In this episode, we talk with Mark Graban. Mark is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, speaker, blogger, and podcaster. He has deep experience in applying Lean management, continuous improvement, statistical methods, and people-centered leadership approaches in multiple domains including manufacturing, healthcare, and technology. We talk with Mark about a host of topics including his new book, Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More. Additional topics include: “Real Lean” vs fake lean The dangers of getting overly focused on cutting costs The distinction between learning from other organizations’ successes and trying to blindly copy them What it really means to value people’s time When to guide and when to let others learn by making mistakes Getting started with metrics Why reducing “overburden” is just as important as eliminating waste Understanding that metrics will fluctuate within a range over time Kaizen events and how they are related to teams’ experiences in a dojo A mindset change for being an effective leader Where to follow Mark: markgraban.com leanblog.org Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More. Mark on Twitter (@MarkGraban)

In the first episode, we introduce ourselves and talk about what’s upcoming for the show. We then interview Ross Clanton, one of the creators of the dojo model. Topics covered include: The origin of the dojo How the 30 day challenge started What the dojo was almost named instead of "dojo" The differences between a dojo and traditional training How do you build a dojo pipeline? Measures and metrics for dojos Investing in dojos How the dojos foster organizational learning Where to follow Ross Clanton: Ross on LinkedIn Ross on Twitter