TL;DR: At GE’s “Lean Mindset” event in New York, Larry Culp highlighted a set of books that shape how leaders think about Lean, learning, and growth. The list includes classics on growth mindset, Toyota leadership, Lean transformation, and learning from failure—such as The Mistakes That Make Us and Right Kind of Wrong—offering a practical reading roadmap for leaders who want better results without fear-based management.
I was thrilled to receive an invitation to attend “The Lean Mindset” day, an event in New York organized and hosted by GE and CEO Larry Culp.
Learn more about the event in my blog post (which includes a link to the recordings of the Live Streamed Sessions… or scroll down to the bottom of this post).
Recordings: The Lean Mindset Event with GE CEO Larry Culp and Many Special Guests
I felt extremely honored to have my book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, selected as one to be given away to attendees, as part of what Culp described on stage as “some of our favorite books about Lean and growth mindset.”
What are those other books?
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
Dweck had a conversation with Culp during the event:
Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons from Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning by Katie Anderson
Katie was also there, and we both signed our copies:
The Toyota Way, Second Edition: 14 Management Principles from the World’s Greatest Manufacturer 2nd Edition by Jeffrey Liker
The Carolina Way: Leadership Lessons from a Life in Coaching by Dean Smith
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t by Jim Collins
Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation by Jim Womack and Dan Jones
Leading the Lean Enterprise Transformation by George Koenigsaecker
Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well by Amy Edmondson
Thanks to GE for the invitation and for the wonderful day!
Videos from the day can be found here in this playlist. Click the “1/9” in the upper right to view them all.
What These Books Say About Learning and Leadership
What stood out most about this reading list wasn’t any single title—it was the pattern. These books share a common thread: leaders don’t get better by avoiding mistakes or pretending certainty, but by creating conditions where learning is possible. Growth mindset, Lean thinking, psychological safety, and learning from failure aren’t separate ideas—they reinforce one another.
It’s encouraging to see senior leaders publicly signaling that these ideas matter, not as slogans, but as practices worth studying and discussing. Books don’t change organizations on their own, of course—but they can shape how leaders think, what questions they ask, and how they respond when things don’t go as planned.
In that sense, this list isn’t just a set of recommendations. It’s a reminder that continuous improvement starts with curiosity, humility, and a willingness to learn—especially when the results aren’t what we hoped for.