Mutual Trust and Respect in Lean: Toyota’s Real Competitive Advantage
February 18, 2026TL;DR: Toyota’s real competitive advantage is not its tools -- it is mutual trust and mutual respect. Leaders are responsible for...
Respect for People in Lean: What It Really Means and Why It Drives Continuous Improvement
February 16, 2026TL;DR: Respect for People is the foundation of Lean management. It means engaging employees as problem solvers, creating psychological...
The CEO’s Role in a Continuous Improvement Business System
January 20, 2026Many executives say they want a culture of continuous improvement.
What they often struggle to articulate is what that actually means in...
Why Pursuing Zero Harm Still Matters as a Leadership Strategy
January 14, 2026When we hosted the webinar Pursuing Zero Harm: A Powerful Platform for Embedding Lean Capability with Meghan Scanlon, the discussion...
Looking Back: Why A3 Thinking Still Matters—At Work and Beyond
January 9, 2026When we hosted the How to Use A3 Thinking in Everyday Life webinar with Jess Orr, the premise was intentionally a bit provocative. A3...
Digital Support for a Culture of Improvement: Reflections on Electrolux and the KaiNexus Advantage
March 11, 2026In a recent webinar, I sat down virtually with Sandro Casagrande from Electrolux to reflect on the 20-year evolution of the Electrolux...
The Unified Approach: Connecting Strategy, Process, and People in Operational Excellence
December 13, 2025For organizations committed to Operational Excellence (OpEx), the challenge is rarely a lack of ideas or ambition. The struggle often...
Interview Questions to Hire Continuous Improvement Employees
March 24, 2026Quick Answer: Ask questions that reveal whether candidates are open to feedback, willing to identify problems, capable of learning from...
What Is Catchball in Lean? (And How to Use It for Team Alignment)
March 26, 2026Quick Answer: Catchball is a Lean management technique where teams pass ideas and feedback back and forth—like tossing a ball—to make...
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