Productivity

607 Articles

GA 173 | How to Use A3 Thinking with Katie Anderson

By Jessica Bush - July 27th, 2017

This week’s guest is Katie Anderson, a continuous improvement consultant and coach. Katie and Ron discussed Japanese culture and the versatility of A3 thinking. Katie also shared a “State of the Union” address on lean

GA 172 | How to Apply Lean Through Virtual Coaching with Karyn Ross and EKemp

By Jessica Bush - July 20th, 2017

This week we have three guests: Karyn Ross, Elaine Camm, and Oliver Thompson. Karyn, a past podcast guest, provides virtual coaching to Elaine and Oliver, who are UK-based. The group discussed their lean journeys and the nature of virt

GA 168 | How to Leverage Change Intelligence with Barbara Trautlein

By Jessica Bush - June 22nd, 2017

This week’s guest is Barbara Trautlein, the founder of Change Catalysts. Barbara and Ron discussed change management, specifically why change fails and how people define failure. Barbara also explained the concept of Change Intel

GA 167 | How to Be Vulnerable with Debbie McAllister

By Jessica Bush - June 15th, 2017

This week’s guest is Debbie McAllister, a lean consultant in the healthcare industry. Debbie and Ron discussed vulnerability, and why it’s so important for leaders to be vulnerable from time to time. An MP3 version of this

GA 166 | How to “Win” at Lean with Paul Critchley

By Jessica Bush - June 8th, 2017

This week’s guest is Paul Critchley, a lean consultant with a diverse background. Paul and Ron discussed some of the roadblocks organizations typically experience on their lean journeys, as well as what it means to be “win

GA 165 | Lean in the Auto Collision Industry with Chris Norris

By Jessica Bush - June 1st, 2017

This week’s guest is Chris Norris, a lean practitioner in the auto collision industry. Chris explained how he’s applied lean at several different companies, and what he’s learned over the years. An MP3 version of thi

Lean Outside of Manufacturing

By Steve Kane - May 26th, 2017

There are so many examples of lean in manufacturing that it can be easy to understand how well-suited the methodology is for that industry.  Folks in other types of organizations and roles often comment that it is difficult to transla

GA 164 | The Lean Pilot with Todd Abshire

By Jessica Bush - May 25th, 2017

This week’s guest is Todd Abshire, an Instructor Pilot and Continuous Improvement Manager in the U.S. Air Force. Ron and Todd discussed how continuous improvement applies to aviation, and to the U.S. Air Force overall. An MP3

GA 163 | Addressing the Human Side of Lean with Rick Timlick

By Jessica Bush - May 18th, 2017

This week’s guest is lean consultant Rick Timlick. Rick shared how he helps organizations with their lean journeys, with a specific emphasis on the human component. An MP3 version of this episode is available for download here.

GA 162 | Continuous Improvement in the U.S. Air Force with Damien Hocquard

By Jessica Bush - May 11th, 2017

Today’s guest is Damien Hocquard, a member of the Canadian Armed Forces who is stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Ron and Damien discussed Damien’s lean journey working within the U.S. Air Force CPI (Continuou

GA 160 | The Power of Job Methods with Steve Brenneman

By Jessica Bush - April 27th, 2017

Today’s episode is a presentation by Steve Brenneman, CEO of the Aluminum Trailer Company, from this year’s TWI Summit in San Diego. In this powerful and informative talk, Steve shares how they use Job Methods, one of the c

GA 159 | Lean and Profitability with Jim Lancaster

By Jessica Bush - April 20th, 2017

Today’s guest is Jim Lancaster, CEO of Lantech. Ron and Jim discussed Lantech’s fascinating history and lean journey, including the obstacles they’ve faced over the years. An MP3 version of this episode is available f

GA 158 | The Importance of Employee Engagement with Deondra Wardelle

By Jessica Bush - April 13th, 2017

Today’s guest is Deondra Wardelle, who we met at this year’s KataCon conference in San Diego, California. Deondra is a Corporate Lean Director at MPS, or Multi Packaging Solutions. Ron and Deondra discussed employee engagem

GA 157 | Using Brain Science to Understand TWI with Roger Bilas

By Jessica Bush - April 6th, 2017

This week’s episode is a live talk by Roger Bilas, which he gave at this year’s TWI Summit in San Diego, California. Roger explained why the three main components of TWI are done the way they are, specifically from a brain

GA 156 | The Current State of Lean in Healthcare with Mark Graban and Joe Swartz

By Jessica Bush - March 30th, 2017

This week’s guests are Mark Graban and Joe Swartz, both leaders in lean healthcare. They discussed the past and current states of lean in healthcare, as well as their upcoming workshop, Kaizen Live. An MP3 version of this episod

GA 155 | Toyota Kata and the Power of Networking with Christopher Ferrier

By Jessica Bush - March 23rd, 2017

This week’s guest is Christopher Ferrier, who we met up with at the TWI/KataCon conference in San Diego, California. Ron and Christopher talked about Toyota Kata, the power of networking, ultramarathons, and more. An MP3 version

GA 154 | The Real Meaning of Lean with Art Byrne

By Jessica Bush - March 16th, 2017

This week’s guest is Art Byrne, author and highly respected lean leader. Ron and Art discussed Art’s lean journey, including his days as CEO of Wiremold. You won’t want to miss this one! An MP3 version of this episod

GA 153 | From Tiffany & Co. to Toyota with Josh Sanchez

By Jessica Bush - March 9th, 2017

This week’s guest is Josh Sanchez, a continuous improvement practitioner with a fascinating background. Josh worked for Tiffany & Co. before landing a job at Toyota, and is now transitioning into a healthcare role. Ron and J

GA 152 | TWI, Kata, and Respect for People with Skip Steward and Brandon Brown

By Jessica Bush - March 2nd, 2017

This week’s guests are Skip Steward and Brandon Brown. We had the pleasure of interviewing them while attending the KataCon/TWI Summits in San Diego. They both shared a lot of valuable insight with us regarding TWI, Kata, Respec

McProcess

By Steve Kane - February 17th, 2017

I recently saw the movie “The Founder”— the story of Ray Kroc and the McDonald’s empire. The movie does a good job of illustrating what one can do with the right opportunity, enough drive, and a lot of moral flexibility. We’l

GA 150 | How to Respect Diversity with Mike Brett

By Jessica Bush - February 16th, 2017

This week’s guest is Mike Brett, a lean thinker from the UK. Ron and Mike talked about the diversity of Mike’s company, their journey with Hoshin Kanri, and a special lean card game that Mike created. An MP3 version of this

GA 148 | How to Create Your Vision with Paul Hill

By Jessica Bush - February 2nd, 2017

This week’s guest is Paul Hill, a longtime lean thinker with a diverse background. Ron and Paul discussed implementing lean from different angles and the challenges that can arise. An MP3 version of this episode is available for

GA 147 | How to Succeed at Value Stream Mapping with Beau Keyte

By Jessica Bush - January 26th, 2017

This week’s guest is Beau Keyte, an author and performance improvement coach with an impressive background. Ron and Beau discussed both editions of The Complete Lean Enterprise, the evolution of Value Stream Mapping, and more. An

GA 146 | How to Innovate with Geoff Cox

By Jessica Bush - January 19th, 2017

This week’s guest is Geoff Cox, a Production Manager for a high-tech laser measurement company. Ron and Geoff talked about innovation, specifically how Geoff and his team go about generating and implementing new ideas. An MP3 ver

GA 145 | How to Grow as a Lean Leader with Edward Gemin

By Jessica Bush - January 12th, 2017

This week’s guest is Edward Gemin, a lean consultant with a background in the automotive and appliance industries. Ron and Edward discussed Edward’s lean journey, including past projects and other lean experiences. An MP3 v

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