Productivity Archives | Gemba Academy

GA 632 | Performance Unleashed with Chris Libutti

By Jessica Bush - May 14th, 2026

This week’s guest is Chris Libutti. Ron and Chris discussed Chris and his wife Yamila’s book, “Performance Unleashed,” his time in the military, the importance of self-discipline, and more. An MP3 audio version

GA 631 | What We Can Learn from Tetris with Michael Parent

By Jessica Bush - May 7th, 2026

This week’s guest is Michael Parent. Ron and Michael discussed an interesting AI conundrum, the impact that systems and design have on performance, Michael’s Tetris experiment, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode

GA 630 | Why Tone Matters with Shahab Shah

By Jessica Bush - April 30th, 2026

This week’s guest is Shahab Shah. Ron and Shahab discussed the importance of balancing human empathy with the demands of reality, why tone matters, first steps for making improvements, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episo

A New Way to Look at 5S

By John Knotts - April 24th, 2026

Most people think they understand 5S. They associate it with cleaning, organizing, and maybe putting tape on the floor. In many organizations, that is exactly what it becomes. A one-time cleanup event followed by a slow return to the w

GA 629 | Why Leadership Is Like Cooking with Pete Behrens

By Jessica Bush - April 23rd, 2026

This week’s guest is Pete Behrens. Ron and Pete discussed Pete’s book, “Into the Fog,” what it means for leaders to face uncertainty, why leadership is like cooking, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episod

GA 627 | Value Stream Mapping on University Campuses with Kristin Kielich

By Jessica Bush - April 9th, 2026

This week’s guest is Kristin Kielich. Ron and Kristin discussed Kristin’s experiences with continuous improvement in education, dealing with resistance, measuring success, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is a

GA 626 | Learning to See Waste with Randall Dupre

By Jessica Bush - April 2nd, 2026

This week’s guest is Randall Dupre. Ron and Randall discussed Randall’s book, “Everyday Lean,” the kinds of mistakes Randall sees people making, what good leadership looks like, his favorite lean principles, and

GA 625 | Dealing with Hidden Threats with Dean Svarc

By Jessica Bush - March 26th, 2026

This week’s guest is Dean Svarc. Ron and Dean discussed Dean’s book, “Trojan Horse,” navigating hidden threats, why culture matters, the mistakes leaders make, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is a

GA 623 | The Power of Entropy with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - March 12th, 2026

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam discussed Adam’s Wheel of Sustainability, the importance of continuously improving, what his Sustainability System assessment is trying to solve, and more. An MP3 audio versi

GA 622 | The State of AI with Steven Remsen

By Jessica Bush - March 5th, 2026

This week’s guest is Steven Remsen. Ron and Steven discussed Steven’s time at Intel, how to make change “stick” at a large organization, what Steven sees organizations struggling with, the current state of AI, a

Why Working Longer Often Leads to Getting Less Done

By Ron Pereira - March 4th, 2026

It seems logical that if you want to accomplish more, you should work longer. More hours should equal more output, right? Interestingly enough, at least for me, I’ve often experienced the opposite. There have been times when I spend

GA 620 | Is Your Lean Operating System Talking or Singing? with Royden Johnson

By Jessica Bush - February 19th, 2026

This week’s guest is Royden Johnson. Ron and Royden discussed the concept of a lean operating system talking versus singing, the different phases of the operating system, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is availabl

GA 619 | Don’t Walk By a Mess with Chad Bareither

By Jessica Bush - February 12th, 2026

This week’s guest is Chad Bareither. Ron and Chad discussed making culture changes in the workplace, powerful aspects of Japanese culture, the importance of cleaning up, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available

GA 618 | MORE Is Better with Kathy Miller

By Jessica Bush - February 5th, 2026

This week’s guest is Kathy Miller. Ron and Kathy discussed manufacturing, Kathy’s new book “MORE Is Better,” optimism, psychological safety, and the art of making high-quality connections. An MP3 audio version o

GA 617 | What Alignment Looks Like with Hanna Bauer

By Jessica Bush - January 29th, 2026

This week’s guest is Hanna Bauer. Ron and Hanna discussed the role of emotional intelligence in success, balancing empathy and accountability, navigating love languages, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available

GA 616 | Teaching Lean with Noah Waech

By Jessica Bush - January 22nd, 2026

This week’s guest is Noah Waech. Ron and Noah discussed Noah’s experiences teaching lean, what happens when things don’t go as planned, Value Stream Mapping, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available

GA 615 | Radical Product Thinking with Radhika Dutt

By Jessica Bush - January 15th, 2026

This week’s guest is Radhika Dutt. Ron and Radhika discussed OKRs, Toyota Kata, the target mentality, the OHLA puzzle framework, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you&#

GA 614 | Getting Lean to Stick with Joel Hugghins

By Jessica Bush - January 8th, 2026

This week’s guest is Joel Hugghins. Ron and Joel discussed dealing with CAVE people, intellectual property, getting lean to stick, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode y

GA 613 | Revealing Hidden Truths with Billy Taylor

By Jessica Bush - January 1st, 2026

This week we’re ringing in the New Year with Billy Taylor. Ron and Billy discussed strategy and KPAs, hidden truths, clarity, being hard on the process, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download her

GA 611 | The Role of Games in Continuous Improvement with Alexandra Suchman

By Jessica Bush - December 18th, 2025

This week’s guest is Alexandra Suchman. Ron and Alexandra discussed the concept of relational waste, playing games in continuous improvement, the role of personality differences, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is

GA 610 | Lean and AI in the Legal Field with Heather Underwood and Adam Marsland

By Jessica Bush - December 11th, 2025

This week’s guests are Heather Underwood and Adam Marsland. Ron, Heather, and Adam discussed how lean is being applied in legal settings, the status quo when it comes to AI, what the future might look like, and more. An MP3 audio

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

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

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