Business Processes Simplified Podcast S3:E8 Learn Lean Management Principles with Mark Reich
Jun 18, 2025
Mark Reich, a senior coach at the Lean Enterprise Institute with over 23 years at Toyota, dives into lean management principles that drive organizational stability. He emphasizes the importance of process-first learning for all employees and how leaders can set examples by engaging directly at the gemba. Mark discusses the Hoshin Kanri strategy for alignment, overcoming resistance to change, and pursuing quick wins. With a focus on small business growth, he shares a construction case study demonstrating how lean practices can enhance safety and boost success.
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Trained On The Shop Floor
- Mark Reich was an English major who Toyota trained into a process engineer by making him learn shop-floor work first.
- He learned that frontline work is where customer value is created and that shaped his career view of process.
Go See The Work
- Go see the work on the front line to understand what the customer pays for and where problems hide.
- Use direct observation to build empathy and identify improvement opportunities.
Lead By Visiting The Front Line
- Leaders should model the behaviors they expect by visiting the front line non-threatingly and learning the work.
- Visible leader behavior encourages others to mirror process-focused actions.
