Shingo Institute Honors Leading Excellence: 5 Hats of the Adaptive Leader with Prestigious Shingo Publication Award
January 22, 2026 – the Shingo Institute
Shingo Institute Honors Leading Excellence: 5 Hats of the Adaptive Leader with Prestigious Shingo Publication Award
LOGAN, Utah—January 22, 2026—The Shingo Institute, a program of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, is proud to announce that Leading Excellence: 5 Hats of the Adaptive Leader has been selected to receive the Shingo Publication Award, recognizing its significant contribution to advancing organizational excellence.
Authored by Chris Butterworth, Stephen Dargan, and Brad Jeavons, Leading Excellence offers a compelling and practical guide for leaders—and aspiring leaders—across industries. The book explores the mindsets and behaviors leaders need to cultivate successful organizations rooted in trust, purpose, and people-centric culture.
“This book embodies the principles at the heart of organizational excellence,” said Ken Snyder, Executive Director of the Shingo Institute. “Its focus on developing adaptive, intentional leadership aligns closely with the Shingo Model and provides readers with actionable guidance for building systems and cultures where people thrive.”
Drawing on decades of leadership experience, the authors offer stories, insights, and practical tools to help leaders adapt to various contexts and individual needs. The book provides clear guidance on when and how to shift leadership styles to build resilient, high‑performing organizations using the 5 Hats of Adaptive Leaders framework. Filled with relatable examples and actionable habits, Leading Excellence equips leaders at any level to make immediate, positive impacts on themselves, their teams, and their workplace culture.
The significance of Leading Excellence is reflected not only in its insights but also in the voices of those who have benefited from its teachings:
Leading Excellence is a must read for any leader or aspiring leader, no matter what type of organization they are in. Whether that’s the corporate, sporting, or not-for-profit world, this book provides a framework and gives a hands-on practical guide to help leaders develop their skills to help drive a high performing sustainable culture in the organization through leading by example, collaboration, and teamwork. There are many leadership books out there; however, this one gives the reader a step-by-step guide on how to be more effective as an adaptive leader.
Pádraig Harrington, Ryder Cup Captain, 2024 World Golf Hall of Fame
Leading Excellence is a must read for any leader wanting to improve their effectiveness. There are great books on organizational leadership, but this one fills a gap as a resource for “Individual Leadership.” The practical, how-to, principle-based step—including actions and behaviors—will improve your relationship with those your lead and serve and render the business results that you and your organization need.
Mike Hoseus, Co-Author of Shingo Award-winning book Toyota Culture, Executive Director, Center for Quality People and Organisations, Former Executive Toyota Motor Manufacturing
The power of this book, Leading Excellence, truly resonates with you. It supports your own knowledge and challenges you to grow through its insightful structure—to know your own true purpose and how to develop others as part of what true leaders must do every day. Its relevancy comes through respecting how it is written, by leaders of practiced and life experiences, with purpose, insight, and currentness in leading excellence.
Kieran Noonan, Shingo Institute Executive Board Member, Chairman of the Irish Centre for Business Excellence, Abbott Global Operations & Opex Leader
Healthcare is arguably the most complex sociotechnical system on the planet, yet we frequently focus on the technical elements, paying insufficient attention to the social factors. Leading Excellence prioritizes the social aspect, highlighting its critical role in the overall system and providing leaders with an easy-to-follow handbook on developing flourishing people and organizations.
Skip Steward, VP, CIO Baptist Memorial Healthcare
I highly recommend Leading Excellence to anyone committed to the pursuit of leadership excellence. It is a vital resource that promises not only to guide but also to inspire its readers to new heights of achievement. Explore its pages and find the inspiration to transform not just your approach to leadership, but your entire vision of what it means to lead.
Dr Jeff Sutherland, Inventor and Co-Creator of Scrum, Top Gun in the US Air Force, Former VP of Engineering and CTO or CEO of 11 software companies
The Shingo Publication Award, one of the most respected honors in the field of organizational excellence, recognizes authors whose work significantly advances leadership and cultural transformation worldwide. Chris Butterworth, Stephen Dargan, and Brad Jeavons exemplify this with Leading Excellence: 5 Hats of the Adaptive Leader. Through their practical and adaptive approach to leadership, the authors offer tools that foster resilience, continuous learning, and people‑centered cultures capable of sustaining excellence.
The authors will be formally presented with the award at the Shingo Connect Awards Gala in San Diego, CA, on March 19, 2026. Shingo Connect features workshops, site tours, keynotes, and sessions focused on achieving organizational excellence. Learn more at shingo.org/events. To purchase a copy of Leading Excellence or other Shingo publications, visit https://shingo.org/books.
About the Authors
Chris Butterworth brings decades of senior leadership experience from global organizations, including Corus, JCB, ABB, and Jaguar. A member of one of the UK’s earliest Lean transformation teams, he has since led commercial, operations, and continuous improvement efforts across multiple sectors. Chris has helped organizations worldwide apply Lean thinking in diverse environments, such as education, financial services, defense, and nonprofit settings.
A frequent international speaker and published author, he has taught executive programs at leading business schools and coached leadership teams at all levels.
Brad Jeavons helps leaders and organizations achieve sustainable growth and performance, fostering a better future. He supports organizations of all sizes in leading excellence, creating cultures of aligned continuous improvement and innovation at all levels. Host of the Enterprise Excellence Podcast and Community and the solo-author of another book “Agile Sales,” Brad is also a certified trainer and coach in Lean Six Sigma and the Agile Education Program.
Stephen Dargan is an accomplished executive leader with over 20+ years expertise in the mining and financial services sectors across Australia and Ireland. He is a Shingo Institute Alumni, Shingo Facilitator Candidate, and Examiner Candidate. Stephen has built, developed, and led high-performing teams across finance, retail banking, business, commercial banking, and mining.
About the Shingo Institute
The Shingo Institute is home to the Shingo Prize, an award recognizing organizations that demonstrate an exceptional culture fostering continuous improvement. Part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, the Shingo Institute is named after Japanese industrial engineer and Toyota adviser Shigeo Shingo, one of the world's thought leaders in the Toyota Production System.
Drawing from Dr. Shingo’s teachings and years of experience working with organizations worldwide, the Shingo Institute developed the Shingo Model, the basis for its various educational offerings, including workshops, study tours, and conferences. Workshops are available in multiple languages through the Institute's Licensed Affiliates. For more information on workshops and affiliates or to register to attend an event, please visit https://shingo.org.
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