Leadership

878 Articles

GA 302 | Continuous Improvement at Halliburton with Chris Rodriguez

By Jessica Bush - January 16th, 2020

This week’s guest is Chris Rodriguez, Continuous Improvement Lead at Halliburton. Chris described their journey, including some of the lessons they’ve learned. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download h

GA 301 | Navigating Lean Trends with Karen Martin

By Jessica Bush - January 9th, 2020

This week’s guest is Karen Martin. Karen described some of the lean trends she’s observed, and how we can best prepare for and learn from them. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this epi

GA 300 | Leadership, Teamwork, and Taking Flight with Richard Sheridan

By Jessica Bush - January 2nd, 2020

We’re celebrating our 300th episode by sitting down with Richard Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations. Ron and Richard discussed the company’s unique culture, the similarities between flying an airplane and running a business

GA 299 | Lean and Strategy in the U.S. Air Force with Reza Zeinalpour

By Jessica Bush - December 26th, 2019

This week’s guest is Reza Zeinalpour. Ron and Reza talked about applying continuous improvement in the U.S. Air Force, including how they integrate performance metrics, innovation, and virtual reality. A MP3 audio version of this

GA 298 | Defining Standardized Work with Mike Thelen

By Jessica Bush - December 19th, 2019

This week’s guest is Mike Thelen. Ron and Mike explored all things standardized work, including the components, how often it should be improved, and more. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In thi

GA 297 | The Importance of Hansei and Revitalization with Katie Anderson

By Jessica Bush - December 12th, 2019

This week’s guest is Katie Anderson. Katie described what it’s like working with former Toyota leader Mr. Isao Yoshino, and why the practices of reflection and revitalization are so critical. A MP3 audio version of this epi

GA 296 | How Toyota Uses Agile with Nigel Thurlow

By Jessica Bush - December 5th, 2019

This week’s guest is Nigel Thurlow.  At the time of this recording Nigel was Chief of Agile at Toyota Connected. He has since moved on from Toyota Connected.  Nigel explained how Toyota has used agile, and why it’s so imp

Leading Lean from the Middle of the Organization

By Steve Kane - November 22nd, 2019

This article was originally posted a couple of years ago.  Questions about getting other people to change their thinking come up fairly regularly, so I thought I’d revisit the topic here. A common struggle in the lean community

GA 294 | Using Improv to Improve with Mary Lemmer

By Jessica Bush - November 21st, 2019

This week’s guest is Mary Lemmer. Mary leveraged her unique background in improv comedy and entrepreneurship to create a fun and effective training methodology that has helped countless organizations overcome all kinds of obstacl

GA 293 | Approaching the Certification Process with Craig Johnson

By Jessica Bush - November 14th, 2019

This week’s guest is Craig Johnson. Ron and Craig discussed the learning and development realm of continuous improvement, as well as the pros and cons to various certification approaches. A MP3 audio version of this episode is av

Question Yourself

By Kevin Meyer - November 8th, 2019

One of my favorite websites, Brain Pickings, recently turned 13. The reason it’s a favorite is because it offers content that is challenging intellectually – but not to the point of not making sense to humble minds like min

GA 292 | The Financial Impact of Continuous Improvement with Ron Pereira

By Jessica Bush - November 7th, 2019

This week, Ron Pereira reflects on a blog post by fellow Gemba Academy Co-Founder Jon Miller. Ron reads the blog post, which centers on the financial benefits of continuous improvement, and then adds some thoughts of his own. A MP3 aud

You’re Not the Hero

By Ron Pereira - November 1st, 2019

We continuous improvement practitioners have much to learn from the movie business. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the “storytelling formula” may be one of the most important things we lean thinkers can learn. Most good mo

GA 291 | Understanding Your Suppliers with Denise Meredith

By Jessica Bush - October 31st, 2019

This week’s guest is Denise Meredith. Ron and Denise discussed everything from working with suppliers, to casket manufacturing, to automation. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode yo

GA 290 | The Danger of Being Right with Thomas Frase

By Jessica Bush - October 24th, 2019

This week’s guest is Thomas Frase. Ron and Thomas discussed why you should be careful being right, and some of the best ways to positively influence and connect with people. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for do

GA 289 | Combining TWI and Process Behavior Analysis with Panos Efsta

By Jessica Bush - October 17th, 2019

This week’s guest is Panos Efsta. Ron and Panos discussed how TWI and process behavior analysis can be integrated to create a powerful, holistic approach to continuous improvement. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available

GA 288 | Adapting to Industry 4.0 with Luke Mullins

By Jessica Bush - October 10th, 2019

This week’s guest is Luke Mullins. Ron and Luke discussed the concept of Industry 4.0, including the challenges both current and future leaders may face as lean evolves. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for downlo

GA 287 | The Wheel of Sustainability with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - October 3rd, 2019

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Adam explained the Wheel of Sustainability model he developed to help individuals and organizations sustain their improvement efforts. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for downl

GA 286 | Lean and Robotic Process Automation with Saif Arshad

By Jessica Bush - September 26th, 2019

This week’s guest is Saif Arshad. Saif works for S&P Global, and he shared how they use lean thinking to improve their processes. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’l

GA 284 | Continuous Improvement in the Fast Food Industry with David Reid

By Jessica Bush - September 12th, 2019

This week’s guest is David Reid. David is a Principal Team Leader at Chick-fil-A, and he shared some of the many ways they’ve incorporated lean into their day-to-day operations.  A MP3 audio version of this episode is avai

GA 283 | Leveraging the Spirit of Learning with Ryan McCall

By Jessica Bush - September 5th, 2019

This week’s guest is Ryan McCall. Ryan shared some of what he’s learned so far on his lean journey and got Ron to weigh in on some of the interpersonal issues that can arise when experimenting with new lean approaches. A MP

GA 282 | Toyota Kata and Scientific Thinking with Mike Rother

By Jessica Bush - August 29th, 2019

This week we’re sharing a keynote by Mike Rother. Recorded at KataCon5, Mike stresses the value of scientific thinking and Toyota Kata, touching on specific tools like deliberate practice as well. A MP3 audio version of this epis

Reframe Your Thinking

By Steve Kane - August 23rd, 2019

Part of my role at Gemba Academy is to coach customers along their continuous improvement journey.  Coaching sessions are typically brief phone conversations that help clients continually realign their efforts with organizational goal

GA 281 | Building an Online Community of Practice with Katie Anderson and Karyn Ross

By Jessica Bush - August 22nd, 2019

This week our guests are Katie Anderson and Karyn Ross. Katie and Karyn explained how they’ve developed their K2C2 initiative, which seeks to build collaborative online communities of practice. A MP3 audio version of this episode

GA 280 | The Values and Principles of Agile with Samuel Parra

By Jessica Bush - August 15th, 2019

This week’s guest is Samuel Parra. Ron and Samuel delved into all things Agile, including how it overlaps with lean. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn:  The qu

Start your improvement training today.