Lean Archives | Page 31 of 68

How to Win with 80% Effort

By Jon Miller - September 24th, 2018

There is an old Japanese saying that I have always liked. It is hara hachibu ni isha irazu (腹八分に医者いらず). It advises, “Eat until 80% full and you’ll need no doctor”. The equivalent English proverb is

GA 233 | How to Develop a Strong Lean Culture with Raye Wentworth

By Jessica Bush - September 20th, 2018

This week we’re sharing another powerful keynote from the 2018 Lean Systems Summit, this time by Raye Wentworth. Raye has been with New Balance for 34 years, and she shared how the company has developed their lean culture. An MP3

How to Manage Continuous Improvement without Authority

By Jon Miller - September 17th, 2018

People with the title of “Continuous Improvement Manager” or similar often find that they have broad responsibilities but without the matching authority. The CI Manager may need to identify improvement projects. They may be

Lean Lessons from Driving on the Left Side of the Road

By Ron Pereira - September 14th, 2018

My professional career has afforded me the opportunity to travel across the world. I’ve explored the Amazon rainforest, I’ve forgotten all about my lack of clothes inside a Finnish sauna since I could barely breathe, and

GA 232 | How to Embrace the Higher Calling of Lean with Kevin Hancock

By Jessica Bush - September 13th, 2018

This week we’re sharing a moving keynote by CEO Kevin Hancock from the 2018 Lean Systems Summit. It’s impossible not to be inspired by Kevin’s refreshing take on lean and it’s true value. An MP3 version of this

Top 10 Differences between Traditional and CI-Infused Problem-solving

By Jon Miller - September 10th, 2018

A customer asked last week whether Gemba Academy had a video comparison of solving a problem using a non-CI approach vs. solving the same problem with some basic CI tools and thought processes. While this is one of our favorite topics

GA 231 | How to Think Scientifically in Healthcare with Maurene Stock and Katie Melching

By Jessica Bush - September 6th, 2018

This week’s guests are Maurene Stock and Katie Melching of Mercy Health Muskegon. They shed some light on the organization’s lean journey, including their approach and how they learned to think scientifically. An MP3 versio

Midnight at the Gemba

By Kevin Meyer - August 31st, 2018

In the late 1990s I was working in the Silicon Valley for a Fortune-50 medical device company, responsible for a drug infusion pump manufacturing operation. I had just completed a crazy period where I had also “temporarily̶

GA 230 | How to Become a Six Sigma Black Belt with Md Hasan

By Jessica Bush - August 30th, 2018

This week’s guest is one of our Six Sigma Black Belt recipients, Md Hasan. Ron and Md discussed his background, the process of becoming certified, SMED, and more. An MP3 version of this episode is available for download here. In

Why We Need Standard Work on Vacation

By Jon Miller - August 27th, 2018

For over twenty years I traveled a lot on business and got pretty good at it. These two things almost must go together. A person who travels a lot and does so badly won’t be able to sustain it for very long. It becomes exhausting, st

You Want Me to Do What!?!

By Steve Kane - August 24th, 2018

I coach a variety of teams in diverse industries in the area of continuous improvement. A common struggle is overcoming an obstacle that is often perceived as resistance to change. Improvement is Inherent Change for the better s

GA 229 | How to Run a Sustainable Organization with Dale and Dan Crownover

By Jessica Bush - August 23rd, 2018

This week we’re featuring some of the audio from our recent Gemba Academy Live! series at Texas Nameplate. Dale Crownover and his son Dan talked to Ron about their passion for sustainability and the concept of the “Triple B

An Argument in Favor of Jargon

By Jon Miller - August 20th, 2018

When a group of people use jargon, or specialized language to express ideas or concepts, it can make communication more efficient. On the other hand, Jargon can be difficult for people outside of the group understand. People who use j

GA 228 | How to Apply Lean to Architecture and Engineering with Kurt Neubek

By Jessica Bush - August 16th, 2018

This week’s guest is Kurt Neubek, an architect who is also one of our Six Sigma Black Belt recipients. Kurt explained how he uses continuous improvement in his line of work. An MP3 version of this episode is available for downloa

How a Little Compassion Improves Outcomes

By Jon Miller - August 13th, 2018

In an inspiring TED video Stephen Trzeciak, a critical care doctor at Cooper University Health Care in Camden, N.J. explains How 40 Seconds of Compassion Could Save a Life. He begins, “In healthcare we in the midst of a compas

GA 227 | How to Leverage Lean in Banking with Danny Conroy and Daniel Lichty

By Jessica Bush - August 9th, 2018

This week’s guests are Danny Conroy and Daniel Lichty. Danny and Daniel explained how they use lean in banking, specifically to improve the mortgage process. An MP3 version of this episode is available for download here. In this

Why Do We Need to Set a Hypothesis?

By Jon Miller - August 6th, 2018

Why do we need to set a hypothesis? Because that’s how the scientific method works. Why do we need to follow the scientific method? Because that’s how we solve complex or novel problems most effectively. Why is that true? B

When Noise Masks the Problem

By Kevin Meyer - August 3rd, 2018

Last week I was reading Mark Graban’s latest book, Measures of Success, which does a great job of discussing how to use data to effectively lead and manage an organization. With new technologies it has become so easy to capture

GA 226 | How to Practice Lean in the UAE with Dan Whittaker

By Jessica Bush - August 2nd, 2018

This week’s guest is Dan Whittaker. Dan shared some interesting stories from his time working in Formula 1, and explained what it’s like applying lean in the United Arab Emirates. An MP3 version of this episode is available

Review of The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle

By Jon Miller - July 30th, 2018

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle examines how groups of various sizes and shapes form into great teams. He offers practical pointers on what we can do to improve our relationships within coopera

GA 225 | How to Create a Strategy Execution Plan with David Asher

By Jessica Bush - July 26th, 2018

This week’s guest is our new Director of Certification & Coaching, David Asher. Ron and David talked about the importance of having a Strategy Execution Plan, among other things. An MP3 version of this episode is available fo

When Fish Fly

By Jon Miller - July 23rd, 2018

For more than 20 years fish have been flying through the middle of downtown Seattle. Locals come to the Pike Place Fish Market to buy fresh fish. Tourists come for the novelty of seeing the fishmongers throw 10-pound salmon to each oth

GA 224 | How to Apply Lean in Different Countries with James Newell

By Jessica Bush - July 19th, 2018

This week’s guest is James Newell. James is American but has lived in Germany for the past twenty years, and he shared his experiences applying lean there. An MP3 version of this episode is available for download here. In this ep

How to Set a Rational Frequency for Earnings Forecasts

By Jon Miller - July 16th, 2018

In June of this year, financial titans Jamie Dimon and Warren Buffet argued in the Wall Street Journal that short-termism is harming the economy. They called on public companies to reduce or even eliminate their quarterly earnings guid

GA 223 | How to Apply Lean to the Government with Justin Kenney

By Jessica Bush - July 12th, 2018

This week’s guest is Justin Kenney. Justin, who works for the state of Vermont, explained how he and his team leverage continuous improvement at the government level. An MP3 version of this episode is available for download here.

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