Safety First Isn't a Slogan: What GE Aerospace's CEO Gets Right About Respect for People
The blog post In this audio version of the post, Mark Graban reflects on a rare kind of CEO message—one that treats safety not as a compliance checkbox or slogan, but as a core leadership responsibili...
10 Feb 11min
When a CEO Talks About the Work: Larry Culp, GE Aerospace, and Real Lean Leadership
In this episode, Mark Graban reads and reflects on his LeanBlog.org post, “When a CEO Talks About the Work: Larry Culp, GE Aerospace, and Real Lean Leadership.”The post examines a rare example of a Fo...
6 Feb 12min
Psychological Safety, Learning from Mistakes, and Continuous Improvement
The blog postMany improvement efforts stall not because of poor strategy or missing Lean tools, but because people don’t feel safe speaking up.In this Lean Blog Audio episode, Mark Graban explains why...
27 Jan 6min
What Ford and the UAW Really Learned from Japan: Listening, Respect, and a Better System
The blog post When Ford and UAW leaders traveled to Japan in 1981, they expected to find better machines, tighter processes, and technical secrets. What they found instead was something far more power...
23 Jan 11min
“Toyota Culture” 20 Years Later: Why Liker’s Lessons Still Matter in 2026
The Blog PostTwenty years after Toyota Culture was published, Jeffrey Liker’s lessons still expose why so many Lean efforts stall — and why Toyota’s thinking continues to matter in 2026.In this episod...
14 Jan 16min
AI as a Thought Partner in Kaizen: Small PDSA Tests and Real Learning
The blog postHow should organizations think about using AI in Kaizen and continuous improvement? In this AudioBlog, Mark Graban argues that there are no clear answers yet—and that uncertainty is exact...
8 Jan 11min
You Can’t Cherry-Pick Lean: Why Pull, Heijunka, and CI Don’t Stick
the blog postWhy do Lean practices like pull systems and heijunka fail to take hold in so many organizations? In this AudioBlog, Mark Graban argues that the problem isn’t the tools—it’s how Lean is ap...
6 Jan 8min
Unlearning Old Habits: What a Pickleball Mistake Taught Me About Feedback and Learning
The blog postIn this Lean Blog Audio episode, Mark Graban reflects on an unexpected leadership lesson learned on the pickleball court. As a beginner unlearning decades-old tennis habits, Mark experien...
19 Dec 202510min
