Lean Quote: 10 Ways to Have A Better Conversation

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"It only takes one good conversation to change your understanding of someone else’s world, your world, and the world at large."   —  Celeste Headlee

Recently I ran across this Ted Talk entitled 10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation and I think it’s spot on. In a brief 10 minutes, Celeste Headlee (a person that makes her living by talking to people as a professional interviewer) shares great insight on how to have better conversations. I just love her perspective and she promises if you master even one of these 10 things you will enjoy better conversations.

CELESTE HEADLEE'S "10 WAYS TO HAVE A BETTER CONVERSATION"

1. Don't Multitask: Be fully present in the conversation, not half in, half out.

2. Don't Pontificate: Enter every conversation assuming you have something to learn.

3. Use Open-Ended Questions: Start questions with who, what, when, where, why, or how to get more elaborate

answers.

4. Go with the Flow: Let thoughts come and go without losing focus on the conversation.

5. If You Don't Know, Say So: Don't pretend to know something you don't; it's okay to admit ignorance.

6. Don't Equate Your Experience with Theirs: Every experience is unique; don't overshadow theirs with your own.

7. Try Not to Repeat Yourself: Reiterating the same points can be boring and condescending.

8. Stay Out of the Weeds: People care more about you than the minute details of your stories.

9. Listen: Truly listen to understand, not just to reply. It's a crucial skill in meaningful conversations.

10. Be Brief: Keep it concise and show genuine interest in others, which can lead to amazing discoveries.

You can watch Celeste Headlee’s full TED Talk here:

Moving from Blame to Accountability

To move from a culture of blame to one of accountability, it's crucial to understand the difference between the two. Blame focuses on finding fault and assigning responsibility for a negative outcome, often leading to defensiveness and conflict. Accountability, on the other hand, involves taking ownership of one's actions and contributing to solutions. By shifting the focus from blame to accountability, individuals and organizations can foster a more positive, productive, and growth-oriented environment.

Here are seven practices to lay the foundation for creating a culture of accountability.

1. Delegate effectively. This includes taking the time to clearly articulate the desired results in writing, specify the delegate’s decision-making authority, provide required resources, and provide regular feedback. Most, if not all, problems would be mitigated if leaders followed this pattern of delegation.
2. View problems as learning opportunities. The Kaizen Institute has a saying “Where no problem is perceived, there can be no improvement.” Never forget that we are all still learning to do our jobs better, and we learn best from our mistakes. Most importantly, make sure the people you lead know that you hold this belief.
3. Lead with inquiry. Don’t assume you have all the facts. When you ask questions with a sincere desire to learn, you are less likely to provoke a defensive reaction.
4. Remove emotion. Feedback and guidance turns to blame the instant the person on the receiving end perceives angry and frustrated tones. Even if the anger isn’t directed at the person accountable for the results, they will likely interpret the emotion as blame. Additionally, emotion interferes with the brain’s ability to problem solve and think logically.
5. Focus on the problem and solution, not the person. Focusing on the issue or problem, not on the person, creates an open, trusting, communication-rich environment.
6. Look for breakdowns in the process. Flawed systems, or processes, contribute to most workplace problems. We tend to assume that the cause of problems happened right before and in the same vicinity where the problem occurred. Think beyond the obvious to discover contributing factors separated from the problem by time and proximity. Poor leaders ask “Who’s at fault?” Strong leaders ask “Where did the process break down?
7. Act like a leader. When things go right, good leaders deflect the credit. When things go wrong, good leaders take all the responsibility. That’s tough, but that’s the price of admission to leadership (or rather, it should be). It’s just a shame that most people in leadership positions didn’t get that memo.

Ending a cycle of blame and fostering accountability requires a conscious effort to shift your mindset and actions. By understanding the difference between blame and accountability, adopting a growth-oriented mindset, and actively promoting accountability, individuals and organizations can create a more positive and productive environment where learning and improvement are prioritized.

Book Review: PROACTIVE Problem Solving by Doug Hall

Doug Hall’s PROACTIVE Problem Solving is an energetic, insightful, and highly practical guide to transforming the way individuals and organizations address challenges. Drawing from decades of experience, including leading the innovative Brain Brew Bourbon Distillery, Hall shows how to shift from a reactive mindset to one where everyone—leaders, managers, and employees alike—actively identifies and fixes flawed work systems. Along the way, readers are introduced to clear frameworks, creative thinking tools, and inspiring case studies that demonstrate how these methods lead to meaningful and lasting improvements.

The book is divided into three main parts:

1. Defining Problems and Solutions – Understanding the “what” and “why” behind challenges to focus energy where it counts.
2. Creating Solutions – Proven tools, creative thinking techniques, and systems to spark better ideas faster.
3. Driving Out Risk – Methods for testing, refining, and implementing solutions with confidence.

Hall’s style is both conversational and deeply actionable, blending stories from his work with Fortune 500 companies, small teams, and entrepreneurial ventures. Concepts like “STOP THE STUPID” (eliminating broken systems, not blaming people) and “Meaningfully Unique” (ensuring solutions are impactful and different) are memorable and easy to apply. Real-world examples and case studies—ranging from manufacturing floor improvements to creative approaches in education—bring the lessons to life.

At just over 200 pages, the book is concise enough to be read in a few focused sittings, yet rich with actionable content that rewards re-reading. Most readers could comfortably finish it in a weekend, but its depth and the included exercises make it equally valuable as a resource to revisit over months of application.

This book will be especially valuable for business leaders, managers, team members, educators, and entrepreneurs who want to cultivate a culture of continuous improvement. It’s also ideal for anyone seeking to boost problem-solving confidence, foster innovation, and increase engagement in their organization. Hall’s emphasis on empowering people at all levels makes it relevant across industries—from manufacturing to education, nonprofits to startups.

Whether you’re running a global organization or simply trying to make your daily work more effective and rewarding, PROACTIVE Problem Solving delivers both inspiration and an actionable toolkit. Hall’s approach proves that solving problems isn’t just about fixing what’s broken—it’s about creating a culture where innovation, engagement, and joy in work thrive. I strongly recommend reading it, whether you want to improve your personal problem-solving skills or ignite a transformation in your organization.

Get your copy here:

Lean Quote: Empathy Begins with Understanding Life

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Empathy begins with understanding life from another person's perspective. Nobody has an objective experience of reality. It's all through our own individual prisms."   —  Sterling K. Brown

Being able to show empathy is a key and important skill. Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, is a crucial skill that enhances communication, builds stronger relationships, and fosters a sense of connection. It allows individuals to see situations from different perspectives, understand the needs of others, and respond with compassion.

Some leaders naturally show more empathy at work than others and will have an advantage over their peers who have difficulty expressing empathy. Most leaders fall in the middle and are sometimes or somewhat empathetic.

Fortunately, it’s not a fixed trait. Empathetic leadership can be learned. If given enough time and support, leaders can develop and enhance their empathy skills through coaching, training, or developmental opportunities and initiatives.

Here are 28 tips to help:

• Listen and don’t interrupt
• Focus 100% on the other person
• Be FULLY present (don’t have your phone nearby)
• Use people’s names
• Be nice and care
• Do not take it in turns to talk
• Put yourself in their shoes
• Don’t judge
• Acknowledge the person’s feelings
• Ask questions
• Don’t assume
• Ensure your body language is spot on
• Don’t finish off sentences
• Summarise your understanding
• Allow the person to rant
• Get to know others personally
• Make it about them and not you
• Smile
• Park your beliefs
• Say “Thank you”
• Accept feedback
• Accept disagreement
• Don’t give advice too soon
• Use “we” not “me”
• Look at it from different angles
• Don’t have all the answers
• Be open
• Ask how you can help

When managers hone their empathetic leadership skills, they improve their effectiveness and increase their chances of success in the job. Empathetic leaders are assets to organizations, in part because they are able to effectively build and maintain relationships and retain talent — a critical part of leading organizations anywhere in the world.

Book Review: Lean Made Simple

I just finished reading Lean Made Simple by Ryan Tierney which is an excellent guide for anyone looking to implement Lean principles in a practical and straightforward way. Ryan breaks down the concepts into actionable steps that are easy to understand and apply, even for those just starting their Lean journey.

Ryan Tierney leads operations at small, family run business making medical chairs with his brothers in Northern Ireland. After some business struggles and looking for answers Ryan came across Paul Aker’s videos about 2 Second Lean which turned his intrigue in Lean to a fascination.

Ryan documents the steps he took to create a vibrant, world-class Lean culture that has attracted the attention of industry leaders from around the world including Toyota, Lexus, Coca Cola, Caterpillar and even Royalty!

By doing the basics consistently and committing to these 12 steps you will be able to positively impact the people you serve, your organization and your community.

Step 1 – It starts with the leaders

Step 2 – Hold a morning meeting

Step 3 -Create a Lean leaders group

Step 4 – Create an example area

Step 5 – Teach your people to see waste

Step 6 – Introduce improvement time

Step 7 – Introduce yokoten

Step 8 – Make improving easy

Step 9 – Solve your inventory problems

Step 10 – Create standard operating procedures

Step 11 – Implement total ownership

Step 12 – Connect with other Lean enthusiasts

 Each chapter has Ryan’s recommendations, answers to burning questions, and prompts to make you think about your own organization to get you started creating your Lean culture. Ryan also shares a number of resources with QR codes to further your learning like podcasts, YouTube videos, and other literature at LeanMadeSimple.com/bookresources.

A very easy to read book at only 152 pages, this is a quick read in about 90 minutes. Ryan packs this book full of simple but very practical and highly effective tips to start the transformation of any company towards a more engaging, more efficient, more fulfilling place to work. 

This is a must-read for anyone wanting to transform their organizational culture.

Get your copy here.

End the Blame Game

Workplaces that assign blame to individuals rather than looking at organizational issues create an environment where people are afraid to speak out, are defensive, and are unable to be creative. From healthcare and banking to technology and manufacturing, blame culture negatively impacts on employee engagement, productivity, and can result in lost chances for improvement.

The blame culture is woven into the fabric of many organizations. This phenomenon involves assigning fault to individuals when errors occur, rather than addressing systemic issues. It’s a culture where finger-pointing trumps collaborative problem-solving, and fear of retribution stifles voices that could propose innovative solutions.

The blame culture is a reflexive, defensive posture that can suffocate creativity and hinder progress. As you’ll see, the blame culture is antithetical to nurturing trust and fostering an environment conducive to experimentation and learning. Leaders must navigate this delicate balance between accountability and the detrimental effects of blame.

If a blame culture is a norm at your company, it’s time to make a change. Here are 5 tips to help you stop a blame culture and cultivate a healthier, more supportive work environment:

1.     Change Your Mindset

Blame is biological. It’s inherent in our DNA to want to shift blame onto others.

The good news is that you can reduce the frequency with which you blame others — and improve the culture at your work — by changing your mindset.

Don’t automatically look for someone to blame or ask who’s at fault when you have a poor outcome.

Instead, make a phrase like “We’re all learning” or “We’re all in this together” your mantra. Write it down and display it on your desk, so you don’t forget.

Shifting your mindset might seem impossible at first. With practice, though, it’ll soon become second nature.

2.     Lead by Example

To change the culture at your company, you must lead by example. You can’t create an environment where your employees feel comfortable taking responsibility for their mistakes if you never own up to yours.

Start by sharing your mistakes with your team. Talk about what you learned when you “messed up” and explain the steps you took to avoid messing up again in the future.

When you share your mistakes, you send a signal to your employees that it’s safe for them to share theirs. This approach creates a more psychologically safe workplace and contributes to a no-blame culture.

3.     Foster Transparency

When you share your mistakes, you contribute to a culture of openness and transparency at work.

Continue this trend by regularly inviting feedback from employees. Give them time during meetings to talk about their recent wins, the problems they’ve encountered, and the issues holding them back from progressing.

When you create a safe place for employees to talk about their problems and pain points, as well as the progress they’ve made, you foster a more transparent workplace and a more engaged team.

4.     Change the Way You Address Mistakes

Treat mistakes as learning opportunities. Rather than viewing them as setbacks, look for ways to turn them into lessons for your team and yourself.

It’s always better for your employees to come to you immediately when something goes wrong rather than wasting time and resources trying to cover up their mistakes.

Suppose an employee knows you won’t yell at them, threaten to fire them, or embarrass them for messing up. In that case, they’ll be more inclined to take responsibility.

Sharing their mistakes also allows them to fix and learn from the problem faster.

5.     Encourage Empathy

Empathy is at the core of a no-blame culture.

Remember that no-blame cultures are built around an understanding of human complexities and the complexities of their jobs. A no-blame culture acknowledges that mistakes can happen and views them as valuable data rather than moral failings.

If you want to eliminate a blame culture at work, start practicing and encouraging empathy. Put yourself in your employees’ shoes and invite them to do the same.

An essential aspect of empathy is active listening. Active listening goes beyond simply hearing what someone is saying and genuinely interpreting the meaning behind their words.

When you actively listen, it’s easier to understand why someone made a particular decision or handled an issue in a specific way. This understanding helps you see things from their perspective and become more empathetic.

If you really want a positive, productive workplace, then you’ve got to stop ‘blame culture’ in its tracks. It’s not going to happen overnight. You’ll need to be patient and persistent. You can do this by following the 5 tips you’ve just learned. Tackling blame culture leads to a happier, safer environment in your workplace.