Lean Archives | Gemba Academy

GA 640 | Optimistic Fear with Cornelia Choe

By Jessica Bush - July 9th, 2026

Most leaders think their biggest risk is making the wrong call. Cornelia Choe argues the real danger comes earlier, when a leader stops questioning the mental map they’re using to make calls in the first place. In her book The Pa

Your Response Is Always a Choice

By Ron Pereira - July 8th, 2026

Every day presents leaders with situations they can't control. What they can control is how they respond. Inspired by Viktor Frankl's timeless insight, this article explores why our response, not our circumstances, is one of the most i

The Keys to Developing Lean Leadership

By Alen Ganic - July 4th, 2026

Why Lean Leadership Matters More Than Ever If you have worked in an organization that has practiced Lean for some time, implemented Kaizen events, and introduced employees to Lean tools, you have probably also witnessed one common chal

GA 639 | Putting the Customer First with Slaytor Baldwin

By Jessica Bush - July 2nd, 2026

A suppressor manufacturer in Utah started its lean transformation about a year ago. Twelve months later, inventory turns had doubled, changeover time dropped from 3.5 hours to 9 minutes, and a rollout planned for a year got compressed

The Boy in the Back of the Bus

By Ron Pereira - July 1st, 2026

A simple invitation on a school bus changed my life forever. Inspired by the movie Wonder, this personal story explores why kindness may be one of the most overlooked leadership principles in Lean.

GA 638 | Separating Risk from Being Reckless with George Barrios

By Jessica Bush - June 25th, 2026

Confidence and arrogance can look identical from the outside. George Barrios has spent a career in rooms where the difference mattered, from running a semiconductor division at 29 to co-leading a $20 billion merger between WWE a

The Most Dangerous Improvement Project

By Ron Pereira - June 24th, 2026

Lean and Six Sigma practitioners are experts at improving processes, but often overlook the most important process of all: the conversation happening in their own minds. Discover how negative self-talk can influence performance and how

GA 637 | Developing Organizational Maturity with Norman Wolfe

By Jessica Bush - June 18th, 2026

Most organizations have the systems. They have the processes, the KPIs, the structured meetings, the strategic plans. And they are still stuck. Norman Wolfe has spent decades helping leadership teams understand why, and the answer keep

It Started with a Grey Bedsheet

By Ron Pereira - June 17th, 2026

Gemba Academy’s first “studio” was a spare bedroom with a grey bedsheet backdrop. This story is a reminder that meaningful work rarely starts perfectly. It starts when we stop waiting and begin.

Why Lean Leaders Should Stop Solving Problems for Their Teams

By Ricky Banks - June 12th, 2026

The Lean Leader Trap Many leaders earn promotions because they are excellent problem-solvers. They understand the process, know the business, and can quickly find solutions when challenges arise. When a customer issue surfaces, equipme

Are You Too Old to Learn Something New?

By Ron Pereira - June 10th, 2026

The biggest barriers to growth are often the stories we tell ourselves. Learn how self-limiting beliefs shape performance, leadership, and continuous improvement.

Lean Leadership and the Broken Windows of Culture

By John Knotts - June 5th, 2026

Over the years, I have spent a great deal of time researching leadership accountability, organizational culture, and the causes of toxic leadership. Along the way, I encountered a concept known as the Broken Windows Theory. While the t

GA 635 | Emotions Are Not the Enemy with D. Earl Johnston

By Jessica Bush - June 4th, 2026

Most continuous improvement practitioners are trained to prize logic and treat emotion as noise in the system. D. Earl Johnston spent nine years and thousands of research hours across twelve disciplines discovering that framing is back

What the Best Problem Solvers Know About Suffering

By Ron Pereira - June 3rd, 2026

Continuous improvement teaches us to solve problems, but not every hardship can be fixed. Sometimes the greatest opportunity for growth is learning how to suffer well.

GA 634 | Doubling Profits in 90 Days with Ben Hansen

By Jessica Bush - May 28th, 2026

This week’s guest is Ben Hansen. Ron and Ben discussed how Ben helps companies improve their profit margins, dealing with “profititis,” shifting your focus from revenue to profitability, and more. An MP3 audio version

The Illusion of Someday

By Ron Pereira - May 27th, 2026

Leadership isn't just about metrics and results. It's about investing in people. Discover why respect for people is one of the most important, and misunderstood, principles in Lean leadership.

The Trouble With Averages

By John Knotts - May 22nd, 2026

One of the biggest mistakes in process improvement is believing that the average tells the whole story. For years, process improvement has relied heavily on averages. Average cycle time. Average defect rate. Average wait time. Average

GA 633 | Be Curious and Seek Knowledge with Andy Olrich

By Jessica Bush - May 21st, 2026

This week’s guest is Andy Olrich. Ron and Andy discussed the roles of people and tools in continuous improvement, what NOT to do when building a lean culture, teaching younger generations, and more. An MP3 audio version of this e

Ego: The Quiet Enemy of Leadership

By Ron Pereira - May 20th, 2026

Ego often sounds reasonable in our own heads, but it can become one of the biggest obstacles to growth. Discover why humility and self-awareness are essential leadership skills.

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

Choosing Joy on the Side of I-635

By Ron Pereira - May 13th, 2026

Monday evening was one of those days that felt like a lifetime packed into a few short hours. It started in Steubenville, Ohio, at Franciscan University, where my daughter Brenna graduated from college this past weekend. As a father, t

Start Every Process Improvement Effort with the Primary Metric

By John Knotts - May 8th, 2026

One of the most common mistakes in process improvement projects is also one of the most avoidable. Teams start with ideas. They start with complaints. They start with what they believe is wrong. What they don’t start with is data. An

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

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