KaiNexus: Continuous Improvement, Leadership, and More

Join Mark Graban on the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement podcast as he sits down with Jeff Roussel, KaiNexus’ Chief Revenue Officer, to explore the evolving role of sales, marketing, and leadership in driving continuous improvement and operational excellence within organizations.In This Episode, You’ll Learn:Career Evolution & Leadership: Jeff reflects on his 11-year journey at KaiNexus—from a focus on sales to embracing a broader role that includes marketing, customer experience, and internal culture.The Importance of Commitment: A discussion on how leadership behaviors, particularly a sustained commitment to operational excellence, are critical to long-term success.Building a Business Case for Continuous Improvement: Insights into aligning improvement efforts with strategic business goals, showcasing how measurable outcomes support growth and innovation.Cultivating a Culture of Improvement: Real-world examples of embedding continuous improvement into job roles and driving organizational change, including the impact on employee engagement and operational results.Key Takeaways:Continuous improvement is not just about activity—it’s about achieving tangible business outcomes.Leadership commitment and accountability play a crucial role in overcoming obstacles and maintaining momentum in improvement initiatives.Integrating sales, marketing, and customer experience under one cohesive strategy can create a lasting impact on both internal culture and external performance.Why Listen?Whether you’re a champion of operational excellence or a business leader aiming to align improvement efforts with strategic goals, this conversation offers actionable insights and thoughtful reflections to help you build a more resilient and agile organization.Connect with KaiNexus:Explore the KaiNexus platform and learn how it can enhance your organization’s continuous improvement journey.

Watch the recordingPresented by Shawna Forst, Performance Excellence, Quality & Risk Coordinator at MercyOne Newton Medical CenterWhat do physical education teachers and performance excellence professionals have in common? More than you think! This session will feature one former P.E. Teacher's perspective on the similarities between coaching kids and leading quality and improvement efforts in the workplace while also sharing how to leverage KaiNexus to support and encourage those endeavors.In this webinar, you'll learn:To explore the basic fundamentals of being an effective coach, regardless of field.To identify how KaiNexus can be leveraged in being an effective coach.To understand how Lean methodology, leveraging KaiNexus, can help eliminate waste, build teamwork, reduce conflicts, reduce or eliminate defects, create IDEAL processes, services, and products as well as improve client satisfaction.Shawna is the Performance Excellence Quality & Risk Coordinator and Lean Healthcare Coach at MercyOne Newton Medical Center. Shawna has been a Lean Healthcare facilitator since January 2007 and has two years of experience as a technician in a cardiac unit. Since then, she has had various roles in Healthcare Quality and Safety. Shawna graduated from Simpson College in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education and a Coaching Endorsement. In 2010, she became a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) and received her LEAN Green Belt certification in 2014. She also received her Masters in Business Administration from Western GovernorsUniversity in 2018.About the Presenter:Shawna Forst

Register to view the webinar (live or the recording)Welcome to another engaging episode of the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast, hosted by Mark Graban. In this session, we present a sneak peek into our upcoming webinar featuring Shawna Forst, a former Physical Education teacher turned Process Excellence professional. The webinar, scheduled for March 5th at 1:00 PM Eastern, will explore the fascinating parallels between PE teaching and process improvement in professional settings.Key HighlightsCareer Journey: Gain insights into Shawna's unique career path from physical education to healthcare process improvement.Coaching & Communication: Learn about the importance of adapting coaching and communication styles to different individuals, drawing from Shawna's experiences with sports and behavior disorder children.Lean Methodology: Discover how lean methodologies can be applied to reduce waste and enhance efficiency in various professional environments.Join us for this insightful discussion that promises to offer valuable leadership tips and process excellence strategies, applicable across diverse industries beyond healthcare.Don’t miss out on this valuable opportunity to learn how coaching strategies from the field of physical education can inspire and influence process excellence in the workplace. Register now and be part of the conversation!Prepare to be inspired by Shawna’s journey and the skills that transcend industry boundaries. See you there!

Learn more and registerIn this engaging episode of the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast, hostMark Graban welcomesGreg Jacobson, Co-Founder and CEO of KaiNexus, to discuss the much-anticipated KaiNexicon, the company's annual user conference. The conversation not only highlights the logistics and plans for the 2025 KaiNexicon but also dives into the essence of continuous improvement and the unique setup that makes this conference such a valuable experience.Key Discussion PointsIntroduction to KaiNexicon 2025: Greg Jacobson shares his enthusiasm for the ninth annual KaiNexicon, emphasizing the conference’s goals and its role as a vital gathering for KaiNexus users.Reflections on 2024 and Forecasting for 2025: Greg talks about how closing out the previous year impacts a small team and shares optimism regarding the financial outlook for 2025.Importance and Impact of KaiNexicon: The dialogue explores the significance of KaiNexicon, especially the cultural cross-pollination among industries that attend.Continuous Improvement and Engagement: Both speakers discuss the structured feedback process used to enhance the conference each year, reflecting KaiNexus' commitment to improvement.Unique Features of KaiNexicon: Key aspects such as the SpeedNexus session, as well as interactive opportunities available to users, are highlighted.Product Sneak Peeks and Innovations: Greg shares his passion for product development and how Kinexicon serves as a platform to preview upcoming advancements.Memorable Quotes:Greg Jacobson: "When you start realizing that you’re not copying and pasting even within industry, you can get a really excellent manifestation of what should lean or continuous improvement look like in your organization."Mark Graban: "It’s not the type of event where you sit there passively for the whole time. There are interactive sessions."Greg Jacobson: "At the fundamental core, all businesses are based on revenue, expenses, and people."Tune in next time for more insightful discussions on enhancing continuous improvement efforts.

To view the webinar recording, for slides, and morePresented by Mark GrabanHosted by Linda VicaroAre you looking for practical ways to eliminate errors and enhance efficiency in your organization? Join us for "Mistake-Proofing in Action: Real-World Examples Across Industries," an insightful webinar showcasing how organizations across healthcare, manufacturing, and service sectors have successfully implemented mistake-proofing techniques. Discover innovative solutions that prevent errors before they occur, improve safety and quality, and save valuable time and resources. Through inspiring case studies and actionable takeaways, you’ll learn how to adapt these proven approaches to your unique challenges. Don’t miss this chance to gain practical tools and insights to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence. Register today and see mistake-proofing in action!

Register for the webinar February 12 from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET Presented by Mark Graban Are you looking for practical ways to eliminate errors and enhance efficiency in your organization? Join us for "Mistake-Proofing in Action: Real-World Examples Across Industries," an insightful webinar showcasing how organizations across healthcare, manufacturing, and service sectors have successfully implemented mistake-proofing techniques. Discover innovative solutions that prevent errors before they occur, improve safety and quality, and save valuable time and resources. Through inspiring case studies and actionable takeaways, you’ll learn how to adapt these proven approaches to your unique challenges. Don’t miss this chance to gain practical tools and insights to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence. Register today and see mistake-proofing in action! Mark Graban, a senior advisor to KaiNexus, is an internationally-recognized author, speaker, and consultant. His latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, is available now.  Mark is also the author of the award-winning book Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Engagement and others, including Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More. He serves as a consultant through his company, Constancy, Inc. Additionally, Mark hosts podcasts, including “Lean Blog Interviews” and “My Favorite Mistake.” Education: B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University; M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and M.B.A. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s “Leaders for Global Operations” Program. About the Presenter:Mark Graban

Read the blog post We are often asked if continuous improvement and operational excellence are the same. They are not, but they are closely related. Continuous improvement involves constantly improving your business processes to reduce waste, cut costs, improve quality, and maximize human potential. It focuses on making each existing process perfect. Operational excellence goes further. It involves setting the organization up for growth by understanding what the market wants and creating an uninterrupted value stream that continuously feeds the need.It is essential to understand the difference between these two complementary paradigms that guide business operations management so that you can apply elements of both to streamline operations and achieve your most critical strategic goals.

Read the blog post Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System, once said, “Without Standard Work, there is no Kaizen.” That’s a pretty bold statement, but when you think about the continuous improvement cycle, it makes a lot of sense. How can you move from the current state to the desired state if the current state is a moving target? Standard Work, which documents the current best practice for performing a task or process, and ensures that everyone is applying it, is a prerequisite for improvement. Here are 15 ways that Standard Work benefits organizations that leverage it.

Presented by Brent Loescher on Nov 19, 2024 Get slides and more TKMG Academy An exploration of implementing LSW throughout Sperber Companies, a distributed Landscape Maintenance business made up of organically-grown business and M&A (read multiple cultures). Covering everything from embracing current cultures, developing an organizational culture with a common language, level setting business leader responsibilities, introducing Lean thinking, and implementing daily rhythms, this webinar will discuss the efforts, hurdles, and learnings this 5-year-old business is living every day. Brent has spent more than 20 years working in and on the business, improving operations within high-speed manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, distributed-services environments, and governmental agencies. A Lean practitioner at heart, Brent received his formal Toyota Production System training while working for Toyota Motor Sales in their North American Parts Operations. While with Toyota, he was responsible for operational design of two new warehouses built in Puerto Rico and Mexico City. A certified TPS trainer, he developed strategic warehouse design standards, while also serving as the Toyota Customer Service Diversity and Inclusion Champion Coordinator. He helped develop a Lean program for the landscape maintenance industry, implementing and evolving continuous improvement programs across the country since 2009. This included co-leading a team focused on the operational integration of a $2 billion dollar merger. Brent is currently responsible for Learning & Development and CI for a start-up Landscape Maintenance & Construction company doing work in 14 states. He has a BA in Business Management from Mercyhurst University and is a retired military veteran, having served 21 years in the US Army and US Army Reserve.

Read the blog post I often find myself falling into the common trap of believing that if something is worthwhile, it is necessarily difficult. I think we all expect that valuable things are hard. The truth is, however, that sometimes the most effective and impactful things we can do are really quite simple. When it comes to continuous quality improvement, this is absolutely the case. Here are 9 examples of quality improvement tools, techniques, and technology that are uncomplicated yet extremely valuable.