Preconditions for Lean: Psychological Safety and Model 1 vs Model 2 Leadership with Thomas Cox and Andre DeMerchant

Thomas Cox and Andre DeMerchant join Mark to examine why Lean implementations so often fail to stick. Using a verbal A3, they argue that psychological safety is a precondition Lean can’t create on its own. The frame is Chris Argyris’s Model 1 (controlling, blame-oriented, closed) versus Model 2 (calm, curious, empathic), and why leaders default to Model 1 under pressure. Includes Andre’s Toyota origin story, the Mulally-Ford ”report red” example, and a candid look at how consultants choose clients.