Lean Whiskey

Episode page In Episode 45, Jamie Flinchbaugh and Mark Graban join the Just-in-Time Cafe team of Elisabeth Swan and Tracy O’Rourke as a special nod to their 100th Episode, while also having a chance to toast Mark’s accomplishment of 250 episodes of My Favorite Mistake podcast and 500 episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast. This episode blended the two formats a bit, but you can be sure whiskey was one of those elements that we retained. We each selected a cocktail to make. Jamie made his original recipe, the Black Forest Kiss. Since you can’t Google it, the recipe is 2 oz bourbon, ½ oz sweet vermouth, 1 oz Cherry Herring, 5 dashes chocolate bitters, and garnished with cherries. Mark made a Perfect Manhattan with walnut bitters. Elisabeth made Remember the Maine. Tracy was stuck with wine, but you’ll have to listen for the story as to why that was. We also checked in about the various books we’ve written, including Mark’s The Mistakes That Make Us, Jamie’s People Solve Problems, Elisabeth’s Picture Yourself a Leader, and the forthcoming 2nd edition from Tracy and Elisabeth of the Problem Solver’s Toolkit. We shared our Hot Apps personal choices, which included Trello, Kainexus, Asana, and the combination of Evernote and Scannable. In the episode you’ll hear how we utilize these apps. We then turned our attention to podcasting, sharing our origin stories, what we love about it, and some mistakes that we’ve learned from through the process. podcastpodcastpodcastpodcastbookbook bookLeanWhiskey.comleanblog.org/leanwhiskeyjflinch.com/leanwhiskey Please review us and follow! Notes for everyone on what’s below. Please add links for preferred website and books for the show notes (going both directions): https://www.jflinch.com/https://www.jflinch.com/people-solve-problems/https://www.jitcafe.com/https://elisabethswan.com/book/https://www.jitcafe.com/http://markgraban.com/ https://www.mistakesbook.com/

Episode page with video and more In Episode 44, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh get back together for this first episode of 2024. Since we’re not doing Dry January, we go right into the whiskey first by talking about old bottles, including one very old one found at auction. We then did our own comparison tasting, with Jamie trying two different age statements of Knob Creek bourbon and Mark trying two different expressions of Glen Scotia scotch from Campbeltown. Dry January is like a New Year’s Resolution that you don’t intend to keep past a month. We discuss New Year’s Resolutions and their reasons for failure. We relate all this to goals, hoshin kanri, SMART goals, systems, and small steps. So, if you’re still working on clarifying your goals or resolutions for the year, take a listen. Boeing’s recent troubles with an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX-9 door plug falling out mid-flight was also discussed, including Boeing’s resolution / commitment to add more inspectors to the process. Will more inspectors and more inspections make a difference? If not, what will make a difference? We may not know the final answer, but we break it all down for you in this discussion. We wrap things up with a little football talk, both the NFL and College. Cheers! sold at auctionKnob CreekGlen Scotiaabandoned New Year’s resolutionson goalsworking with goalsown updatesletter to the FAAwins the National ChampionshipLeanWhiskey.comleanblog.org/leanwhiskeyjflinch.com/leanwhiskey Please review us and follow!

Episode page with video and more In Episode 43 of the “Lean Whiskey” podcast, Jamie Flinchbaugh and Mark Graban begin by talking about each of our interviews regarding the new book by Steve Spear and Gene Kim, Wiring the Winning Organization. Mark interviewed Steve and Gene for the Lean Blog Interviews podcast, and Jamie interviewed Steve for a forthcoming episode of the People Solve Problems podcast. We then shifted our attention to celebrating 100 years of Suntory Distilling by each pouring different expressions from the Japanese side of the company, Hibiki and Yamazaki. We also discussed the Jim Beam side, its progression and integration into the Suntory ownership. We eventually jumped into our primary In the News segment discussing a detailed investigative journalism report from Reuters on the objectively poor safety record at SpaceX. The data is compelling, from a fatality to a coma, and eight amputations. But the safety rate is six times the industry average, coming in at 4.8 per 100 workers. Yes, space travel and doing anything breakthrough is inherently dangerous, but there's two arguments with this. First, the injuries are things like falling out of trucks and not related to launching a rocket. Second, there are numerous examples of doing inherently dangerous work with a great safety record. Alcoa, under the leadership of Paul O'Neill, is a great example of this, where not only is the work done safely, but with increasing profits along the way. We explore the importance of leadership — through policy to system to culture — in the outcomes of safety. Elon Musk, as the leader of SpaceX, has signaled in many ways that safety is secondary. This includes a distaste for safety yellow on aesthetic grounds to statements that workers are responsible for protecting themselves. Both SpaceX and Tesla have a tendency to withhold reporting required data to OSHA, which might not be visible to employees, but it likely is to management. We make clear that safety practice and culture is the responsibility of management. We wrap up this episode sharing fun facts about our hometowns, wishing everyone a happy holidays, and a final cheers to 2023! Links From the Show: episode 493 of the LeanBlog PodcastPeople Solve Problems PodcastWiring the Winning Organization100 years of Suntory DistillingMark's blogHibiki Japanese HarmonyYamazaki Distiller's Reserve NAS Japan ReleaseLegent Yamazaki Cask Finish BlendKaizen & Culture Clash Between Suntory & Jim Beam?safety at SpaceXCOSH's Dirty Dozenhere here Please review us and follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!

Episode page In Episode 42, Jamie Flinchbaugh visits Mark Graban in northern Kentucky and they get to record an episode in person. This was the origin of the podcast series — getting together in person, enjoying whiskey, and talking about Lean stuff. In the last episode, we did an experiment that was inconclusive — sometimes that's how it goes. We had moved the whiskey talk to the end of the episode, but since we had no firm evidence that it was better, we moved it back to the beginning. Since we were together, Jamie selected something from Mark's shelf, the Boone County Amburana Wood, as it isn't something you'd regularly find on the shelf. Mark had received a special package in the mail from the Jim Beam distillery — two different expressions of Little Book — and so he did a side-by-side comparison. They then discussed the GE Lean Mindset Event, held for employees, customers, and suppliers. The bulk of the speakers are available on a YouTube playlist. We primarily discussed the discussion between Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, and Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. We also discussed the conversation with Patti Poppe, CEO of PG&E (the primary power utility in California if you don't recognize the name). We explored the key nuggets from those speakers. After the recording stopped, the conversation continued at the outstanding Prohibition Bourbon Bar in Newport, Kentucky, ranked as one of America's Best Bourbon Bars by The Bourbon Review (that's where the photo was taken… and yes, they allowed us behind the bar). Links From the Show: Boone CountyLittle BookFreddie NoeThe playlistMark's podcast episodeCalifornia BurningProhibition Bar The Bourbon ReviewLeanWhiskey.comleanblog.org/leanwhiskeyjflinch.com/leanwhiskey Please review us and follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!

Episode link with video and more In Episode 41, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh try a couple experiments, in the spirit of continuous improvement. You’ll first notice that we moved the whiskey talk to the end. The hypothesis here is that some people don’t want to hear the whiskey talk, so they can just exit the podcast when we finish the lean talk. We also used a different platform for recording, so it may affect your listening or viewing experience. We would really appreciate any feedback at all on these experiments. In lean talk, we explore the question of whether lean can and should be forced. We examine this from different angles, including terms like accountability and quotas. We even evoke the words of Dr. Deming in the process. We quote Toyota’s Jamie Bonini who said “if the employees are upset by it, it’s not really TPS.” We explore 5S, audits, incentives, and more. We finally get around to talking about the whiskey that we were sipping on during the episode. After all, this is kinda the point. For this episode’s theme, we are pulling the bottle off our shelf that is the least expensive, but still worth sipping on its own. Mark is drinking Benchmark, and Jamie went with Rebel. Cheers! The Mistakes That Make UsWestern and Southern OpenThe Michigan Lean ConsortiumOffice 5S videoRebel BourbonBenchmark BourbonLeanWhiskey.comleanblog.org/leanwhiskeyjflinch.com/leanwhiskey Please review us and follow!

Episode page with video and more In Episode 40, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh get back together after their in-person visit where they enjoyed the origins of this podcast: talking about lean stuff while enjoying some whiskey. We get to celebrate the launch of Mark’s new book, The Mistakes That Make Us, as well as Jamie’s new podcast titled People Solve Problems. We recap our in-person visit and some of the great whiskey we were able to try. And we taste one of the expressions we were able to try at the distillery, New Riff’s Straight Bottled-in-Bond Malted Rye. We then pivoted to talking about pivots, starting with the example of how Instagram originally started as Burbn check-in app to share your drinking experiences with others. It then pivoted to photo sharing, and the rest is history. We compare and contrast other pivots, including Play-Doh, the pacemaker, Slack and Twitter, 3M Post-its, and a purple dye found when trying to cure malaria. We share some lessons from each of our books about how to enable and / or embrace the pivot when the opportunity presents itself. We wrap up talking a bit about the book writing process, and the joys and pains that accompany it. Cheers! The Mistakes That Make Usnew podcast, People Solve Problemsanalog in-person Lean WhiskeyRevival Vintage Bottle ShopProhibition Bourbon BarNew Riff DistillingNew Riff Kentucky Straight Bottled-in-Bond Malted Rye Whiskey pivoted from BurbnMark hereJamie hereMaking purple dyeHold on Loosely by 38 SpecialLeanWhiskey.comleanblog.org/leanwhiskeyjflinch.com/leanwhiskey Please review us and follow!

Episode page with links, video, and more In Episode 39, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh toast the completion of Mark's new book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation (coming soon!). We also acknowledge Jamie's forthcoming podcast based on the book People Solve Problems. That's already plenty to cover before we even get into our whiskey. Our whiskey theme was sourced juice, or essentially whiskey producers that buy whiskey from other distillers. This practice takes many different forms. Jamie is drinking Holla Bourbon Whiskey, a 4 year wheated bourbon, while Mark is drinking The Senator Straight Rye Whiskey sourced from MGP. Holla Spirits is primarily a vodka company with an incredibly wide range of infused vodkas, from jalapeno to pickle to cotton candy. They use higher grade ethanol from either corn or cane. Our lean topic was CEOs who “go to the gemba,” specifically referencing recent Wall Street Journal articles featuring Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi driving an Uber and Starbucks brand-new CEO Laxman Narasimhan being trained and working as a barista. While there is a lot these articles don't tell you, we have to draw some conclusions about whether these efforts are well-intentioned or not. We didn't like the barista with gold cufflinks or the Uber driver ignoring important calls from his General Counsel. We did conclude that there are three dimensions to this practice to get right, and all three must be right for this practice to be worth the effort. First, you have to get the intention correct. Second, you must execute it with the right spirit and curiosity. Third, you have to do the right things with what you learn, not just fixing specific problems but challenging business model assumptions or improving major systems of how the company works. Links From the Show: book pageblog, Mark's recent blog postcovering sourced whiskeycovering sourced whiskeyHolla SpiritsSouthern Distilling CompanyCloonaughill Celtic MaltsThe Senator Straight Rye WhiskeyMGP Wall Street JournalBusiness InsiderInside HookWall Street JournalJamie's past blogMark's past blogCulture by DesignStuff You Should KnowLeanWhiskey.comleanblog.org/leanwhiskeyjflinch.com/leanwhiskey Please review us and follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!

Episode page with video and more What do you do when you are chosen as Jim Murray’s US Micro Whiskey of the Year? You pop in to join Mark and Jamie on Lean Whiskey to talk about it. At least that’s what our friend David Meier of Glenns Creek Distilling did in Episode 38. While we were able to drink, and celebrate, the success of OCD #5, we also explored David’s continued learning, problem solving, and improvement of whiskey production. We also learned that he was featured on an episode of Moonshiners: American Spirit, more of a documentary exploring the production of American spirits than the original show. After David departs, Mark and Jamie discuss a recent report featured on NBC outlining that 1 in 4 hospital visits result in adverse events. This comes from a recent study on patient safety published in the New England Journal of Medicine. We break down the statistics, explore the real meaning behind those numbers, and discuss the causes and contributing factors. Throughout the dialogue we cover process improvement, problem solving, near misses, organizational learning, and psychological safety. We also spend time looking at Dr. Don Berwick’s editorial about the study, and at least try to summarize his contributions to patient safety. Mark and Jamie wrap up the first episode of 2023 talking about books. We hope everyone has a wonderful 2023. Happy New Year, and Cheers! US Micro Whiskey of the YearJim Murray’s Whisky Bible websiteMoonshiners: American SpiritGlenn’s Creek DistillingNBC’s reportingpublished studyDon Berwick’s CommentaryUpcoming webinar hosted by Mark on the proposed National Patient Safety BoardThe Economist’s reportingIkigaiIf I Betray These Words: Moral Injury in Medicine and Why It's So Hard for Clinicians to Put Patients FirstLeanWhiskey.comleanblog.org/leanwhiskeyjflinch.com/leanwhiskey Please review us and follow!

Mark Graban & Jamie Flinchbaugh Alternative title: “I’ll have a half-caff no-whip soy-milk chestnut praline latte… to-go” Episode page with video and links In Episode 37, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays with some new (to us) holiday cocktails. Mark tries the Bourbon Flip, and Jamie makes a Hot Buttered Bourbon. Neither will likely be in our regular rotation of cocktails, but they suit the “spirit” of the holiday season and might be a nice treat to make for guests. Your hosts explore the possible reinvention of Starbucks, which began with the return of CEO Howard Schultz. The stores have faced numerous pressures…increasing volume, increasing complexity, and growing barista dissatisfaction. Can these challenges be overcome by lean applied at the store level, or are more structural changes and innovations needed to get the job done? We explore a recent Wall Street Journal article about Starbucks' transformation and walk back to the beginnings of their lean journey over 10 years ago. Some of the problem statements examined: SKU proliferation, new blenders, and store layouts. We may start seeing a brand new layout for Starbucks stores, although the promised improves do not appear to be imminent. The hosts finish by exploring gift giving in the whiskey, and wine, genre, including a book recommendation from Mark on the history of the prohibition era in the US. Links From the Show: Stiles AssociatesGlenn's Creek DistillingGeorgetown, Kentucky planthot buttered bourbon recipeMellow CornBourbon FlipBenchmark BondedBruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 Heavily PeatedStarbucks is Rethinking Almost Everything about it for LEI3-day strikeSteady WorkLast CallLeanWhiskey.comleanblog.org/leanwhiskeyjflinch.com/leanwhiskey

In Episode 36, Jamie Flinchbaugh is joined by Chris Kauzmann, an Adjunct Faculty and Innovator in Residence at Lehigh University. Chris, a self-described “bottom shelf” whiskey drinker, joins Jamie to sample some Nikka Coffee Malt Whiskey and Blue Run High Rye Bourbon. We explore design thinking, which is both distinct from lean but also inherently consistent. The terminology is often quite different, but the essence of the work is very similar. Removing our biases and gaining insight through genuine exploration, whether to develop a business idea or improve a process or anything else, is one such example. Along the way, we cover many aspects of our shared experiences…the student entrepreneurs of Lehigh University that Chris supports and teaches full time and Jamie occasionally shows up to make a contribution. We close by deciding which building on Lehigh University's beautiful campus we would most want to convert into a whiskey bar, although we are quite certain that no one will allow us to do this. Links From the Show: on LinkedInOld CrowNikka Coffey Malt WhiskeyBlue RunBaker InstituteWith Meraki CoMake A Change WorldSungai WatchPracticing LeanLeanWhiskey.comleanblog.org/leanwhiskeyjflinch.com/leanwhiskey

In Episode 35, Mark is recently back from his Scotland gemba visit. He isn't tired from jet lag, or from whiskey, but nevertheless, Mark and Jamie both end up complaining about being tired. Maybe we're just…old (gasp). We also didn't plan our color coordination (for those on video). Episode page with video and more "We’re tired, but not tired of whisky. A gemba walk will pick us up..." We focus this episode on going to the gemba in the making of scotch whisky, from Mark's recent trip. We talk about what is learned by going to the gemba, both in general and specific to whisky. You can hear more about peat, malting, distilling, and maturing, including is maturing inventory or a value-adding step? Of course, we also select scotch as our whisky of choice, opting for more obscure selections that you may not have heard of. Both were excellent. We also spend a little time talking about work retreats, whether it be for writing a book as both Mark and Jamie do, strategic thinking as Bill Gates would do, or just simply reflection and planning. We conclude by discussing what job at a distiller we would most like to do, although neither of us likely has the requisite skills. Slainte! Links From the Show: National Association of Corporate Directors SummitAssociation of Manufacturing ExcellenceIowa Lean ConsortiumLarry Culp's messageAdmiral StavridisKilchomanGlen ScotiaIslay, Jura, CampeltownRon Swanson's visit to LagavullinJourneymanTwo JamesTraverse City WhiskeyMultnomah Whiskey Library Jamie's post: how to do an effective personal work retreat

Episode page: https://leanblog.org/whiskey34 In Episode 34, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh begin by belatedly celebrating the 3rd birthday of Lean Whiskey. No, this wasn’t a pandemic-launched podcast, although if we hadn’t started it yet it probably would have become one. We also learn of Mark’s pending trip to Islay, where an awful lot of good whisky is produced. Apparently, Jamie wasn’t invited to record an “on location” episode. Most of the episode we explore the challenges, benefits, and approaches to developing and seeing through the crazy ideas. This conversation builds from an episode of Mark’s My Favorite Mistake podcast in which he interviews 1-800-FLOWERS founder Jim McCann. FedEx founder Fred Smith told McCann that shipping flowers via FedEx wouldn’t work. Not only did Jim not fold in the face of Fred’s advice, he eventually partnered with FedEx to bring this program to life. But bringing big ideas to life is about more than just ignoring the doubters, but adjusting or trimming the idea, learning through rapid testing, and having the courage to move forward through adversity as our explanation of the Netflix story examines. We wrap up exploring another crazy idea, whiskey made from crabs. Well, that’s not technically true, but it is distilled crab stock added to a bourbon base, and specifically to raise awareness about the invasive green crabs that destroy the mussel population. Tamworth Distilling from New Hampshire are the brains behind this particular project. Thanks to our friend Dan Markovitz introduced us to this idea. Maybe Mark will detour his trip to Scotland towards New Hampshire instead. Episode 1Isle of IslayLehigh University on building an acceleratorKaiNexusMoscatel Finished Straight Bourbon Whiskey from Woodinvillebourbons recipesthis episodeMy Favorite Mistake podcast1-800-FLOWERSthis excerpt of the featured point crab whiskeyCrab TrapperLeanWhiskey.comleanblog.org/leanwhiskeyjflinch.com/leanwhiskey Please review us and follow!

Episode page: https://leanblog.org/whiskey33 In Episode 33, we recognize some of the back to normal which includes Mark heading out on the road to do consulting again. That brings Mark close enough to Jamie for a new first: an in-person recording of Lean Whiskey. Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh meet up in Philadelphia to drink some Garrison Brothers special barrel selection from Mark as well talk about Lean 101 training. In many ways, this is an origin story for Lean Whiskey. Mark and Jamie would be opportunistic about their travels, end up in the same city, find a good whiskey bar, and talk shop. “We should record this” became almost a joke, until it became reality and Lean Whiskey was born. Now, 33 episodes in, we return to an in-person visit. Philadelphia becomes our destination, and after recording Mark and Jamie get to go sample some of the great food the city has to offer. We also get to share a bottle (ok, not the whole bottle, but the same bottle), compare hotel glasses to tasting glasses, and set up a different recording approach which unfortunately resulted in there being no video. However, the discussion was as rich as ever, so give Episode 33 a listen. Links From the Show: Garrison Brothers, and Mark's “One Off”Episode 29Mark's blog post about Garrison BrothersSkip the Intro to Lean TrainingThe Japanese Automobile Industry: Technology and Management at Nissan and ToyotaBig Bang's Sheldon teaches physics to PennyLiberty BellIndependence HallFranklin InstituteDouble KnotMorimoto Pat's and Geno's cheesesteaks

Episode page: https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey32 In Episode 32 of “Lean Whiskey,” Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh have a first… comparing two similar whiskeys from the same distiller. In this case, family-owned Willett and their Willett Pot Still Reserve bourbon and the Johnny Drum bourbon. We definitely both have our favorite of the two, but you'll have to listen to find out which. We also spend a little time exploring the history of this old brand, their departure, and their recent return to the spirits world. This all happens between NFL conference championship games where neither of our teams are playing. We discuss The Great Resignation and all of the many facets… the underlying long-term trends, the short-term adjustments, the data, the causes, and the solutions. Breaking the problem down is important, as there is neither one cause nor one solution. We need to move beyond “jerk bosses” such as seen at Better.com, underappreciation as seemingly demonstrated at former-lean-role-model Thedacare, and bad cultures found in many places. 2022 may finally be the year to truly make employee engagement a real strategic imperative. We finish talking about industrial-based movies and shows, such as the new NBC series “American Auto” or the movie “Gung Ho.” Please tell us your favorites… we'd love to hear from you! Links From the Show Willett Pot Still ReserveJohnny Drum Private StockInsights by Jamie January 2022how it startedhow it finished296982No More Working for JerksHow to Manage The Great ResignationAmerican Auto”“Gung HoMr. Mom“Tucker

Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey31 In Episode 31 of “Lean Whiskey,” Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh discuss the routines and practices of wrapping up a year, and kicking off a new year. In that spirit, we either finish a bottle of whiskey, or start a new one. We also invite three guests to share their thoughts. Past Lean Whiskey guests Jim Benson, Deondra Wardelle, and Chris Burnham join and share their thoughts on finishing up a year and starting a new one. Routines, habits, practices that help you transition the year and set up for success in the new year. Lean thinkers know the fallacy of just having good intentions, such as New Year's Resolutions, and tend to focus more on purpose, reflection, structure, and systems. We put that hypothesis to the test by asking three lean thinkers how they approach this time period, and didn't know in advance what they would share. Jim Benson talked about their discussions within his company, which take place during huddles which allow the conversation to emerge. This is much different than the once-and-done offsite approach. They are exploring how to increase collaboration, as that is certainly the central theme of their work with clients. Deondra Wardelle celebrates, which she often models for all of us. She also shared how she develops a theme for each year, which drives her plans and actions. The theme for 2022 is “laser focus” which was very intriguing. Chris Burnham, who is Senior Lean Strategy Director, KaiNexus, shared his evolution of daily practices which includes reflection, prioritization, and planning. His methods include journals and digital tools and of course, having important conversations about the right topics with the right people. Mark and Jamie also share a bit of their perspective on the challenge, including the fact that the turning of a calendar is relatively arbitrary when it comes to performance management and continuous improvement, and Mark notes how often he sees people zero-out their measurements to start the new year (please don't do this). Jamie observes that the open space often (but not always) created between your last and first meeting gives you more room to mentally breathe (inbox = zero helps too) which allows deep work, whether that is reflection or planning. Links From the Show Repeal DayYamazaki 12LarcenyWillett Pot Still Reserve BourbonKohana RumLean Whiskey Episode 25Personal Kanban siteOld PogueLean Whiskey Episode 23own company#rootcauseracismBlanton'sLean Whiskey Episode 3Lean LeadershipEpisode 1Episode 62blank charts Since both books came up, we might as well mention Jamie's People Solve Problems and Mark's Measures of Success.

Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey30 In Episode 30 of “Lean Whiskey“, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh find things to celebrate, starting with the fact that we have hit 30 episodes. In that time, we've had 14 guests or co-hosts, and tasted 56 different whiskeys (not counting the gin and coffee detours) covering 5 countries and 7 states. We've also had over 10,000 downloads which is a celebration of its own right, and while we do not record this show just to get lots of listeners, we are extremely grateful for all of you who have tuned in. Having both just returned from our alma maters, Lehigh University (Jamie) and Northwestern (Mark), we share our whiskeys under the theme of the bottle you would pull off the shelf when you are in the mood to celebrate. Jamie had a 21 year old Glenfarclas and Mark finished off his bottle of the 6th release of the WhistlePig Boss Hog titled “The Samurai Scientist.” We are also celebrating the pending (October 26th) release of Jamie's latest book, People Solve Problems: The Power of Every Person, Every Day, Every Problem. Instead of In the News, we cover On the Bookshelf, and talk about why we write a book, how to pick a title, how to publish, and more. Mark has written several books, including Lean Hospitals, Healthcare Kaizen, The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen, Practicing Lean (as editor and publisher — and Jamie was a contributor), and most recently Measures of Success. Jamie has published two books now, starting with The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean and now People Solve Problems. Links From the Show 21 year old GlenfarclasWhistlePig Boss Hog Samurai ScientistMark's various booksJamie's various booksThe Complete Whiskey CourseRob WorthThe Cadence GroupCathy Fyock Impactful books included Out of the Crisis, Understanding Variation, and Man's Search for Meaning.

Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey29 In Episode 29, it's been a little while since Mark and Jamie got together for Lean Whiskey. We catch up on what's new, which includes Mark's new certification with distinction with the WSET Level 2 Spirits certification, and Jamie's new side-hustle as a soccer referee. We return to making cocktails, this time building on our coffee theme from the pour-over edition of Episode 27. We both make coffee cocktails. Jamie's is a whiskey espresso martini, equal parts bourbon, Kahlua, and freshly pulled espresso, shaken and served in a martini glass. Mark worked his way towards his own concoction, based on the Revolver cocktail, using bourbon and coffee liqueur, but he used a couple Texas-based brands and named it the Texas Revolver. We both follow our cocktails with some Glenn's Creek Cafe Ole and discuss Mark's lost barrel of bourbon. We did "In the News" with a twist, building on our coffee theme we used something close to the Lean Coffee format and covered many news stories for 5 minutes each. These stories covered Starbucks as a talent pool, CEO pay and diversity, wage inflation, what work really needs to be in-person, people leaving the restaurant industry, and using lean to help get jabs in arms. There was no theme here, just two guys sitting around talking about the news from a lean thinker's perspective. Scroll down for links galore. After covering a lot of ground, Mark and Jamie look forward to the fall, including football. We hope you enjoy this episode. Please send Mark or Jamie questions, suggestions, or comments for our future discussions. Until next time, cheers! Links From the Show WSET Level 2 Spiritsannouncement kickoff of a referee side-hustleEpisode #27new ECM Casa V espresso machineTown Branch bourbonBuzzopolis espresso blendRevolver recipeGarrison Brothers Hye Rye BourbonCaffe del Fuego ReserveDry CuracaoCafe OleMy Favorite Mistake episode with David MeierLean Coffee method In the News More U.S. companies tie CEO pay to diversity metricsWage Growth Among U.S. Job Switchers Increased 5.8 Percent Since June 2020 as Businesses Struggle to Attract WorkersStarbucks Is the New Talent Factory Powering Corporate AmericaWhen Do We Actually Need to Meet in Person?Part 1: Building the ProcessPart 2: Wind-down and ReflectionRestaurants Will Never Be the Same. They Shouldn't Be.Lehigh Northwestern

Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey28 In Episode 28, Mark and Jamie begin by having our spouses pour mystery whiskeys for us. We don’t know what they are when we start drinking them. Mark’s wife at least joins him occasionally in a dram, but Jamie’s wife is truly pouring without experience, but he’s safe since it is from his own shelf. Mark and Jamie give their best guess, so listen and see if they get it right (or at least partially correct). Jamie and Mark then build on Mark’s highly successful, and prolific, podcast My Favorite Mistake. We talk about the podcast, its neat origin story, and then we dive into a couple of our own favorite mistakes, although without the systematic breakdown he includes in his podcast. We explore the whole point of examining our favorite mistakes. Along the way we cover old label designs and baseball and sushi. Links: as part of the KaiNexus teamOld Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Duncansby Head LighthouseTeeling10 year old Whistle Pig rye10-year-old Jura scotchMy Favorite Mistake podcastKaryn RossBilly TaylorKaren Martinabout Garrison BrothersAngostura bitters’ labelTyler’s Mistakebaserunning mistake that wasn’tuni poutine

https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey27 In Episode 27, Mark and Jamie switch things up a bit with a morning recording of the show. While we could have just started our whiskey early, instead we decided to switch to a beverage that shares much of the same culture, craft, and appreciation as whiskey, and that is coffee. Although a bit of throwback in terms of usages, the trend towards pour over coffee embraces the culture of single origin coffee, much like the shift from whiskey blends towards more single casks. The pour over method is meant to extract more of the “good stuff” and less of the “bad stuff” from freshly ground coffee beans. So Mark and I poured our coffee and got into our topics of the day. You can see our coffee selections and equipment setups in the links below. We didn't want to lose the whiskey theme, so we used an article exploring whether 10 million barrels of whiskey resting, or aging, in Kentucky is a good thing or a bad thing. This became a launchpad to talk about whether just-in-time is dead (as the Wall Street Journal likes to claim) or just misunderstood. We explore MIT's The Beer Game, system dynamics, supply chain design, decision making, and the glut of face masks and hand sanitizer. We could have likely talked about this topic for a very long time, and had we been into a glass of whiskey, perhaps we would have. In addition to a little detour into Mark's many hats, including the reason he wears two different hats in one episode, we close on a personal note of how we both like to start our day: with coffee, reading news, and a view. Death WishYellow CaturraKitchenAid grinderChemex pour overkettleKitchenAid grinderBodum pour overelectric kettle10 Million bourbon barrelsmisinformed pieceJeff Liker on JITsupply chain shockwavesLeanBlog podcastThe Beer Gameaccumulators and delayssupply and demandMark's hat and Jamie's morning view

Show notes and links: https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey26 In Episode 26, we accidentally celebrate St. Patrick's Day with some Irish whiskey, lightly mourn some NCAA March Madness losses (or absences, and Jamie Flinchbaugh and Mark Graban welcome guest co-host Adam Zak. We selected Irish whiskey as a category because we hadn't used it yet, but after changing the date of the scheduled recording, we ended up quite close to St. Patrick's Day (which was officially a dry holiday until 1970, but that pendulum certainly swung the other way). In the spirit of Adam Zak's career as an executive recruiter with a Lean lens, we discuss many of the new CEO appointments, in particular, Carol Tomé at UPS, Rosalind Brewer at Walgreens, and Jane Fraser at Citigroup. These appointments are historic in one sense, but also highlight the fact that only 41 of the Fortune 500 are run by women (and Brewer is the only Black woman of the group). We explore what matters when selecting a new CEO, how that fits the strategic needs of the company, and how Lean thinking might influence or be leveraged by some of these leaders. We explore a common listener question: Do you think it's possible for a Lean organization to do well with quality and safety? As we certainly don't feel this question takes much nuance to answer, we make our way through this fairly quickly and on to our closing question about what books we are reading these days, with a slight detour into our reading habits. websiteSimple Excellencepodcast #105 18 YO Tullamore D.E.W.Green Spot aged in zinfandel barrels from Chateau MontelenaTeeling Writers' TearsWikipedia NYTBelieve in PeopleThe Girl Who Never Makes MistakesConstant ComedyTeam of RivalsLeanWhiskey.comleanblog.org/leanwhiskeyjflinch.com/leanwhiskey