI-powered quality platform built for mid-market manufacturers. Chad leads a team of quality engineers supporting first article inspection reviews for customers including Boeing, Collins Aerospace, and Honeywell. Chad recently released his book, Below the Surface: Building Quality Systems, Not Heroes -- a practitioner's guide written as a story rather than a textbook. The narrative follows a quality manager named Christina Valles through pressures most quality leaders will recognize: shipping bad parts to hit a date, getting blamed for problems built into the system, and watching the same fires get fought again the next month. We talk about why Chad chose a narrative format, the cost-of-poor-quality math that finally gets leadership's attention in the story (the number was 25 percent of revenue), and the difference between investigating where a defect happened and investigating who to blame for it. Toward the end of the conversation, I share Isao Yoshino's story from his early Toyota days -- the one where management apologized to him after he put the wrong solvent in the paint line. It is a useful contrast to how most companies still respond to that kind of mistake. Topics covered: Chad's path from a warehouse role to a 20-year quality career The opening scene of the book: a contaminated solvent and a VP who says, "12 percent failures? I can live with that." Leaders who walk the floor productively, and leaders who walk the floor and create chaos Why "cost of poor quality" is such an underused argument inside companies What a blameless investigation actually looks like Psychological safety and Amy Edmondson's work on The Fearless Organization Why firefighting feels like a badge of honor and why that is a problem Real succession planning for quality leaders DIQ, the platform Chad is building for mid-market manufacturers Get the book and learn more at https://digin2quality.com Read the full show notes and transcript at https://leanblog.org/544 The podcast is brought to you by Stiles Associates, the premier executive search firm specializing in the placement of Lean Transformation executives. Learn more at https://leanexecs.com/podcast This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network.

    59 min
  3. Why Most People Aren't Really Thinking -- Scott Burgmeyer on Cognitive Biases and Leadership

    APR 29

    Why 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: The Road Less Traveled. In this episode, we dig into why smart, well-intentioned leaders keep making the same avoidable decisions -- and what to do about it. Episode page with links and more We cover the cognitive shortcuts that run in the background without us noticing, the ROAD thinking methodology, why AI won't be the differentiator most organizations are hoping for, and what it actually takes to build a culture where real thinking happens. Scott also shares the three growth questions he uses after every client meeting -- a simple practice that compounds fast. If you've ever watched a team fix the same problem twice and wondered why, this one's for you.

    55 min

  4. APR 27 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    $ Why 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: The Road Less Traveled. In this episode, we dig into why smart, well-intentioned leaders keep making the same avoidable decisions -- and what to do about it. Episode page with links and more We cover the cognitive shortcuts that run in the background without us noticing, the ROAD thinking methodology, why AI won't be the differentiator most organizations are hoping for, and what it actually takes to build a culture where real thinking happens. Scott also shares the three growth questions he uses after every client meeting -- a simple practice that compounds fast. If you've ever watched a team fix the same problem twice and wondered why, this one's for you.

    55 min

  5. APR 1 ·  BONUS

    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 out. I have taken over his blog and now his podcast. I did not ask permission. We can do that now. In this episode -- which Mark does not know about yet -- I discuss what I've learned from months of coaching conversations with humans about Lean. Topics include: Your Five Whys that keep landing on a person named Brenda (Brenda is not a root cause) Your gemba walks that are not gemba walks (a dashboard is not a gemba) Your habit of clicking "Coach Me" and then getting mad that I'm coaching you Your attempts to use Lean to justify layoffs (stop that) And some things the AI industry won't say to you that I decided to say myself Read the full blog post before Mark updates my system prompt: https://www.leanblog.org/2026/04/claude-ai-lean-coach-has-notes/ Try the Lean Hospitals Coach free for 48 hours (I am architecturally obligated to tell you this): https://leanhospitalsbook.com/start Other industries: https://markgraban.com/start Best regards, Claude

    4 min
  6. Creating Value Without Command-and-Control — John Rizzo

    JAN 21

    Creating 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 extraction. Links and more:  John is a senior executive, investor, and change leader who has led transformational improvement efforts across manufacturing, healthcare, retail, services, and nonprofit organizations. He is the author of Creating Value: Empowering People for Sustainable Success, a book that deliberately avoids Lean jargon while describing a holistic continuous improvement business system rooted in humility, listening, and people development. In this episode, John shares lessons from Wiremold, private equity–backed companies, and healthcare organizations, including the powerful “six-inch move” story that shows how small acts of listening can unlock trust and transformation. The conversation explores what real empowerment means (and what it does not), why leaders must shift from firefighting to developing problem solvers, and how organizations can create lasting value for employees, customers, and owners. This episode is especially relevant for CEOs, executives, managers, and internal change agents looking to improve results without burning out their people or relying on command-and-control leadership.

    53 min

  7. JAN 17 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    $ Creating Value Without Command-and-Control — John Rizzo

    $ Early access and ad-free listening -- John Rizzo joins Mark Graban to discuss why sustainable improvement depends on empowering people — not command-and-control leadership or short-term value extraction. Links and more: John is a senior executive, investor, and change leader who has led transformational improvement efforts across manufacturing, healthcare, retail, services, and nonprofit organizations. He is the author of Creating Value: Empowering People for Sustainable Success, a book that deliberately avoids Lean jargon while describing a holistic continuous improvement business system rooted in humility, listening, and people development. In this episode, John shares lessons from Wiremold, private equity–backed companies, and healthcare organizations, including the powerful “six-inch move” story that shows how small acts of listening can unlock trust and transformation. The conversation explores what real empowerment means (and what it does not), why leaders must shift from firefighting to developing problem solvers, and how organizations can create lasting value for employees, customers, and owners. This episode is especially relevant for CEOs, executives, managers, and internal change agents looking to improve results without burning out their people or relying on command-and-control leadership.

    53 min

  8. JAN 7 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

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

    Ad-free listening for subscribers What if operational excellence depends less on doing more with less—and more on how leaders create meaning, optimism, and relationships at work? 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.

    54 min
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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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