Lean Blog Audio: Practical Lean Thinking, Psychological Safety, and Continuous Improvement

The full blog post Two data points are not a trend. Two-data-point comparisons can be mathematically correct but practically meaningless. This is true in workplaces and news articles like this one. Multiple two-data-point comparisons (comparing last month to the previous month AND comparing it to the year before) don't paint the full picture the way a simple run chart would. If a hospital's margin is "23% higher" than the year before, is that a difference between 1% and 1.23% or the difference between 10% and 12.3%? Give me more data points. Better yet, create a chart that shows trends (or the lack thereof) over time. Otherwise, we're just celebrating (or bemoaning) every little up and now. 23% sounds like a big change. But that doesn't mean it's statistically meaningful. Was it down 27% the previous month? Possibly. Some metrics simply fluctuate around a stable average. On NPR recently, the hourly news update covered economic indicators, including the truth and data points that say: Gas prices are UP 5 cents from a week ago Gas prices are DOWN 10 cents from a month ago So, gas prices are both going UP and DOWN. It depends on which data point you use as a starting comparison -- and what point you might be trying to prove. What are those two facts "indicators" of?? What's the longer term trend??

The blog post with webinar link As a Throwback Thursday, I'm sharing this webinar that I did back in 2012, as hosted by Karen Martin... On this theme of “The Suggestion Box is Dead,” I thought to prompt ChatGPT to create an image of a burial scene and mournful employees...

Episode blog post There's a common misconception about Toyota's “Andon” system, often expressed as: “When a team member pulls the cord, the line stops.” But that's not entirely accurate, as this enlightening Toyota video demonstrates...

Blog post with links 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 time visiting a Toyota Material Handling factory (an entire day!) I'll be speaking and facilitating: A workshop on Psychological Safety as a Foundation for continuous improvement A learning session featuring Dr. Deming's “Red Bead Game“ A fun keynote talk on warning signs and mistake-proofing Learn more and register

The blog post Digital transformation is about rethinking and reinventing with digital tools. For over 13 years, KaiNexus has moved beyond the outdated suggestion box model. Traditional suggestion boxes, whether paper or digital, often fail (or usually fail!–ideas get locked away, reviewed by a select few, and lead to frustration. We believe in dynamic platforms that foster real-time communication and collaboration. Don't digitize the old, broken way of doing things! Mark Graban:Don't digitize the old broken process. Whether that's a suggestion box or anything else, digital transformation is about rethinking reinventing the way we do things with digital tools. From the beginning, more than 13 years ago, KaiNexus has never been an electronic suggestion box because suggestion boxes don't work, whether it's in paper form or an online digital form. Why is that? Suggestion boxes in the paper model have a locked box. Ideas sit. Some special person with a key opens up box maybe once a month, maybe once a quarter. Some far off team talks about those suggestions without coming back to talk to the person who filled out that suggestion box slip. People give up on suggestion boxes, and it's understandable. So we don't want an electronic or a digital version of that. What we do want is a digital process with proven, continuous improvement methods. We often refer to this as Kaizen, engaging people in opportunity identification, not just jumping to solutions but bringing forward a problem so we can talk about it locally and then escalate it to management by exception. Don't digitize the old, broken way of doing things.

Blog post Psychological Safety means everybody gets their say, but it doesn't mean you get your way. Psychological Safety is an individual's belief, feeling, or perception that it's safe for them to speak up in a situation. When people are rewarded for speaking candidly, that leads to rigorous debate and better decisions. Psychological Safety doesn't mean freedom from being challenged or disagreed with. It doesn't turn the workplace into a democracy and it doesn't mean you need 100% agreement to move forward on anything. Psychological Safety means you can disagree with your manager or a peer… and they have the safety to disagree in return. Psychological Safety doesn't mean shutting down a discussion because you feel uncomfortable. What practices and behaviors have you seen in a workplace that cultivate Psychological Safety? What are some examples of rewarding people for speaking up candidly? To me, it comes down to three high-level countermeasures for leaders: Modeling candor, vulnerability, and the behaviors you want to see Encouraging candor Rewarding candor In summary, Psychological Safety is the foundation of a healthy and productive workplace. It ensures that everyone has the opportunity to voice their thoughts and concerns without fear of retribution, even if it doesn't always mean getting their way. Again, Psychological Safety means everybody gets their say, but it doesn't mean you get your way. When leaders model, encourage, and reward candor, it fosters an environment where rigorous debate leads to better decision-making and continuous improvement. By adopting practices that promote Psychological Safety, such as open communication, constructive feedback, and a growth mindset, organizations can unlock the full potential of their teams. If you're looking to cultivate Psychological Safety within your organization and drive better outcomes through open and candid dialogue, I can help. With extensive experience in fostering cultures of learning and innovation, I offer consulting, workshops, and coaching tailored to your specific needs. Contact me today to learn how we can work together to build a safer, more effective workplace. I'm happy to do a free discovery call with you. Or check out my book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation. Or do both :-)

The blog post The LinkedIn event My latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, is turning one year old! Join me, along with my co-host Elisabeth Swan, for what we hope will be an engaging, insightful, and fun discussion about learning from mistakes. We'll be joined by special surprise guests who will share their unique perspectives and experiences. This isn't just a one-way broadcast–it's an interactive session where we'll conduct live polls and open the virtual floor to your questions, ensuring a dynamic and participative environment. View this page and click “Attend” to be reminded of this when it starts. A recording will also be available on LinkedIn and my YouTube channel. Mistakes are a universal experience, and what truly matters is how we learn from them. Together, we will explore ways to improve our ability to learn from mistakes, both as individuals and as organizations. My goal is to uncover practical strategies that can be applied in various contexts to foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement. We also have a special reason to celebrate. The Mistakes That Make Us is marking its first anniversary/birthday on June 30th. However, since that falls on a Sunday, and let's face it, who wants to be on LinkedIn on a Sunday? I've decided to move the celebration to Friday, June 28th. This will give us the perfect opportunity to not only discuss the themes of the book but also to celebrate its impact over the past year.

The Blog Post I'm excited to share my breakout session at the Michigan Lean Consortium Annual Conference! In this session, I dive into the critical role of Psychological Safety as a Foundation for Continuous Improvement. We explore how fostering an environment where team members feel safe to share ideas, take risks, and learn from mistakes can drive remarkable progress and innovation. Oh, and did I mention that Traverse City is usually gorgeous in August?

Blog post link When writing or speaking, I use the words “mistake” and “error” interchangeably. The definitions in some dictionaries are comically circular. Dictionary.com defines an error as: “a deviation from accuracy or correctness; a MISTAKE, as in action or speech.” It also defines a mistake as: “an ERROR in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.” So, a mistake is an error, and an error is a mistake.

Blog post link I'm excited that the Shingo Institute asked me to present a webinar on June 18th. Click here to register for the webinar They've also published an article that I wrote: Psychological Safety: The Key to Effective Andon Cord Pulls and Continuous Improvement The webinar description: Join us for an engaging webinar as we explore the transformative power of cultivating a culture that learns from mistakes, ultimately driving continuous improvement and innovation, leading to greater success! Renowned author Mark Graban will draw upon examples from a diverse array of companies, including industry titans like Toyota and agile software startups such as KaiNexus. During this session, participants will gain valuable insights into the experiences of CEOs and other leaders, regardless of company size, who have adeptly turned mistakes into opportunities for growth and advancement. While these leaders remain vigilant in error prevention, they recognize the profound value of embracing mistakes as pivotal learning moments, particularly within environments fostering psychological safety and robust problem-solving capabilities. Through compelling narratives, attendees will discover lessons that both educate and inspire, recognizing that in the dynamic landscape of business, mistakes are inevitable — yet it is the process of learning from them that propels us forward!