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Ron Pereira

Ron Pereira is a co-founder and the Managing Director of Gemba Academy and has more than 30 years of experience helping organizations improve performance through Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement. Prior to starting Gemba Academy, Ron served in a variety of manufacturing, supply chain, and leadership roles, including process engineer, engineering manager, Master Black Belt, and director of manufacturing and continuous improvement. Today, Ron works with leaders around the world to develop problem-solving capabilities, strengthen leadership, and build cultures where continuous improvement thrives. Through his writing, podcast interviews, and educational programs, he shares practical insights that help organizations achieve lasting operational excellence.

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755 Articles

This is the worst it’s ever been

By Ron Pereira - February 10th, 2011

I’m typically a glass is half full kind of guy. But I also believe the phrase “This is the worst it’s ever been…” just may be the mission statement successful people and organizations live by.  You se

Does Master Yoda Wisdom Contradict Lean Thinking?

By Ron Pereira - February 4th, 2011

In this famous Star Wars Dagobah swamp scene Master Yoda challenges Luke to raise his sunken starfighter with the power of his mind. I’ll Try Luke replies like many of us might when he says, “I’ll try.” Master Yoda then sco

Practice Makes Champions

By Ron Pereira - January 31st, 2011

A few months ago I wrote about my soccer coaching experiences with my daughter’s U7 team. To conclude that article I mentioned we were about to start playing indoor soccer. Well, that indoor season ended Friday night… and I’m hap

Applying Lean at a Food Bank

By Ron Pereira - January 24th, 2011

** Updated Jan 13, 2017 ** It seems the original video linked in this blog article has been removed.  Not to worry, we found another great video for you to enjoy! ** Original Post Below ** Hat tip to my friend, and business partner, K

Standardization Video

By Ron Pereira - January 16th, 2011

This video focuses on the extremely important topic of Standardization. It’s also the first video of Gemba Academy’s latest course focused entirely on the lean concept of Standard Work. To learn more about this Standard Wor

My Take on Lean and Six Sigma Certifications

By Ron Pereira - January 13th, 2011

A few days ago I posed the question about whether exam based lean six sigma certifications were legitimate or frauds. As usual, many of you came through with excellent thoughts and comments. Some of you supported the idea, others argu

Exam Based Six Sigma Certifications – Legit or Fraud?

By Ron Pereira - January 12th, 2011

The topic of Lean and Six Sigma Certification is one of the most debated topics in the continuous improvement world. And since I’m never one to shy away from some good old-fashioned debate… I’d like to present the fol

The Best of LSS Academy – 2010 Edition

By Ron Pereira - January 4th, 2011

As we welcome 2011 with open arms I thought I’d take this opportunity to reflect back on the year that was. In 2010 LSS Academy grew far faster than I could have ever expected as we reached more than 11,000 subscribers. Thank you! An

Why Hoshin Kanri?

By Ron Pereira - January 3rd, 2011

In this article we’ll continue our hoshin kanri series. In part 1 of this series we learned what the words hoshin kanri mean… so be sure to check that out if you haven’t already. Let’s Set Some Objectives! As we start 2011 many

Merry Christmas!

By Ron Pereira - December 24th, 2010

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year!   And if you haven’t already heard  it, I’d recommend you check out “Gemba Clause” over at the Lean Blog!  Enjoy and God Bless!

Hoshin Kanri: Steel, Needles, Tubes, and Logic

By Ron Pereira - December 6th, 2010

Hoshin Kanri. Have you heard of it? If you’ve been around the lean world you likely have. Well, over the coming weeks I plan to cover the highlights of what hoshin kanri is and how you and your organization might best leverage it. In

The Soccer Coach

By Ron Pereira - November 23rd, 2010

I recently completed one of the most humbling experiences of my life… I coached my daughter’s U7 soccer team. The main challenge for me was that I never played soccer growing up. As such, I had a lot of learning to do before I coul

The Problem With Gurus

By Ron Pereira - November 15th, 2010

Gurus really bother me. These gurus come in many different shapes and sizes. They may think they know all there is about lean, or six sigma, or cooking, or coaching a sports team, or raising a family. You see, gurus are everywhere and

6 Ways to Ensure Fear Doesn’t Win

By Ron Pereira - November 8th, 2010

How motivated are you right now? Very? A little? Not much? The honest answer to this question might explain how happy and fulfilled you feel as a person. Let’s explore why this is. Defined, motivation can be said to be the psychologi

Facing Adversity – Ron Washington Style

By Ron Pereira - October 25th, 2010

I live in the Dallas Fort Worth area… as such, I’ve been completely consumed with the excitement of the Texas Rangers making the World Series. And while there are so many amazing story lines with this young team… the aspect I wa

The “Lean Group” Syndrome

By Ron Pereira - October 18th, 2010

I had a recent discussion with a relative who works in a large Chicago based hospital. As it turns out, this particular hospital is attempting to use lean to improve their processes. During our discussion I could tell something wasn’

Hand Washing Conundrum… at a Major Coffee House

By Ron Pereira - October 12th, 2010

I was recently washing my hands inside an establishment that sells coffee. I am not big on calling companies out, especially companies trying to improve… which this company is. Anyhow, after I washed my hands I went to dry them.

Book Review: Kaizen Event Fieldbook

By Ron Pereira - October 8th, 2010

My friend, and fellow lean blogger, Mark Hamel has written one of the most thorough, and Shingo prize winning, lean workbooks I’ve ever read called Kaizen Event Fieldbook: Foundation, Framework, and Standard Work for Effective Even

Free Kaizen Training Video

By Ron Pereira - October 6th, 2010

Here is the first overview video of our latest Gemba Academy course we’re calling The Kaizen Way. My daughters even make an appearance! This new course is focused on all things kaizen – the kaizen event, suggestions systems

Should we Pay for Performance? What do you think?

By Ron Pereira - October 3rd, 2010

Dan, a reader of LSS Academy, recently emailed me this excellent question.  I was hoping to get your help as I formulated a response.  Here is Dan’s question. Ever since I studied process improvement at BYU I learned about E. D

Join us for a Lean and Six Sigma Networking Party in the Seattle area!

By Ron Pereira - September 29th, 2010

Gemba Academy is sponsoring the next iSixSigma Live! Social and Networking Party in the Seattle/Bellevue area. If you live in this part of America please be sure to come out and say hi! Here are the details of the event. Join us for an

I Want to Be Like Benny

By Ron Pereira - September 27th, 2010

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” ~Mother Teresa As I mentioned last week, my Dad is now recovering in a superbly run stroke rehab hospital. This particular hospital has many wonderful attributes. It’s cle

We Have a Long Way to Go

By Ron Pereira - September 24th, 2010

My Dad recently suffered a devastating stroke… as such I traveled to see him this week. When I first arrived he was in a major hospital within a major city within a major country. Yes, I’m being vague so the political jun

10,000 Subscribers – THANK YOU!

By Ron Pereira - September 17th, 2010

I am not a big blog stats guy… I used to be.  I’d check how many people visited the blog every other hour of the day!  Eventually I realized how much time I wasted doing this! But one stat I do follow since, at least to m

3 Soccer Balls on a green soccer field. A soccer goal in the background.

The Making of the 2010 World Cup Soccer Ball

By Ron Pereira - September 16th, 2010

I am coaching my daughter’s U7 soccer team this year and, as such, have been reading as much as I can about the game.  I was a wrestler growing up… never played soccer in my life! Anyhow, I came across this video on how th

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