
Gemba Academy Podcast: Lean Six Sigma | Toyota Kata | Productivity | Leadership
Improvement Learning, Improved.
Latest episodes

Jan 26, 2023 • 32min
GA 460 | Newsletter Wisdom with Ron Pereira
This week's guest is our own Ron Pereira. Ron discussed two of his favorite email newsletters: The Process and The Curiosity Chronicle. He also shared some powerful content from each. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.
In this episode you'll learn:
Companies that went bankrupt (4:30)
Self-determination theory (8:41)
A culture that resists complacency (14:43)
About Sahil Bloom's newsletter (17:45)
Life Lessons from 1,000 Years (20:06)
Podcast Resources
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The Process
Sahil Bloom: Life Lessons from 1,000 Years
Sahil's Newsletter
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What Do You Think?
Which of the life lessons stood out to you the most?

Jan 19, 2023 • 44min
GA 459 | Dealing with CAVE People with Adam Lawrence
This week's guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam discussed the Wheel of Sustainability, kaizen events, and how to handle "CAVE People." An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.
In this episode you'll learn:
The quote Adam likes (3:17)
Adam's background (4:31)
The Wheel of Sustainability (5:15)
Why he wrote his book (6:41)
What Adam learned (8:29)
An example of when things were tough (11:09)
The plant manager role (16:47)
Advice for the practitioner who is lacking support (18:21)
Who gets nervous about committing (24:42)
How you handle a "CAVE person" (25:56)
The most powerful kaizen event (31:27)
What Adam does on Day 3 (39:12)
Podcast Resources
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Adam on LinkedIn
PI Partners on LinkedIn
PI Partners
Adam on YouTube
The Wheel of Sustainability on Amazon
GA 287 | The Wheel of Sustainability with Adam Lawrence
GA 303 | Running a Successful Kaizen Event with Adam Lawrence
GA 330 | The Power of 3P with Adam Lawrence
GA 359 | Pink Tools and Preventing Injuries with Adam Lawrence
GA 393 | Lean Storytelling with Adam Lawrence
GA 398 | Lean Storytelling Part Two with Adam Lawrence
GA 424 | When Things Go Wrong: The Spirit of Kaizen with Adam Lawrence
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What Do You Think?
How do you deal with CAVE people?

Jan 12, 2023 • 21min
GA 458 | Exploring Risk Analysis with Ron Pereira
This week we're sharing audio from three of our newer courses on risk analysis. Learn all about Bowtie Analysis, FMEA, and Fault Tree Analysis, and check out our website to watch the free videos that accompany them. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.
In this episode you'll learn:
About Bowtie Analysis (1:06)
The roots of Bowtie Analysis (3:01)
The advantages of Bowtie Analysis (4:53)
The disadvantages of Bowtie Analysis (5:58)
About FMEA (7:14)
The two types of FMEA (10:15)
The differences between them (11:24)
About Fault Tree Analysis (15:10)
The structure of the fault tree diagram (16:24)
What Fault Tree Analysis is used for (17:23)
Podcast Resources
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Bowtie Analysis
FMEA
Fault Tree Analysis
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What Do You Think?
How could you use one or more of these tools at your company?

Jan 5, 2023 • 35min
GA 457 | Leading with Care with Bob DeKoch and Phil Clampitt
This week's guests are Bob DeKoch and Phil Clampitt. Ron, Bob, and Phil talked about servant leadership, toxic positivity, and what it means to lead with care. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.
In this episode you'll learn:
The quotes that inspire them (1:52)
Their backgrounds (2:44)
What "beyond servant leadership" means (4:58)
Pairing core beliefs with skills (8:53)
About toxic positivity (12:17)
Embracing uncertainty (18:19)
Teaching these principles to young people (21:05)
Leading with care (24:02)
How different personality types play a role (27:43)
Podcast Resources
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Phil on LinkedIn
Bob on LinkedIn
Leading with Care on Amazon
Leading with Care Website
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What Do You Think?
What does leading with care mean to you?

Dec 29, 2022 • 1h 24min
GA 456 | “This Is Water” by David Foster Wallace with Alex Judd
Guest Alex Judd discusses David Foster Wallace's commencement speech, 'This Is Water.' They explore critical thinking, truth, darkness vs. light, and choosing your perspective in life.

Dec 22, 2022 • 21min
GA 455 | The Intersection of Lean and Sustainability with Julia Goldstein
This week's guest is Julia Goldstein. Ron and Julia discussed the concept of circular economy, what sustainability looks like in a lean context, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.
In this episode you'll learn:
The quote Julia likes (2:28)
Julia's background (3:29)
How Julia heard about lean (5:02)
The intersection of lean and sustainability (6:33)
What "circular economy" means (7:37)
Some examples (9:23)
What sustainability communication means (12:07)
The roadblocks people are facing in terms of improving using sustainability (15:40)
Some practical tips (18:52)
Podcast Resources
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Julia on LinkedIn
Julia's Website
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What Do You Think?
How else can sustainability and lean be used together?

Dec 15, 2022 • 28min
GA 454 | Practicing Lean in a Pandemic with Sabrina McCorvey
This week's guest is Sabrina McCorvey. Ron and Sabrina discussed what it's like practicing lean in a pandemic, how she has used Gemba Academy, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.
In this episode you'll learn:
The quote that Sabrina likes (2:02)
Her background (2:26)
How she dealt with the pandemic (5:30)
What problem she was trying to solve using Gemba Academy (9:33)
Why they didn't meet any resistance (15:07)
What a standard kaizen event looks like (16:36)
Advice for those just getting started (20:46)
Advice for the seasoned professional (22:44)
Podcast Resources
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Sabrina on LinkedIn
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What Do You Think?
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the way you practice lean?

Dec 8, 2022 • 22min
GA 453 | Navigating the Struggle of Learning with Katie Anderson
This week's guest is Katie Anderson. Ron and Katie met up at the AME conference in Dallas to discuss what Katie's been up to as well as her book, Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn. Katie also shed some light on her approach to lean, leadership, and learning. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.
In this episode you'll learn:
About Katie's book (1:55)
Katie's background (3:54)
The quote that Katie likes (4:43)
What we should be doing as it relates to learning (5:24)
The power of creating structure (8:36)
Dealing with obstacles (11:06)
Shifting what success looks like (16:34)
What the next three to five years look like in the lean world (15:41)
How lean will help companies navigate uncertain times (17:15)
Her upcoming trip to Japan (19:41)
Podcast Resources
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Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn
Katie's Website
Katie on LinkedIn
GA 173 | How to Use A3 Thinking with Katie Anderson
GA 242 | How to Leverage Different Lean Experiences with Katie Anderson
GA 281 | Building an Online Community of Practice with Katie Anderson and Karyn Ross
GA 297 | The Importance of Hansei and Revitalization with Katie Anderson
GA 331 | Leading and Learning at Toyota with Katie Anderson
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What Do You Think?
What does success look and feel like to you?

Dec 1, 2022 • 15min
GA 452 | The Power of Transactional Lean with Jen Borden
This week's guest is Jen Borden. Ron and Jen discussed transactional lean, what it entails, and how you can get started with it. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.
In this episode you'll learn:
Jen's quote (1:43)
Jen's background (2:27)
About transactional process improvement (4:14)
Jen's experience with it (6:04)
Practical advice for getting started (8:51)
The role 5S plays (10:25)
How having multiple sites makes a difference (12:01)
Podcast Resources
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Jen on LinkedIn
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What Do You Think?
Do you have any experience with transactional lean?

Nov 24, 2022 • 34min
GA 451 | Good and “Evil” in Kata with Scott Laundry and Marc Bicknell
This week's guests are Scott Laundry and Marc Bicknell. Ron, Scott, and Marc discussed all things kata, including being a good coach and how kata can be "evil." An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.
In this episode you'll learn:
The quotes that Scott and Marc like (2:34)
Their backgrounds (3:10)
Why kata can be good and "evil" (4:31)
Their approach to coaching kata (8:53)
How the target condition is formed (13:01)
What's special about kata (16:33)
The problem with the fishbone diagram (20:41)
About personality tests (22:42)
Advice for those new to kata (26:58)
Podcast Resources
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Marc on LinkedIn
Scott on LinkedIn
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What Do You Think?
Where does the power of kata lie for you?