
KaiNexus: Continuous Improvement, Leadership, and More
The KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast features content from our webinars. We also share conversations with KaiNexus team members and customers from time to time.
This podcast brings you information about continuous improvement best practices, employee engagement, lean, six sigma (and related improvement disciplines) and more. Join us as we explore the nuances of creating a culture of continuous improvement, no matter your level of expertise or your industry.
Latest episodes

Nov 7, 2023 • 58min
No More Flavor of the Month! Learn How To Deliver Sustainable Change [Webinar Recording Lynn Kelley]
View the slides and more
Recorded November 7
Presented by D. Lynn Kelley, Ph.D.
Co-Author of Change Questions: A Playbook for Effective and Lasting Organizational Change
The book "Change Questions" unlocks the secrets of sustainable organizational change by asking key questions that deliver a customized approach for change that is just right for your specific initiative and organization. You will be given access to the free digital workbook, which is a fillable PDF that you can save, use, and reuse in your future change activities.
After this webinar, you will be able to develop a customized implementation plan for a change initiative that integrates the topics listed below:
a. Purpose
b. Design, Do, and Improve the Work of the Change
c. Capability Building and Employee Engagement
d. Management System and Leadership
e. Culture
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. Now serving as a senior advisor to BBH Capital Partners, she assists in sourcing, investment evaluation, transaction execution, and providing post-investment oversight to the firm’s portfolio companies.
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.

Nov 3, 2023 • 7min
[Preview] No More Flavor of the Month! Learn How To Deliver Sustainable Change - Lynn Kelley
Register for the webinar
D. Lynn Kelley, Ph.D. joins Mark Graban, senior advisor with KaiNexus, to preview her webinar presentation.
November 7 from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET
Presented by D. Lynn Kelley, Ph.D.
Co-Author of "Change Questions: A Playbook for Effective and Lasting Organizational Change"
The book "Change Questions" unlocks the secrets of sustainable organizational change by asking key questions that deliver a customized approach for change that is just right for your specific initiative and organization. You will be given access to the free digital workbook, which is a fillable PDF that you can save, use, and reuse in your future change activities.
After this webinar, you will be able to develop a customized implementation plan for a change initiative that integrates the topics listed below:
a. Purpose
b. Design, Do, and Improve the Work of the Change
c. Capability Building and Employee Engagement
d. Management System and Leadership
e. Culture
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. Now serving as a senior advisor to BBH Capital Partners, she assists in sourcing, investment evaluation, transaction execution, and providing post-investment oversight to the firm’s portfolio companies.
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.

Oct 27, 2023 • 31min
Mark Graban & Greg Jacobson on Continuous Improvement and Customer Experience Design
Get ready for another insightful episode of KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast with our esteemed hosts, Mark Graban and Greg Jacobson. Drawing from the Toyota Production System, this episode dives deep into the principles of continuous improvement, offering valuable lessons relevant to various sectors beyond just manufacturing.
Unravel the central principle of respect for people and customers as Mark and Greg discuss the substantial impact that this simple component can have on customer satisfaction and rapport. It's not just about delivering service; it’s about demonstrating recognition and appreciation. Delve into exciting, relatable narratives that emphasize the significance of respect in our daily interactions and how it lays the groundwork of undeniably fruitful relationships.
LINKS:
Video with Ford CEO Jim Farley
The Lean Leadership Podcast with Chris Burnham
Society for Health Systems Healthcare Systems Process Improvement Conference
2024AME Conference
Learn more about KaiNexus

Oct 17, 2023 • 59min
The Importance of Trust in Continuous Improvement [Webinar by Colleen Soppelsa)
Learn more and view video
Presented by Colleen Soppelsa, a Lean and Six Sigma Transformation Leader with 20+ years of experience
Charles Feltman defines trust as "choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person's actions." This webinar will delve into how lack of trust from the employee experience degrades their relationships with management, coworkers, and their jobs, leading to an environment unprepared for Lean methodology. You will learn about approaches outside the traditional Lean framework to change the DNA from the middle.
Colleen Soppelsa is a Lean and Six Sigma Transformation Leader with 20+ yrs experience across the Automotive (Toyota), Aviation (GEA) and Aerospace & Defense (L3H) Industries. She has been committed to creating breakthrough thinking environments based on the "Respect for People" principle specifically in the area of Trust as a non-negotiable for a Lean Culture.

Sep 28, 2023 • 7min
[Preview] The Importance of Trust in Continuous Improvement, a Webinar by Colleen Soppelsa
Register to view
October 17 from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET
Presented by Colleen Soppelsa, a Lean and Six Sigma Transformation Leader with 20+ years of experience
Charles Feltman defines trust as "choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person's actions." This webinar will delve into how lack of trust from the employee experience degrades their relationships with management, coworkers, and their jobs, leading to an environment unprepared for Lean methodology. You will learn about approaches outside the traditional Lean framework to change the DNA from the middle.
Colleen Soppelsa is a Lean and Six Sigma Transformation Leader with 20+ yrs experience across the Automotive (Toyota), Aviation (GEA) and Aerospace & Defense (L3H) Industries. She has been committed to creating breakthrough thinking environments based on the "Respect for People" principle specifically in the area of Trust as a non-negotiable for a Lean Culture.

Sep 21, 2023 • 33min
Remembering Chris Burnham, Our Friend and Colleague
In this episode, Greg Jacobson and Mark Graban share memories and stories of Chris Burnham, who passed away recently.
Greg and Mark talk about being guests on Chris's podcast, The Lean Leadership Podcast.
Mark in Episode #1
Greg in Episode #15
We answer two questions from the list of "rapid fire" questions that Chris would ask in his podcast:
Do you have a Lean/Continuous improvement pet peeve/or what do you frequently see being applied or being done wrong?
What do you consider the most important thing that you have learned in your career journey?!
Here is the webinar that Chris did for us as part of the KaiNexus series. And he was part of this panel discussion about virtual improvement.
We dedicate today's KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast episode to a remarkable individual whose loss has been deeply felt within the Lean community. Chris Burnham, a Lean thinker, a podcast host, and a leader in the field, recently left us, creating a void which has been challenging to navigate. This episode serves as a tribute to Chris's life, his work, and his indelible influence on those fortunate enough to cross his path.
In addition to his brilliance as a Lean thinker, Chris's exemplary character shone through in his role as the host of the Lean Leadership Podcast. His hunger for knowledge and openness to new ideas defined many of his interactions. In 2015, Chris kickstarted his podcast series by inviting Mark Graban aboard as his inaugural guest - beginning a progressive journey through the realm of Lean thinking and practices.

Sep 14, 2023 • 1h
Webinar — Ask a CEO (Mark Parrish): Building Cultures of Commitment
Recording of a Sept 14 Webinar - Learn More, See Video
Presented by Mark Parrish
This webinar provides an exciting and unique opportunity to ask an experienced CEO questions about leadership, culture, and continuous improvement. We’ll be joined by Mark Parrish, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mark is a six-time CEO at public, private and private equity companies, to include Igloo Products Corp. and the Stuart Dean Company, Inc.
Mark provides his audience world-class lessons in leadership and operational excellence gathered over three decades from within the "living laboratories" of myriad companies and industries. How can leaders create a company culture worthy of each and every employee’s full 100% commitment? How can the “business goal” of making a dollar co-exist with the “noble goal” of making a difference? How do we navigate the waters of trust, engagement, and organizational politics? Come "Ask the CEO" yourself.
The formal presentation will be brief – 15 minutes. The remainder of the hour will allow the audience to interact with Mark via moderated Q&A – submitted both in advance and during the session.

Sep 13, 2023 • 9min
[Preview] With Mark Parrish — Ask a CEO: Building Cultures of Commitment [Preview]
Register in advance (or to view the recording) -- Ask a CEO: Building Cultures of Commitment
September 14th at 1 pm ET
Presented by Mark Parrish, hosted by Mark Graban
This webinar provides an exciting and unique opportunity to ask an experienced CEO questions about leadership, culture, and continuous improvement. We’ll be joined by Mark Parrish, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mark is a six-time CEO at public, private and private equity companies, to include Igloo Products Corp. and the Stuart Dean Company, Inc.Mark provides his audience world-class lessons in leadership and operational excellence gathered over three decades from within the "living laboratories" of myriad companies and industries. How can leaders create a company culture worthy of each and every employee’s full 100% commitment? How can the “business goal” of making a dollar co-exist with the “noble goal” of making a difference? How do we navigate the waters of trust, engagement, and organizational politics? Come "Ask the CEO" yourself.The formal presentation will be brief – 15 minutes. The remainder of the hour will allow the audience to interact with Mark via moderated Q&A – submitted both in advance and during the session.
About Mark Parrish:
Mark Parrish is Managing Partner and co-founder of Parrish Partners, LLC, the twenty-year-old, southern California-based leadership and management consulting firm.
Previously, Mark was CEO, President, and Director of Igloo Products Corp., the 76-year-old, private equity owned, U.S.-based manufacturer of the iconic Igloo brand of commercial and consumer cooler and drinkware products. While in his role at Igloo, Mr. Parrish was named the Houston Business Journal’s “2017 Outstanding CEO.”
Immediately prior to joining Igloo, Mark was CEO, President, and Director of Stuart Dean Company, Inc., the 86-year-old, private family-owned, Manhattan-based international real estate restoration and preservation company. Stuart Dean customers include the Empire State Building, the White House, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Apple stores worldwide.
Mark has an accomplished record of leading organizational transformations of U.S.-based manufacturers and service providers. His contributions have yielded tremendous value creation with well-known consumer brands, such as Harley-Davidson and Simmons, and other industry leaders, including Ply Gem Windows, Interface, Inc., and Deceuninck North America, each world-class manufacturers known for their rapid product innovation.
Mark is a distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. During his ten years of uniformed service in Army Aviation, he served in five countries on three continents. As an AH-64 Apache pilot and Army “Top Gun,” he served in Operations Desert Shield/Storm, where he was awarded the Bronze Star and Air Medal for Valor. He later earned two Master of Science degrees in Engineering and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Aug 24, 2023 • 12min
Noah Paratore: Why Did You Join KaiNexus? What Do You Do?
Today, Mark Graban is joined by Noah Paratore, a Senior Solutions Engineer at KaiNexus.
Noah shares his story about why and when he joined KaiNexus as employee #19. Why does he love what the company stands for, including continuous improvement and helping him feel heard?
How does he apply continuous improvement mindsets to everyday life, including relationships?
Noah also discusses his progression of roles, being a "KaiNexpert," and the ongoing debate about who is "funniest in the gemba."

Aug 15, 2023 • 1h
Person-Centred Improvement - What Does it Look Like, and How Does it Fit with Lean? [Webinar]
Watch Video or Get Slides
August 15 from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET
Presented by Seán Paul Teeling, Programme Director for the Professional Certificate and Graduate Certificate in Process Improvement in Health Systems at UCD Health Systems.
Lean is one of the most internationally popular process improvement methodologies around the world. Similarly, person-centred approaches have risen in popularity since the millennium with political and policy intentions now widely advocating that person-centredness should be at the heart of the health system. In this webinar, we discuss the first research internationally into the combined use of Lean and person-centred improvement approaches, lessons learnt, and how to be a person-centred improver in any industry or setting.Learning objectives:
Understand what is meant by person-centred improvement
Identify the synergies between Lean and person-centred improvement
Understand where person-centred improvement diverges from Lean and how to address it
Be able to incorporate person-centred approaches into your Lean work
Seán Paul Teeling is the Programme Director for the Professional Certificate and Graduate Certificate in Process Improvement in Health Systems at UCD Health Systems. Prior to this, he worked as Lean Manager at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital Dublin, working closely with the Hospital and the UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems on the development of the highly successful Process Improvement in healthcare programmes. Seán Paul is an accredited facilitator of Person-centred Cultures in Healthcare. He completed his PhD with and is a member of, and honorary lecturer with, the Centre for Person-Centred Practice Research, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. He is also an affiliate of the Stanford Medicine Centre for Improvement, Stanford University, CA. His research is in the use of process and quality improvement methodologies in healthcare including the Model for Improvement, Lean, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma and Agile and in particular the influence and contribution of Process Improvement methodologies on Person-centred Cultures. In January 2011, he was appointed by the Minister for Health as a member of the Health Products Regulatory Authority Advisory Committee on Medical Devices, on which he served for two terms.