

KaiNexus: Continuous Improvement, Leadership, and More
KaiNexus
We deliver practical insights and real-world strategies for Lean, Six Sigma, and Operational Excellence. Through lessons from KaiNexus webinars and conversations with customers, improvement leaders, and team members, each episode explores what it takes to build a resilient culture of Continuous Improvement. Learn how organizations engage employees, strengthen problem-solving capability, and sustain meaningful operational results across industries. Whether you're new to CI or leading major transformation, this podcast offers tools and perspectives you can put to work immediately.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 31, 2022 • 13min
Webinar Preview: The Importance of Storytelling in Continuous Improvement by Paul Critchley
Register for the September 7, 2022 webinar: https://info.kainexus.com/continuous-improvement/the-importance-of-storytelling-in-continuous-improvement/webinar/signup?hsLang=en
This is a preview of the webinar that Paul Critchley will present as part of the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Webinar series. He gives a preview today in a discussion with Mark Graban, a senior advisor with KaiNexus.
Paul Critchley is President & Lean Consultant at New England Lean Consulting.
Telling stories is one of the most powerful methods that leaders have to influence, teach, and inspire people. Beyond numbers, goals, and KPIs, stories help to convey the culture and the values that can unite and inspire everyone within the workplace.
In this webinar, we’ll learn more about how storytelling can help garner support for Lean and Continuous Improvement by making it more tangible and more relatable for those faced with practicing it.

Aug 4, 2022 • 10min
Kaleigh Krauss: Why Did You Join KaiNexus? What is Your Role?
We are joined today by Kaleigh Krauss, a Customer Success Manager with KaiNexus.
Host Mark Graban asks Kaleigh questions including:
Why did you join KaiNexus?
What is the role of Customer Success Manager and how do you help others?
What's the process for handing off from onboarding to ongoing customer success help?
How are you helping cats and dogs even?

Jul 7, 2022 • 11min
Linda Vicaro: Why Did You Join KaiNexus? What is Your Role?
We are joined today by Linda Vicaro, a Senior Lean Strategist with KaiNexus.
Host Mark Graban asks Linda questions including:
What is your role?
What is the "optimization review"
Why did you join KaiNexus?
Your perspective on being a customer and champion for KaiNexus, who now works with customers?
What's it like now working with people across many industries, not just healthcare?

Jul 5, 2022 • 10min
Q&A with Mark Graban -- His Webinar on Learning from Mistakes, as Individuals and Organizations
Mark Graban addresses questions from this webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhphevuvuoA&ab_channel=KaiNexus
His blog post about the mistakes that derailed the webinar: https://www.leanblog.org/2022/06/isnt-it-ironic-mistakes-that-interrupted-my-webinar-about-mistakes/
Questions
Q: "I’ve experienced creating psychological safety by asking questions in a certain way when doing root cause analysis and capturing lessons learned. Keeping focus away from people and centering on processes for example. Have you also seen this happen? Do you follow a certain way of asking questions ?"
The Value Capture reflection model: https://www.valuecapturellc.com/reflection-toolbox-continuous-improvement/
Q: In my experience as a Lean Six Sigma practitioner, “If all they needed was you to come along and tell them what their mistake was, they wouldnt need you, they would have seen it themselves”. There are always barriers and obstacles that prevent people from seeing thier mistakes. Your comment?
Q: Many companies claim to have cultures of learning, not blame. When pursuing professional opportunities with new companies, are there ways to determine which truly have that type of culture, not just claiming it?
Q: First I am going to start by saying that I don't do well with making mistakes even the small ones. No one has to tell me I made a mistake because I will be the first one to to say it but even the smallest mistakes I feel bad for a long time and sometimes even weeks. How do you just move on when you take pride in your work?

Jun 28, 2022 • 50min
[Webinar] My Favorite Mistake, Your Favorite Mistake? Learning From Mistakes as Individuals and Organizations (Mark Graban)
Webinar recording, a presentation by Mark Graban
Video and more
Links to more info from Mark's website
In this talk, you will learn and hear stories about:
· Why it’s important to admit mistakes to ourselves
· How to reflect on mistakes without being too hard on ourselves
· How to prevent repeating our mistakes
· Key leader behaviors that create a culture where it’s safe for people to admit mistakes
Our presenter, Mark Graban, is a Senior Advisor for KaiNexus… and he just had his 11th KaiNexiversary.
Mark is the author of the award-winning book Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Engagement. Mark is also co-author, with Joe Swartz, of Healthcare Kaizen: Engaging Front-Line Staff in Sustainable Continuous Improvements and The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. His most recent book is Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More. He is also the creator and editor of the anthology book Practicing Lean.
Mark is the host of podcasts including “Lean Blog Interviews,” “Habitual Excellence, Presented by Value Capture,” and “My Favorite Mistake.”
Mark has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.B.A. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Leaders for Global Operations Program.

Jun 23, 2022 • 6min
Mark Graban Webinar Preview: My Favorite Mistake, Your Favorite Mistake? Learning From Mistakes as Individuals and Organizations
A quick conversation between Mark Graban and Morgan Wright, both of KaiNexus, talking about Mark's upcoming webinar
Learn more, register here (or, after June 28, get the recording)
https://info.kainexus.com/continuous-improvement/learning-from-mistakes-as-individuals-and-organizations/webinar/signup
In this talk, you will learn and hear stories about:
· Why it’s important to admit mistakes to ourselves
· How to reflect on mistakes without being too hard on ourselves
· How to prevent repeating our mistakes
· Key leader behaviors that create a culture where it’s safe for people to admit mistakes

May 10, 2022 • 45min
[Webinar] Raising Lean Thinkers in a Lean House (Karidja Sakanogo)
Get slides and video
Presented by Karidja Sakanogo
Parenting can sometimes be challenging. Parents are quite often expected to not only raise children, but also to raise adults. As one who is passionate about Lean management, I decided to go further by raising Lean thinkers.
The purpose of the presentation is to share the core values and dimensions of Lean management that can alleviate motherhood and fatherhood. Applying Lean principles, methods, and tools to our daily lives, we build our own “Lean house”. Thus, we are improving because we are continuously elaborating our standards and finding ways to sustain them.
Karidja Sakanogo learned from a twenty-year experience in project management, operations management, customer service, and accounting.
Passionate about Lean Six Sigma methodology and fully dedicated to promoting continuous improvement approaches, her hobby consists in contributing to companies' efficiency and profitability goals. For the past years, her main challenge has been to disseminate LSS concepts, tools, and technics in West Africa by providing training sessions and consulting services.
Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB) and Project Management Professional (PMP), her educational background includes a Bachelor’s in Accounting and Finance, a Bachelor's degree in Technical Management, and a M.Sc. In Project Management. She is currently attending The Helms School of Government at Liberty University as a Ph.D. candidate in Public Administration.
Originally from Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa, Karidja currently lives in West Virginia with her husband and their four adorable kids. Impressed by the power of the values embedded in Lean culture, Karidja found beneficial to raise Lean thinkers. She is excited to share the depth and the breadth of "Raising Lean thinkers in a Lean house".

Apr 27, 2022 • 10min
Webinar Preview: Raising Lean Thinkers in a Lean House
A webinar to be presented May 10 from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET -- REGISTER HERE
Presented by Karidja Sakanogo
Parenting can sometimes be challenging. Parents are quite often expected to not only raise children, but also to raise adults. As one who is passionate about Lean management, I decided to go further by raising Lean thinkers.
The purpose of the presentation is to share the core values and dimensions of Lean management that can alleviate motherhood and fatherhood. Applying Lean principles, methods, and tools to our daily lives, we build our own “Lean house”. Thus, we are improving because we are continuously elaborating our standards and finding ways to sustain them.
Karidja Sakanogo learned from a twenty-year experience in project management, operations management, customer service, and accounting.
Passionate about Lean Six Sigma methodology and fully dedicated to promoting continuous improvement approaches, her hobby consists in contributing to companies' efficiency and profitability goals. For the past years, her main challenge has been to disseminate LSS concepts, tools, and technics in West Africa by providing training sessions and consulting services.
Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB) and Project Management Professional (PMP), her educational background includes a Bachelor’s in Accounting and Finance, a Bachelor's degree in Technical Management, and a M.Sc. In Project Management. She is currently attending The Helms School of Government at Liberty University as a Ph.D. candidate in Public Administration.
Originally from Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa, Karidja currently lives in West Virginia with her husband and their four adorable kids. Impressed by the power of the values embedded in Lean culture, Karidja found beneficial to raise Lean thinkers. She is excited to share the depth and the breadth of "Raising Lean thinkers in a Lean house".

Apr 20, 2022 • 12min
Kym Guilliotti: Why Did You Join KaiNexus?
We're joined today by Kym Guilotti, Director of Product Management, at KaiNexus about why she joined the company and what she does as a product manager.

Apr 14, 2022 • 1h 1min
A Path Forward: Reflections on Patient Safety, Just Culture, and the Nursing Profession after the RaDonda Vaught Conviction [Webinar]
April 14 from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET
Website for the event:
https://info.kainexus.com/continuous-improvement/reflections-on-patient-safety-just-culture-and-the-nursing-profession/webinar/signup?hsLang=en
Moderator:
Mark Graban, Senior Advisor, KaiNexus
Panel:
Dr. Greg Jacobson, CEO, KaiNexus
Kelley Reep, Clinical Nurse Specialist
Rebecca Love, Chief Clinical Officer, IntelyCare
Brian Weirich, Chief Nursing Officer, Banner Health
In this panel discussion webinar, you'll hear healthcare leaders and patient safety experts discuss the recent conviction of a nurse who worked at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, RaDonda Vaught.
You'll hear about the case and the circumstances that led to the tragic death of a patient, Charlene Murphey.
The discussion will focus on a path forward that focuses on patients and what we can do to prevent systemic errors from harming other patients.
About the Panelists:
Greg Jacobson, MD
Greg graduated from Washington University in St Louis in 1997 with a BS in Biology. He attended Baylor College of Medicine from 1997 to 2001. From 2001 to 2004, he completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he then stayed on as faculty. Greg is the Chief Executive Officer and a co-founder of KaiNexus. He is an ER doctor that is fanatical about the single biggest barrier holding companies back from greatness - their lack of continuous improvement work. It has taken him down the path of developing KaiNexus.
Rebecca Love, RN, BS, MSN, FIEL
Rebecca is an experienced nurse executive and the first nurse featured on Ted.com. Rebecca, was the first Director of Nurse Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the United States at Northeastern School of Nursing – the founding initiative in the country designed to empower nurses as innovators and entrepreneurs, where she founded the Nurse Hackathon, the movement has led to transformational change in the Nursing Profession. In early 2019, Rebecca, Co-founded and is President of SONSIEL: The Society of Nurse Scientists, Innovators, Entrepreneurs & Leaders. Rebecca is an experienced Nurse Entrepreneur, founding HireNurses.com in 2013 which was acquired in 2018 by Ryalto, LTD UK, where she served as the Managing Director of US Markets until its acquisition in 2019. Currently, Rebecca serves as the Chief Clinical Officer of IntelyCare, Inc. Rebecca is passionate about empowering nurses and creating communities to help nurses innovate, create and collaborate to start businesses and inventions to transform healthcare.
Kelley Reep
Kelly is a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) in critical care. Kelley came to nursing as a second career after corporate training, freelance writing, and motherhood. She works at a Level 1 Trauma Center in the Southeast. Kelley is a passionate advocate for the bedside nurse, as well as a conference speaker (see her at AACN NTI this May) and the nurse consultant for Critical Care: The Game, a multiplayer board game designed by Lakshman Swamy, MD to teach others about ICU.
Dr. Brian Weirich
Brian is Chief Nursing Officer for Banner Health’s Thunderbird hospital. Prior to his role at Banner, Brian held nursing leadership roles at Indiana University Health, University of Colorado Health, Ohio State Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic where he started as a nurse in the ICU.
Brian has a Doctorate degree in Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina and a Masters degree in Healthcare Administration from Ohio University where he also obtained his Bachelor degree in nursing. Brian is certified in Executive Nursing Practice and has a certification in Artificial Intelligence from Northwestern’s Kellogg school of business.
Brian is an author/speaker often arguing for the importance of the millennial “tech” generation. He is a co-author of the book, THE NURSES GUIDE TO INNOVATION. In 2017, he began exploring artificial intelligence and crowd sourcing a


