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

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?

Jackey Lin, an expert in deploying operational excellence across various industries including aerospace and defense, shares insights from his diverse career. He discusses the challenges of communication barriers when working globally and offers advice on managing resistance to change. Jackey emphasizes the importance of structured approaches and clear goals to achieve operational success. He also highlights the universal applicability of lean principles and the critical role of leadership in fostering a continuous improvement culture.

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?

In this engaging discussion, Sarah Tilkens, founder of The KPI Lab, shares her expertise in developing problem solvers within organizations. She emphasizes the crucial role of talent development in fostering positive change and addresses the need for leaders to foster open communication. The conversation dives into blending lean principles with talent growth, strategies to combat employee burnout, and the importance of emotional authenticity in leadership. Sarah also reflects on her transition from corporate leadership to empowering others through coaching.

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)?

This week's guest is Alen Ganic. Ron and Alen discussed visual management, examples of visual management they have seen and created, dealing with any resistance you might meet, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn:  The quote Alen likes (2:46) His background (3:12) What visual management is (5:28) Examples he's seen and created (6:20) A story about Ron's time at FlowServe (11:08) Alen's story about how he helped saved a company (15:35) Dealing with resistance (20:23) The practical mistakes people make (25:26) Tips for getting started (27:26) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Alen on LinkedIn Lean Case Study: The City of Grand Rapids GA 521 | Celebrating Quick Wins GA 544 | Flow Efficiency vs. Resource Efficiency 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 describe visual management?

This week's guest is Dr. Brad Miller. Ron and Dr. Miller discussed what it's like to teach Lean and Six Sigma at a university, the business lessons that can be learned from academia, his grocery store simulation, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn:  The quote that inspires Dr. Miller (3:01) His background (4:29) How he started working at a university (6:51) What students are like these days (9:07) How he structures his classes (13:53) About his grocery store checkout simulation (18:37) How mixing different personalities works (21:39) Balancing "getting it right" with experimenting (32:38) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Brad on LinkedIn Brad on YouTube Brad on the University of Houston Site Inside Brad's Classroom GA 111 | How to Teach Continuous Improvement GA 310 | The Role of Motivation in Continuous Improvement 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 else can we learn from the way continuous improvement is taught at the university level?