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

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?

This week's guest is Ridha Dhrifi. Ron and Ridha discussed ISO 9001, how it aligns with lean manufacturing, balancing compliance with operational efficiency, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn:  Ridha's favorite quote (3:01) His background (4:29) The alignment between ISO 9001 and lean manufacturing (5:49) About ISO 9001 (7:09) Industries interested in ISO 9001 (8:31) Making sure it's an authentic certification adding real value (10:42) How lean thinking can help and harmonize (12:45) How current and future state works in ISO (14:16) Combining ISO and lean (16:30) Advice for a quality manager on balancing compliance and operational efficiency (20:03) How long it takes to realize ISO 9001 certification (22:49) The order of operations (25:44) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Ridha on LinkedIn Integration of the Lean in ISO 9001 Integration of the Lean in Chemical Industry 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 the upsides to combining lean and ISO? The downsides?

This week's guest is Ron Pereira. In this new years-themed episode, Ron explains why forming new habits is often more effective than keeping new resolutions, how to form those habits, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn:  Why resolutions fail (3:20) Outcomes versus the process (4:51) Ron's habit of exercising (7:05) Creating standard work for habits (8:14) Lean and new habits (11:06) Define value (11:20) Start small (12:07) Measure your progress (14:22) Eliminate waste (15:15) Standardizing the approach (16:22) Sustaining these habits over time (17:50) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 GA 261 | Building the Habit of Excellence with James Clear 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 new habits you'd like to form this year?

This week's guest is Brandon Bunn. Ron and Brandon discussed what it looks like to leverage lean and continuous improvement inside prison facilities, some of the obstacles that arise, and how other lean leaders can get involved. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn:  The quote that inspires Brandon (3:06) Brandon's background (4:06) Why he got into the prison industry (7:45) What a "Day in the Life" looks like (9:05) The improvements that are being done (12:13) Some of the obstacles (18:28) The role that motivation plays (26:02) Brandon's advice for those in similar situations (28:33) How lean leaders can get involved (30:45) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Brandon 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 else can lean be used to change lives in profound ways?

This week's guest is Beau Groover. Ron and Beau discussed people and process integration, lean leadership, Beau's "GSD" system, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn:  The quote Beau likes (2:52) His background (3:16) What people and process integration is (5:54) Why it's so important and why it's difficult (7:42) What it means to be vulnerable (10:16) Where we're "missing the mark" (14:10) Some practical tips (17:14) An example of improvement Beau has seen (23:46) Beau's final words of wisdom (27:29) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Beau's Website Beau on LinkedIn Building a Kick-Ass Culture: 20 Effective Steps 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 other challenges of people and process integration?