Leadership Archives | Gemba Academy

GA 632 | Performance Unleashed with Chris Libutti

By Jessica Bush - May 14th, 2026

This week’s guest is Chris Libutti. Ron and Chris discussed Chris and his wife Yamila’s book, “Performance Unleashed,” his time in the military, the importance of self-discipline, and more. An MP3 audio version

GA 631 | What We Can Learn from Tetris with Michael Parent

By Jessica Bush - May 7th, 2026

This week’s guest is Michael Parent. Ron and Michael discussed an interesting AI conundrum, the impact that systems and design have on performance, Michael’s Tetris experiment, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode

Elite marathon runners competing in a race, illustrating high performance and endurance

Stop Looking for Faster Runners

By Ron Pereira - May 6th, 2026

A little over a week ago, something happened in the world of marathon running that many thought to be impossible. Two runners broke the two-hour marathon barrier. Not one…two! Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe finished in 1:59:30, just 11 sec

GA 630 | Why Tone Matters with Shahab Shah

By Jessica Bush - April 30th, 2026

This week’s guest is Shahab Shah. Ron and Shahab discussed the importance of balancing human empathy with the demands of reality, why tone matters, first steps for making improvements, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episo

The Angel in the Marble

By Ron Pereira - April 29th, 2026

I recently came across a quote normally attributed to Michelangelo that I can’t stop thinking about. “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Notice he didn’t say he built the angel. Instead,

A New Way to Look at 5S

By John Knotts - April 24th, 2026

Most people think they understand 5S. They associate it with cleaning, organizing, and maybe putting tape on the floor. In many organizations, that is exactly what it becomes. A one-time cleanup event followed by a slow return to the w

GA 629 | Why Leadership Is Like Cooking with Pete Behrens

By Jessica Bush - April 23rd, 2026

This week’s guest is Pete Behrens. Ron and Pete discussed Pete’s book, “Into the Fog,” what it means for leaders to face uncertainty, why leadership is like cooking, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episod

GA 628 | A Factory on Fire: How Lean Saves Lives with Brian Meyers

By Jessica Bush - April 16th, 2026

This week’s guest is Brian Meyers. Ron and Brian discussed the heart-stopping story of how Brian’s facility caught fire, the profound difference lean made in saving it, what “unwavering commitment” means, and mo

GA 627 | Value Stream Mapping on University Campuses with Kristin Kielich

By Jessica Bush - April 9th, 2026

This week’s guest is Kristin Kielich. Ron and Kristin discussed Kristin’s experiences with continuous improvement in education, dealing with resistance, measuring success, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is a

GA 626 | Learning to See Waste with Randall Dupre

By Jessica Bush - April 2nd, 2026

This week’s guest is Randall Dupre. Ron and Randall discussed Randall’s book, “Everyday Lean,” the kinds of mistakes Randall sees people making, what good leadership looks like, his favorite lean principles, and

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

GA 625 | Dealing with Hidden Threats with Dean Svarc

By Jessica Bush - March 26th, 2026

This week’s guest is Dean Svarc. Ron and Dean discussed Dean’s book, “Trojan Horse,” navigating hidden threats, why culture matters, the mistakes leaders make, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is a

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

GA 624 | The Pause, Consider, Act Framework with Ashley Herd

By Jessica Bush - March 19th, 2026

This week’s guest is Ashley Herd. Ron and Ashley discussed Ashley’s Pause, Consider, Act Framework, the concept of a career quilt, micromanagement, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download he

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

GA 623 | The Power of Entropy with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - March 12th, 2026

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam discussed Adam’s Wheel of Sustainability, the importance of continuously improving, what his Sustainability System assessment is trying to solve, and more. An MP3 audio versi

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

GA 622 | The State of AI with Steven Remsen

By Jessica Bush - March 5th, 2026

This week’s guest is Steven Remsen. Ron and Steven discussed Steven’s time at Intel, how to make change “stick” at a large organization, what Steven sees organizations struggling with, the current state of AI, a

GA 621 | The Five Habits of Hope with Dr. Julia Garcia

By Jessica Bush - February 26th, 2026

This week’s guest is Dr. Julia Garcia. Ron and Julia discussed Julia’s book, “The Five Habits of Hope,” the power of resilience, the role hope plays in problem-solving, and more. An MP3 audio version of this epi

GA 620 | Is Your Lean Operating System Talking or Singing? with Royden Johnson

By Jessica Bush - February 19th, 2026

This week’s guest is Royden Johnson. Ron and Royden discussed the concept of a lean operating system talking versus singing, the different phases of the operating system, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is availabl

GA 619 | Don’t Walk By a Mess with Chad Bareither

By Jessica Bush - February 12th, 2026

This week’s guest is Chad Bareither. Ron and Chad discussed making culture changes in the workplace, powerful aspects of Japanese culture, the importance of cleaning up, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available

GA 618 | MORE Is Better with Kathy Miller

By Jessica Bush - February 5th, 2026

This week’s guest is Kathy Miller. Ron and Kathy discussed manufacturing, Kathy’s new book “MORE Is Better,” optimism, psychological safety, and the art of making high-quality connections. An MP3 audio version o

GA 617 | What Alignment Looks Like with Hanna Bauer

By Jessica Bush - January 29th, 2026

This week’s guest is Hanna Bauer. Ron and Hanna discussed the role of emotional intelligence in success, balancing empathy and accountability, navigating love languages, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available

GA 616 | Teaching Lean with Noah Waech

By Jessica Bush - January 22nd, 2026

This week’s guest is Noah Waech. Ron and Noah discussed Noah’s experiences teaching lean, what happens when things don’t go as planned, Value Stream Mapping, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available

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