Stop Trying to Motivate Your Team — Fix the System Instead
- Leadership
- August 17, 2026

When performance dips after a disruption—whether it’s a holiday break, organizational change, or shifting priorities—many leaders instinctively reach for motivation. Pep talks, incentives, and renewed pressure often follow. But what if motivation isn’t the problem? As leadership expert Anne Grady suggests, high-performing teams don’t need to be “motivated” back into action. They need clarity, alignment,
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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
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Today, let’s focus on one of the most underutilized leadership skills in Lean: questioning. To explore it, we’ll go back over 2,500 years to a man who never ran a company, never held a title, and never wrote a book—yet transformed how the world thinks. Socrates. What does an ancient philosopher have to do with
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Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday business decision-making. From data analysis and forecasting to content creation and problem solving, leaders are increasingly being asked to determine how AI should fit into their organizations. While many books focus on the capabilities of AI, Adrian Wolfberg’s Who Leads When AI Thinks? takes a different
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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
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For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips. It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.
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