Lean Roundup #198 – November 2025

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of November 2025.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.  

 

How Great Leaders Prevent Mistakes and Learn from the Ones That Happen – Mark Graban argues that the strongest improvement cultures pair mistake prevention with fearless learning—shifting from blame to curiosity so organizations can treat errors as opportunities to strengthen systems, build psychological safety, and continuously improve.

 

The Role of a Lean Leader – Alen Ganic explains a lean leader’s true role is to develop people by deeply understanding the work, living the philosophy daily, and building systems that enable team-driven, sustainable results.

 

Leading Through the Paradox: Lessons from James Stockdale – Ron Pereira says the Stockdale Paradox teaches that real leadership and continuous improvement require simultaneously confronting hard truths and maintaining unwavering faith in a better long-term outcome.

 

The Paradox of Happiness: Why Giving Gets You More Than Getting – Kevin Meyer’s reflection highlights that real happiness—and real lean effectiveness—comes not from seeking personal gain but from contributing value to others, as shown by research demonstrating that purposeful, outward-focused actions create greater fulfillment, resilience, and positive outcomes for both the giver and the recipient.

 

A Tale of Two Car Disassemblies – Christopher Chapman shares a story about two occasions Ford disassembled a competitor’s vehicle to learn what they were doing differently, and the lessons they took from each.

 

The Ambidexterity Challenge – What’s Our Overall Approach? – Pascal Dennis argues that a senior leader’s top job is organizational ambidexterity—simultaneously strengthening the core through Lean while fueling new growth through digital innovation—by removing waste and variation, deeply understanding the customer, and embedding digital thinking at the heart of the business.

 

Unlearning Traditional Management to Succeed with Lean - Josh Howell and Mark Reich share perspectives on how success with lean requires unlearning some traditional management approaches and what they’ve encountered along the way.

Reinventing Product Development: People First, Technology Second - James Morgan shares a practical roadmap for integrating new tools with Lean Product and Process Development (LPPD) principles to build more capable teams and create successful new value streams.

GE’s Larry Culp: Why Lean Thinking Starts with Safety and Respect for People – Mark Graban highlights how GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp exemplifies true Lean leadership by practicing continuous improvement personally, respecting the people who do the work, prioritizing safety and quality, and building a hands-on, problem-solving culture rooted in daily kaizen rather than executive distance.