Preview: Ask Karen Martin Anything: Lean, Operational Excellence, and Leadership
From KaiNexus: Continuous Improvement, Leadership, and More by KaiNexus
March 5, 2026 · 10 min
About this episode
Karen Martin discusses her journey from microbiologist to consultant, focusing on Lean principles and organizational clarity.
Karen Martin -- founder of TKMG Inc. and TKMG Academy, and author of "Clarity First" and "The Outstanding Organization" -- joins Mark Graban for a short preview of the upcoming KaiNexus Ask an Expert webinar on March 11th . In this conversation, Karen shares how she went from working in hospital laboratories as a microbiologist to building and running operations at a fast-growing HMO -- and eventually founding her own consulting and education business. She talks about what drew her away from Lean tools toward the bigger questions of culture, leadership, and organizational clarity, and why lack of clarity tends to generate more emotional friction in workplaces than people expect. The live webinar is March 11th at 1:00 PM Eastern. No slides -- just an hour of questions and answers on Lean, operational excellence, value stream thinking, leadership, and organizational design. Submit your questions in advance or ask them live. Register or find the recording
People in this episode
Host: Mark Graban
Guest: Karen Martin
Topics covered
- Lean
- Operational Excellence
- Leadership
- Organizational Clarity
- Culture
Keywords
- Lean tools
- cultural questions
- leadership
- emotional friction
- value stream thinking
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Lean, TKMG Inc., TKMG Academy, Clarity First, The Outstanding Organization
Books & works: Clarity First, The Outstanding Organization, Ask an Expert
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