Guest Jennifer Drago discusses crafting long-term visions, data-driven strategies, overcoming resistance to change, and more. Highlights include balancing profit with altruism, creating strategic pillars, and effective communication of vision. Jennifer shares how she overcame resistance to change and reflects on career successes, including a remarkable obstetrics program achievement.

Lean expert Royden Johnson from South Africa discusses lean practices in his country, emphasizing connection before correction, 5S implementation, moral vs formal authority, and advice for those starting their continuous improvement journey. He reflects on the state of lean in South Africa and highlights the importance of ownership and accountability in lean processes.

Lean practitioner Tim Pettry discusses outside perceptions of Toyota, Cleveland Clinic's continuous improvement journey, physician involvement, and an unusual workshop at the upcoming Shingo Conference.

Guest April Bell discusses how Jack Henry uses Toyota Kata for continuous improvement, quantifying waste in office settings, and the intersection of tools and scientific thinking. They explore challenges, vision, and advice for getting started.

This week's guest is Alen Ganic. Ron and Alen discussed Alen's work with the City of Grand Rapids, process improvement from the customer perspective, and the importance of celebrating quick wins. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn:  Alen's favorite quotes (2:02) His background (5:21) How the mayor discovered lean (9:12) An anecdote about the water department (10:47) What you can do to introduce and sustain a lean initiative (15:03) Focusing on process improvement from the customer's perspective (21:27) The importance of measuring (22:50) Approaching those "in the middle" (24:10) Alen's advice for those getting started (29:23) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Alen on LinkedIn Gemba Academy Live City of Grand Rapids 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? How do you celebrate quick wins?

Exploring scientific thinking in non-traditional contexts like homeschooling and youth soccer. Discussing deliberate practice, using the Toyota Kata approach, and balancing methods. From CEO transition to personalized education, the guests share unique experiences and insights.

This week's guest is Robb Holman. Ron and Robb discussed Robb's new book, "Lessons from Abdul," navigating crises, filtering out the "noise" in our lives, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn:  The quote that inspires Robb (3:30) About his new book, Lessons from Abdul (4:47) Who Abdul is (8:29) Robb's basketball career (14:01) What Robb learned from Abdul (14:53) Receiving well with so much "noise" (19:06) Practical tips for being better at receiving (24:47) Where you can get Robb's book (29:22) What else is going on in Robb's life (30:22) A story about Robb's wife's cancer treatment (32:52) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Robb's Website Lessons from Abdul Robb on LinkedIn Robb on Facebook Robb on Twitter 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? Who in your life have you learned some unexpected lessons from?

Explore building a culture of continuous improvement with Jim Huntzinger. Discuss the future of continuous improvement, the importance of having a hypothesis, foundational skills needed, and the relevance of sharing knowledge. Learn about upcoming events like KataCon 2024 and TWI Summit. Discover the integration of scientific thinking and lean activities in creating a culture of improvement.

This week's guest is Carlos Pereyra. Ron and Carlos discussed Carlos's recent graduation from our Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt program, what it means to create psychological safety, measuring success, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn:  The quote Carlos likes (3:31) His background (4:16) Failing faster (7:20) How we can encourage a culture of experimentation (11:21) Some personal examples (12:31) Getting people excited about lean (17:03) Advice for leaders (19:12) Why it is so difficult for leaders to create psychological safety (21:10) Measuring success (23:01) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Carlos 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? How do you get people excited about lean?

This week's guest is Jim Vaselopulos. Ron and Jim discussed business distractions, AI, and the lean parallels in Jim's book on clarity. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn:  The quote that inspires Jim (2:41) His background (3:45) Why he wrote a book (5:10) What "clarity" means to Jim (8:03) What he means by "business distractions" (13:39) The lean parallels in this book (18:14) Ron's fear regarding AI (21:52) What it means to "leave folks one inch taller" (25:27) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Jim on LinkedIn Jim's Book on Amazon 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 "clarity" mean to you?