Now’s the time to get FOMO about having a mentor.

Under that humble exterior lies a powerful design tool. Here’s how to unlock it.

Few people have more insight than Nadella into how teams collaborate and innovate successfully.

Black women are often “the onlys” in their organizations, putting tremendous pressure on them in uncertain times, but also offering unique opportunities.

How do you make sure everyone—whether in person or remote—feels heard?

Indra Nooyi has ideas for evolving the corporate world, including how we think about talent and improving how we treat all workers.

Paul Hudson, head of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, says leaders need to sit back and listen more often.

Former Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly: Empowering Workers to Create ‘Magic’

Brewer, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance and one of only two Black female CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, says inclusion and equity are about making employees feel seen and heard.

Hoffman, now a partner at Greylock Partners, says innovators must ignore hype to identify new technologies with real traction. It starts by envisioning how they might shape the future.

Rumor has it that having hobbies can actually make you happier, less stressed, and more creative. But is it actually true?

Being a museum curator is all about helping artists bring their ideas to life — but it’s not always easy.

To many people, strategy is a total mystery. But it’s really not complicated, says Harvard Business School’s Felix Oberholzer-Gee.

Emotions are running raw during the pandemic. How should we manage our difficult feelings, especially at work?

I can watch TikToks for hours. I’ve even made a few. But what is it like to make them for a living?

Spataro is one of the leaders of Microsoft’s ambitious research into the future of work, and he talks about how the tech giant thinks we’ll be working in the years and decades ahead.

The New World of Work: Marcus Buckingham

Hamdi founded the Greek yogurt company in 2005, and has since led it to see explosive growth. He's been a champion of various social issues, in particular support for global refugees.

"There is no excuse. Creativity has to be at the forefront.” If not, one day you'll wake up and discover your competitors have the edge.

When you’re in the middle of a conflict, it’s common to automatically enter a “fight or flight” mentality, but it’s possible to interrupt this response and clear a path towards a more productive discussion.

Accenture CEO Julie Sweet on the Most Important Skill Job Seekers Need Today

Should you always be looking for another job, never make a lateral move, or be sure to stay at a job for two years? There's a lot of conflicting advice out there. HBR's Amy Gallo helps you sort the myths from the facts.

Sure, you could just argue with them. But if you have to work together, here are more productive ways for everyone to win.

I'm happy to announce a live-streamed recording of my Lean podcast with my guest Jarvis Gray. You can join us Live on Linkedin on Wednesday, October 30 at 1 pm ET. EVENT LINK The episode will also be released as a podcast via the normal feeds and my YouTube channel. But if you attend live, you can ask questions via LinkedIn Chat. We'll discuss his new book, MASTERING HEALTHCARE EXCELLENCE: A Leaders Guide to Getting […]

The post Coming Soon: A Livestreamed Podcast Episode with Jarvis Gray by Mark Graban appeared first at Lean Blog.

I'm very excited to depart for Japan on Sunday for the first time in five years! The week of November 11, I'll be part of Katie Anderson‘s Japan Study Trip, this time after five previous trips between 2012 and 2019 with Kaizen Institute and Honsha Consulting. Read my posts about past trips. Each time, I've learned something new, visited new companies, and met new people — and have just enjoyed everything about being in Japan. […]

The post Reflecting on my First Time Meeting Isao Yoshino in Japan — 2012 by Mark Graban appeared first at Lean Blog.

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #518 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jerry Wright, author of the new book The Insanity Trap: What Your MRP Consultant Won't Tell You. Jerry M. Wright, PE, MBA, is an accomplished operations executive and teaching professional with over 39 years of experience in the manufacturing and service sectors.  His extensive career spans various industries, including aerospace, consumer goods, healthcare, medical […]

The post Breaking the MRP Insanity Trap: Jerry Wright on Lean Systems and Supply Chain Transformation by Mark Graban appeared first at Lean Blog.

As we celebrate Halloween–a season for all things spooky–it's a good time to reflect on the “fear factor” that can haunt our workplaces. While ghosts and goblins are fun once a year, fear shouldn't be part of our day-to-day culture. Yet, in many organizations, fear holds people back from speaking up about problems, sharing new ideas, or admitting mistakes. Dr. W. Edwards Deming, a pioneer in quality and improvement, famously said: “Drive out fear so […]

The post Halloween, Dr. Deming, and Eliminating the Fear Factor at Work by Mark Graban appeared first at Lean Blog.

Thanks, as always, to Ryan McCormack for this. He always shares so much good reading, listening, and viewing here! Subscribe to get these directly from Ryan via email. News, articles, books, podcasts, and videos about how to make the workplace better. Operational Excellence, Improvement, and Innovation Operational Excellence, Improvement, and Innovation Will AI Transform the Factory Floor? Want a business case approved? Just say you are implementing GenAI. Process optimization has remained focused on leveraging […]

The post Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape: November 1, 2024 by Mark Graban appeared first at Lean Blog.

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #519 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jarvis Gray, the Managing Director of The Quality Coaching Co. He offers more than 16 years of strategic planning, quality improvement, and operations leadership experience in the healthcare industry.  Through his firm, The Quality Coaching Co., Jarvis and his associates help healthcare organizations foster cultures of system-wide quality improvement by offering customized Lean Six […]

The post Achieving Healthcare Excellence: Insights from Jarvis Gray on Lean Six Sigma and Leadership by Mark Graban appeared first at Lean Blog.

I'm happy to be hosting and moderating this webinar that will be presented by Brent Loescher, a fellow instructor with me at TKMG Academy. A Lean practitioner at heart, Brent received his formal Toyota Production System training while working for Toyota Motor Sales in their North American Parts Operations. He helped develop a Lean program for the landscape maintenance industry, implementing and evolving continuous improvement programs across the country since 2009. This included co-leading a […]

The post Creating Leader Standard Work (LSW) Across a Distributed Business Model — Webinar Preview by Mark Graban appeared first at Lean Blog.

I'm thrilled to be back in Japan for the first time in five years. Today is the start of Katie Anderson's Japan Study Trip (learn more about joining her in May 2025). It's great to be here for another week of learning and great experiences. Little did I know, I'd kick off the trip by nearly losing my iPhone on the streets of Tokyo–a mistake that ended up teaching me a valuable lesson about Japan's […]

The post Lost My iPhone in Tokyo: A Lesson in Japanese Kindness and Culture on My Japan Study Trip by Mark Graban appeared first at Lean Blog.

“From alarms and task chunking to time-estimation exercises, the strategies below can help you develop a more ‘ACCURATE’ sense of time.”

It’s time to end zero-tolerance policies in schools, which disproportionately harm Black students with ADHD and other disabilities, and place them at increased risk for getting sucked into the school-to-prison pipeline.

“Maybe soon I’ll add ‘measured response to frustration’ to the list of things I can pass on to my children. It’s not as fun as singing ditties about teachers or toilets, but it’s arguably a more essential skill that will serve them well in their own lives.”

“Perfection isn’t a prerequisite for self-trust... It’s consistency in another form: knowing that I do my best, learn from my mistakes, practice honesty, and pull through most of the time. Understanding my version of ADHD has transformed my ability to trust myself.”

Hard-to-meet goals can frustrate children with ADHD. Deploy these approaches to prevent meltdowns and transform relationships.

In the second of this two-part series, an expert predicts the innovations that could reshape how ADHD is diagnosed and treated in the years to come.

Sleep problems disproportionately impact adults with ADHD. This study found a higher risk for women and those with co-existing mental health conditions.

Structured literacy, an evidence-based dyslexia intervention, combined with thoughtful accommodations, benefits students with ADHD and reading disabilities. Learn about these approaches here.

ADHD brings unique strengths that can drive innovation and boost the bottom line. Learn how inclusivity in neurodivergent workplaces translates into a competitive advantage.

"If you hold a leadership position in your workplace, commit to these five strategies to create a positive work environment. While its benefits will extend to everyone, for neurodivergent employees, these strategies could mean the difference between struggling in silence and thriving in an environment that understands and meets their needs."

Serious consequences can befall a worker who reveals their ADHD diagnosis to an employer. Here’s what leading experts advise.

School refusal impacts up to 28% of children. It often stems from anxiety associated with ADHD and learning challenges. Follow this three-pronged approach to get your child back into the classroom without trauma.

Scripts and approaches to clarify patient communication and improve health outcomes.

In today's fast-paced and ever-evolving business landscape, companies require top talent to keep up with the competition, innovate, and, ultimately, succeed. At the heart of every successful company lies an efficient and effective hiring process. With the recruitment industry becoming increasingly specialized and advanced, many companies are turning to Recruitment as a Service (RaaS) to turbocharge their talent acquisition efforts. RaaS is an innovative model that offers candidate sourcing, assessment, interviewing, and onboarding in a ...

Building positive working relationships with your employees is critical for enhancing engagement and productivity. As a company, we have realized that fostering these relationships from when the employees join the organization yields tremendous results. However, it is not as easy as it sounds. Forming these bonds takes time, dedication, and ...

Training is a vital part of any business's long-term growth plan. In fact, a study from the American Society for Training and Development found that organizations that invest the most in employee training have 218 percent higher income per ...

Before the pandemic, 17 percent of US employees worked remotely full-time. Now, it's closer to 44 percent. More businesses than ever before are operating without physical headquarters or offices, giving their employees lots of flexibility around their work schedules and workplaces. And it is safe to say that these remote work policies are here to ...

One of the most critical performance factors for hiring teams is time to hire. Only 30% of organizations can fill a position within 30 days. The remaining candidates take anything from one to four months to get hired. Why should you try to shorten the hiring process? Taking too long to fill a ...

The process through which corporations seek, track, and interview job candidates and train new employees is called talent acquisition. A talent source looks for and finds suitable candidates. They do this by employing a variety of proactive recruiting tactics. Sources seek applicants who are both active and passive. The human resources (HR) department is normally in charge of this.