PPP 472 | Why Lean Matters--and What You Need to Know, with Toyota Veteran Mark Reich

Summary

In this episode, Andy welcomes Mark Reich, a former Toyota leader and current Chief Engineer for Strategy at the Lean Enterprise Institute. Mark is the author of Managing on Purpose. If you’ve ever tried to improve your team but felt like your strategy was stuck in a slide deck, this conversation is for you.

Mark introduces the idea of hoshin kanri, a lesser-known but critical pillar of Toyota’s management system, and explains how lean thinking is more than just tools--it's a way of developing people and aligning purpose across an organization. You’ll hear why metrics alone won’t get you to strategic clarity, how to escape the trap of firefighting, and why engagement, not just direction, is the key to long-term improvement. He also shares how lean thinking can be applied at home, even with your kids!

If you’re looking for insights on how to align teams, build capability, and lead with greater purpose, this episode is for you!

Sound Bites

• "Don't focus on the tool. The tools have to serve a purpose."
• “Catchball is not just a handoff of plans. It’s a conversation about what matters and how we’ll learn together.”
• “Direction without development is just pressure.”
• They’re not called punishment calls. They’re called co-learning calls.
• “If strategy feels like something being done to people, you’ve already lost.”
• “You don’t learn PDCA by attending a training. You learn it by doing it, with guidance, reflection, and coaching.”
• “It’s not just about solving the problem. It’s about who solves it and how they do it.”
• “We had to change how we talked about strategy before we could change how we worked on strategy.”

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:49 Start of Interview
• 02:01 What early experiences shaped your views on leadership, strategy, or lean?
• 05:28 How do you explain TPS and hoshin kanri as two pillars of Toyota’s system?
• 10:36 What are common mistakes leaders make when trying to improve the business?
• 15:23 Where do you coach people to start when they want better alignment?
• 17:40 What myths or misunderstandings do people have about lean?
• 18:12 Case study example: Turner Construction
• 25:45 What lean tools or concepts should project managers explore more deeply?
• 29:24 Where do you recommend someone begin learning about lean?
• 34:47 How has lean thinking helped at home—and with raising kids?
• 36:09 End of Interview
• 36:36 Andy Comments After the Interview
• 40:53 Outtakes

Learn More

You can learn more about Mark Reich and his work at the Lean Enterprise Institute at Lean.org.

For more learning on this topic, check out:

• Episode 438 with Jeff Gothelf. It’s a book about OKRs, which is different from hoshin kanri, but the overall discussion is worth checking out.
• Episode 387 with Atif Rafiq. It’s a book that has a strategic approach to dealing with uncertainty.
• Episode 320 with Greg Githins. It’s more about how to think strategically.

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Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Business Acumen

Topics: Lean, Toyota Production System, Hoshin Kanri, Strategy, Organizational Alignment, Leadership Development, Continuous Improvement, Team Engagement, Project Management, PDCA, Capability Building, Coaching

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Underground Shadows by MusicLFiles
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Synthiemania by Frank Schroeter
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license