The Lean Solutions Podcast

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with Michael Ballé, a business writer, executive coach, organizational researcher and Lean expert with 30 years of experience. In this episode, Michael and I talk about how you can use Lean strategy in your organization and how it can give you an advantage and how Lean can be applied to product development. What You’ll Learn This Episode: How Lean is a strategy How it gives companies a competitive advantage to use Lean as a strategy Michael’s book The Lean Strategy How companies should be interpreting TPS and applying it How Lean applies to product development Lean hypergrowth Successes that the operational excellence community was able to achieve About the Guest: Michael Ballé, PhD., is a business writer, executive coach and organizational researcher. He has studied lean transformations for the past 30 years and helped CEOs to grow their own lean cultures. He is the co-author of the bestselling Goldmine trilogy - The Gold Mine, The Lean Manager, Lead With Respect - The Lean Strategy, The Lean Sensei and Lead With Lean among other titles. His work has been translated in 10 languages and has received four Shingo Research and Publication awards. He is the co-founder of Institute Lean France and Business Dynamics collection director at L'Harmattan. Important Links: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Strategy-Competitive-Innovation-Sustainable/dp/1259860426 http://theleanstrategy.com/

Today on the podcast, I’m sharing a conference presentation I gave to the Lean Six Sigma World Conference about the importance of keeping it simple and visual when it comes to Lean. In this episode, I talk about the importance of good leadership and how you can do small things to create the right culture within your organization. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Why you need to keep things simple instead of complex The 3 points to keeping it simple The importance of keeping a clear vision of where you are heading Why you need to keep it visual The 3 main points to keeping it visual About the Guest: Patrick Adams is the author of the best selling book “Avoiding the Continuous Appearance Trap.” He is an international speaker, coach, and consultant. Patrick has been delivering bottom-line results through specialized process improvement solutions for over 20 years. He's worked with all types of businesses from private, non-profits, government, and manufacturing ranging from small business to billion dollar corporations. Patrick is a proven leader and highly experienced consultant with specific niche focus on organizational strategy and leadership development which brings a unique human approach to sound team-building practices; creating consensus and enabling empowerment. He motivates, inspires, and drives the right results at all points in business processes. Important Links: https://www.leanandsixsigma.org/Keep-It-Simple https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickadamsii/ https://www.findleansolutions.com/book/

Today on the podcast, I’m sharing a presentation I did for the Cincinnati ASQ, a professional association representing Quality professionals in the Cincinnati, Ohio and Northern Kentucky area, about avoiding the continuous appearance trap. In this episode, I talk about my book and how you and your team can avoid the continuous appearance trap by asking certain questions and changes that will affect your overall organization. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Why leaders need to enable action Why your organization needs a true north and a long term vision Why leaders should be spending time where value-added work is being done How the little things in an organization add up to the big things Why it’s important that an organization's problems be visible About the Guest: Patrick Adams is the author of the best selling book “Avoiding the Continuous Appearance Trap.” He is an international speaker, coach, and consultant. Patrick has been delivering bottom-line results through specialized process improvement solutions for over 20 years. He's worked with all types of businesses from private, non-profits, government, and manufacturing ranging from small business to billion dollar corporations. Patrick is a proven leader and highly experienced consultant with specific niche focus on organizational strategy and leadership development which brings a unique human approach to sound team-building practices; creating consensus and enabling empowerment. He motivates, inspires, and drives the right results at all points in business processes. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickadamsii/ https://www.findleansolutions.com/book/

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with Drew Erdmann who served as the chief operating officer of the state of Missouri from February 2017 to April 2021. Under two governors, he was responsible for leading the management transformation across the state of Missouri's 16 Cabinet departments, which equates to roughly 45,000 employees. In this episode, Drew talks about both private and public sector continuous improvement, his transition between the two and how to bridge the gap between the private sector and the government. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Transitioning from private sector to public sector The approach to introducing operational excellence to the state of Missouri government Drew’s experience with the public sector and executive leadership level The major differences between private and public sector How do we bridge the gap between the private sector techniques and the government Building a network or community that can withstand change Successes that the operational excellence community was able to achieve About the Guest: Drew Erdmann served as the Chief Operating Officer of the State of Missouri from February 2017 to April 2021. Under two governors, he was responsible for leading the management transformation across the State of Missouri’s 16 Cabinet departments and their roughly 45,000 employees. Among these enterprise reforms were establishing Missouri’s first cross-departmental Operational Excellence community and prioritizing leadership development and skill building at all levels. Before his state government service, Drew worked in the private sector for over a decade with the global consultancy McKinsey & Company. As a partner at McKinsey, he served clients in the aerospace & defense, energy, infrastructure, and government sectors in the United States and overseas. Prior to McKinsey, Drew served across the U.S. federal government in a variety of national security roles with the State Department, the Defense Department in Iraq, and National Security Council at the White House. Drew received an AM and then PhD in history from Harvard University after earning a BA degree from Williams College and a second BA degree from Oxford University. Important Links: https://showmeexcellence.mo.gov/ https://twitter.com/drewerdmann?lang=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-erdmann-aa49567/

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with John Thacker Jr. who has two decades of experience working in supply chain including managing factories, regional distribution centers, tier one automotive equipment, manufacturing, building trades, food, pharma and consumer goods. John is also the co-host of A Quality Podcast. In this episode, John talks about the importance of Operational Excellence and how companies can move toward a more Lean environment that focuses on value and a healthy environment for workers. What You’ll Learn This Episode: How A Quality Podcast started John’s experience with Lean Six Sigma Operational Excellence The benefits of Operational Excellence for companies Understanding what’s valuable Why companies need to focus on workers feeling respected and safe Challenges for companies moving toward Operational Excellence John’s favorite part about helping companies and people improve About the Guest: John Thacker Jr. has two decades of experience working in supply chain, including managing factories, regional distribution centers, Tier 1 automotive, heavy equipment manufacturing, building trades, food, Pharma, and consumer goods. John is also a host of A Quality Podcast alongside Jake Harrell. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-thacker-leansixsigmablackbelt/ https://www.zoomopex.com/

Today on the podcast, I’m sharing a presentation I did for Inforum Affinity Group. I go over the principles and concepts of Lean and how they can be used today as well as in the future as technology continues to evolve. In this episode I also go over a brief history of Lean manufacturing and how it relates to today. What You’ll Learn This Episode: History of Lean manufacturing How can companies that are trapped in Lean appearance succeed Is Lean outdated and will it be relevant in the future How flexibility is important How can agile be utilized alongside Lean About the Guest: Patrick Adams is the author of the best selling book “Avoiding the Continuous Appearance Trap.” He is an international speaker, coach, and consultant. Patrick has been delivering bottom-line results through specialized process improvement solutions for over 20 years. He's worked with all types of businesses from private, non-profits, government, and manufacturing ranging from small business to billion dollar corporations. Patrick is a proven leader and highly experienced consultant with specific niche focus on organizational strategy and leadership development which brings a unique human approach to sound team-building practices; creating consensus and enabling empowerment. He motivates, inspires, and drives the right results at all points in business processes. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickadamsii/

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with Andy Olrich, a Continuous Improvement and Innovation Leader for the Hunter Water Corporation in Newcastle, Australia. Andy has over 25 years experience in engineering trades, health services, manufacturing, mining, logistics, processes and support. In this episode, Andy and I talk about the importance of leaders committing to standards when training a team and why it’s so important for leaders to not only set clear expectations but to also support and drive change. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Getting your team excited and engaged with Lean The importance of executive leadership supporting the team Andy’s biggest lightbulb moment in his career The importance of committing to standards when it comes to training a team Incorporating Lean practices into your daily life Andy’s advice to anyone passionate about Lean and wanting to become a respected leader About the Guest: Andy Olrich is the Continuous Improvement and Innovation Lead for the Hunter Water Corporation in Newcastle Australia. Andy has over 25 years’ experience in engineering trades, health services, manufacturing, mining, logistics processes and support. Andy holds formal qualifications in Engineering and trades plus LEAN Six Sigma & Agile methodologies. Andy is passionate about developing himself further as a respected Lean leader and enjoys seeing the benefits of teams embracing Continuous Improvement and working together to achieve common and personal goals. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-olrich/ https://www.facebook.com/andy.olrich?sk=wall&notif_id=1640549102606889&notif_t=wall&ref=notif

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with Jake Harrell. Jake is a supply chain enthusiast and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. He is also the host of A Quality Podcast and the author of the book Chasing Excellence. In this episode, Jake talks about the importance of being funny and bringing humor into Lean to appeal to a wide array of people. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Jake’s background and how his podcast got started Sparking fun and humor in Lean Using memes for fun when talking about Lean Dealing with negative lash back on social media Why being funny and bringing humor into Lean is important Being young in Lean and keeping up with changes About the Guest: Jake Harrell is a supply chain enthusiast and lean six sigma black belt committed to chasing excellence. He is the host of "A Quality podcast" and a collaborator in "Zoom Operational Excellence", a company founded by John Thacker to Collaborate with the Lean consulting community. By day, I implement new systems in distribution centers around the globe, and by night, I am the funniest lean guy. My purpose is to bring humor/lightheartedness to make the lean space more approachable and attractive. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeharrellchasingexcellence/ https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Excellence-Jake-Harrell/dp/0578727773 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4iOzsobf99YG1wCxn9r60w/featured

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with Karyn Ross, an internationally acclaimed consultant, coach, lean practitioner and author. Karyn is also the founder of the Love and Kindness Project which is a movement spreading kindness from person to person around the world. In this episode, Karyn talks about the movement and why it’s so important to focus on kindness, even in a Lean setting and how you can implement kind leadership everyday. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Why kindness in Lean matters Kind leadership How the Love and Kindness Project started #storiesofkindness - what it is and how it got started Why small acts of kindness are important Who the Love and Kindness Project is for and who can participate How you can practice being kind even if it doesn't come naturally to you About the Guest: Karen is an internationally acclaimed consultant, coach and lean practitioner, and focuses on teaching organizations of all sizes and sectors how to use creativity combined with Toyota Way principles, practices and tools. This powerful combination enables organizations to create better, more effective and efficient ways to work. While many other Lean consultants focus on implementing tools, Karyn teaches teams how to use Practical Creativity™ to continuously strive towards service excellence. Karyn is on a mission to 'Help People Improve the World'. Important Links: https://loveandkindnessproject.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-love-and-kindness-project-foundation/ https://www.amazon.com/Kind-Leader-Practical-Eliminating-Creating/dp/0367693437

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with Alessandro Lasi, whose career includes more than 10 years in continuous improvement leadership positions. Alessandro also earned a master's in industrial engineering and has a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification and is also a Kaizen facilitator. In this episode, Alessandro and I talk about the mindset and culture of Lean and Continuous Improvement including different tactics and techniques to support the continuous improvement culture. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Alessandro’s background in Lean The importance of failure and learning from failure Psychological safety within Lean culture Why you need to focus on process and purpose in Lean to get results What’s needed to get continuous improvement to the next level Getting to the sweet spot in Lean Why it’s difficult for organizations to nurture CI culture Why psychological safety is so important About the Guest: Alessandro’s career includes more than ten years in continuous improvement leadership positions in FMCG, Mechanical and Machinery, Services and Retail industries at top-tier global corporations –including, but not limited to, Hertz Corporation, SCA/Essity, and Leonardo. Known for his daring vision and tireless energy, Alessandro has been helping improve processes and drive company growth for the past five years at his current employer, a multinational company active in the Mechanical and Machinery business. He joined the company in 2016, with a mission to create and apply a new pan-European Continuous Improvement approach. After such a successful endeavor, Alessandro advanced through positions of increased authority and decision-making to his current position as a Global Director Continuous Improvement. His unique ability to establish rapport with a variety of professionals, engage people across functions and offer innovative solutions for short-term and long-term process setbacks, has allowed the Company, to not only reduce its costs, but to significantly improve processes in the Manufacturing and Supply chain, and Global Aftermarket and Service divisions in a very short time. Alessandro developed and implemented a unique Global Business System (XPS) for Service and Aftermarket currently used in 30+ countries, and he successfully managed 40+ strategic business transformation improvement projects with multimillion budgets on four continents in only three years, including various restructuring and growth initiatives. For his excellent results, he was declared the 2020 Global Continuous Improvement Gold Award Winner, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion for Europe at his current employer in 2021. He is currently leading Continuous Improvement for Global Aftermarket and Service Business Unit at his current employer, driving the strategic transformation to double global revenue in 2025. Alessandro earned a Master’s in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pisa, and he holds a Lean Sigma Black Belt Certification since 2015, and a Kaizen Facilitator Certification since 2017. He is married and lives with his wife and two children in Switzerland Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandrolasi/?originalSubdomain=ch

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with Nigel Thurlow, a leading expert on Lean and Agile approaches. Nigel advises companies on successful transformation strategies and how to achieve effective and lasting change. As the chief agile at Toyota connected, he established the Toyota agile Academy and is also the co-author of The Flow System. In this episode, Nigel and I talk about Agile, how it relates to Lean and the flow from scientific thinking to Agile into the flow system. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Nigel’s background in Lean and Agile The challenges with bringing Agile into Toyota The differences between Japan and the western world with executive leadership The scientific method and why it’s so important The challenges when only dealing with deductive reasoning PDCA and Scrum Agile, what it is and how it differs and relates to Lean How Agile and Lean flow into the flow system About the Guest: Nigel Thurlow is the former Chief of Agile at Toyota, creator of the World Agility Forum award-winning ‘Scrum the Toyota Way’ approach, and the co-creator of The Flow System™. He is also a Forbes top 10 noted author for his work as co-author of the book on The Flow System and is a well-known Keynote Speaker. He also co-authors The Flow Guide. Nigel is an internationally recognized expert in the Toyota Production System and The Toyota Way as well as Lean Thinking, Agile, Scrum, and Complexity concepts. In addition to his work at Toyota in recent years he has also taught and coached at Vodafone, Banco Popular, GE, Bose, 3M, Microsoft, University of North Texas, and to the faculty at MIT. Nigel also presents regularly for The Lean Institute at their events and is considered a leading expert in bridging the Lean and Agile worlds following his pioneering work at Toyota. As a Professional Scrum Trainer, the first one ever in Toyota, and the first to have been certified by both the creators of Scrum, he has trained over 8000 people worldwide as of 2021. Nigel is extensively published online and has co-authored several peer reviewed white papers and journal publications on team science. He acts as an advisor on several boards at the University of North Texas as well as contributing to Chief Executive Magazine. Nigel currently serves as the CEO of The Flow Consortium, and as an interim executive with several high-profile brands advising executive leadership teams on lean and agile strategies in complex business and organizational design environments. Important Links: https://flowguides.org/ https://www.getflowtrained.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Flow-System-Evolution-Thinking-Complexity/dp/1680400584 https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelthurlow/ The Flow System read online for free via UNT - https://library.unt.edu/aquiline-books/flow-058-8/ The Slack community - https://join.slack.com/t/the-flow-system/shared_invite/zt-o6zfwlwx-HkoqExXlmEWSwDaAFXAejA

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with Gareth Shaw. Gareth is the President, UK & Europe of Doceree, the first global network of physician-only platforms for programmatic messaging. In this episode, Gareth and I talk about leading high performing work teams and how you can maintain your high performing teams digitally during the pandemic. Gareth also shares information about pharma marketing and technology in the pharma industry. What You’ll Learn This Episode: The definition of a high performing work team Challenges for teams who want to be high performing The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and how you can avoid them The characteristics of leaders in charge of high performing teams The background of Doceree How the pandemic has changed the pharma marketing space Maintaining and building a high performing team digitally Programmatic marketing How programmatic solutions are improving the healthcare of the pharma industry About the Guest: Gareth Shaw is the President, UK & Europe of Doceree, the first global network of physician-only platforms for programmatic messaging. Prior to joining Doceree, Gareth was the General Manager, Global Programmatic, of PulsePoint where he led the programmatic and operations divisions. Further, he was the Senior Direct Response Sales Specialist at Yahoo! Throughout his career, Gareth has gained vast experience in the sales categories across the digital media and advertising technology sectors. He has a well-regarded background for building high-performance teams and implementing strategic plans to facilitate the growth of his organizations. Important Links: https://doceree.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/gareth-shaw-9214403/?originalSubdomain=uk

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with Anna Tagliapietra, an Italian Lean Office trainer and consultant. Anna mixes methods and tools from design thinking and design sprint to the traditional Lean tools using micro structures to help people interact and find ideas during their improvement projects In this episode, Anna talks about design thinking in Lean and how organizations can use micro structures. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Anna’s background in Lean What is a micro structure How you can use a micro structure at a Kaizen event The benefit of silent voting during an event How microstructure or liberating structures can help in Lean projects or Six Sigma projects Where you can use micro structures and liberating structures Ecocycle planning Purpose to practice and how to use it Lightning decision jam Time boxing and why it’s important About the Guest: Anna Tagliapietra is an Italian Lean Office trainer and consultant. She comes from the marketing and communication sector and was a partner in an advertising company before committing 100% in her Lean career. Anna worked for Ferrari, Scavolini and Clementoni and is now training a group of Lean Practitioners for Gucci RTW. In order to make good use of her former education, Anna mixes methods and tools from Design Thinking and Design Sprint to the traditional Lean tools, using microstructures to help people interact and find ideas during their improvement projects. Important Links: https://www.liberatingstructures.com/ https://www.instagram.com/leanoffice/?hl=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/annatagliapietra/ https://www.youtube.com/c/AJSmart https://www.youtube.com/c/AnnaTagliapietra

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with Dirk Fischer, an automotive General Manager, Lean Operations Engineering supply chain and Quality Manager expert with more than 25 years of experience. In this episode, Dirk and I go over system waste, what’s causing it and how you can avoid it. We also go over holistic business excellence and how it relates to system waste. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Dirk’s background in Lean and how he got started The definition of System Waste How to identify and eliminate System Waste Holistic Business Excellence How Holistic Business Excellence can help with System Waste How you can help drive the Holistic Business approach Aspects of Lean that are potentially untapped About the Guest: I was born June, 20th 1970 in the Stuttgart area, Southern Germany and finished my mechanical engineering study in September 1992. I am an automotive General Manager, lean operations, engineering, supply chain and quality management expert with more than 25 years of experience, consistently proving the ability to holistically turn around underperforming plants and groups of plants. The various turnarounds were mainly achieved through inspiring leadership for change and creating a LEAN KPI driven continuous improvement culture. I continuously implement effective action plans, which are designed to rapidly improve Customer satisfaction, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Safety, Morale AND Working Capital and therefore delivering sustainable bottom line results. The pattern of success was usually to start with intensive observations on the shop floor (Go to Gemba) to really understand the problems, detailed discussions and reflections with the team, coaching the plant management team in order to establish and implement the most important actions, define high impact KPIs, provide tools to monitor progress and review frequently for effectiveness of implemented actions. This approach enabled me to frequently develop high performance teams. My leadership style and my acting and thinking is highly influenced by Deming/Ackoff/Toyota Way/ Theory of Constraints/Stephen Covey and others. In the past 10 years I held various COO/CRO roles with a responsibility ranging from a single plant with 50 million € of sales up to international multi site responsibility with 20 plants and 3,6 billion € of sales. Having worked for more than 10 years for international Anglo-American companies with strong financial focus, I am used to work in environments with strong financial controls and reporting and intensive budgeting processes. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirk-fischer-06850011?trk=author_mini-profile_title&originalSubdomain=de https://www.gaoexperts.com/

Patrick Adams is the author of the best selling book “Avoiding the Continuous Appearance Trap.” He is an international speaker, coach, and consultant. Patrick has been delivering bottom-line results through specialized process improvement solutions for over 20 years. He's worked with all types of businesses from private, non-profits, government, and manufacturing ranging from small business to billion dollar corporations. Patrick is a proven leader and highly experienced consultant with specific niche focus on organizational strategy and leadership development which brings a unique human approach to sound team-building practices; creating consensus and enabling empowerment. He motivates, inspires, and drives the right results at all points in business processes. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickadamsii/ https://www.findleansolutions.com/book/

This week on the podcast, I’m speaking with Randy Otterbridge. Randy is the Chief Idea Officer at RBridge Business Institute, which is a Consulting and Business Creation company and is also an author and a podcast host. In this episode, Randy and I talk about how you can apply Continuous Improvement and Lean principles into not only your business but also your personal life in order to create a better lifestyle. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Randy’s experience with manufacturing and continuous improvement RBridge Business Institute and how it got started Having a generalist approach Why companies need to be innovative in order to not be left behind The application of CI principles into your personal life How Lean and CI principles can result in a better life overall Applying Five S to your personal life What is a mastermind and why it’s important How you can benefit from a mastermind Giving your team a safe space to express their ideas How you can use your team members ideas to benefit the company About the Guest: Randy Otterbridge (AKA, The Monetize Your Life Guy) developed the "Monetize Method" to help you bring more income into your life and profits to your business. "Your life (and the life of your businesses) are filled with gold--I simply guide you to it and hand you the shovel to dig out more of it." Additionally, Randy is the Chief Idea Officer of RBRIDGE BUSINESS INSTITUTE, LLC which serves as the holder of portfolio businesses where business models are created, tested, and leveraged to maximize profits. He then uses these tests to teach individuals and companies how to increase income and maximize profits. How he does it… is the secret sauce, some of which he might share with us today. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randyotterbridge/ https://www.facebook.com/RBRIDGEINSTITUTE/ [email protected]

This week on the podcast, I’m speaking with Jim Huntzinger. Jim is the founder of Lean Frontiers and has also launched new business in the free market healthcare arena through several virtual lean and free market healthcare events and the United in Care Summit. He is also the author of several books. In this episode, Jim and I talk about the relevance of Lean accounting and how TWI fits into the Lean business model. What You’ll Learn This Episode: The start of Lean Frontiers Jim’s background in Lean Lean accounting- what it is and why it’s different from traditional accounting What industry’s Lean accounting applies to The future of Lean accounting and whether it’s still relevant Aspects of Lean that are potentially untapped The first step you should take in Lean process and product development Cross functional teams and process development TWI- what it is and how it fits into the Lean business model The TWI Summit Lean Healthcare About the Guest: Jim Huntzinger began his career as a manufacturing engineer with Toyota and then was transplanted to North America to support Toyota. In 2005 Huntzinger founded Lean Frontiers. He developed and operates the immersive Skillpoint Workshops for Job Instruction and Toyota Kata. He has also launched new business in the free market healthcare arena through several virtual lean and free market healthcare events and the United in Care Summit. He has also authored many books to include, Lean Cost Management: Accounting for Lean by Establishing Flow, Roots of Lean – Training Within Industry: The Origin of Kaizen, just to name a few. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-huntzinger-7001581/ https://leanfrontiers.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/cr/podcast/connecting-the-dots/id1534151238

This week on the podcast, I’m speaking with Brian Bolen. Brian has 12 years of quality and CI experience. He's an ASQ, certified Six Sigma Black Belt. He also has his master's degree in operational excellence from Eastern Michigan University In this episode, Brian and I talk about why leaders need to be focusing on servant leadership and how it can help leaders be more effective in their roles. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Servant leadership, what it is and why it matters Brian’s experience with continuous improvement and how he got started How servant leadership helps leaders to lead more effectively Brian’s biggest improvements and failures in his Lean career Brian’s advice to someone just starting out in Lean Books and podcasts that have helped Brian through his Lean journey Why you should always be learning About the Guest: Brian Bolen is an Experienced Process Engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the consumer goods industry. Skilled in Continuous Improvement, Lean Six Sigma, Statistical Data Analysis, and GMPs. Brian is a strong engineering professional with a Master of Science (MS) focused in Quality Management and Operational Excellence from Eastern Michigan University. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianbolenlssbb/

This week on the podcast, I’m speaking with Paul Akers. Paul is an author, entrepreneur and the founder and president of FastCap, a product development company specializing in woodworking tools and hardware for the professional builder. In this episode, Paul and I go over how Lean can be applied to improve your work environment and why you need to focus on small consistent changes when trying to make improvements. What You’ll Learn This Episode: How Lean helped Paul in Ironman FastCap and the inspiration behind the company The importance of listening to customers Making time to fix what’s bothering you 2 second improvement and why it’s simple The inspiration behind Paul’s videos What it takes to be a good leader in an organization with Lean culture Paul’s advice for someone just starting on their Lean journey About the Guest: Paul Akers is the founder and president of FastCap, a product development company specializing in woodworking tools and hardware for the professional builder. FastCap was started in Paul’s garage in 1997 when he simply “fixed what bugged him” and developed his first product: the Fastcap Cover Cap. From humble beginnings, and no MBA, FastCap has thousands of distributors worldwide in over 40 countries. Paul’s intense curiosity on how things could be improved paved the way for him to become a prolific innovator and today he holds many US and International patents. FastCap launches approximately 20-30 innovative products per year and has won business of the year in 1999 and 2010. In June 2011 Paul won Seattle Business Magazine’s prestigious Business Executive of the Year award. He wrote his first book, 2 Second Lean, about creating a fun, Lean culture, that is now available in 15 languages. In 2015, he wrote his 2nd book, Lean Health, in 2016, he wrote Lean Travel and in 2019, he wrote Lean Life and Banish Sloppiness. In 2016, Paul’s book, 2 Second Lean, was recognized by the Shingo Institute and won the Research and Professional Publication Award. Important Links: https://paulakers.net/books/2-second-lean https://paulakers.net/ https://apps.apple.com/us/app/2-second-lean-play/id1503694993 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.leanplay

This week I’m speaking with Felipe Engineer, a registered Scrum master and trainer. Felipe also leads the Lean construction program at McCarthy Building Companies and is the CEO and podcast host of the EBFC Show, which is dedicated to Lean construction. In this episode, Felipe and I go into detail about integrating Lean into construction. We also talk about Scrum, what it is and how Scrum can be used when you’re in the construction industry. What You’ll Learn This Episode: The importance of Lean in construction Felipe’s podcast, The EBFC show What is Scrum How you can use Scrum in design and construction Lean tools and techniques that are used on a construction site The argument that Lean is too academic How you can start improving your work today About the Guest: Felipe leads the Lean Construction program for McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Engineer-Manriquez is also the CEO and Host of The EBFC Show. The Easier, Better, for Construction Show allows people to make building easier and better share how. As a Registered Scrum Trainer™ (RST) endorsed by Dr. Jeff Sutherland, Felipe also co-created the Design and Construction Registered Scrum Master™ (RSM) curriculum with the Agile Education Program team. It enables RSM graduates to deliver construction project value and earn recognition in the International Registry of Agile Professionals™. Engineer-Manriquez is an active contributing member of the Lean Construction Institute (LCI) and is an approved instructor/facilitator and 2019 LCI Chairman’s Award recipient for contributions to the Institute and the design and construction industry as a whole. Important Links: https://www.theebfcshow.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/engineerfelipe/ https://constructionscrum.com/

This week I’m speaking with Andrew Van Breugel, an experienced manufacturing professional with a diverse range of skills and Lean experience that extends to plant management, operations management, product development, manufacture and quality. In this episode, Andrew and I speak about sustainability and leadership in Lean and how leaders can develop their leadership skills and also help their team with executing sustainable Lean culture. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Should Lean leaders be striving for more How leaders can develop their skills Tips on how leaders can help develop their leadership skills How to help create sustainability in Lean and Lean culture Some of the main factors in failure Vision statements and how to get them executed Communicating continuous improvement to your team The importance of personal development for leaders Leader Standard Work Lean and time management About the Guest: Andrew Van Breugel is an experienced manufacturing professional with a diverse range of skills covering analytical chemistry, product quality, product development, manufacturing, process chemistry, technical sales, business improvement and general operations management in various Asia Pacific and Europe, having tertiary qualifications in science (chemistry), business and accounting. Andrew’s experience extends to plant management, operations management, product development, manufacture and quality. Andrew has been directly responsible for business operations analysis, business improvement using Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and the Toyota Production System and is a certified Evaluator with the Australian Business Excellence awards and a certified Assessor with the Singapore Quality Awards. In positions ranging from Operational Excellence Manager to COO of manufacturing organizations, Andrew has spent many years considering the effectiveness of and the role of senior leadership in lean deployments. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-van-breugel-a514927 https://www.thinkrci.com/ [email protected]

This week I’m sharing some of the interviews and chats I got to have during my time at the 2021 Operational Excellence Summit in the State of Nebraska. I got the opportunity to speak with multiple leaders in the Lean and Operational Excellence community and I’m excited to share my interviews with you today. The state of Nebraska launched the Center of Operational Excellence in 2016 to change the culture in state government and train state teammates in Process Improvement. Since May 2016, the COE has facilitated 575 process improvement projects, saving over 630,000 of work that has led to being able to put more of a focus on customer service. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Working in Nebraska State Government and how Lean as been implemented How Lean saves for taxpayers Some of the upcoming projects in the state of Nebraska Success stories from the state of Nebraska About the 2021 Operational Excellence Summit: The 2021 Operational Excellence Summit convenes leaders and change agents from the State of Nebraska to discuss the opportunities to build upon the success the Center of Operational Excellence has had. The Summit is a unique chance for leaders who share a passion for continuous improvement to get together and exchange ideas. Important Links: https://das.nebraska.gov/coe/

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Chris Burnham. Chris has twenty years of experience with learning and coaching Lean and Continuous Improvement principles and his career has spanned a variety of roles from front-line servant leader to responsibility for Global Continuous Improvement Programs. Chris is also the host of The Lean Leadership Podcast. In this episode, Chris and I talk about growing technology in Lean and continuous improvement and how leaders and teams can adapt to the changes. What You’ll Learn This Episode: How leaders and technology can work together What makes a great lean leader and how leaders are changing What it take for organizations to see Process Improvement as a necessary part of the organization Diagnosing when technology is holding back your organization when it comes to continuous improvement Why you need to be adaptive How technology is changing the work environment About the Guest: Chris Burnham has twenty years of experience with learning and coaching Lean and Continuous Improvement principles. His career has spanned a variety of roles from front-line servant leader to responsibility for Global Continuous Improvement Programs. Chris has had the opportunity to work with a diverse group of industries, including manufacturing and fulfillment, financial services, food and beverage, and medical devices. Many of the companies that Chris has worked with are brands that you would recognize every day. Chris’ passion is helping organizations and teams build cultures of problem solvers that engage every employee in the work of improvement. He is a Six Sigma Black Belt and holds his B.S. from Western Carolina University. Chris has been the host of The Lean Leadership Podcast since 2105. He is currently Senior Director, Lean Strategy at KaiNexus, a software company based in Austin, Texas, whose mission is to Spread Continuous Improvement. Important Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/realburnham IG: @LeanPodcastHost Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/chrisburnham The Lean Leadership Podcast: https://leanleadershippodcast.com KaiNexus: https://kainexus.com

This week I am chatting with Tony Hayes, an executive lean leader responsible for the Wabash management system, continuous improvement and quality at Wabash. In this episode, Tony and I talk about his experience with Lean and Lean culture as well as transformation and why it’s so important to create a story around transformation with Lean. What You’ll Learn This Episode: What makes a good Lean leader The characteristics of a bad Lean leader How to effectively scale during a transformation Spreading Lean culture in a large organization Creating development opportunities for leaders Having a dedicated lean team vs. having lean embedded in the organization Creating a story around why you’re changing The importance of creating a learning culture Problem solving in Lean culture About the Guest: Tony Hayes is an Executive Lean Leader, responsible for the Wabash Management System, Continuous Improvement and Quality at Wabash, supporting the CEO and the Executive Leadership Team, driving customer value creation. He has extensive experience in delivering profitable growth, improving risk profile, and increasing return on invested capital in the automotive, transportation, aerospace and defense industries. Tony is a seasoned operations and lean expert with extensive experience in strategy and organizational governance. Tony has utilized his lean expertise to assist organizations with their most complex problems in manufacturing, engineering, material planning and logistics, value chain management, and quality. As Global Lean Leader, Supply Chain at GE Transportation a Wabtec Company, a $11 billion operation, Tony was responsible for developing and driving the strategic vision of global continuous improvement across the enterprise. As the Ford Production System (FPS) Lean Implementation Manager – North American Car Region at Ford, Tony was instrumental in Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant’s journey to receiving the Shingo Prize, the highest standard for organizational excellence. Tony, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He also holds a Master of Science in Manufacturing Management, a Master of Science in Operations Management, and a Master of Business Administration, all obtained from Kettering University in Flint, Michigan. In addition, Tony is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and is certified through University of Michigan in Lean Manufacturing and Operations, as well as Lean Office and Service, in addition to being a Shingo Institute Alumni. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyhayes

This week on the podcast, I am speaking with Lee Campe. Lee is the President of Performance Excellence Inc. and a Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt. In this episode, Lee and I talk about his extensive training and experiences in Lean Six Sigma and Design for Six Sigma. We also talk about the importance of maintaining high standards in Lean Six Sigma and advice on training in LSS. What You’ll Learn This Episode: What frustrates Lee about the current Lean Six Sigma offerings, or the current Lean Six Sigma environment Lean and Six Sigma in the Army and how it transitioned to the civilian world Highlights Lee has had with his time using Lean Advice for leaders who don’t feel like they’re engaged in the process Why leaders need to remove roadblocks The importance of using phone for communication instead of relying on email MDAIC vs DMAIC Recommendations on certifying bodies How companies can maintain or enforce higher standards of Lean Six Sigma Why you need to have the people skills that are necessary in order to be a good problem solver in order to be a good lean practitioner. About the Guest: Lee Campe is a proven Lean Six Sigma deployment leader with a wide array of expertise in all facets of business and Continuous Improvement. He also is one of the few instructors with extensive experience in Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) and Innovation through design thinking. Prior to starting Performance Excellence, Lee was a Master Black Belt (MBB) for the Home Depot, where he was responsible for coaching employees and mentoring projects across the US. Projects Lee mentored provided the company with over $200 million in Savings. Prior to the Home Depot, Lee was the Vice President and Master Black Belt for JP Morgan Chase in New York. His responsibilities included coaching and training Champions, Black Belts, Green Belts, and management in the DMAIC and DFSS methodologies. During his tenure, Lee trained over 100 Champions and mentored three enterprise-wide projects that identified over $20 Million in potential savings. As an MBB and Director at Cordis Corporation, a $1.3 billion Johnson and Johnson company, Lee was responsible for driving the implementation of Six Sigma company wide. Previously, Lee worked as an MBB for General Electric Power Systems (GEPS) where he trained employees at all levels on GE’s Six Sigma programs. Important Links: https://leecampe.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/leecampe Lean Six Sigma Book

This week on the podcast, I am speaking with Jim Vinoski, a writer, manufacturing advocate and Lean expert with a focus in engineering, operations and management. In this episode, Jim and I talk about Lean in manufacturing and how leaders can involve and excite their team when it comes to implementing Lean. We also talk about some of the important lessons and tips Jim has for someone just starting out in Lean. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Jim’s best and worst lean experiences The culture of continuous appearance, what it is and how to avoid it How leaders can engage and involve their whole team Why ego is a big problem Why it’s important to be a student of Lean all the time Jim’s advice for people just starting their Lean journey About the Guest: Jim Vinoski has spent his entire three-decade career in manufacturing, in products ranging from paints and plastics to food and bourbon. His focus has been in engineering, operations, and management. He’s a veteran of companies large and small, including Ralston-Purina and General Mills. As a Contributor for Forbes, Jim has published over 200 articles covering all facets of manufacturing and supply chain. He’s explored a variety of topics in his column there: the success stories of numerous American manufacturers; the war for talent; and the amazing innovations in our advanced technologies, such as 3D printing, bioengineering, and artificial intelligence. Jim lives with his wife and two teenage sons in Grandville, Michigan. Important Links: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimvinoski/?sh=76a0014b2a97 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimvinoski

This week on the podcast, I am speaking with Matthew Singh. Matthew is the Director of Operational Excellence and Master Black Belt for the Department of Administrative Services in the state of Nebraska and has 20 years of experience in progressive management roles. In this episode, Matt and I talk about Operational Excellence, his work in the state of Nebraska and the importance of listening to the voice of the customer as a leader. What You’ll Learn This Episode: How Matt got his start with Operational Excellence and Lean The importance of Voice of the Customer Building a culture of innovation The importance of asking for help as a team leader Why you need to understand the “why” behind Operational Excellence Nebraska and how the state is tackling Operational Excellence About the Guest: Matt Sing is the Director of Operational Excellence and Master Black Belt for the Department of Administrative Services in the state of Nebraska. Over the last 20 years he has previously served in a variety of progressive management roles including sales & service, operations, and supply chain. He is also certified as a Master Black Belt in Six Sigma, Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma, Certified Lean Sensei, and holds the Project Management Professional (PMP) credential. Singh is a member of the advisory board of directors for the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC). He also serves on the University of Nebraska- Omaha advisory board of directors for their Supply Chain Management Programs. He holds the honor of being featured as a key stakeholder in a Harvard case study that is used by Harvard’s executive education program to teach others throughout the world about process improvement. Singh is involved with his local church in Gretna Nebraska where he lives with his wife Erin and their two children. Important Links: https://das.nebraska.gov/coe/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-singh-mba-ms-mbb-pmp-2512b463/

On this week’s episode, I’m talking with Valorie Hendrix, the owner and consultant of Dynamic Empire Consulting. Valorie has over five years of working in different areas of project management, including cost reduction, Value Engineering, quality management, and Lean and Six Sigma. During this episode, Valorie and I talk about Value Engineering and Value Analysis, what it is and how you can integrate it into your organization. What You’ll Learn This Episode: What is VA/VE How your organization can get value in using VA/VE When to use VA/VE in your product development Can VA/VE be used with services? The tools and templates needed to work with VA/VE Using a tool set to identify waste within process When a business should implement VA/VE on their Lean journey Resources for VA/VE methodology Why Valorie wrote her book and how she started with VA/VE About the Guest: While finishing up the senior year of her undergraduate degree for Business Administration, Valorie Hendrix discovered Lean Six Sigma and Toyota Production System in her operations management class. After reading the chapter for continuous improvement, she knew this is what she was going to do to make a contribution to society. After graduating with her undergraduate degree, Valorie spent 10 years in Aluminum Boat Manufacturing. Starting as an accountant, she learned about the cost. During the 2008 Recession, she became a VA/VE engineer to help reduce costs and create higher functions so products would be more attractive to customers during this harsh time. Valorie completed her MBA from Webster University, the same time that the recession was ending. Allowing for more opportunities for more positions within the organization to open up. She then worked in Quality Assurance and Control and Lean Six Sigma Engineer until making the leap to become a business owner. Valorie is also the author of Streamlining Function and Value. Important Links: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1685248314/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_71WNQG03BKF2HKX3CMRH https://dynamicempireconsulting.com/

This week on the podcast, I’m excited to be talking with Craig Tedrow, an experienced Continuous Improvement professional with a demonstrated history of working in the automotive, aerospace, and defense industry. Craig is also a Senior Consultant at PA Consulting. In this episode, Craig and I talk about standard work, why it’s important to implement and how you can involve your team members with standard work to help improve your processes during the Lean journey. What You’ll Learn This Episode: What is standard work How to get your team members onboard with doing standard work that’s laid out How you can help your employees understand the importance of standard work The importance of consistency Involving your team in the process of standard work Auditing standard work and why it’s important How standard work plays in the Lean journey Where to start with standard work The importance of writing down your processes and using video About the Guest: Craig Tedrow is an experienced Continuous Improvement Professional with a demonstrated history of working in the automotive, aerospace, and defense industry. Skilled in Training Coordination, Continuous Improvement, Team Building Presentation Skills, and Conflict Management. Craig managed the Continuous Improvement department at Plasan Carbon Composites. During exponential growth, he developed a week-long training curriculum to provide a mix of lecture and lab instruction to on board new associates. He was Intensely involved in training and adherence to Standard Work Instructions using video technology, and training within Industry methods. He also helped to advance implementation of robotics and automation. Craig is currently a Senior Consultant at PA Consulting. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-tedrow-3a271762/

This week on the podcast, I’m chatting with Bruce Hamilton. Bruce is President of GBMP, a Boston-based non-profit founded in 1994 that provides Lean and Six Sigma assistance to manufacturing, healthcare and service organizations. In this episode, Bruce and I chat about how technology development is impacting Lean and how organizations can reduce turnover and increase employee retention during Covid. What You’ll Learn This Episode: The Lean Toyota Production system and why some organizations have failed to see improvement from it Creating a unifying concept for both management and employees Employee retention strategies during Covid How technology could change Lean Using an automation solution and if it’s the right choice Some of Bruce’s biggest influences in Lean How to make a change in your organization without a leader driving it Advice for people starting their Lean journey About the Guest: Bruce Hamilton is President of GBMP, a Boston-based non-profit founded in 1994 that provides Lean and Six Sigma assistance to manufacturing, healthcare and service organizations. Prior to joining GBMP, Bruce spent thirty years in manufacturing, leading his factory to a Shingo Prize award in 1990. From 1996 to 1998, his factory was also a project site for the Toyota Production System Support Center (TSSC.) Bruce is author and actor in the 2004 Shingo Prize winning video, Toast Kaizen and co-author of the comprehensive multimedia training package, e2 Continuous Improvement System, which combines GBMP’s acclaimed video content with self-study workbooks, classroom learning and workplace practice. In 2000 he was inducted in the Shingo Prize Academy and in 2015 was inducted into the AME Manufacturing Hall of Fame. GBMP is an affiliate of the Shingo Institute and provides an annual Northeast L.E.A.N. Conference, http://www.northeastleanconference.org , held October 6-7, 2021 at the MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts. Important Links: https://www.gbmp.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-hamilton-a09a4616/ http://www.northeastleanconference.org/

This week I’m talking with Adam Lawrence, the Managing Partner of Process Improvement Partners, LLC and the author of The Wheel of Sustainability. During this episode Adam and I talk about his book and what inspired him to write the book. We also talk about what the wheel of sustainability really means and how you can use this information to create sustainable solutions. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Why Adam wrote the Wheel of Sustainability and what he was trying to solve How to sustain the solutions you’ve created Using the wheel to strengthen leadership commitment What is the Wheel and what does each part mean Implementing the Wheel during a Kaizen event Why it’s important to celebrate wins About the Guest: Adam Lawrence is the Managing Partner of Process Improvement Partners, LLC. He has 30+ years of experience in process improvement activities, targeted at manufacturing and business processes. Having facilitated 300+ Kaizen events in multiple industries around the world, Adam aligns with leadership, engages teams, and creates sustainable results. Adam is also the author of The Wheel of Sustainability. Important Links: https://pi-partners.com/about https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Sustainability-Engaging-Empowering-Produce-ebook/dp/B08VVX8F6Q

This week I’m talking with Richard Sheridan, the co-founder of Menlo Innovations where his team’s mission is to end human suffering in the workplace. Richard is also the author of Joy, Inc. - How We Built a Workplace People Love and Chief Joy Officer. In this episode, Rich and I talk about his company Menlo Innovations and the importance of having a balanced and satisfying work culture, including how you can bring about a culture change in your own organization. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Menlo Innovations and the process of finding and training Menlonians Teaching culture internally and externally Pairing- What it is and how it’s done How pairing helps the customer How to start a culture change in your organization About the Guest: Menlo Innovations CEO Rich Sheridan became disillusioned in the middle of his career in the chaotic technology industry. He had an all-consuming thought…things can be better. Much better. He had to find a way. Why couldn't a workplace be filled with camaraderie, human energy, creativity, and productivity? Ultimately, Rich co-founded Menlo Innovations in 2001 to end human suffering in the workplace. His unique approach to custom software creation is so surprisingly different, that 3,000 people a year travel from around the world just to see how they do it. His passion for creating joyful work environments led to his bestselling and widely celebrated book, Joy, Inc. - How We Built a Workplace People Love. His highly anticipated second book, Chief Joy Officer, came out December 4, 2018 and will continue to prove that a positive and engaging leadership style is actually good for business. Important Links: https://menloinnovations.com/ https://richardsheridan.com/

On the podcast this week I’m speaking with Tanya Stinson, who is the founder of Leaning Towards Change, LLC. and an experienced leader in Lean and the healthcare industry. During this episode, Tanya and I are talking about Lean and healthcare. We go over how a healthcare setting is different when it comes to Lean and how leaders can identify and reduce waste in order to better serve patients. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Waste in the healthcare world How perception plays a part in learning to see the waste What is a waste walk The problems a lack of communication can cause for teams The importance of being an effective listener Understanding the people side of change About Tanya’s business Leaning Towards Change and why she decided to start it About the Guest: Tanya Stinson is the founder of Leaning Towards Change, LLC and an experienced leader in the healthcare industry where she is responsible for performance improvement, quality, risk, patient safety and compliance. She serves as a mentor and a coach to physicians, nurses and other clinical and non clinical staff and utilizing Lean and Six Sigma methodology. Important Links: https://www.leaningtowardschange.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-stinson

This week I’m speaking with Brion Hurley, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and founder of Business Performance Improvement, a sustainable process improvement consulting firm. In this episode, Brion and I talk about the major differences between Six Sigma and Lean and how continuous improvement can be applied to the social sector. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Lean vs. Six Sigma, the differences and commonalities How Lean can be applied in the social sector How Lean can be applied in the environment How Lean can be applied to the government How to find opportunities when it comes to volunteering with nonprofits and social sectors. Why it’s important to find your passion About the Guest: Brion Hurley is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt at Business Performance Improvement. He teaches Lean and Six Sigma classes, facilitates workshops and events, performs statistical analysis, and mentors employees through improvement efforts. He volunteers his time with local nonprofits. He is also the author of the “Lean Six Sigma for Good” book series. Important Links: https://www.biz-pi.com/ https://www.leansixsigmaforgood.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/brion-hurley-432192

This week I’m speaking with Dawn Holly Johnson, the CEO of 3D value group and the author of the soon to be released book What CEOs Don't Know. During this episode, Dawn and I chat about Operational Excellence and how leaders can improve their overall organizational performance by adopting simple strategies and lean concepts. What You’ll Learn This Episode: What compelled Dawn to write her book The top 3 areas that are lacking in traditional organizations when it comes to Operational Excellence Why top organizations need to adopt Lean and Operational Excellence What you can apply today to improve organizational performance About the Guest: As an Organizational Engineer with transformational experience in every major industry and in every size company, Dawn has been the catalyst for businesses to realize over $6B in cash flow improvements. She is the CEO of 3D value group and the author of the soon to be released book What CEOs Don't Know. Important Links: https://www.dawnhollyjohnson.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnhollyjohnson https://www.wildlysuccessfulenterprises.com/

This week I’m speaking with Deb Coviello. Deb is the founder of Illumination Partners, Author of the book CEO’s Compass - Your Guide to Getting Back on Track and the host of The Drop In CEO Podcast. In this episode, Deb and I talk about developing high performing leaders, how you can find them and the best ways to prepare them for their leadership roles. What You’ll Learn This Episode: The inspiration behind writing her book What is a high performer and can everyone be a high performer? Developing high performers What should a leader be doing to help develop the next high performer Signs that you are losing emerging leaders How to prepare team members when promoting them to leadership positions How to look out for and find the best emerging leaders About the Guest: Deb Coviello is the Founder of Illumination Partners and the host of The Drop In CEO podcast. For more than twenty years, she has been transforming businesses from within, elevating the talents of their organizations to new performance levels. Her experience has taught her to put tremendous value on people, whom she considers as the heart of every business. As The Drop In CEO Deb provides her clients with 25+ years worth of experience and strategy in Quality and Operational Excellence roles combined with her 20 years in the Flavors and Fragrance industry, to identify, assess,and solve the issues that are preventing their business growth. Certified as Lean and Six Sigma Blackbelt in Process Improvement, she has also developed significant leadership insight that “People’’ are your greatest tool in your toolbox. In order to deliver on her promise of offering “peace of mind,” she focuses on utilizing the talents of her client’s team and elevating them to new levels of performance, setting them up to better serve their organization. When she isn’t transforming businesses from within, Deb is a board member of Women in Flavor & Fragrance Commerce, (WFFC), an avid Curler with the Cincinnati Curling Club, a mother of 3 and resides in Cincinnati Ohio with her Husband Dan of 32 years. Important Links: Email: [email protected] Website: https://dropinceo.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahacoviello/ Drop in CEO Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-drop-in-ceo/id1498953914?ls=1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IlluminationPartnersLLC/ Twitter: @DropinCEO Instagram: @dropinceo

This week I’m speaking with Crystal Davis, an experienced business process improvement consultant and certified leadership development coach and CEO of The Lean Coach, Inc. Crystal and I talk about how leaders and businesses can shift to efficiently working during the pandemic and how leaders can help their team members with the adjustment of returning to the workplace as we come out of the pandemic. What You’ll Learn This Episode: How the pandemic has shifted how Crystal works with clients Project management focus The importance of meeting the client where they are at The importance of taking a break and reflecting as a leader How leaders can help team members as they return to work after the pandemic Why leaders should continue the learning process About the Guest: Crystal Davis is the CEO of The Lean Coach, Inc. and an experienced business process improvement consultant and certified leadership development coach with over twenty years of experience in the design, development, and implementation of Lean Business System solutions across a wide range of industries. Crystal is a sought-after international speaker, host and podcaster with International Business Growth Radio (IBGR), and has spoken at numerous conferences around the world. Crystal’s work and thought leadership has been published in The Journal of Cost Accounting, and Lean Six Sigma Review. Throughout Crystal’s career, she was fortunate to serve as a Master Black Belt, to be mentored by two Toyota sensei in the Toyota Production System, and to lead three teams to receive awards and recognition from lean organizations. Crystal serves on the OPEX Board of Directors, and Lean Six Sigma and Data Conference board for the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE). Crystal served as the conference chair in 2019, introducing Big Data and Artificial Intelligence to the conference. She also serves on the editorial board for ASQ's Lean Six Sigma Review publication, where she served as guest editor for the inaugural all women’s special edition. Important Links: ww.theleancoachinc.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystalydavis/

This week I’m speaking with Siobhan McHale, the Executive General Manager of People, Culture & Change (HR) at DuluxGroup and the author of The Insider’s Guide to Culture Change: Creating a Workplace that Delivers, Grows, and Adapts. Siobhan and I talk about the importance of workplace culture and the steps you need to take to bring about a culture change in your workplace. What You’ll Learn This Episode: What is workplace culture? The typical patterns of workplace culture Creating culture change in the workplace Role reframing and how it relates to workplace culture The steps to take to bring about culture shift About the Guest: Siobhan (pronounced ‘Shiv-awn’) McHale is the Executive General Manager of People, Culture & Change (HR) at DuluxGroup a paints company based in Melbourne, Australia. She is the author of The Insider’s Guide to Culture Change: Creating a Workplace that Delivers, Grows, and Adapts. Siobhan has worked across four continents, helping thousands of leaders to create more agile and productive workplaces. She has been on the “inside”, as the executive in charge of culture change in a series of multinational organizations. One of these inside jobs was a radical seven-year change initiative at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) that transformed it from the lowest-performing bank in the country into one of the highest-performing banks in the world. Important Links: https://www.siobhanmchale.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mchalesiobhan/?originalSubdomain=au https://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Guide-Culture-Change-Workplace/dp/1400214653

This week I’m speaking with Mike Leigh, who is the President of OpX Solutions, a performance improvement company that helps manufacturers remove the barriers that prevent them from achieving their goals by developing leaders and improving processes. In this episode we talk about Kaizen events, including why they are important and how to ensure that the outcome of the event is successful. What You’ll Learn This Episode: What are Kaizen events and what is their purpose How to define success at a Kaizen event The main factors that influence success and how to determine them How to hold a successful Kaizen event Having the right mindset during a Kaizen event Inviting leaders to participate in Kaizen events About the Guest: Mike Leigh started OpX Solutions to help manufacturers and other organizations be more successful. Prior to starting his company, Mike had a 13-year manufacturing career where he held a variety of operational supply chain leadership roles. Prior to that, he served in the US Navy as a surface warfare officer where he specialized in nuclear propulsion, and later retired as a Commander in the reserves. Additionally, Mike writes a monthly article on business operations for Valley Business FRONT magazine, was recognized as the Virginia Small Business Veteran of the Year by the state SBDC organization, and his business is currently the #1 franchise in the Americas with Leadership Management International. When not working, Mike enjoys hiking, traveling, and following the Green Bay Packers. Important Links: Company Website: https://opxsolutionsllc.com/ Linked-In Sites: OpX Solutions: https://www.linkedin.com/company/opx-solutions-llc/ Mike’s profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeleighopxsolutions/

This week I’m speaking with David Mann, who has over 25 years of consulting on lean and lean management implementations in a wide range of manufacturing, health care, enterprise business processes, and extended value chains. In this episode we talk about David’s book and one of my favorite lean books, Creating a Lean Culture and how you can create the behaviors and practices of a lean management system in your own organization. What You’ll Learn This Episode: What inspired David to write Creating a Lean Culture The specific behaviors and practices that instilled a lean management system Mindset shifts for implementing lean systems The most important aspect in sustaining a lean culture Where David has seen the elements of lean management applied About the Guest: David Mann is the principal of David Mann Lean Consulting. In 15 years of lean experience at Steelcase Inc., Mann developed the concepts and tools of a lean management system, supporting 40+ lean manufacturing value stream transformations, and then leading an internal team that completed over 100 successful lean conversions in administrative and business process value streams. He established a consulting practice in 2005, serving organizations across industries worldwide. David is an implementer, consultant, coach, teacher and the author of the book Creating a Lean Culture, in which he won a Shingo Award. Important Links: https://dmannlean.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Lean-Culture-David-Mann/dp/1482243237

This week I’m speaking with John Dyer, an author, speaker, teacher and consultant in team based continuous process improvement. With over 30 years experience, he is the President of John Dyer & Associates where he works with leaders in many different industries in the area of process improvement and leadership development. In this episode we talk about the different styles of leadership and how they apply to transforming the overall culture of an organization. We also chat about John’s book, The Façade of Excellence, and how it relates to different types of leaders and sustainable process improvement. What You’ll Learn This Episode: How continuous improvement has changed over the years Culture of continuous appearance John’s book, The Façade of Excellence, and why he wrote it The main ingredient to making any improvement initiative successful Why leaders need to adapt to different situations About the Guest: John Dyer is the President of John Dyer & Associates, where he works with leaders in a variety of Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence initiatives. John is also the author of the book The Façade of Excellence, Defining a New Normal of Leadership. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-dyer-75a646/ https://twitter.com/JohnDyerPI https://www.amazon.com/Fa%C3%A7ade-Excellence-Defining-Normal-Leadership/dp/0367145332/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3VPWAXQE0RTYB&dchild=1&keywords=the+facade+of+excellence+john+dyer&qid=1622834304&sprefix=the+facade+of+%2Cstripbooks%2C163&sr=8-1

This week I’m chatting with Katie Anderson, an internationally recognized leadership coach, consultant, author and professional speaker. Katie is best known for her focus on helping individuals and organizations lead with intention. Katie is also the author of “Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn” and wrote the forward for my book. In this episode we talk about being an intentional leader, and creating a structure for your learning and practice. What You’ll Learn This Episode: What it means to be an intentional leader 3 skills to becoming a more intentional leader Finding your clarity The importance of asking questions Creating a habit of reflection The shift from PDCA to SAPD About the Guest: Katie Anderson is an internationally recognized leadership coach, consultant, author and professional speaker. She has over 20 years of experience in supporting change and improvement in organizations across a range of industries, though her primary focus has been on leading transformational change in healthcare organizations. Katie launched KBJ Anderson Consulting in 2013, to help individuals and organizations gain clarity on their goals, deepen their problem solving skills, and develop more effective leadership habits. Important Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson/ https://kbjanderson.com/

This week I’m chatting with Paul Dunlop, a Lean expert and Principal Consultant with over 20 years of management and manufacturing experience across a broad range of industries. In this episode we talk about focusing on accountability and performance management to improve your overall productivity. We also chat about why it’s so important to build your improvement on a solid foundation so that you can move from chaos and lack of structure to calm productivity. What You’ll Learn This Episode: How to build improvement activity on a good foundation The importance of accountability Performance management and why it’s needed The idea of perfection and why it may be stopping you Fear and leadership Making behavior visual About the Guest: In his operational management roles Paul Dunlop has led successful Lean implementation and transformations using the principles of the Toyota Production System and is green belt certified. Paul’s passion for operational excellence using Lean tools and methodology has helped drive sustained continuous improvement and financial performance at many businesses. Paul’s human centered approach focuses on engaging the ongoing support and commitment of both frontline staff and senior management through effective Lean leadership to facilitate engagement and inclusive problem-solving cultures. Paul supports and encourages organizations and individuals to go from chaos to calm productivity. Important Links: https://www.dunlopconsultants.com.au/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dunlopconsultants/

This week I’m chatting with Pennie Saum, a process improvement expert currently in the transportation field about her experience with Lean and how her past personal struggles have influenced her today. In this episode, we talk about Pennie’s work with process improvement, employee engagement, and A3 thinking. We also go into detail about her work as an author and speaker working with survivors of trauma and abuse. What You’ll Learn This Episode: A3 thinking The importance of personal development Engagement and productivity improvement Penny’s experience with trauma A3 thinking in your personal life and personal development Knowing your “why” The Be Loud Movement About the Guest: Penny Saum is a continuous process improvement expert currently in the transportation field with an emphasis on employee engagement and productivity improvement. Pennie has focused heavily on employee mentoring, employee development and driving continuous improvement through the training of employees. Throughout her career in Lean, Pennie has developed strategy, people, process and structural solutions that have met business needs by analyzing the organization’s current states and utilizing continuous improvement methodology. She has had successful implementation in employee development, streamlining business processes, enhancing operational efficiency, implementing cost control measures and enhancing the employee experience. Pennie Saum is also the author of Brave and Unbroken, a speaker, advocate, law changer, and voice seeker who has dedicated her life to helping victims use their voice to move through trauma and grief. She has a passion for helping child sexual abuse victims thrive. Pennie is determined to impact those who are struggling the trauma of child sexual abuse. Important Links: Ted Talk Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l7R3Zuv8Is http://penniesaum.com/ http://www.braveandunbroken.com/

This week, I’m talking to lean expert Tim Schipper about his book Innovative Lean Development and The Highly Effective Office and how you can incorporate lean into your office. In this episode we talk about how to use lean techniques in the office and admin side of business to eliminate excess waste so your business and team can be at their optimal performance. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Using lean in your office and the administrative side of business Eliminating motion waste and excess processing Lean focus for optimizing flow in the office Value stream maps in the office How to engage team members from the beginning The value of exposing waste Visuals for daily management About the Guest: Tim Schipper is the author of Innovative Lean Development and The Highly Effective Office. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Lean Product and Process Development Exchange, an organization promoting the exchange of information between companies in the areas of lean product and lean process development. Tim is an agile and lean expert, teacher, and coach. Important Links: https://www.amazon.com/Timothy-Schipper/e/B0026GSQTI?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1621458548&sr=1-1 https://www.linkedin.com/in/timschipper/

This week, I’m speaking with the founder and CEO of Impruver, Inc. Calvin Williams. Calvin founded Impruver Technologies after working for 20 years as an Operations Leader and Engineer with some of America’s premier manufacturing companies, generating Billions in growth opportunities and cost savings for those he has served. In this episode we talk about daily improvement and self discipline to leverage your continuous improvement journey. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Impruver and the benefits of using software in lean The connection between lean and fitness Daily habits for daily improvement The importance of self-discipline Time management and making time to improve About the Guest: Calvin Williams is the Founder and CEO of Impruver, Inc. and has also worked as a continuous improvement coach and consultant after spending many years as an industrial engineer and CI practitioner. Calvin built Impruver to address the challenges all companies seemed to face in their efforts to get better. These challenges include: lack of CI skills development throughout the enterprise, lack of leadership support and engagement, and lack of sufficient tools and information. Important Links: https://impruver.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvin-l-williams/

This week, I’m speaking with certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Project Management Professional and CI Instructor Katie Labedz, about her new book “How to Improve Absolutely Anything.” In this episode we talk about Katie’s recent book and the importance of continuous improvement including how to integrate it into your everyday life even outside of the office. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Visual leadership and how to use it How you can use continuous improvement in your everyday life including at home How Katie got her start in Lean and Six Sigma Katie’s favorite lean tools from her book What inspired Katie to write her book About the Guest: Katie Labedz is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with over 20 years of experience implementing continuous improvement solutions within non-manufacturing and manufacturing environments. Her company is Learning to Lean. Katie also has her Master's certification in instructional design, her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification through PMI and is a certified instructor/facilitator through Langevin. Important Links: https://www.learningtolean.training/ https://www.amazon.com/How-Improve-Absolutely-Anything-Improvement/dp/B08ZDV42RF/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=katie+labedz&qid=1618940328&sr=8-1

This week, I’m speaking with Karyn Ross, the author of How to Coach for Creativity and Service Excellence: A Lean Coaching Workbook, and coauthor of the Shingo Award-winning, The Toyota Way to Service Excellence: Lean Transformation in Service Organizations. Karyn is an internationally acclaimed consultant, coach and lean practitioner, and focuses on teaching organizations of all sizes and sectors how to use creativity combined with Toyota Way principles, practices and tools. This powerful combination enables organizations to create better, more effective and efficient ways to work. While many other Lean consultants focus on implementing tools, Karyn teaches teams how to use Practical Creativity™ to continuously strive towards service excellence. Karyn is on a mission to 'Help People Improve the World'. In this episode we talk about the important link between leadership and kindness, how to practice kindness in community and the impact listening can have when you’re in a leadership role. Important Links: https://karynrossconsulting.com/ https://loveandkindnessproject.org/ http://bit.ly/2R2qvo9 https://karynrossconsulting.com/announcing-the-new-school-for-kind-leaders-2/ https://womeninlean.org/

This week, I’m talking with Bob Emiliani, engineer, researcher, author, historian of progressive management, educational reformer, and executive coach. Bob is also a long-time TPS/Lean practitioner and was the first to focus on so-called "Lean leadership" as an area of scholarly study. Dr. Emiliani is an accomplished author whose work spans three disciplines: engineering, social sciences, and humanities. He has authored or co-authored 45 peer-reviewed papers in six different subject areas (leadership, management, management history, supply chain management, higher education, and materials engineering) and is the author or co-author of 22 books. In this episode we talk about the teachings in Bob’s books, loosening the grip of classical management, how to be successful with Lean and why leaders resist or reject Lean. Important Links: BobEmiliani.com Link to register for Summer Learning Festival https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkcOyrrTkoEtRaHkGa0F2FPMb3cZru5xPA https://bobemiliani.com/book/triumph-classical-management/ https://bobemiliani.com/book/irrational-institutions/ https://bobemiliani.com/book/management-mysterium/

This week, I’m talking with Karen Martin, President of the global consulting firm TKMG, Inc. and President and Founder of TKMG Academy, Inc. Karen is a leading authority on business performance improvement, problem solving, and Lean management systems. Known for her keen diagnostic skills and rapid-results approach, Karen and her team have worked with clients—such as Adventist Health, AT&T, Chevron, Epson, GlaxoSmithKline, Goodwill Industries, International Monetary Fund, Lenovo, Mayo Clinic, Prudential Insurance, Qualcomm, and the United States Department of Homeland Security—to develop more efficient work systems, grow market share, solve business problems, and accelerate performance. Karen Martin is also an established author and her latest book, Clarity First, reveals how to use clarity to unleash potential, innovate at higher levels, and solve problems more effectively. In this episode we talk about clarity and how to address fear so you can break through any barriers blocking clarity. Important Links: vwww.tkmg.com www.tkmgacademy.com https://twitter.com/karenmartinopex https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenmartinopex/