Lean Blog Interviews - Healthcare, Manufacturing, Business, and Leadership

My guest for Episode #496 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Randy Carr, the CEO of South Florida-based World Emblem – one of the largest embroidery companies in the world with plants in the U.S. and Mexico.  Episode page with transcript, video, and more Since 1993, the family-owned business has been the “go to” for emblems and patches for sports headwear, footwear, sports garments, and other apparel, with an output of more than 100 million products a year.   In this episode, we delve deeper into World Emblem's systemic view of their business operations within the scope of the SQDCM (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Morale) model. Learn how this approach steered them toward not just honing a product's price-point, but also delivering a superior experience that justifies that price. Discover how lean principles became an integral part of their response to various business challenges, ranging from pre-COVID operational inefficiencies to the financial impact of pandemic-induced difficulties. As World Emblem continues to foster a culture of continuous improvement and uphold their focus on safety, quality, and customer service, this lean journey illustrates the effectiveness of lean in maintaining robust competitiveness within a dynamic global market. Questions, Notes, and Highlights: We'll somewhat structure this interview like an A3 Let's start by telling us about the background of World Emblem — what was the need for change?  Their “management system” wasn't right? How did you learn about Lean? A 7-figure leap of faith to hire consultants Baby steps… vs. trying to learn and do it yourself? Countermeasure — Why Nearshoring? Hoshin Planning process – how has that worked? Benefits? Allocating your time as a CEO — 30% with customers? Using Lean outside of production? Being honest about problems — a key part of the DNA What's next on the action plan? How will continue you evaluating your progress? The UK “True Lean” methodology The podcast is brought to you by Stiles Associates, the premier executive search firm specializing in the placement of Lean Transformation executives. With a track record of success spanning over 30 years, it's been the trusted partner for the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare sectors. Learn more. This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

My guest for this bonus episode of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Gregory H. Jacobson, M.D., a co-founder and the CEO of KaiNexus. Episode show page with transcript, video, and more Greg, also a practicing emergency medicine physician to this day, was previously a guest in Episode 149 and was a part of a physician panel in Episode 361. He also joined me for Episode 31 of the "My Favorite Mistake" Podcast. We also podcast together fairly often via the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast. Greg is one of the three keynote speakers at this year's Healthcare Systems Process Improvement Conference that's presented by the Society for Health Systems. I'll also be facilitating an intensive session on Psychological Safety and Continuous Improvement. Come join us in Atlanta next month!! In this episode, we preview Greg's talk at the conference. Since it's been more than 11 years since Greg has been here, we talk about the progress that KaiNexus has made as a company and as a continuous improvement software platform. Questions, Notes, and Highlights: The three "Habits" webinars we mentioned: One, Two, and Three A video about values and success traits at KaiNexus Excerpt from The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation about KaiNexus The podcast is brought to you by Stiles Associates, the premier executive search firm specializing in the placement of Lean Transformation executives. With a track record of success spanning over 30 years, it’s been the trusted partner for the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare sectors. Learn more. This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

My guests for Episode #495 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast are Catherine Chabiron and Fabrice Bernhard, who are discussing her new book Learning to Scale at Theodo Group: Growing a Fast and Resilient Company. Episode page with video, transcript, and more Catherine Chabiron is a board member for the Institut Lean France, a member of the Lean Global Network, like the Lean Enterprise Institute. Catherine is an established expert in Lean management with a professional journey spanning over 40 years. She has experience in a range of service and support functions, including IT, Logistics, Sales, Finance, and HR, both in France and globally. As a Lean executive coach, her expertise in Lean thinking has been largely shaped by her experiences within the automotive industry, where she has lived and breathed the Lean philosophy. This has been further enriched by her regular visits to the Toyota supply chain in Japan, an experience that has offered her unique insights and an in-depth understanding of how a learning culture operates. So, speaking of Theodo Group, we're also again joined by their chief technology officer and co-founder, Fabrice Bernhard. He co-founded Theodo in Paris in 2009, which has grown on average 50% yearly for the last 8 years and generated 90M€ revenue in 2022. He is now based in London to help with the international expansion. We delve into the broadened application of lean principles in our discussion with Fabrice Bernard and Catherine Chabiron. Bernard shares how Theodore Group implemented Lean as a strategic pillar in their operations, using it as a toolbox to create sustained growth and maintain competitive edges. They systematically addressed business challenges using TPS, Extreme Programming, and Scrum to conjure the “agile magic” of a small, integrated team at scale. Don't miss out on the chance to hear about cultivating a Lean culture that goes beyond strategy and tool adoption. By fostering an environment of continuous learning, teamwork, and the relentless pursuit of excellence, Theodore Group effectively established Lean as the backbone of their company's culture. We also expound on broader societal challenges that can be addressed through Lean methodologies and the journey of A3 thinking in fostering deep understanding and collaboration. This episode takes an expansive look at Lean practices, demonstrating its adaptable, innovative, and ethically conscious nature across different industries, proving its potency in driving companies towards sustained growth. Questions, Notes, and Highlights: What are your Lean origin stories? Lean as a strategy at Theodo Group? How did the two of you come to work together? First met in Japan, right? What led to the book? Startup vs Scale-up? Six Planet Lean articles – LINK Sharing Lean thinking with your CEO and other leaders? How do you embody Lean? A lot of virtual work now? If so what does Gemba mean? What does continuous improvement mean to you? How do leaders foster a learning culture? How does continuous improvement address not just the scaling challenge but societal challenges? Why are the current ways of scaling a company broken? Big Company Disease? Silos and process trumping customers, compliance over initiative The podcast is brought to you by Stiles Associates, the premier executive search firm specializing in the placement of Lean Transformation executives. With a track record of success spanning over 30 years, it’s been the trusted partner for the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare sectors. Learn more. This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Chad Bareither, a change agent in the corporate world, discusses his new book 'Improve LESS' and the 'Focus and Align Framework'. Topics include Lean in the military, collaborative relationships in a lean supply chain, and the importance of focus and alignment in organizations.

Gene Kim and Steve Spear, authors of "Wiring the Winning Organization," discuss integrating practices, designing processes for creativity, and the importance of circuitry in organizations. They explore the danger zone versus the winning zone and the concept of slowing down to speed up. They also discuss their book, which focuses on sloification, simplification, and amplification.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #492 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Nick Katko, previously here in Episode 428 in 2021 with his co-author Mike DeLuca talking about their book Practicing Lean Accounting.  Today, Nick is here to discuss his book, The Lean CFO: Architect of the Lean Management Accounting System — now in its second edition — released back in February. Nick also did a webinar earlier this year as part of the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement webinar series. For over 20 years, Nick has worked at BMA, assisting clients in Lean management implementation by working closely with them to resolve the real-world issues they face. He holds a BS in accounting and an MBA in finance, both from the University of Kentucky, and is a certified public accountant. Questions, Notes, and Highlights: What makes a CFO a “Lean CFO”? Are there “degrees of Lean CFO”?? Are there some wrong things to measure? Things we should start measuring? Viewing inventory as an asset? How does inventory reduction trip us up potentially? What is “lean management accounting”?? Robbing Peter to pay Paul – ending that via Lean causes a problem then? Is there a way to ease your way out of that? Reducing inventory is an outcome of better processes? Is it better for Lean to be part of a growth strategy? Chapter 3 – “Lean is the strategy” — are you hearing that more often? Are they walking the talk?? How common is this? “Knowing what's possible” when you have experience with Lean – and the emotions people feel, regret? The virtuous cycle of using CI to drive CAPACITY (instead of cost reduction)? The Lean CFO: Architect of the Lean Management Accounting System — What's different in the 2nd edition? Tell us about your new BMA Lean Accounting Certification Program…  The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in its 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more. This podcast was also brought to you by Arena, a PTC Business. Arena is the proven market leader in Cloud Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) with over 1,400 customers worldwide. Visit the link arenasolutions.com/lean to learn more about how Arena can help speed product releases with one connected system. This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Episode page with video, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #491 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Sarah Tilkens, an experienced Lean Leader with a demonstrated history of working in construction and manufacturing. She is a senior manager of operational excellence at GE Healthcare.  Sarah's a Six Sigma Black Belt, a certified life coach / executive coach, a lifelong learner, leader, mother, and CEO and Founder of her company, The KPI Lab. She earned her bachelor's in Biological Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Sarah's Lean journey is intriguing as she sculpted her Lean management skills on the manufacturing floor at GE, despite her background in Biological Sciences. Interestingly, her Lean journey extends from being intrigued by her colleagues pursuing Six Sigma certifications to studying at GE's Lean Academy in Japan, where she observed the best Lean practices. Moreover, she details her unique philosophy about Lean mindset, the significance of continuous improvement, and her holistic approach to coaching--indispensable factors in her role as a Lean Leader. She also talks about her personal transformation during the pandemic, integrating coaching skills into her professional life, and why self-care is a priority. Tune in to this engaging discussion to learn about Sarah's Lean journey as she shares her most significant learnings and experiences. Questions, Notes, and Highlights: Tell us your Lean or OpEx origin story... Did you get exposed to Lean when you worked in construction? Why construction? - went into sales, to a place of discomfort  How was the shift to manufacturing? Hired as a Lean Leader - learned it there at GE How did they educate you about Lean at GE? You joined GE Healthcare in November 2018 -- right after CEO Larry Culp was brought in as the first outsider CEO, right?  I was able to attend the September event that was hosted by GE (including GE Healthcare) called The Lean Mindset - how do you describe that mindset? 1x1 fit - each coachee as a customer? Creating PULL for projects?? -- better defining problem statements Tell us about getting certified as a coach? How can you take care of yourself so you can better help others as a leader? How long should we give an experiment before deciding if we should adjust or try something new? The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in its 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more. This podcast was also brought to you by Arena, a PTC Business. Arena is the proven market leader in Cloud Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) with over 1,400 customers worldwide. Visit the link arenasolutions.com/lean to learn more about how Arena can help speed product releases with one connected system. This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Episode page with links, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #490 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Quint Studer, the co-founder of HealthCare Plus Solutions Group and owner of the minor league baseball team, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He's a returning guest, having joined us in Episode #353 (2019) when we talked about his book, The Busy Leader's Handbook. He's written many other books — his first being Hardwiring Excellence (2003), a book that was recommended to me when I started serving healthcare organizations back in 2005 — and that book made a huge impact on me. Quint previously founded Studer Group, which received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2011. He's also currently a speaker, an entrepreneur, and a philanthropist. His most recent previous book is The Calling: Why Healthcare is So Special. His latest book is Rewiring Excellence, a free eBook. The Human Margin: Building the Foundations of Trust, written in partnership with Katherine A. Meese, PhD, is due for publication in March 2024. In this episode, Quint speaks poignantly about the need to transform rigid practices in healthcare. His clarion call emphasizes the significance of rewriting conventional healthcare procedures to create adaptable strategies. This dynamic conversation also illuminates his concept of ‘rewiring' excellence. Quint challenges the traditional definitions and procedures regarding excellence, maintaining that these outmoded ideologies need to be revamped with modern perspectives for enhanced results. Thus, stay tuned to hear more about how to navigate the changing landscape of healthcare. Questions, Notes, and Highlights: What can leaders do to help ensure that the calling doesn't turn into burnout and a loss of that calling? How can we stop the blame game? “If you do it right, there should be no turnover” (CNAs) Focus, fix, and follow up The need to close the loop… Blame culture Assumptions — about why MDs don't refer in house Quint's excellent article, ‘I may be wrong': The power of admitting our mistakes Why do people get vilified for saying they were wrong or they changed their minds? When people hide behind “do you have any research?” Tell us about your latest book, Rewiring Excellence: Hardwired to Rewired… free eBook now, print book in pre-order status. How do we decide if a hardwired process needs to be “rewired”? What is the “Human Capital Ecosystem™ Assessment“? Looking ahead to your next book — how can leaders build trust? Hosting a podcast now? The Healthcare Plus Podcast The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in its 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more. This podcast was also brought to you by Arena, a PTC Business. Arena is the proven market leader in Cloud Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) with over 1,400 customers worldwide. Visit the link arenasolutions.com/lean to learn more about how Arena can help speed product releases with one connected system. This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

This episode will be available to paid Apple Podcasts subscribers only until November 1st, when it will become available to the public. Ward is a seasoned C-suite executive with over 6 years leading fully remotely while building technology organizations from the ground up for companies 150 to 650 employees in size and 50M to 125M revenue across the Americas and Europe. He is currently Chief Product Officer and CTO at RealSelf and is a technical advisor with his own company - website is https://wardvuillemot.com - where he advises startup founders and CEOs on technical roadmaps and technology organization along with lean approaches…

Episode page with video and more Our guest today is D. Lynn Kelley! She is author, with John Shook (who has been a guest here many times), of the new book, Change Questions: A Playbook for Effective and Lasting Organizational Change. Lynn currently serves as a senior advisor to BBH Capital Partners. Following a career highlighted by leadership roles in engineering, supply chain, and continuous improvement in various industries, Kelley retired from Union Pacific Railroad in 2018. At Union Pacific, she was senior vice president of supply chain and continuous improvement. She was also the executive co-owner of the company’s innovation program. Before joining Union Pacific, Kelley was vice president of operational excellence, an officer and a member of the executive leadership team at Textron. Kelley holds a PhD in evaluation and research and taught undergraduate and graduate statistics courses. Before becoming a professor, she held the positions of executive vice president and chief operating officer of Doctors Hospital in Detroit. The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in its 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more. This podcast was also brought to you by Arena, a PTC Business. Arena is the proven market leader in Cloud Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) with over 1,400 customers worldwide. Visit the link arenasolutions.com/lean to learn more about how Arena can help speed product releases with one connected system. This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network.