Join Me in Japan: A Lean Healthcare Accelerator Experience This October

05/14/25 • 5 min

Since 2012, I've had the opportunity to visit Japan six times, each trip a deep learning experience–rich with lessons about Lean, Kaizen, leadership, culture, and continuous improvement.

This June, I'm heading back for my seventh visit–and what makes this one especially exciting is that it will be my fifth trip focused on Lean in healthcare... and the first that I've helped design from the ground up.

It's my first trip in this format, but I was invited to partner up with two amazing individuals who have a great deal of experience in organizing and facilitating such tours — Dave Fitzpatrick, a Canadian who has lived and worked in Japan for a long time, and Reiko Kano, who I know as a translator on my earliest trips — and she's highly experienced with Lean and TPS implementations in healthcare in both the U.S. and Japan.

And I want to personally invite you to consider joining us. If not from June 23 to 29, in a later trip. We're also planning on the week of October 26, 2025 along with trips in April and October of 2026.

Read the blog post

Since 2012, I've had the opportunity to visit Japan six times, each trip a deep learning experience–rich with lessons about Lean, Kaizen, leadership, culture, and continuous improvement.

Previous Episode

Leadership by Fear Doesn’t Work — And Never Really Did

The blog post

Nearly 30 years ago, I had my first real encounter with what not to do as a leader. I was working in a General Motors factory where the culture was one of daily disrespect. Leaders--if you could call them that--were quick to belittle, yell, scream (with spittle flying) at employees on the floor. The lesson I learned wasn't the one they thought they were teaching.

This behavior wasn't "tough love" or "just how things are done in manufacturing." It was toxic. And it didn't lead to improved results. It didn't drive engagement. It didn't foster continuous improvement. It certainly didn't build trust. At best, that type of leadership creates short-term compliance. At worst, it drives costly mistakes, disengagement, and deep cultural scars.

It was management by intimidation--and it failed. Repeatedly.

Fast forward to today, and the evidence is no longer just anecdotal. Organizational psychologist Adam Grant recently wrote in The New York Times:

"The evidence is clear: Leadership by intimidation and insult is a bad strategy. Belittling people doesn't boost their productivity; it diminishes it. Disrespect doesn't just demotivate. It also disrupts focus, causing costly mistakes [including in operating rooms]."

Read the full article (free link)

Next Episode

Psychological Safety: You get your say, not always your way.

The blog post

There's a phrase I've been thinking about a lot lately:

"You get your say, not always your way."

It's a short sentence, but it says a lot. It's about voice, it's about respect, and it's about the kind of culture we're building--especially when we aim for continuous improvement.

In The Mistakes That Make Us, I wrote about the characteristics of learning organizations. One of the most important is encouraging people to speak up--not just about mistakes, but also about ideas, concerns, and potential risks.

But here's the nuance:

Psychological safety doesn't mean consensus. It doesn't mean you'll get your way every time.