

Lean Blog Interviews: Real-World Lean Leadership Conversations in Healthcare and Beyond
Mark Graban
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.
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
Mentioned books

Jan 12, 2011 • 18min
James Morgan, Lean Product Development at Ford
Episode #109 is a discussion with Jim Morgan, Director, Global Body Exterior and Stamping Business Unit Engineering, Ford Motor Company. We will be talking about Lean product development methods in this show. James will be a plenary speaker at the upcoming Lean Transformation Summit, presented by the Lean Enterprise Institute, in Dallas this March 9th and 10th. Hope to see you there! Visit www.lean.org for more info. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/109. 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.

Jan 6, 2011 • 22min
Gwendolyn Galsworth, "Work That Makes Sense"
Episode #108 is a discussion with Dr. Gwendolyn Galsworth, recorded in person at the 2010 Shingo Prize Conference in Salt Lake City. Gwendolyn was previously a guest on episodes #26, 45, and 49. Here, we chat about lean and the "respect for people" principle, following up my talk with Dr. Stephen Covey (episode # 91) and we also touch briefly on her new book "Work That Makes Sense." You can find Gwendolyn's website at www.visualworkplaceinc.com. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/108. 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.

Dec 18, 2010 • 30min
Best-Selling Author Daniel H. Pink on the Connections Between Lean and ’Drive’ *
Show notes and more: https://www.leanblog.org/107
Remastered January 2022
Episode #107 is something I've been looking forward to for some time now – an interview with Dan Pink, the author of some outstanding books including Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us and Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself, among others.
Today, we're talking about Drive and a number of issues that will be familiar and relevant, yet thought provoking to Lean thinkers and students of Dr. W. Edwards Deming, ideas such as the dysfunctions of incentives and rewards, intrinsic motivation, and finding the balance between autonomy and following “standardized work” in a modern workplace.
You can find Dan on Twitter as @DanielPink and his website is www.danpink.com, which has his blog, and more. Dan has a paperback version of Drive coming out in the spring of 2011 and, if you've read Drive, you can send him ideas and feedback via this blog post of his.
In the podcast, I reference back to:
an earlier interview with Alfie Kohn, on education
a recent WSJ article on the decline of creativity in kids, thanks to our school system
To point others to this episode, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/107.
For earlier episodes, visit the main Podcast page, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple Podcasts.
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) 993-0630 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.

Dec 10, 2010 • 21min
Jim Baran, "Career Kaizen"
For episode #106, we have a returning guest, Jim Baran of the firm Value Stream Leaders. Jim was previously a guest on episodes #16, 27, and 88 talking about careers in Lean. Today, Jim talks about a new offering called "Career Kaizen™," a service that combines coaching and personalized career management. With him today is Rick Pederson, one of the early people to go through this process with Jim. Jim's website is http://www.valuestreamleaders.com To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/106. 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.

Dec 3, 2010 • 26min
Bill Waddell & Adam Zak, "Simple Excellence"
Podcast #105 is a conversation with the co-authors of the new book Simple Excellence: Organizing and Aligning the Management Team in a Lean Transformation from Productivity Press. They are Adam Zak, a regular guest blogger here on Leanblog.org and Lean-focused executive recruiter and Bill Waddell, a Lean consultant and frequent blogger over at EvolvingExcellence.com. Here, we talk about their book and their thoughts on Lean leadership, talent development, and other topics. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/105. 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.

Nov 23, 2010 • 27min
Lean in Histopathology — Dr. Peter Patterson on Healthcare Labs
Podcast #104 is a discussion with Dr. Peter Patterson, a friend of mine and the Lean Blog the past few years. He wrote a guest post for me back in 2009 (A Breakthrough in Training — Call it "Near-TWI") and I blogged about our presentation at the 2010 Society for Health Systems conference about Lean and TWI in healthcare. Here, we chat about his background with Lean in multiple settings, including histopathology. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/104. 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.

Nov 12, 2010 • 14min
Matthew E. May, "The Shibumi Strategy"
In my latest Video Podcast (here as audio podcast #103), my guest is Matthew E. May, returning to talk about his latest book, a business fable called The Shibumi Strategy: A Powerful Way to Create Meaningful Change. I’ve been reading the book and have found it be a thought-provoking about your own personal effectiveness in a complex world. You can read more about the book at Matt’s website: www.ShibumiStrategy.com. Some of the topics we discuss include: ▪ What is “Shibumi” and where does the term come from? ▪ What’s the context for lean practitioners or students of Lean and TPS? ▪ Did you reach a point of Shibumi while writing this book or in your other work? ▪ Any particular reason you chose a car dealership as the job and the setting? Is it because it’s stereotypically a very numbers-driven “get it done” setting? To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/103. You can also watch video of our discussion at www.leanblog.org/v12 . 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.

Oct 31, 2010 • 23min
Ron Wince, CEO of Guidon, Lean Healthcare
My guest for Episode #102 is Ron Wince, the President/CEO of Guidon Performance Solutions. We talk here about his views on lean healthcare and the impact of healthcare reform on the healthcare landscape. Prior to founding Guidon, Ron held senior leadership positions within world-class organizations, including J.P. Morgan Chase, Freudenberg-NOK, and Lear Corporation. You may have seen Ron as a guest commentator on Fox Business Network. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Ron holds a degree in engineering and is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm. He currently resides in the Phoenix area with his wife and two children. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/102. 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.

Oct 25, 2010 • 23min
Keith Syberg, Manufacturing Consortia
Episode #101 of the Podcast is a discussion with Keith Syberg, former Chairman of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (see here for more about their 2010 annual AME conference in Baltimore, November). Today, we talk about consortia (I word I really struggled with) and collaboration efforts among manufacturing companies and the possibility of sharing across industries. To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/101. 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.

Oct 17, 2010 • 21min
Dave Crenshaw, Interview with the Author of ‘The Myth of Multitasking’
Episode Page
Wow, 100 episodes of my podcast since 2006! For this episode, I'm thankful to have the author of one of my favorite books in the last two years – Dave Crenshaw, author of The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done, a book I blogged about back in 2009.
Dave's new book is called Invaluable: The Secret to Becoming Irreplaceable, a book I'm hoping to read soon.
In this podcast, Dave and I talk about so-called multitasking – why are we so tempted to do it, what are the costs of this switching back and forth between tasks, and what are some alternatives for individuals and for organizations?
Dave received his B.S. in business management-entrepreneurship from Brigham Young University, one of the nation's top entrepreneur programs, and began his coaching career in 1998. Dave is the President of the National Association of Productivity Coaches. He is also the founder of Invaluable Inc., a coaching and training corporation dedicated to helping companies, their leaders, and their employees become truly invaluable. You can read Dave's full bio here.
To point others to this, use the simple URL: www.leanblog.org/100.
For earlier episodes, visit the main Podcast page, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple Podcasts.


