AME Milwaukee 2026 International Conference
PRESENTATIONS
Presentation
From reports to relationships
Reclaiming people-centered leadership through lean
OVERVIEW
Many leaders embark on their lean journey with the right intent — using data, tools and structure to drive improvement — yet still find themselves overwhelmed, disconnected and questioning their impact. This practitioner-led session shares an honest lean journey that didn’t go as planned, and the leadership breakthrough that followed.
During an optimization initiative, extensive data collection, long-running projects and well-intentioned Gemba walks failed to connect with frontline staff or meaningfully improve the patient experience. Despite “doing lean,” results stalled and leadership felt buried in reports rather than aligned with people. Through a moment of reflection and vulnerability, this session explores how over-reliance on metrics created a blind spot: leading systems instead of humans.
By reframing improvement through the lens of everyday customer experiences, the team uncovered a critical insight — customer service behaviors, not complex processes, were the vital few driving the majority of outcomes. Applying this learning to patient experience data revealed that simple, human-centered practices had the greatest impact. Rather than introducing new tools, existing standard work (AIDET) was re-energized and used intentionally to reduce anxiety, build connection and empower staff.
Participants will hear how shifting standard leader work from reports to relationships transformed engagement, clarity and results. This session demonstrates how people-centric leadership, respect for people and purposeful use of lean tools can unlock meaningful change — without adding complexity.
During an optimization initiative, extensive data collection, long-running projects and well-intentioned Gemba walks failed to connect with frontline staff or meaningfully improve the patient experience. Despite “doing lean,” results stalled and leadership felt buried in reports rather than aligned with people. Through a moment of reflection and vulnerability, this session explores how over-reliance on metrics created a blind spot: leading systems instead of humans.
By reframing improvement through the lens of everyday customer experiences, the team uncovered a critical insight — customer service behaviors, not complex processes, were the vital few driving the majority of outcomes. Applying this learning to patient experience data revealed that simple, human-centered practices had the greatest impact. Rather than introducing new tools, existing standard work (AIDET) was re-energized and used intentionally to reduce anxiety, build connection and empower staff.
Participants will hear how shifting standard leader work from reports to relationships transformed engagement, clarity and results. This session demonstrates how people-centric leadership, respect for people and purposeful use of lean tools can unlock meaningful change — without adding complexity.
Key Learning Objectives
1. Recognize common leadership blind spots that emerge when lean becomes overly data-driven.
2. Apply the 80/20 principle to identify people-centered behaviors that drive the greatest impact.
3. Reframe standard leader work to prioritize presence, listening and connection.
4. Leverage existing tools (such as AIDET) to empower staff rather than add workload.
5. Build a culture of engagement by leading alongside people instead of behind reports.
2. Apply the 80/20 principle to identify people-centered behaviors that drive the greatest impact.
3. Reframe standard leader work to prioritize presence, listening and connection.
4. Leverage existing tools (such as AIDET) to empower staff rather than add workload.
5. Build a culture of engagement by leading alongside people instead of behind reports.
Presenter
Eva BalBoa
Clinical Nursing Director
UNVIERSITY HEALTH
Eva Balboa is a registered nurse with 33 years of health care experience and has served as a clinical nursing director at University Health for six years. Balboa is new to formal lean methods and is actively applying lean principles in a real-world health care setting, with a focus on people-centric leadership and meaningful connection at the frontline.
Clinical Nursing Director
UNVIERSITY HEALTH
Eva Balboa is a registered nurse with 33 years of health care experience and has served as a clinical nursing director at University Health for six years. Balboa is new to formal lean methods and is actively applying lean principles in a real-world health care setting, with a focus on people-centric leadership and meaningful connection at the frontline.
Katherine Manuel-Reyes
Sr. Vice-President, Pre-Acute Services/Physician Network
UNVIERSITY HEALTH
Bio coming soon
Sr. Vice-President, Pre-Acute Services/Physician Network
UNVIERSITY HEALTH
Bio coming soon
TAGS
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People-centric leadership
Level: Beginner
