How to Be an Influential Kaizen Coach

Developing People, Not Just Improving Processes

What separates organizations that struggle with Kaizen from those that build lasting improvement cultures?

Coaching.

In this webinar, Mark Graban of KaiNexus and Joe Schwarz, co-author of Healthcare Kaizen, share practical guidance on how leaders can become influential Kaizen coaches. Drawing on real-world healthcare experience, they explain how coaching behaviors shape culture, drive engagement, and sustain daily continuous improvement.

Kaizen is not just about events or tools. It is about developing people through structured cycles of learning.

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What You Will Learn

• The difference between Kaizen events and daily Kaizen
• Why coaching is essential for spreading continuous improvement
• The five fundamentals of influential Kaizen coaching
• How to achieve high idea implementation rates
• Why leaders must say “yes” more often
• Creating psychological safety where failure becomes learning
• How to start small and build confidence through early wins
• Coaching through questions instead of giving answers
• How senior leaders model improvement behaviors
• Recognition approaches that reinforce participation without distorting motivation

The Five Fundamentals of Kaizen Coaching

Joe Schwarz shares five practical fundamentals developed through years of experience leading Lean transformations:

1. Develop yourself and others through cycles of learning
2. Demonstrate love and respect in every coaching interaction
3. Focus on process — both the work process and the Kaizen process
4. Start small to build skill and confidence
5. Follow up until the skill becomes standard

These principles help leaders shift from solving problems themselves to developing problem solvers throughout the organization.

Why Coaching Matters

Many organizations launch improvement programs that stall after initial enthusiasm fades.

The difference often lies in leadership behavior.

Without effective coaching:

• Employees stop submitting ideas
• Managers become bottlenecks
• Improvement feels like extra work
• Engagement declines

With effective coaching:

• Staff develop confidence in solving problems
• Implementation rates rise dramatically
• Small wins compound into large results
• Improvement becomes part of daily work

This session shares real examples from Franciscan St. Francis Health, where thousands of employee-driven improvements have been implemented through disciplined coaching and leadership support.

Who Should Attend

This webinar is ideal for:

• Healthcare executives and senior leaders
• Managers and supervisors
• Lean and operational excellence professionals
• Continuous improvement practitioners
• Anyone responsible for building engagement through Kaizen

About The Presenters:

Joe Swartz | Director of Business Transformation, Franciscan St. Francis Health

Joe Swartz is the Director of Business Transformation at Franciscan St. Francis Health in Indianapolis.  He also previously co-authored the book Seeing David in the Stone. Joe studied Electrical Engineering at Cleveland State University as well as Management at Purdue University, where he graduated as a Krannert Scholar for academic excellence in their master's program.

Mark Graban | VP of Customer Success, KaiNexus

Mark Graban is the VP of Customer Success at KaiNexus. He is also an author, speaker, and consultant in the field of Lean healthcare, based in Texas. He previously authored Lean Hospitals, also a Shingo Research Award Recipient. Mark earned a BS in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the MIT Sloan Leaders for Global Operations Program.

Build Coaching Capability That Lasts

If you want Kaizen to thrive in your organization, tools are not enough. Coaching behaviors must become part of leadership practice.

Watch this webinar to learn how to become an influential Kaizen coach and help your organization develop the capability to improve every day.