Gemba Academy

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

The Timeless Power of Gratitude

By Ron Pereira - December 20th, 2024

As the year winds to a close, it’s natural to pause and reflect on the moments that shaped us. Some bring joy, others bring challenges, but I believe one thing—gratitude—can and should be our anchor. And when I speak of gratitude

Managing for Daily Improvement

By Alen Ganic - December 9th, 2024

Successful companies often have a simple yet powerful secret to their success—a daily meeting involving all employees. This practice is known as the Managing for Daily Improvement (MDI) meeting. MDI meetings are a structured approach

Consolation and Desolation: Lessons from St. Ignatius for Business Leaders

By Ron Pereira - November 15th, 2024

Life is full of highs and lows, peaks and valleys, victories and struggles. St. Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century saint and founder of the Jesuits, deeply understood this rhythm of life. His teachings on consolation and desolation—t

Lean Principles for Employee Development and Retention

By Alen Ganic - November 7th, 2024

Lean principles for employee development can help organizations build stronger teams and create a more satisfying work environment. These principles provide employees with practical tools to improve their work while also supporting per

Teaching Youth Life Skills Using 5S, Kanban, and Problem Solving

By Alen Ganic - October 12th, 2024

Working with youth who have volunteered for a nonprofit organization for several years has given me a deeper appreciation of the importance of teaching life skills to youth. Many young people struggle with organization, staying focused

New ways of working text on yellow notepad

Agile Process Improvement Efforts

By John Knotts - September 20th, 2024

In today’s leaner times, businesses are often forced to scrutinize their investments, and unfortunately, process improvement programs like quality initiatives are frequently among the first to be cut. These programs are often per

5S Workplace Organization vs Housekeeping

By Alen Ganic - September 13th, 2024

A common misconception is that 5S workplace organization is the same as simple housekeeping. While both contribute to a clean and organized environment, they serve very different purposes. 5S workplace organization is a structured syst

How Micro-Goals Helped Me Conquer a Hill (And Can Help You Too)

By Ron Pereira - September 3rd, 2024

I went for a 2-mile run with my 13-year-old son yesterday. I do quite a bit of cardio work several times a week, but I rarely run, so I was curious about how I’d do. I’m happy to report it went quite well. Both of us made it throug

Man on a boat fishing for tuna fish in the North Atlantic ocean.

Are You Keeping The Line Wet?

By John Knotts - August 23rd, 2024

Last week, during a Gemba Academy Lean Bootcamp, Ron Pereira talked about “keeping the line wet” when teaching. This was a new term to me, but I found it to be an important term. “Keep the line wet” is a phrase

How to Shift from Resource Focus to Customer Focus

By Alen Ganic - August 9th, 2024

In many organizations, leaders focus on maximizing resource utilization after making a large investment. The thinking is simple. If we paid for it, we should use it as much as possible. But this mindset can create a dangerous tradeoff

Why Sigma?

By John Knotts - August 2nd, 2024

I was asked a question that I had never been asked before: “Why Sigma: Why is only Sigma in Lean Six Sigma Yellow and Green & Black belt? Why not use Alpha, etc…?” Honestly, no one had ever asked me that question befo

A Company’s Continuous Improvement Journey

By John Knotts - July 19th, 2024

Embarking on your company’s continuous improvement journey can often be frustrating. This leads to the disheartening realization that your efforts seem ineffective. In the pursuit of excellence, many companies embark on a journey

Unlock Your Potential with Gemba Academy’s Master Black Belt Program

By John Knotts - June 21st, 2024

Are you ready to elevate your career and become a strategic leader in Lean and Six Sigma methodologies? Gemba Academy’s Master Black Belt (MBB) program is your pathway to mastering continuous improvement and driving significant b

Aligning 5S and DMAIC for Process Improvement

By John Knotts - May 17th, 2024

All too often, process improvement coaching candidates struggle to find practical and effective process improvement ideas to use for their certification projects. I often recommend integrating two well-established methodologies: 5S and

Enhancing Organizational Efficiency through Supplier Process Improvement

By John Knotts - April 19th, 2024

In an increasingly interconnected business ecosystem, the performance of an organization is not solely determined by its internal processes but also by the efficiency and reliability of its suppliers. The concept of working closely wit

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