A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of August 2025. You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.
Daily Management Walks – a Primer – Pascal Dennis talks about Daily Management Walks keep leaders connected to reality by seeing the work directly rather than relying only on reports.
Einstein’s Favorite Mistake — and What It Teaches Us About Lean Thinking – Mark Graban says Einstein’s “biggest blunder” illustrates the danger of ignoring evidence and the importance of humility in Lean learning.
What Makes Employees Actually Participate in Continuous Improvement Programs? - Danielle Yoon shares white paper that discusses employee buy-in, more than tools or processes, is the deciding factor in whether continuous improvement efforts succeed or fail.
How to Make Improvements Stick in Your Organization - Alen Ganic shares tips to why sustaining improvements is harder than making them, requiring leadership commitment, accountability, and culture change.
Turning Conflict into Growth: 7 Steps Every Emotionally Intelligent Leader Should Know – Ron Pereira says if handled well, conflict can spark creativity and stronger relationships, making it a vital leadership skill in Lean.
The Digital Dark Age: Why Electronic Records Could Leave Future Archaeologists Empty-Handed – Kevin Meyer discusses how our digital age—seemingly the most documented period in human history—may paradoxically become the most invisible to future archaeologists.
Ambidexterity – the Battles We Have to Win – Pascal Dennis says to thrive in today’s volatile world requires balancing operational excellence with innovation to avoid obsolescence.
15 Unmeasurable System Conditions – Christopher Chapman says there are things you can’t measure with a KPI, yet are vital for determining the output quality of your organization’s products and services.
Celebrating our Frontline Scapegoats – Bruce Hamilton shares a lighthearted tribute to frontline workers who too often bear the blame for systemic quality issues.
Efficiency? What efficiency? – Jacob Stoller explains how siloed “efficiency” misses the mark—and why leaders should focus on system-wide productivity instead.
What Are We Really Teaching in Frontline Jobs? - Josh Howell explains that frontline jobs are more than entry-level work — they’re powerful training grounds for future leaders.
Data is Good; Facts that Tell You What’s Actually Happening in Your Business Are Better - Eric Ethington says in product and process development, leaders must see facts, engage stakeholders, and design processes that reveal problems. Tools matter only when they serve people and process.
Kaizen Alone Isn’t Enough: Why Leaders Must Fix the System for Real Improvement – Mark Graban explains true improvement requires leaders to address systemic barriers, not just rely on frontline kaizen.
