Free real-world leadership videos and practical learning guides for educators and developing leaders.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I began my career in 1985 as an hourly assembler and eventually became a Vice President of Operations. Along the way, I earned a degree in Manufacturing Technology and Management from the Illinois Institute of Technology, became a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and developed extensive experience with the Toyota Production System, Danaher Business System, continuous improvement, and project management.
My perspective comes from working on both sides of the operation: doing the work myself and later leading the people responsible for it. I learned that sustainable results depend on more than tools or targets. They require listening, coaching, clear expectations, accountability, and genuine respect for the people closest to the process.
The Ascent to Leadership turns those experiences—including my mistakes—into practical stories and learning guides for aspiring leaders, managers, and educators. My books, The Lean Leader’s Playbook and Houston, We Have a Solution!, explore complementary lessons in leadership, hands-on troubleshooting, and problem solving.
— Pete MaherWATCH · DISCUSS · APPLY
Free real-world leadership case studies for college instructors, supervisors, and managers. Each lesson includes learning objectives, discussion questions, a classroom activity, and a printable guide. Select an episode title to read the case, or watch on YouTube. See ideas for using the lessons with a class or team.
Episode 10Episode 10 · Clear expectations & accountability
An engineering team improved quality from about 20% to 98% in three months. The next leadership challenge was addressing persistent performance gaps fairly.
Watch episode 9Episode 9 · Leadership mistakes & employee buy-in
An ambitious factory redesign, massive machines and disappointing results reveal a costly leadership lesson about involving employees before decisions are made.
Watch episode 8Episode 8 · Trust, people & continuous improvement
What happens when employees improve themselves out of a job? Learn how cross-training, growth, and respect for people protect the trust that continuous improvement depends on.
Watch episode 7Episode 7 · Trust & leadership integrity
An open-door promise and a button on the president’s desk reveal why everyday actions determine whether employees trust their leader.
Watch episode 6Episode 6 · Coaching & professional credibility
Help people build confidence and professional credibility while making sure their ideas receive a fair hearing.
Watch episode 5Episode 5 · Safety leadership
A workplace injury reminds us to look for hazards even in familiar spaces.
Watch episode 4Episode 4 · See the work
Jose's work reveals wasted motion, a safety hazard, and the value of improving a process together.
Watch episode 3Episode 3 · Question the routine
Three days of needless work reveal the cost of doing something simply because it has always been done.
Watch episode 2Episode 2 · Trust & root cause
Fred's story shows what can change when a leader investigates the process and earns trust.
Watch episode 1Episode 1 · Career & leadership
A personal introduction to the lessons that shaped this series.
FROM THE LEAN LEADER’S PLAYBOOK
Continue your learning with The Lean Leader’s Playbook. These five examples from Pete Maher’s book explore better results, safer workplaces, and people who grow into leaders—whether or not the topic has a video yet.
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
An aerospace company was losing $9 million annually to scrap. Pete used operational data to focus improvement efforts on the biggest loss, reducing scrap by $5.2 million within two years.
The lesson: Solve the problem with the greatest impact.
CREATIVITY BEFORE CAPITAL
Before buying a new machining center, the team improved its existing process. Setup time fell 36% and machining time fell 54%, effectively doubling bottleneck capacity and eliminating the need for the purchase.
The lesson: Invest in your team’s ideas before buying more equipment.
SAFETY & RISK REDUCTION
Following an injury, a cross-functional team identified hazards and implemented countermeasures, including addressing a potentially fatal magnesium fire hazard. The broader risk-reduction effort prevented a planned $500,000 insurance cost increase.
The lesson: Protecting people also protects the business.
TEAM DEVELOPMENT & QUALITY
Clear expectations, a shared checklist, collaboration, and targeted training raised the engineering team’s quality rating from approximately 20% to 98% within three months—and improved consistency and morale.
The lesson: Give people the clarity and skills they need to succeed.
DEVELOPING FUTURE LEADERS
Managers wanted to dismiss an employee they considered unreliable. Coaching his supervisor to set clear expectations and provide support changed the outcome. Within a couple of months, the employee was promoted to group leader and began implementing ideas that had previously gone unheard.
The lesson: Look for the potential behind the performance problem.
PUT THE LESSONS INTO PRACTICE
Ready to apply what you’ve learned? Sensei Solutions Group provides downloadable improvement tools, including resources referenced in The Lean Leader’s Playbook, along with consulting and help tailoring tools to your workplace.
Explore tools & assistance at SenseiGET IN TOUCH
Have a question about an episode, a learning guide, or using The Ascent to Leadership in your classroom or training program? I'd welcome hearing from you.
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