Gemba Academy Podcast: Lean Six Sigma | Toyota Kata | Productivity | Leadership

This week’s guest is Tony Hayes. Ron and Tony discussed the meaning behind authentic leadership, the importance of humility and vulnerability, dealing with poor leadership, and more. MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Tony likes (2:33) His background (3:19) What “Authentic Leadership” means (5:05) Handling not having the answers (7:18) What humility really means (10:48) Why vulnerability is scary for a leader (13:45) Misconceptions about leadership (15:45) Tony’s advice for when you’re dealing with bad leadership (17:50) Practical examples of the positive impacts of Respect for People (25:10) Tony’s final words of wisdom (31:13) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Tony on LinkedIn Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here. What Do You Think? What are some misconceptions you’ve heard or noticed about leadership?

This week’s guest is Christopher Lieb. Ron and Chris discussed Chris’s transition from practicing continuous improvement at a large company to a startup, the mentality he likes to adopt, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn:  The “mentality” Chris likes (2:45) What happens when someone has a bad attitude or doesn’t care (4:49) His background (5:59) Using SPC and other tools in a startup environment (11:52) The fact that no one else had continuous improvement knowledge (14:39) How it’s impacted the supply chain (18:35) How Chris avoided being the “annoying” guy (21:51) His final words of wisdom (30:48) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Christopher on LinkedIn Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here. What Do You Think? Have you practiced continuous improvement at different sized organizations?

This week’s guest is Tanner McClure. Ron and Tanner discussed Tanner’s introduction to lean, dealing with resistance from management and supervisors, the “paper doll” tool, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote that inspires Tanner (2:53) Tanner’s background (3:50) How his background affected his introduction to lean (6:29) Dealing with resistance from management or from supervisors (7:52) How to reassure employees who are new to lean (13:31) The “paper doll” tool (19:34) Tanner’s advice for those just getting started (25:57) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Tanner on LinkedIn Tanner McClure Consulting on LinkedIn Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here. What Do You Think? Have you ever been met with resistance from management or supervisors? How did you handle it?

This week’s guest is Jackey Lin. Ron and Jackey discussed Jackey’s diverse career background, deploying operational excellence on a global scale, overcoming communication barriers, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn:  Jackey’s favorite quote (2:43) His background (4:52) Initiating operational excellence on a global scale (7:36) Jackey’s advice on dealing with resistance (15:55) Examples of how they communicate (21:35) How these improvements lead to operational results (24:34) What Jackey is most proud of (29:45) His final words of wisdom (34:03) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Jackey on LinkedIn Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here. What Do You Think? Have you ever worked on continuous improvement in multiple countries?

This week’s guest is Steven Langer. Ron and Steven discussed what it means to optimize workplace culture, what a strong organizational culture looks like, dealing with burnout, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Steven likes (2:51) His background (3:42) What he means by “healthy” (5:15) How to know whether you’re winning or losing (7:07) How the size of the company factors in (9:40) What a strong organizational culture looks like (11:18) Balancing taking care of people with revenue (12:57) His experience with burnout (17:12) How to tell when you’re burnt out (19:23) Steven’s final words of wisdom (25:10) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Steven’s Website Steven on LinkedIn Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here. What Do You Think? Have you ever suffered from burnout? How did you remedy it?

This week’s guest is Craig Coyle. Ron and Craig discussed Craig’s experience as an Apache pilot, what employee engagement is and isn’t, why new leaders quit, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn:  Craig’s favorite quote (2:37) His background (3:26) The first time Craig flew an Apache on his own (7:01) Why employee engagement is critical (8:40) What engagement looks like (12:29) Craig’s advice he gives to senior leaders (17:26) Why new leaders quit (21:21) His advice for finding community (27:25) Mentorship versus community or fellowship (30:32) Empowering people on the frontlines (31:45) What Craig would recommend to people who are struggling (35:35) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Craig on LinkedIn Operation Lead Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here. What Do You Think? What is employee engagement and what is it not?

This week’s guest is Uriel Eisen. Ron and Uriel discussed the importance of kanban, why increasing your inventory isn’t always a bad thing, Uriel’s background and projects, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Uriel likes (2:33) His background (5:14) What “tripling production” means (9:03) How he increased their inventory (14:01) How it’s measured (19:13) Uriel’s advice on how to get started (22:14) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Austere Manufacturing Austere Manufacturing on Instagram Arda on Instagram Arda Uriel on LinkedIn Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here. What Do You Think? Why is kanban so powerful?

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam discussed reliability kaizen, what it means, how it relates to the Wheel of Sustainability, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Adam likes (2:25) His background (3:17) What reliability kaizen means to Adam (4:52) About OEE (8:59) The steps he and his team follow (10:12) What this has to do with reliability (14:38) The resistance he’s seen teams face (16:58) About the Wheel of Sustainability (22:28) How he and his teams have applied it to reliability kaizen (28:15) Adam’s final words of wisdom (33:05) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Adam’s Website Adam on LinkedIn Adam’s Past GA Podcasts  Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here. What Do You Think? What does reliability kaizen mean to you?

This week’s guest is Sarah Tilkens. Ron and Sarah discussed The KPI Lab (which Sarah founded), why talent development is critical, what leaders can do to help, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Sarah likes (2:14) Her background (3:19) About the KPI lab (4:27) Why talent development is critical (5:23) What leaders can do (8:38) Combining lean and talent development (12:18) What it’s been like working on the KPI lab (17:01) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Sarah on LinkedIn GA 275 | Leading vs. Serving with Sarah Tilkens GA 408 | Lean and Life Coaches with Sarah Tilkens GA 474 | Integrating Coaching and Lean with Sarah Tilkens Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here. What Do You Think? What does it mean to combine lean and talent development?

This week’s guest is Thomas Gelmi. Ron and Thomas discussed Thomas’s unique background, how he helps leaders develop their “human” skills, navigating different personalities at work, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Thomas likes (2:48) His background (4:16) What “human skills” refers to (7:33) Why how we feel about ourselves matters (10:29) Navigating personality differences (16:36) His opinion on why developing human skills is good for business (21:38) A leader’s ability and willingness to be vulnerable (27:48) Thomas’s final words of wisdom (32:53) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Thomas on LinkedIn Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here. What Do You Think? Why is it important to develop human skills (aka soft skills)?