Gemba Academy Blog

Occam’s Razor and Lean Thinking

By Ron Pereira - April 8th, 2026

Why Project Management Skills Are Essential for Everyone

By John Knotts - April 1st, 2026

Why Proper Root Cause Analysis Matters

By John Knotts - April 8th, 2026

The post below was written by Gemba Academy Master Black Belt Candidate Noah Waech. Noah was also recently on our podcast. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us, Noah!   Root cause analysis can be one of the simplest and mo

Is the Universe Working Against You, or For You?

By Ron Pereira - April 1st, 2026

Do Buffalo Really Run Toward Storms?

By Ron Pereira - March 25th, 2026



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Latest Posts

Why Proper Root Cause Analysis Matters

By John Knotts - April 8th, 2026

The post below was written by Gemba Academy Master Black Belt Candidate Noah Waech. Noah was also recently on our podcast. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us, Noah!   Root cause analysis can be one of the simplest and mo

Occam’s Razor and Lean Thinking

By Ron Pereira - April 8th, 2026

Occam’s Razor is a principle that dates back to the 14th century and is attributed to the English Franciscan friar and philosopher William of Ockham. It simply says: When multiple explanations exist, start with the simplest one. Not

Why Project Management Skills Are Essential for Everyone

By John Knotts - April 1st, 2026

When people think about process improvement, they often think about approaches and tools. Things like Value Stream Mapping, Root Cause Analysis, Control Charts, DMAIC, Fishbone Diagram, etc. But here’s the truth: Process improvement

Is the Universe Working Against You, or For You?

By Ron Pereira - April 1st, 2026

I want you to imagine it’s Monday morning and you’re on your way to work. Everything’s going as well as can be expected in rush hour until, out of nowhere, some guy cuts right in front of you, causing you to slam on y

Do Buffalo Really Run Toward Storms?

By Ron Pereira - March 25th, 2026

You may have heard the story before. When a storm rolls across the plains, buffalo don’t run away from it…they run into it. The idea is that by facing the storm head-on, they get through it faster than if they tried to outrun it. I

The Unglamorous Power of Routine

By Ron Pereira - March 18th, 2026

You might be wondering about the picture I chose for this article. Obviously, it’s nothing fancy, just a pair of shoes sitting on a gym bag. But to me, this image represents something very important: the quiet, unglamorous power

The Hidden Enemy of Continuous Improvement

By Ron Pereira - March 11th, 2026

If you’ve been practicing continuous improvement long enough, you’ve almost certainly heard one, possibly all, of these statements: We tried that before. That won’t work here. We’re different. Management won’t approve it. Tha

Theory of Constraints: Why Improving Everything Fails

By Alen Ganic - March 10th, 2026

The Common Improvement Trap When an organization struggles to increase output or throughput, it sometimes falls into a common improvement trap. Leaders communicate the need to increase performance, and teams respond by trying to improv

Why Working Longer Often Leads to Getting Less Done

By Ron Pereira - March 4th, 2026

It seems logical that if you want to accomplish more, you should work longer. More hours should equal more output, right? Interestingly enough, at least for me, I’ve often experienced the opposite. There have been times when I spend

What Is Leader Standard Work?

By Alen Ganic - February 13th, 2026

Results or Process: Two Very Different Leadership Styles The traditional leadership style focuses on results and doing whatever it takes to achieve them. For years, this approach has shaped how organizations operate. Even today, when s

A Snowstorm, A System Failure, A Leadership Lesson

By Alen Ganic - January 8th, 2026

When the System Fails, Blame Follows Recently, in several European countries, government leadership was surprised by the amount of snowfall they received. Their staff was surprised as well. For years, these regions had not experienced

Lean in Government Is Possible

By Alen Ganic - December 11th, 2025

Last week, I had the honor of serving as a keynote speaker at one of the largest Lean conferences in Europe. As soon as I stepped off the stage, I was reminded just how universal the challenges of leadership, operations, and continuous

Will It Make the Boat Go Faster?

By Ron Pereira - December 3rd, 2025

Every year around this time, I find myself reflecting on what truly matters for organizational success. What actually moves us forward versus what just keeps us busy. And recently, one powerful metaphor keeps coming back to me: rowing.

Introduction to Gemba Academy

By Alen Ganic - December 1st, 2025

  What Do We Do? We provide training to organizations on their continuous improvement journey.  Whether you’re just starting out or have been practicing this for years, we help you find waste in your processes and solve pro

The Role of a Lean Leader

By Alen Ganic - November 13th, 2025

Understanding the True Role of a Lean Leader The key role of a lean leader is to develop others, not to manage people or their tasks. To develop team members, the lean leader must have a deep understanding of the work their team does.

Leading Through the Paradox: Lessons from James Stockdale

By Ron Pereira - November 6th, 2025

The older I get, the more I find myself reflecting on the many lessons I’ve learned both professionally and, especially, personally. One of these lessons is realizing that the toughest leadership and personal growth moments often com

Adaptive Leadership in an Ever-Changing World

By Ricky Banks - October 21st, 2025

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls, others build windmills.” As leaders, we can resist and maintain a singular leadership style, or we can adapt to meet the changing ne

From Struggle to Strength: Lessons Learned on the Lean Leadership Journey

By Alen Ganic - October 21st, 2025

What Every New Lean Leader Should Expect Have you ever faced challenges as a leader when you were promoted for the first time and suddenly found yourself responsible for guiding a team? Maybe you’re currently in a Lean leadership rol

Continuous Improvement Eliminates Excess Overtime

By Ricky Banks - October 21st, 2025

For decades, overtime has been treated in many organizations as a “badge of honor.” It signals a sign of dedication and sacrifice to “get the job done.” Leaders often view it as a necessary tool to meet deadlines and maintain b

Do Hard Things

By Ron Pereira - October 20th, 2025

There’s an ancient story about Odysseus and the island of the Lotus Eaters. When Odysseus and his men arrived there, they were offered lotus flowers that made them forget their purpose. Those who ate the lotus lost their desire t

The Discipline of Presence: Lessons from My Son and Eminem

By Ron Pereira - October 15th, 2025

Have you ever caught yourself sitting at the dinner table…physically there, but mentally still stuck in a meeting, an email thread, or tomorrow’s to-do list? Yeah, me too. It’s easy to live life half-present these days. Our bodie

Micromanagement Is Not Respect for People

By John Knotts - October 8th, 2025

Micromanagement is one of the most common leadership pitfalls in the workplace. According to a survey by staffing agency Accountemps, 59% of employees reported having worked under a micromanager. Most managers do not set out to be micr

Cold Plunges and Continuous Improvement: Growth in Discomfort

By Ron Pereira - October 1st, 2025

I’ve been doing cold plunges for the last few weeks. If you’re not familiar with the process, here’s how it works. I jump into 50-degree (Fahrenheit) water and sit for a few minutes. If you’ve ever done a cold plunge, y

Developing People into Problem Solvers

By Alen Ganic - September 26th, 2025

Many organizations today struggle with high turnover, difficulty retaining talent, and constant firefighting. Day after day, leaders and teams are consumed by urgent issues, leaving little or no time to focus on solving problems in a s

What Is the Lean Practitioner Program and Why It Matters

By Alen Ganic - September 17th, 2025

Lean methodology is spreading worldwide because organizations are seeing the powerful benefits of introducing Lean into their work environments. In today’s fast-changing world, the ability to continuously improve is no longer optiona

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