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Happy Winter Solstice

By Steve Kane - December 18th, 2015

By Steve Kane I always enjoy the holiday season.  Not only because of the holidays themselves, but also because of the renewed energy I get from ending one year and beginning another.  This is the time to reflect on the year that was

5 Thoughts On Dealing With Leadership Resistance

By Steve Kane - November 20th, 2015

By Steve Kane Gemba Academy recently conducted a one-question survey. The question was “What are you struggling with on your continuous improvement journey?” The most common response was related to dealing with leadership resistanc

Improvement Through Personal Fulfillment

By Steve Kane - October 16th, 2015

By Steve Kane Tony Robbins is well known for his motivational speaking, books, interviews and articles.  A consistent theme in his work is the six human needs. 1. Certainty: assurance you can avoid pain and gain pleasure 2. Uncertaint

Standard Work Saved a Company

By Steve Kane - September 18th, 2015

By Steve Kane I’ve been an aviation enthusiast most of my life. I started flying sailplanes a couple of years ago and recently transitioned to power planes. The first lesson in flying is an introduction to standard work—specifical

Aerofit Fittings - Courtesy of Aerofit.com

AeroFit’s Factory Improvement Team

By Steve Kane - August 21st, 2015

Chris Ferrier, Manufacturing Engineer with AeroFit, was challenged to increase production on a manufacturing line by one part per hour.  While this might sound easy, making it happen isn’t. AeroFit makes fluid fittings for aer

What’s This Thing Called Lean?

By Steve Kane - July 17th, 2015

By Steve Kane My introduction to lean occurred many years ago while working in the motorcycle business.  I went to work for a BMW Motorcycles dealer in California as a parts and accessories specialist.  My job was to sell cool motor

How Do You Fight A Fire With A Garden Hose?

By Steve Kane - June 19th, 2015

By Steve Kane Many years ago, I was visiting a friend’s house in Southern California.  It was a 1950’s ranch style house with a straight walkway from the street to the door.  There was a tall palm tree where the walkway met the s

What Do You Demonstrate and What Do You Tolerate?

By Steve Kane - May 8th, 2015

By Steve Kane I attended the AME Regional Conference in Denver last week and had some great conversations with Lean practitioners from a wide variety of organizations.  It seems the topic of discussion in Lean circles has gravitated a

Showered With Creativity

By Steve Kane - April 17th, 2015

By Steve Kane I spent the this week working from the Gemba Academy studios in Fort Worth, Texas.  During my visit the subject of overburdening came up a couple of times:once in discussion with Gemba Academy’s business developmen

The Value of Less

By Steve Kane - March 24th, 2015

The Wall Street Journal recently reported Porsche is limiting production despite an increase in demand for its vehicles.  Without going into too much detail on the article, the idea is that the brand should remain exclusive in order

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