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During my most recent visit to Japan (as part of a tour hosted by Katie Anderson), we spent time in several remarkable organizations where the focus wasn't just on performance or process… but on people.

One company in particular introduced me to a word I hadn't encountered in this context before: kaiteki.

Roughly translated, kaiteki means “comfort,” “ease,” or a “pleasant working environment.” But what stood out was how deeply embedded this idea was in the company's culture–and how it shaped their entire approach to leadership and improvement.

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When someone on your team makes a mistake, what happens next?

Do they speak up–or stay quiet?

Do leaders give feedback that demonstrates curiosity–or do they blame employees?

After interviewing over 200 leaders and contributors for my podcast “My Favorite Mistake” and book, The Mistakes That Make Us, one truth has become clear:

Speaking up isn't about character–it's about culture.

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And if you're looking for a practical way to bring this conversation into your workplace, I created a free resource:
Download The Mistake-Smart Leader's Checklist

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I'm honored to share that my workshop, "The Deming Red Bead Game & Process Behavior Charts: Practical Applications for Lean Management," has been accepted for the 41st Annual International AME Conference, taking place this October in St. Louis.

The conference theme--Gateway to the Future: AI and Beyond--is both timely and forward-looking, and I'm grateful to contribute a workshop that brings us back to foundational thinking: systems, variation, and learning.

While AI is the shiny new thing, timeless management principles still matter--perhaps now more than ever.

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We all say mistakes are a part of learning. Or at least many of us do, as individuals.

But how many organizations actually act that way?

Too often, people are punished for systemic errors. So, problems get hidden.

When problems are discovered, blame is assigned instead of learning being shared. And we wonder why our teams hesitate to speak up.

That's why I created a simple new resource:

The Mistake-Smart Leader's Checklist
[Download it here]

The blog post

Thanks to NPR for their recent story about how today, April 23, 2025, marks the 40th anniversary of what is considered one of the biggest business or product marketing failures of my lifetime — the failed introduction of “New Coke.”

The blog post

Are your improvement efforts falling flat, or are you constantly chasing red dots? Are you interested in improving the way we improve?

I've had to re-tool my Cincinnati workshop (June 17th) since my collaboration partner is now, unfortunately, unable to make it.

Join me for a practical and thought-provoking day exploring two essential foundations for sustainable performance: psychological safety and modern leadership metrics.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER

In the morning, we'll explore how psychological safety fuels continuous improvement–not just as a “nice to have” but as a must-have.

In the afternoon, we'll untangle data confusion and overreaction by learning to apply Process Behavior Charts and other concepts from my book Measures of Success.

The blog post

There's a phrase I've been thinking about a lot lately:

"You get your say, not always your way."

It's a short sentence, but it says a lot. It's about voice, it's about respect, and it's about the kind of culture we're building--especially when we aim for continuous improvement.

In The Mistakes That Make Us, I wrote about the characteristics of learning organizations. One of the most important is encouraging people to speak up--not just about mistakes, but also about ideas, concerns, and potential risks.

But here's the nuance:

Psychological safety doesn't mean consensus. It doesn't mean you'll get your way every time.

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Since 2012, I've had the opportunity to visit Japan six times, each trip a deep learning experience–rich with lessons about Lean, Kaizen, leadership, culture, and continuous improvement.

This June, I'm heading back for my seventh visit–and what makes this one especially exciting is that it will be my fifth trip focused on Lean in healthcare… and the first that I've helped design from the ground up.

It's my first trip in this format, but I was invited to partner up with two amazing individuals who have a great deal of experience in organizing and facilitating such tours — Dave Fitzpatrick, a Canadian who has lived and worked in Japan for a long time, and Reiko Kano, who I know as a translator on my earliest trips — and she's highly experienced with Lean and TPS implementations in healthcare in both the U.S. and Japan.

And I want to personally invite you to consider joining us. If not from June 23 to 29, in a later trip. We're also planning on the week of October 26, 2025 along with trips in April and October of 2026.

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Nearly 30 years ago, I had my first real encounter with what not to do as a leader. I was working in a General Motors factory where the culture was one of daily disrespect. Leaders--if you could call them that--were quick to belittle, yell, scream (with spittle flying) at employees on the floor. The lesson I learned wasn't the one they thought they were teaching.

This behavior wasn't "tough love" or "just how things are done in manufacturing." It was toxic. And it didn't lead to improved results. It didn't drive engagement. It didn't foster continuous improvement. It certainly didn't build trust. At best, that type of leadership creates short-term compliance. At worst, it drives costly mistakes, disengagement, and deep cultural scars.

It was management by intimidation--and it failed. Repeatedly.

Fast forward to today, and the evidence is no longer just anecdotal. Organizational psychologist Adam Grant recently wrote in The New York Times:

"The evidence is clear: Leadership by intimidation and insult is a bad strategy. Belittling people doesn't boost their productivity; it diminishes it. Disrespect doesn't just demotivate. It also disrupts focus, causing costly mistakes [including in operating rooms]."

Read the full article (free link)

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Before I departed for my recent workshop tour of Australia and New Zealand, I knew that I would learn things in the process of teaching and facilitating on my favorite topics. I didn't expect to learn about flying koalas, though!

I did expect to learn something when I had the opportunity to meet up for lunch with a friend, former Toyota Australia leader Barry McCarthy. Barry's also the chair of this year's AME International Conference in St. Louis. I first met Barry back in 2018 when I went on a Japan Study trip with Barry and the Honsha Consulting team, and I learned a lot from him on that trip (check out my podcast with him about these topics).

Toyota and Psychological Safety–A New Book

In recent years, I've come to believe that Psychological Safety is the oft-unheralded foundation of the Toyota Production System and Lean Management. Former Toyota Kentucky leader Mike Hoseus agrees, as we discussed in this Lean Blog Interviews episode — and as mentioned in the book Toyota Culture, that Mike co-authored with Jeff Liker.

I've learned a lot from Barry about Toyota as a “human development company,” as we discussed in his episode.

He agrees with me about the direct importance of Psychological Safety at Toyota — and that it's something they intentionally nurture.

One new piece of direct evidence of this is a book that was published, in Japanese, back in late 2023. The title can be translated to English as:

Two kata that realize psychological safety and speed up work that supports Toyota-style DX: “How to speak” and “How to proceed with work” that resonate with young people

Barry shared his summary of the book (as translated by him via Google) and I ordered it from Amazon Japan based on his recommendation. When I got home, the book was waiting for me.

“DX” is jargon (an abbreviation) for “digital transformation,” something that's increasingly important to Toyota.

Back to the title — I suspect that “make work flow better” might be a better translation since we don't normally try to “speed up work” directly through the Lean methodology. Lean is more about reducing and eliminating barriers to flow and not a matter of pressuring people to work faster.

The ChatGPT translation of the title says:

“Supporting Toyota-Style DX: Two Kata That Achieve Psychological Safety and Speed in Work”
“A way of speaking that resonates with young workers” and
“A way to move work forward”

I've been running pages through ChatGPT as a translation tool. It's incredibly fast. You take a photo of a page (or pages) and out comes the translation. I've been uploading photos in a batch size of “chapter” so ChatGPT can perhaps look at the full context of the chapter instead of only seeing page by page.

Before jumping into what Psychological Safety is, the book poses a problem statement:

“A diagnostic list for managers–if you mark 3 or more “yes,” you should seriously reconsider your current management style. Examples include:

• “I've never said ‘thank you' to a team member today.”
• “I find the word ‘challenge' cringeworthy.”
• “I haven't talked to anyone outside my own department.”
• “I tend to suppress my real opinions at work.”

I think a good question for leaders is: “Do you remember the last time an employee disagreed with you?” If the answer is “no,” then you have a problem.

(1) What is Psychological Safety?

“Being able to express honest opinions, candid doubts, and even disagree with others for the sake of organizational or team results–without fear.”
— Atsusuke Ishii, 2020, Japanese Management Skills Association