Lean Archives | Page 11 of 68

GA 453 | Navigating the Struggle of Learning with Katie Anderson

By Jessica Bush - December 8th, 2022

This week’s guest is Katie Anderson. Ron and Katie met up at the AME conference in Dallas to discuss what Katie’s been up to as well as her book, Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn. Katie also shed some light on her approac

GA 452 | The Power of Transactional Lean with Jen Borden

By Jessica Bush - December 1st, 2022

This week’s guest is Jen Borden. Ron and Jen discussed transactional lean, what it entails, and how you can get started with it. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll

GA 451 | Good and “Evil” in Kata with Scott Laundry and Marc Bicknell

By Jessica Bush - November 24th, 2022

This week’s guests are Scott Laundry and Marc Bicknell. Ron, Scott, and Marc discussed all things kata, including being a good coach and how kata can be “evil.” An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for do

RIP Steve Player, Budget Destroyer

By Kevin Meyer - November 22nd, 2022

We all know a couple people who have changed the direction of our lives and careers, even with very brief interactions. Something they said created an a-ha moment that changed our perspective or provided the catalyst that helped draw

Going To The Electronic Gemba

By John Knotts - November 18th, 2022

Going to Gemba — where the work is done — is a pretty simple concept. Go where the work is being performed and watch what is happening. What happens when the process is all online? Where everything that is happening, is o

GA 450 | Governing the Standard with Billy Taylor

By Jessica Bush - November 17th, 2022

This week’s guest is Billy Taylor. We caught up with Billy at the recent AME conference in Dallas, where he and Ron discussed his book The Winning Link and the concept of governance. Billy also shared some powerful anecdotes we t

GA 449 | Firefighting, Docility, and the Top-Down Approach to Lean with Mike Thelen

By Jessica Bush - November 10th, 2022

This week’s guest is Mike Thelen. Ron and Mike caught up at the recent AME conference in Dallas, where they discussed company culture, the role of docility, and why “firefighters” get promoted instead of leaders. An

GA 448 | Planning an AME Conference with Gregory MacDougall

By Jessica Bush - November 3rd, 2022

This week’s guest is Gregory MacDougall. Gregory’s interview is the first we’re sharing from the recent AME Conference in Dallas. Gregory explained how he chooses keynote speakers, what his health journey has taught h

GA 447 | Reality Fights Back with Trond Undheim

By Jessica Bush - October 27th, 2022

This week’s guest is Trond Undheim. Ron and Trond discussed Trond’s book Augmented Lean, and his thoughts on automation and technology. He and Ron also each shared their stance on social media and its effects on humanity. A

The Good Karma of Lean

By Kevin Meyer - October 24th, 2022

Our Gemba Academy team was at The Association for Manufacturing Excellence annual conference in Dallas last week, the largest lean conference in the world. By all accounts it was a great success, with over a thousand people excited a

Making Big Problems Into Little Problems

By John Knotts - October 21st, 2022

Over the last couple of months, I have talked about how the Process Improvement Project is different than just a regular Project. This is because, when you start a process improvement project, you do not know what is really happening

GA 446 | From “Here” to “There” in Leadership with Alex Judd

By Jessica Bush - October 20th, 2022

This week’s guest is Alex Judd. Alex explained his growth-oriented approach to leadership and coaching, and even gave Ron some parenting advice. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode

GA 445 | Ventura County’s Lean Journey with Paul Stamper

By Jessica Bush - October 13th, 2022

This week’s guest is Paul Stamper. Paul shared how lean has helped Ventura County improve its processes and how continuous improvement can bring positive change to government and service environments in general. An MP3 audio vers

GA 444 | Navigating Volatility with Patrick Dippel

By Jessica Bush - October 6th, 2022

This week’s guest is Patrick Dippel. Ron and Patrick talked about volatility and how leaders and organizations everywhere can deal with uncertain times. Patrick also explained the merits of on-demand labor and how his website Ver

Lean, Chess, and Techno-Solutionism

By Kevin Meyer - September 30th, 2022

Those of us somewhat interested in chess, or perhaps curious thanks to blockbuster shows like The Queen’s Gambit, have been following the chaos in the world of grandmaster-level chess, particularly the feud between world champion

GA 443 | Telling Stories and Making Meaning with Jamie Dixon

By Jessica Bush - September 29th, 2022

This week’s guest is Jamie Dixon. Ron and Jamie talked all about the power of storytelling, and how it’s done correctly. Jamie also specifically explained what the three ingredients of stories are. An MP3 audio version of

A Simple Plan for Starting Your Lean Journey

By Steve Kane - September 23rd, 2022

There are many ways to lead a continuous improvement journey in an organization. A frequent question we get at Gemba Academy is, “Where do I start?” One strategy is to simply start eliminating pain-points in processes. R

GA 442 | Getting Decisions That Stick with Kurt Neubek

By Jessica Bush - September 22nd, 2022

This week’s guest is Kurt Neubek. Kurt explained how lean is used in the Design and Construction industries, and the differences between virtual and in-person dynamics. He and Ron also discussed navigating biases. An MP3 audio ve

How The Project Charter Evolves

By John Knotts - September 16th, 2022

A Project Charter is a contract that clearly explains what the process improvement project is all about, while also clearly stating when the team intends to accomplish the objectives of the project. The Project Charter should be carefu

GA 441 | Strategic Visioning with Deondra Wardelle

By Jessica Bush - September 15th, 2022

This week’s guest is Deondra Wardelle. Deondra, a keynote panelist at the upcoming AME Conference, talked to Ron about her consulting work and strategic visioning. They also discussed kata and the future of lean. An MP3 audio ver

GA 440 | Engagement, Education, and Recognition with Tom Hughes

By Jessica Bush - September 8th, 2022

This week’s guest is Tom Hughes. Ron and Tom discussed how culture and standards coexist in lean, and why it’s so important to be candid. Tom also shared some great anecdotes and lean wisdom. An MP3 audio version of this ep

GA 439 | Collecting and Interpreting Data with John Knotts

By Jessica Bush - September 1st, 2022

This week’s guest is John Knotts. Ron and John talked all about data, how to approach it, and what tools John recommends. John also expanded on the concept of “being the rock.” An MP3 audio version of this ep

GA 438 | The Importance of Understanding People with Brent Weichers

By Jessica Bush - August 25th, 2022

This week’s guest is Brent Weichers. Brent explained how his organization has made real changes to improve the lives of the employees. He also shared what he’ll be presenting at this year’s AME conference. An MP3 audi

Root Cause to Solution Identification Simplified

By John Knotts - August 19th, 2022

The one thing that differentiates process improvement projects from regular projects and project management is the methodical way a process improvement practitioner arrives at the root cause and then devises solutions or countermeasure

GA 437 | Virtual Training with Steve Kane

By Jessica Bush - August 18th, 2022

This week’s guest is Steve Kane. Ron and Steve discussed the benefits and challenges of virtual training. Steve also explained the trends in virtual training he’s observed recently. An MP3 audio version of this episode is a

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