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Why does problem-solving seem so different to many from waste elimination? Why is the creation of a standard such an act of sheer will rather than a set of skills?   If we see the creation of standards and the elimination of waste as just different types, or specific types,

Episode 39: Does Starbucks’ CEO Serving Coffee and Uber’s CEO Shuttling Passengers Do Any Good? In Episode 39, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh toast the completion of Mark’s new book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation. We also acknowledge Jamie’s forthcoming podcast based on

Stress is hopelessness Stress is better understood today, and in particular its impact on our physical health. In our worst vicious circles, stress about poor health can lead to even further decline in health.  Acknowledgement of stress is also now more acceptable, and not just a sign of weakness that

On Forbes: 3 Reasons to Kill the 60-Minute Meeting Open Outlook or Google Calendar and start a new meeting. It will default to 60 minutes. One hour is the most common length for a business meeting. But that’s just wrong. It’s not wrong sometimes; it’s wrong all the time. We

Improving quality is about more than just finding and fixing problems. You need to architect an effective system to help you contain, control, and improve quality. I call this framework the 4 loops of quality, and we’ve used it for a long time for the assessment, design, and improvement of

The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni is a thought-provoking and insightful guide to unlocking the potential of individuals and teams in the workplace. Lencioni, also known for books such as The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Death by Meeting, identifies six types of working geniuses that

The fishbone diagram is useful to help break down a problem and see many potential causes and contributing factors to a problem. But the traditional breakdowns don’t feel appropriate for many types of problems, especially large, complex, amorphous types of problems. This video suggests an alternative framework to overlap on

The Misunderstood Impact of Misaligned Perceptions of Your Abilities With Your Boss …or, why it’s not about your risk of getting fired.    You might hear from your boss “you’re great, a rockstar, we have every faith in you, you’re going to go far, but…you could improve in these ways…”

Episode 38: “A Toast to the U.S. Micro Whiskey of the Year, and the Need to Recommit to Patient Safety”  What do you do when you are chosen as Jim Murray’s US Micro Whiskey of the Year? You pop in to join Mark and Jamie on Lean Whiskey to talk

Episode 37: “I’ll have a half-caff no-whip soy-milk chestnut praline latte…to-go” In Episode 37, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays with some new (to us) holiday cocktails. Mark tries the Bourbon Flip, and Jamie makes a Hot Buttered Bourbon. Neither will likely be in our regular rotation