WLEI - Lean Enterprise Institute’s Podcast

Lean Enterprise Institute

Lean Thinking

Lean Product and Process Development

Continuous Improvement

Toyota Production System

Toyota

Hoshin Kanri

Lean Management

Problem Solving

Healthcare

Lean Manufacturing

Leadership Development

GE Healthcare

Product Development

Software Development

Theodo

Covid-19 Pandemic

Agile Methodology

Continuous Learning

Innovation

The official podcast of the Lean Enterprise Institute.

40 ratings

Publishes	Weekly	Episodes	100	Founded	8 years ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	ManagementBusiness

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Latest Episodes

Coaching and Co-Learning — Coach as Mirror

This week The Management Brief presents the second installment in our series on coaching across the lean community and the benefits of mutual learning — senior leaders with external and/or internal lean coaches as well as peer-to-peer relationships. ... more

14 Apr 2026 • 16 min

YouTube

Coaching and Co-Learning — Understanding that Lean Is a Journey

This week The Management Brief kicks off an extended series on the coaching and co-learning that is occurring throughout the lean community. We’ll be exploring the benefits of mutual learning in all its forms — senior leaders with their lean coaches,... more

7 Apr 2026 • 26 min

YouTube

20 Years Later: How Toyota's Product Development Principles Are Still Core to a Lean Enterprise

In this special edition of the WLEI Podcast, hosts Lex Schroeder and LEI President Josh Howell sit down with former product development executive Jim Morgan to explore the lasting impact of The Toyota Product Development System: Integrating People, P... more

6 Apr 2026 • 29 min

YouTube

Cutting through the Noise in Tech: Sarah Milstein's Advice for Leaders Who Want to Keep People Focused on Value Creation

In this episode of the WLEI Podcast, we speak with executive coach and engineering leader Sarah Milstein about how to keep teams focused on value creation by putting people at the center of work design.

My conversation with Sarah explores:

• How to... more

4 Dec 2025 • 24 min

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Jim Luckman

Coach and Lean Institute faculty member

Lean Enterprise Institute

Episode: Coaching and Co-Learning — Coach as Mirror

Marco Lopez

CEO of Dreamplace Hotels

Dreamplace Hotels

Episode: Coaching and Co-Learning — Understanding that Lean Is a Journey

Oriol Cuatrecasas

Head of the Spanish Institute in Spain

Spanish Institute / Lean Enterprise Institute

Episode: Coaching and Co-Learning — Understanding that Lean Is a Journey

Jim Morgan

Senior Advisor of Lean Product and Process Development at the Lean Enterprise Institute; former COO at Rivian; former Ford product leader

Lean Enterprise Institute

Episode: 20 Years Later: How Toyota's Product Development Principles Are Still Core to a Lean Enterprise

Sarah Milstein

Coaches executive and emerging leaders in tech and has held executive roles at various tech startups.

Episode: Cutting through the Noise in Tech: Sarah Milstein's Advice for Leaders Who Want to Keep People Focused on Value Creation

Julia Austin

Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School and Executive Coach with deep experience as a product leader in tech.

Harvard Business School

Episode: Keeping Our Humanity in Tech: Julia Austin on Why It Pays to Put People First in Product Development

Steven J. Spear

Co-author of 'Wiring the Winning Organization', senior lecturer at MIT and founder of a business process software firm.

Episode: Steven Spear Talks about Competing with TPS and Problem Solving

Carl Klemm

Former executive at General Motors and Toyota, author of The Balance of Excellence

Carl Klemm Management Solutions Limited

Episode: The Management Brief | Transforming from GM Executive to Toyota Leader

Eric Ethington

Senior Coach and Chief Engineer, Lean Product and Process Development

Lean Enterprise Institute

Episode: The Design Brief | Eric Ethington and Matt Zayko on Why it Takes a Chief Engineer to Design Profitable Value Streams

Hosts

Lex Schroeder

Host of the Lean Enterprise Institute podcast series; extensive engagement with Lean topics and leadership coaching.

Mark Reich

Co-host on Lean-focused shows, with emphasis on process improvement and leadership discussions.

Josh Howell

Host/Co-host with extensive experience in Lean environments and product leadership.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 40 ratings

Awesome job
Thank you Lei for doing these podcasts, they are fantastic!
Apple Podcasts
5
Mark Smeets
Canada8 years ago

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Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Pitches often highlight clear value from Lean frameworks.

Guests bring credible, high-signal insights into leadership and problem solving.

Listeners appreciate practical, real-world examples from manufacturing to healthcare.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts	#87	United Kingdom/Business/Management
Apple Podcasts	#149	Italy/Business/Management
Apple Podcasts	#71	Chile/Business/Management
Apple Podcasts	#123	Austria/Business/Management
Apple Podcasts	#160	Mexico/Business/Management
Apple Podcasts	#209	New Zealand/Business/Management

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Coaching and Co-Learning — Coach as Mirror

Q: What is the role of a coach in helping you develop as a leader?

The coach acts like a mirror, providing feedback, helping identify gaps, and guiding the leader to bridge those gaps through reflective practice and targeted action.

20 Years Later: How Toyota's Product Development Principles Are Still Core to a Lean Enterprise

Q: Can you share a concrete example of a practice that was adapted when moving from Toyota to Ford?

Yes. At Ford, PDPD and standard architectures weren't fully in place, so practitioners like Dave Parasak created Ford-friendly documentation and worked within tight constraints, focusing on weight, stiffness, and interface trade-offs while acknowledging manufacturing realities and budget limits.

Coaching and Co-Learning — Understanding that Lean Is a Journey

Q: What advice would you give others starting their Lean journey in hospitality?

Start with professional help early, be patient, focus on people and teams, maintain stability in management, and treat Lean as a long-term cultural transformation rather than a project with quick results.

Coaching and Co-Learning — Understanding that Lean Is a Journey

Q: What have been the most important coaching insights for effectively guiding the organization?

Coaching hinges on having the right executive sponsor, ensuring stability in leadership, setting realistic goals, and fostering a culture where leaders model vulnerability and involve frontline staff in decisions.

Coaching and Co-Learning — Understanding that Lean Is a Journey

Q: What defining experiences shaped your thinking as head of the organization?

Marco reflects on the 2009 crisis and subsequent normalization of Lean as a forever journey, emphasizing the shift from quick fixes to sustained standard work and team-focused improvements.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Delivers practical, leadership-forward conversations centered on lean thinking, value creation, and high-performing organizations. Episodes frequently explore how to put people first in product development, scale collaborative cultures, and implement robust problem-solving systems drawn from manufacturing and tech contexts. Notable throughlines include leadership coaching, cross-functional teamwork, and the application of Toyota Production System and lean methodologies to both tech startups and healthcare, highlighting actionable frameworks for continuous improvement and organizational learning.

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Which podcasts are similar to this podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:

1. Coaching for Leaders
2. Gemba Academy Podcast: Lean Six Sigma | Toyota Kata | Productivity | Leadership
3. Lean 911
4. Maxwell Leadership Executive Podcast
5. Shingo Principles Podcast

How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 8 years ago and published 100 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Jim Luckman
2. Marco Lopez
3. Oriol Cuatrecasas
4. Jim Morgan
5. Sarah Milstein
6. Julia Austin
7. Steven J. Spear
8. Carl Klemm

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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