Lean Archives | Page 18 of 68

When to Stop the Coaching Conversation

By Jon Miller - March 15th, 2021

One of the challenges of being an effective coach is knowing when to stop coaching. After sharing some insight or giving a piece of advice that lands well, it’s natural for a coach to feel good. If we’re not careful, this f

Neuroscience Reframes Aging

By Kevin Meyer - March 12th, 2021

Exactly a year ago my wife and I were in Hawaii and I was trading emails back and forth with a few colleagues speculating on the impact of the virus on our businesses, conferences, and lives. We returned to California the day before

GA 362 | Ethos, Logos, and Pathos in Continuous Improvement with David Larsen

By Jessica Bush - March 11th, 2021

This week’s guest is David Larsen. Ron and David had a great discussion about continuous improvement in both manufacturing and in healthcare. David also shared an interesting case study he worked on to improve employee safety. A

How to Shape Lean Leadership Culture Through Daily Management

By Jon Miller - March 8th, 2021

At the most basic level, a daily management system enables us to know each day whether we are on-track or off-track to meeting our goals. It provides a structure to expose problems and take corrective action. The system includes medium

Lessons Learned From a Flooded Office

By Ron Pereira - March 5th, 2021

As I pulled into the Gemba Academy parking lot Thursday morning, February 18th, I noticed something strange…there was ice everywhere. Now, as you may have heard, Texas was recently blasted with some crazy cold temperatures which

GA 361 | The Role of Entropy in Lean with Luciana Toda

By Jessica Bush - March 4th, 2021

This week’s guest is Luciana Toda. Ron and Luciana discussed the concept of entropy and its role in a culture of continuous improvement. They also explored how sustainability factors in as far as creating real, lasting change. A

Better Lean Leadership through Novice Learning

By Jon Miller - March 1st, 2021

I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal titled, How to Teach Professors Humility? Hand Them a Rubik’s Cube. Professors at Furman and Denison Universities took on a challenge over a six-week winter break. They had to

Coaches Have Obstacles Too

By Steve Kane - February 26th, 2021

The purpose of coaching is to help people get from where they are to where they want to be. It’s a process of inquiry that provides clear structure to thinking that, ideally, diminishes uncertainty by exposing obstacles and illum

GA 360 | The Importance of Being Intentional with Brandon Bartel

By Jessica Bush - February 25th, 2021

This week’s guest is Brandon Bartel. Ron and Brandon discussed setting intentions and the role intention plays. Brandon also shared his aspirations to incorporate more Toyota Kata into his lean journey. A MP3 audio version of thi

Three Things to Stop and Start Doing for Better Lean Coaching

By Jon Miller - February 22nd, 2021

The act of lean coaching covers a broad range of formal and informal roles. We see lean coaching between managers on a gemba walk, a consultant overseeing kaizen teams, a kata coach and an IK learner, a black belt mentoring a green bel

GA 359 | Pink Tools and Preventing Injuries with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - February 18th, 2021

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam discussed Adam’s new book, “The Wheel of Sustainability,” including how and why he wrote it. Adam also shared some very moving stories that highlight the true pow

Five Helpful Favorite Phrases for Continuous Improvement Beginners

By Jon Miller - February 15th, 2021

The topic of continuous improvement is broad and deep. It’s easy for beginners to get overwhelmed by the variety of methods, tools and practices available. Even after grasping the technical jargon and settling on a particular app

Humble Questions Before Setting Direction

By Kevin Meyer - February 12th, 2021

I’ve long been a fan of Ed Schein, and his book Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling is one of my favorite leadership books. I wrote about Schein several years ago and a colleague recently pointed me to

GA 358 | Lean in Higher Education with Thomas Lencki and Dagmar Vlahos

By Jessica Bush - February 11th, 2021

This week’s guests are Thomas Lencki and Dagmar Vlahos. They explained all the powerful ways they use lean in higher education in New Hampshire. Thomas and Dagmar also touched on increasing engagement, navigating Covid-era challe

How Not to Fool Ourselves

By Jon Miller - February 8th, 2021

There’s a saying, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” The deceiver is at fault the first time. But the second time, the person being tricked is also accountable for being fooled. We should learn from our mis

Lean Thinking: A Flashlight, Mirror, and Sandpaper

By Ron Pereira - February 5th, 2021

I’ve been following “The Bible in a Year” podcast that’s hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz. It’s wonderfully done for anyone interested in covering the entire bible in a year. During one of the recent episodes

GA 357 | Revisiting The Toyota Way with Jeff Liker

By Jessica Bush - February 4th, 2021

This week’s guest is Dr. Jeffrey Liker. Jeff explained why he released a second edition of his bestselling book, The Toyota Way. Jeff and Ron also discussed scientific thinking and its relationship to other lean tools like 5S, Ho

The Continuous Improvement Apple Tree

By Jon Miller - February 1st, 2021

Apples are one of the most popular fruit. They are bright, sweet and the subject of children’s books, religious symbolism and business metaphors. Most people have an idea where apples come from. Grocery stores. They are readily a

GA 356 | How Standards Prevent Turnover with Jason Haines

By Jessica Bush - January 28th, 2021

This week’s guest is Jason Haines. Ron and Jason discussed the importance of having a visual workplace, and how it, along with standard work, can actually help you retain employees. A MP3 audio version of this episode is availabl

Toyota Kata Crossword Puzzle

By Jon Miller - January 25th, 2021

One of my weekly responsibilities is to contribute a blog post. The hardest part of this is coming up with something to write about. I’ve managed to keep it up for quite a few years, but finding topics is starting to get challeng

GA 355 | The Relationship Between Machines and Humans with Prasad Akella

By Jessica Bush - January 21st, 2021

This week’s guest is Prasad Akella. Prasad shared his take on the relationship between machine intelligence and human intelligence, and how they can work together in harmony. Prasad also stressed the importance of data and data l

How to Vaccinate 100 Million People in 100 Days

By Jon Miller - January 18th, 2021

This week the incoming U.S. President Biden announced his intentions use FEMA and the National Guard to establish COVID vaccination sites across the country. The goal is to vaccinate 100 million people his first 100 days in office. At

GA 354 | Avoiding the Continuous Appearance Trap with Patrick Adams

By Jessica Bush - January 14th, 2021

This week’s guest is Patrick Adams. Patrick recently released a new book all about the concept of “continuous appearance.” He explained what it can mean for your organization and its culture, and how it can be prevent

How to Have a Happy New Year

By Jon Miller - January 11th, 2021

The end of one year and the start of the next one is a time to reflect on a question; how can we make this year better than the last? What have we learned? What do we still need to learn to have a happy new year? Especially this past

GA 353 | Creating the Jeep with Paul Bruno

By Jessica Bush - January 7th, 2021

This week’s guest is Paul Bruno. Paul doesn’t have a traditional lean background, but the fascinating research he shared on the story behind the creation of the Jeep is full of lean parallels and lessons. A MP3 audio versio

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