Gemba Academy

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

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

From Struggle to Strength: Lessons Learned on the Lean Leadership Journey

By Alen Ganic - October 21st, 2025

What Every New Lean Leader Should Expect Have you ever faced challenges as a leader when you were promoted for the first time and suddenly found yourself responsible for guiding a team? Maybe you’re currently in a Lean leadership rol

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

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

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

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

Developing People into Problem Solvers

By Alen Ganic - September 26th, 2025

Many organizations today struggle with high turnover, difficulty retaining talent, and constant firefighting. Day after day, leaders and teams are consumed by urgent issues, leaving little or no time to focus on solving problems in a s

What Is the Lean Practitioner Program and Why It Matters

By Alen Ganic - September 17th, 2025

Lean methodology is spreading worldwide because organizations are seeing the powerful benefits of introducing Lean into their work environments. In today’s fast-changing world, the ability to continuously improve is no longer optiona

The Importance of 1:1 Coaching

By Alen Ganic - August 20th, 2025

Why One-on-One Coaching Is Essential in Lean In Lean, one-on-one coaching is essential. If you really want to learn and apply Lean correctly, you need a coach who can guide you along the path. Lean is not something you can fully learn

Turning Conflict into Growth: 7 Steps Every Emotionally Intelligent Leader Should Know

By Ron Pereira - August 5th, 2025

Let’s face it—conflict is inevitable. Whether you’re leading a lean transformation or coaching a team through change, friction will arise. And that’s not always a bad thing. In fact, handled well, conflict can spark creativity,

How to Make Improvements Stick in Your Organization

By Alen Ganic - July 30th, 2025

Why Sustaining Improvements Is So Hard If we were to interview leaders in different organizations and ask them to describe one thing that is hard to do at work, most would likely say that sustaining improvements is a struggle. Perhaps

Using Fault Tree Analysis (with AI) to Fireproof Your Home

By John Knotts - July 25th, 2025

After over 35 years working in process improvement, I’ve applied tools like Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) in everything from factories to boardrooms. But it wasn’t until recently that I asked myself: Why not use FTA at home? That simpl

Change Management for Leaders

By Alen Ganic - July 15th, 2025

Why Empowering People Matters One of the biggest challenges in change management is empowering and engaging people. This is the seventh, and arguably one of the most overlooked, reasons why change efforts fall short. The truth is simpl

The Communication Gap: Why Leaders Must Speak Clearly and Consistently

By Alen Ganic - June 17th, 2025

The Cost of Poor Communication In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing business environment, one of the most common reasons change efforts fail is poor communication. Miscommunication leads to confusion, resistance, and ultimately, w

Why Great Ideas Fail: The Change Management Challenge of Inadequate Resources

By Alen Ganic - June 2nd, 2025

Even the best ideas can fail if they aren’t supported with enough time, money, or people. For meaningful change to occur, leaders must not only champion improvement but also commit the resources needed to both implement and sust

Failure to Identify Risks

By Alen Ganic - May 6th, 2025

Why Risk Management Matters in Leadership Ambition and drive are essential traits in leadership. However, strong leaders also understand the importance of risk management. Overlooking risk, whether technical, people-related, or tied to

Lean Leadership Goals: Why Clear Direction Drives Improvement

By Alen Ganic - April 16th, 2025

W. Edwards Deming once said, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” This quote highlights a fundamental challenge many organizations face during change

Overcoming the Lack of Urgency: Why Good Ideas Often Go Nowhere

By Alen Ganic - April 10th, 2025

One of the biggest reasons change efforts fail is surprisingly simple: there’s no urgency. In Change Management, lack of urgency is often the first and most stubborn obstacle we face. Even when we know something needs to change—whe

Leading Through Change

By Alen Ganic - April 8th, 2025

For leaders, guiding a team through change can be one of the most challenging responsibilities. To overcome resistance, leaders must learn how to clearly and convincingly explain why a particular change is necessary. When people unders

The Difference Between a Lean Leader and a Regular Leader

By Alen Ganic - April 3rd, 2025

Many people dream of becoming a leader, but few truly understand what it takes to be a great one. When we teach leadership courses, we often hear the question:“Are leaders born?” I like how John Maxwell answers this:“Of cours

How to Recognize and Remove Waste in Your Organization

By Alen Ganic - March 10th, 2025

8 Deadly Wastes in Lean Every Team Should Know One of the most valuable skills in a Lean environment is learning to identify the 8 Deadly Wastes in Lean within any process. Whether in manufacturing, healthcare, government, or office wo

Where Should We Start With Lean?

By Alen Ganic - February 11th, 2025

At Gemba Academy, one of the most common questions we hear from new customers is:Where should we start with Lean? It’s a great question—and an important one. On Gemba Insights, available on the Gemba Academy website, Ron explains i

The Power of Visual Management

By Alen Ganic - January 8th, 2025

In any lean organization, does visual management play a significant role? Absolutely. But before diving into its importance, let’s clarify what visual management actually is. Simply put, it means managing with your eyes. What Is

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