Lean Archives | Gemba Academy

How Do You Dry Yourself Off?

By Ron Pereira - October 7th, 2026

From time to time, I start blog articles that never see the light of day. This, dear reader, may be one of them, since the topic is…how should I put it? Well, it’s different. You see, today I want to talk about the process

GA 652 | Culture Before Technology with Hessam Vali

By Jessica Bush - October 1st, 2026

Most lean practitioners know the theory of constraints. Fewer apply it before they start fixing things. Hessam Vali, a manufacturing consultant and MES software founder based in Wichita, argues that most improvement efforts fail becaus

Think, Act, Improve: Lessons from As a Man Thinketh

By Ron Pereira - September 30th, 2026

Every few years, I like to work my way through James Allen’s short book, As a Man Thinketh. This time, I listened to it as an audiobook. Each time I work through this classic, I come away with lots of thoughts and feelings. Our T

GA 651 | The Soup Stage of Transformation with Ben Morley

By Jessica Bush - September 24th, 2026

Most resistance to lean is blamed on the wrong thing. Ben Morley, an Air Force pilot turned Lean Six Sigma consultant, argues the tools are never really the problem. The breakdown almost always lives somewhere between leadership buy-in

The Sound of Breaking Glass

By Ron Pereira - September 23rd, 2026

I recently read a story I can’t stop thinking about. In 1903 a young boy in central Illinois was serving as an altar server at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria, Illinois. And this wasn’t any ordinary service. The local

GA 650 | Train It Before You Trust It with David Osagie-Igiehon

By Jessica Bush - September 17th, 2026

Most continuous improvement practitioners are using AI the same way they use Google, and getting roughly the same quality of results. David Osagie-Igiehon has taken a different approach. He builds custom agents trained on lean principl

Nobody Washes a Rental Car

By Ron Pereira - September 16th, 2026

Quick question…have you ever washed a rental car before returning it? If you’re anything like me, the answer is almost certainly “of course not.” Most people wouldn’t bother washing a rental car for one si

GA 649 | Accountability Starts in the Mirror with Michael Caito

By Jessica Bush - September 10th, 2026

Most organizations have a strategy. Far fewer can actually execute one. Michael Caito built and sold a food delivery business decades before DoorDash existed, then spent years helping other companies close the gap between where leaders

You Are Not Standing Still

By Ron Pereira - September 9th, 2026

If you’re in a safe space and physically able…I’d like you to try something. Stand up, tilt your head back, and stand on your non-dominant foot (with your other foot off the ground). Easy enough, right? Most people ca

GA 648 | Discovering Lean in High School with Ted Pendergrass

By Jessica Bush - September 3rd, 2026

Most lean practitioners spend their careers trying to change the minds of adults who have been doing things the same way for decades. Ted Pendergrass decided to start earlier. Over 20 years coordinating a career technical education pro

The Peculiar Longevity of Things Not So Bad

By Ron Pereira - September 2nd, 2026

I recently listened to a sermon by Fr. Mike Schmitz where he brought up something called the Region Beta Paradox. I had never heard of it before…but haven’t stopped thinking about it since! Here’s the idea in its orig

How to Use Hoshin Kanri to Turn Strategy Into Action

By Alen Ganic - August 31st, 2026

Why Do Organizations Struggle to Turn Strategy Into Action? Most organizations do not struggle to create strategies. They struggle to turn strategy into action. Organizations often develop ambitious strategic plans, long-term goals, an

The Space Between Trigger and Response

By Ron Pereira - August 26th, 2026

The Multiple Perspective Advantage helps us step back, observe our emotional reactions, and respond with greater intention. This simple practice can improve leadership, problem solving, and psychological safety.

Lean Digitalization: Improve the Process Before You Digitize It

By Alen Ganic - August 24th, 2026

Technology Does Not Make a Process Lean We live in a time when technology, AI, automation, and digital tools are advancing at an incredible pace. Because of this, it can be tempting for organizations to believe that implementing the la

GA 646 | Connect Before You Correct with Royden Johnson and Luc van Merrienboer

By Jessica Bush - August 20th, 2026

Culture shapes how people receive change, and nowhere is that clearer than on a shop floor where history, language, and moral authority all sit alongside the 5S board. Royden Johnson and Luc van Merrienboer bring two distinct lenses to

Kindness at Work: A Different Kind of Continuous Improvement

By Ron Pereira - August 19th, 2026

Could you ever imagine voluntarily giving one of your kidneys to a complete stranger? As it turns out, there are people who do exactly that. These extraordinary altruists go through surgery, willingly accept the pain and risk that come

GA 645 | Why Leadership Is Failing with Keith Wyche

By Jessica Bush - August 13th, 2026

Trust in leadership has been declining for decades, and Keith Wyche has the research to prove it. A 40-year veteran of AT&T, IBM, and Walmart, Keith opened up to us about a few mistakes he’s made in his career. The real conve

Stop Worrying and Start Problem Solving

By Ron Pereira - August 12th, 2026

Worry is one of the least productive uses we can make of our minds. It’s also one of the least pleasant. I know this because I’ve struggled with worry throughout my life. Of course, this doesn’t imply we never have good reaso

GA 644 | Defining Propaganda with Owen Fitzpatrick

By Jessica Bush - August 6th, 2026

Most leaders assume that the right argument, delivered clearly, will change minds. Owen Fitzpatrick has spent 30 years studying why that assumption is wrong. A psychologist who has worked inside some of the world’s most extreme p

Will We Remember How To Think?

By Ron Pereira - August 5th, 2026

AI tools can help us write, think, cook, work, and even parent better. But as we become increasingly dependent on them, are we slowly losing our ability to think for ourselves?

GA 643 | Asking Better Questions with Kabrina Ashley

By Jessica Bush - July 30th, 2026

Most organizations say they want high performers, yet quietly punish them for being too valuable to lose. Kabrina Ashley, a coach and behavioral science practitioner based in Nashville, makes the case that the real barriers to change,

What Spills Out When the Pressure Is On?

By Ron Pereira - July 29th, 2026

What happens when your organization faces unexpected pressure? The response often reveals and amplifies the habits, relationships, and leadership behaviors that shape its culture.

Be Where Your Feet Are

By Ron Pereira - July 22nd, 2026

If you walk through almost any workplace, you’ll likely see it. A supervisor is talking with an employee while glancing at their phone. A manager attends a meeting but is already preparing for the next one. A leader conducts a Gemba

GA 641 | What Makes a Good Teammate with Eric Reveno

By Jessica Bush - July 16th, 2026

Most organizations spend enormous energy developing leaders and almost none developing teammates. Stanford Associate Head Men’s Basketball Coach Eric Reveno has spent 30 years watching what actually determines whether a team wins

Why Some Leaders Grow Wiser

By Ron Pereira - July 15th, 2026

Experience alone doesn't produce wisdom. The leaders who continue to grow are the ones who intentionally seek lessons in every success, setback, and conversation. Here's why curiosity and reflection may be two of a leader's greatest st

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