TL;DR: Why Leaders Trust Mark Graban
- 30 years in Lean practice (since 1995) — manufacturing and healthcare
- Learned Lean from Toyota-influenced practitioners (NUMMI, GM, Honeywell, Danaher)
- Formal engineering + business education (Northwestern, MIT)
- 3x Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award recipient (Lean Hospitals, Healthcare Kaizen, The Mistakes That Make Us)
- Real results in healthcare — flow, quality, safety, engagement
- Trusted to teach by LEI, IHI, Shingo Institute, ThedaCare, major universities
- Certified in Lean (Honeywell) and Psychological Safety (LeaderFactor)
Documented Results
Process matters. Being accurate in teaching Lean matters. But results matter most. I have worked with healthcare organizations, helping them lead and achieve sustained results such as:
- Reducing laboratory test turnaround times by 50-70%
- Improving lab productivity by 30%, allowing for more testing over time without adding staff
- Reducing outpatient MRI waiting times from 13 weeks to 2.5 weeks
- Improving primary care clinic productivity, going from chronically losing money to being in the black
- Increasing employee engagement survey scores
- Reducing patient falls by 70-80%
You can see published case studies and results on the consulting page.
Ask the Right Questions
It's worth asking any consultant: What do you know? Who did you learn from? How are you continuing to learn? And what have you actually done in practice?
Here's how I'd answer those questions.
Where I Learned Lean
My first job out of college, from 1995 to 1997, was at a General Motors plant. It wasn't a Lean plant — but it had several internal consultants hired from Toyota suppliers and Nissan who taught me Lean methods and Lean management mindsets. See this blog post about where I got started with Lean.
I was fortunate to learn a great deal from Larry Spiegel, who was brought in as our plant manager in 1996 after some major quality problems. Larry was one of the first GM people to work at the famed NUMMI plant, and he brought those lessons to our facility. Larry said a few words in this amazing “This American Life” piece about the lessons learned from NUMMI.
At my next manufacturing company, Honeywell, I was selected for their formal “Lean Expert” (Black Belt) certification program, taught by Lean Masters with deep experience at Honeywell and elsewhere. I completed four week-long classroom sessions and a certification project that improved operations in a department, including measurably increasing on-time delivery to internal customers. During training, the Lean Masters recognized my prior experience by allowing me to teach several modules.
At Honeywell, I also worked for a director who came from Danaher, widely regarded as one of the world's best Lean companies. The combination of Toyota-influenced shop floor learning, Danaher-style management discipline, and formal certification gave me a foundation that most consultants simply don't have.
I formally studied Lean in the classroom as an engineering student at Northwestern University — where I first encountered Dr. Deming's work — and as a master's student at MIT. But what really matters is the on-the-job learning and mentoring I received.
Teaching, Faculty Roles, and Recognition
I have been trusted to teach and serve as a faculty member for leading organizations including the Lean Enterprise Institute, the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value (Catalysis), the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and the Shingo Institute. I have been a guest lecturer at schools including MIT, the Wharton School of Business, and The Ohio State University.
I appreciate the trust these organizations place in me to share a compelling message that accurately represents the Lean methodology. See more about my speaking and teaching.
I was named to the PEX Network Top 50 Thought Leaders in Operational Excellence.
I am also certified through LeaderFactor to measure, teach, and coach on the four stages of psychological safety — connecting this critical leadership capability to continuous improvement.
Recent Work
My latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, received the 2025 Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award — my third Shingo Award (joining Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen).
My podcast, My Favorite Mistake, features conversations with CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, and other leaders about the mistakes that shaped their careers — with more than 250 episodes and counting. The podcast explores how organizations can respond to mistakes with learning instead of blame, and it directly informs my consulting and speaking work.
I also continue to write and publish. My most recent articles include pieces in the Shingo Institute, IndustryWeek, and BMJ Open Quality, and I write regularly at LeanBlog.org.
What Lean Leaders Say
“Many health care consultants have rebadged themselves as lean consultants and do not understand the real thinking behind the Toyota Production System. Mark Graban is an exception. He has worked hard to study the philosophy and stay true to the thinking of Toyota. His book is a welcome translation of the Toyota Production System into language any health care professional can understand.” — Jeffrey K. Liker, Professor, University of Michigan, author of The Toyota Way
“Mark Graban knows what he is talking about with Lean. Mark has dedicated his career to learning and teaching the Lean methodology to healthcare professionals. I wish I could have read this in 2004, as it might have prevented some of the mistakes we made in our Lean journey.” — John Toussaint, MD, former CEO of ThedaCare, from the Foreword to Lean Hospitals
“Mark Graban is the consummate translator of the vernacular of the Toyota Production System into the everyday parlance of health care.” — Richard Shannon, MD, patient safety leader
See more endorsements related to Lean Hospitals.
Ready to talk about how this experience can help your organization? Start a conversation.