Gemba Academy Podcast: Lean Six Sigma | Toyota Kata | Productivity | Leadership GA 598 | Making Lean Work with Darren Walsh
Sep 18, 2025
This week’s guest is Darren Walsh, an experienced Lean practitioner and author of 'Making Lean Work'. He shares insights on common pitfalls in continuous improvement and effective countermeasures. Darren emphasizes the importance of starting with daily management practices and offers actionable advice like using progress boards. He also discusses five key leadership routines to foster sustainable improvement. The conversation is packed with practical wisdom for transforming organizations through Lean principles.
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Episode notes
Unseen Waste Is The Biggest Threat
- The most dangerous waste is the one you don't recognize, per Shingo, because tools can't fix unseen problems.
- Darren says focusing on tools over underlying problems causes organizations to miss real improvement opportunities.
Early Start And Cross-Industry Career
- Darren began as a trainee production engineer at 17 and dove into Shingo, Juran, and Deming books early on.
- He worked with a Japanese mentor and later across industries like technology, medical devices, aerospace, and oil and gas.
Recurring Pitfalls Motivated The Book
- Darren saw repeating stubborn problems where managers rewarded short-term wins then punished teams later.
- He wrote his book to capture these recurring pitfalls and help leaders navigate them.
