Episode page with links, video, and more

In this episode, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh respond to listener questions about system design, leadership behavior, and navigating misguided Lean requirements.

They explore why some systems—like college football playoffs or improvement quotas—fail to deliver their intended results, and what leaders can do instead. Topics include cultivating psychological safety in higher education, getting Lean started when the broader organization isn’t supportive, and how to redirect “check-the-box” improvement mandates into something more meaningful.

Along the way, they also cover fresh coffee beans, local roasters, AI-generated music playlists, and a low-key holiday performance by Brandi Carlile—because culture matters too.

💡 Submit your question (and maybe win a Lean Coffee Talk mug!) at: LeanBlog.org/coffeequestions

In this short bonus episode of Lean Coffee Talk, hosts Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh share an invitation for you to help shape future conversations.

They’re asking for your toughest, most thought-provoking questions about Lean, leadership, culture, and continuous improvement — the ones without easy answers. Mark and Jamie will select some listener questions to feature in upcoming episodes and share their perspectives on each.

Whether you’re a Lean practitioner, leader, or curious learner, your question could spark a conversation that helps others, too.

Hosts: Mark Graban — LeanBlog.org Jamie Flinchbaugh — JFlinch.com

In Season 2, Episode 5, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh are going back in time (apologies to Huey Lewis and the News) to the 1990s and examining companies that were iconic then and trying to find new ground today. But we start with coffee mugs - our most vintage mugs. A coffee mug can make coffee better, or ruin it, or bring back memories. The vessel may not be more important than what’s in it, but it’s up there. And this is our first, but perhaps not our last, Miss Piggy reference.

Episode page with video and more

Before we delve into AOL finally ending its dial-up service, we take a deep dive into Starbucks’ new CEO and his efforts to revive the brand. Both the substance and the approach to decision-making matter here. On the approach, making too many decisions at the top can undermine those you’re asking to make their decisions, but the right decisions in the right way can break things loose or shift your culture.

However, this also raises the question of what Starbucks customers value and how to consistently deliver that value. There are many systematic barriers put in the way of baristas trying to deliver value. Will Starbucks and its CEO remove those barriers and find value? We will see (or at least their customers will).

We wrap up sharing our experiences with jazz flutist Frank Wess and the new movie "Spinal Tap II."

• MiiR carafe - via Amazon
• WSJ on Starbucks' efforts to reestablish its customer value
• And their efforts to get baristas to smile
• AOL shuts down dial-up
• The Machine That Changed The World
• MACI
• Improvement Nerds Podcast with Mark
• Jazz artist Frank Wess on Spotify
• Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
• Podcast feed at LeanCoffeeTalk.com or jflinch.com/leancoffeetalk
• Please review us and follow!

Please review us and follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!