Leadership

918 Articles

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

GA 279 | The Future of Lean with Olu Amodeni

By Jessica Bush - August 8th, 2019

This week’s guest is Olu Amodeni. Ron and Olu discussed the future of lean, including the roles robots and humans play in manufacturing. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you̵

The Soul of a Company

By Ron Pereira - August 1st, 2019

Creating a strong company mission and vision is an important part of the Hoshin Kanri, or Policy Deployment, process.  All companies should have a vision.  All companies should have a mission.  And these vision and mission statement

GA 278 | Concentrating on Your Mission with Mark Smeets

By Jessica Bush - August 1st, 2019

This week’s guest is Mark Smeets. Mark shared some of the lessons he’s learned about lean over his career thus far, and how it’s inspired him to make changes in his personal life. A MP3 audio version of this episode i

Reflections on a Lean Futuring Discussion

By Steve Kane - July 26th, 2019

Last week I met with a dozen Lean practitioners, leaders, consultants, and advisors for the purpose of understanding where we’re headed as both individuals and as a community.  We had a very deliberate and structured discussion

GA 277 | Analyzing Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering Model with Randy Matusky

By Jessica Bush - July 25th, 2019

This week’s guest is Randy Matusky. Ron and Randy analyzed a change management model called Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering Model, which addresses six different factors that influence human performance. A MP3 audio version o

GA 276 | Using Lean to Enrich Lives with Ben van Asselt

By Jessica Bush - July 18th, 2019

This week’s guest is Ben van Asselt. Ron and Ben discussed the inspiring ways Ben and his team use lean at Lunet Zorg, an organization that provides services for people with intellectual disabilities. A MP3 audio version of this

GA 275 | Leading vs. Serving with Sarah Tilkens

By Jessica Bush - July 11th, 2019

This week’s guest is Sarah Tilkens. A Lean Manufacturing Leader at GE Healthcare, Sarah and Ron discussed the differences between mentoring, coaching, leading, and serving. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for dow

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