Lean Archives | Page 2 of 67

GA 609 | Leveraging Overall Equipment Effectiveness with Caleb Wilczynski

By Jessica Bush - December 4th, 2025

This week’s guest is Caleb Wilczynski. Ron and Caleb discussed Caleb’s experience getting his Master Black Belt with Gemba Academy, the challenges his organization has faced, design engineering, leveraging OEE, and more. An

Will It Make the Boat Go Faster?

By Ron Pereira - December 3rd, 2025

Every year around this time, I find myself reflecting on what truly matters for organizational success. What actually moves us forward versus what just keeps us busy. And recently, one powerful metaphor keeps coming back to me: rowing.

Introduction to Gemba Academy

By Alen Ganic - December 1st, 2025

What Do We Do? We provide training to organizations on their continuous improvement journey. Whether you’re just starting out or have been practicing this for years, we help you find waste in your processes and solve pro

GA 608 | Leading Without Authority with Ricky Banks

By Jessica Bush - November 27th, 2025

This week’s guest is Gemba Academy Senior Coach and Instructor Ricky Banks. Ron and Ricky discussed what it means to lead without authority, working with incarcerated individuals, the importance of building relationships, and mor

GA 607 | Improving Your Internal Operating System with Michelle Troseth and Tracy Christopherson

By Jessica Bush - November 20th, 2025

This week’s guests are Michelle Troseth and Tracy Christopherson. Ron, Michelle, and Tracy discussed the concept of an internal operating system, dealing with both burnout and boredom, the importance of personal alignment, and mo

GA 606 | Fixing What Bugs You with Nick Klein

By Jessica Bush - November 13th, 2025

This week’s guest is Nick Klein. Ron and Nick discussed how Nick applies lean at his organization, the challenges they’re facing, and why quick improvements like cleaning up your desktop do more than you think. An MP3 audio

Leading Through the Paradox: Lessons from James Stockdale

By Ron Pereira - November 6th, 2025

The older I get, the more I find myself reflecting on the many lessons I’ve learned both professionally and, especially, personally. One of these lessons is realizing that the toughest leadership and personal growth moments often com

GA 605 | The Katalyst Framework with Katie Anderson

By Jessica Bush - November 6th, 2025

This week’s guest is Katie Anderson. Ron and Katie discussed Katie’s most recent book, the Katalyst framework she created, her experiences leading trips in Japan, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available

GA 604 | Creating a Culture of Problem Solvers with Sarah Tilkens and Leah Roe

By Jessica Bush - October 30th, 2025

This week’s guests are Sarah Tilkens and Leah Roe. Ron, Sarah, and Leah discussed the problem solver revolution, building trust in yourself and others, working with younger generations, and more. An MP3 audio version of this epis

GA 603 | The Culture of Calm with Gui Costin

By Jessica Bush - October 23rd, 2025

This week’s guest is Gui Costin. Ron and Gui discuss fostering a calm company culture, bringing out the best in people, dealing with different generations and personality types in the workplace, and more. An MP3 audio version of

Adaptive Leadership in an Ever-Changing World

By Ricky Banks - October 21st, 2025

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls, others build windmills.” As leaders, we can resist and maintain a singular leadership style, or we can adapt to meet the changing ne

Continuous Improvement Eliminates Excess Overtime

By Ricky Banks - October 21st, 2025

For decades, overtime has been treated in many organizations as a “badge of honor.” It signals a sign of dedication and sacrifice to “get the job done.” Leaders often view it as a necessary tool to meet deadlines and maintain b

Do Hard Things

By Ron Pereira - October 20th, 2025

There’s an ancient story about Odysseus and the island of the Lotus Eaters. When Odysseus and his men arrived there, they were offered lotus flowers that made them forget their purpose. Those who ate the lotus lost their desire t

GA 602 | Clues from the Factory Parking Lot with George Pesansky

By Jessica Bush - October 16th, 2025

This week’s guest is George Pesansky. Ron and George discussed taking gemba walks, what we can learn from factory parking lots, the Kano model, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In thi

The Discipline of Presence: Lessons from My Son and Eminem

By Ron Pereira - October 15th, 2025

Have you ever caught yourself sitting at the dinner table…physically there, but mentally still stuck in a meeting, an email thread, or tomorrow’s to-do list? Yeah, me too. It’s easy to live life half-present these days. Our bodie

GA 601 | The Power of NLP with Josh Davis and Greg Prosmushkin

By Jessica Bush - October 9th, 2025

This week’s guests are Josh Davis and Greg Prosmushkin. Ron, Josh, and Greg discussed NLP, or Neuro-Linguistic Programming, why it matters, how it can help in difficult situations, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode i

Micromanagement Is Not Respect for People

By John Knotts - October 8th, 2025

Micromanagement is one of the most common leadership pitfalls in the workplace. According to a survey by staffing agency Accountemps, 59% of employees reported having worked under a micromanager. Most managers do not set out to be micr

GA 600 | Reflecting on Six Hundred Episodes with Ron Pereira

By Jessica Bush - October 2nd, 2025

This week we’re celebrating our 600th episode. Our Director of Studios Greg Nickell asked Ron about the company’s growth over the years, the challenges we’ve faced, what we hope the next generation will take away from

Cold Plunges and Continuous Improvement: Growth in Discomfort

By Ron Pereira - October 1st, 2025

I’ve been doing cold plunges for the last few weeks. If you’re not familiar with the process, here’s how it works. I jump into 50-degree (Fahrenheit) water and sit for a few minutes. If you’ve ever done a cold plunge, y

GA 599 | Coaching Different Personalities with Melissa Sherman

By Jessica Bush - September 25th, 2025

This week’s guest is Melissa Sherman. Ron and Melissa discussed misconceptions about continuous improvement, navigating different personalities, the role coaching plays in change management, and more. An MP3 audio version of this

GA 598 | Making Lean Work with Darren Walsh

By Jessica Bush - September 18th, 2025

This week’s guest is Darren Walsh. Ron and Darren discussed some of the pitfalls he’s seen in continuous improvement, the corresponding countermeasures, his book, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available

GA 596 | Taking Stock of Your Leadership with Grace Gavin

By Jessica Bush - September 4th, 2025

This week’s guest is Grace Gavin. Ron and Grace discussed honesty in the workplace, how company hierarchies play a role, the importance of accountability, taking stock of your leadership, and more. An MP3 audio version of this ep

GA 595 | Dynamic Work Design with Don Kieffer

By Jessica Bush - August 28th, 2025

This week’s guest is Don Kieffer. Ron and Don discussed the concept of dynamic work design, their individual takes on AI, Don’s book, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this ep

GA 594 | Common Failures in Modern Leadership with William C. Davis

By Jessica Bush - August 21st, 2025

This week’s guest is William C. Davis. Ron and William discussed some defining moments in William’s impressive career, what leaders are doing wrong nowadays, dealing with tricky and uncomfortable situations, and more. An MP

GA 593 | The Importance of Simplification with Dr. Lucas Chesla and Kirk Nicholas

By Jessica Bush - August 14th, 2025

This week’s guests are Dr. Lucas Chesla and Kirk Nicholas. Luke and Kirk shared how continuous improvement is used in the military, the book they wrote together, their thoughts on AI, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episod

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