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

This week's guests are Matt May and Pablo Dominguez. Ron, Matt, and Pablo discussed Matt and Pablo's book What a Unicorn Knows, the role of AI in business, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn: The quotes that inspire them (3:44) Their backgrounds (4:47) Why they wrote the book (7:52) Unicorns and business (10:48) The current state of unicorns (12:48) Whether the world is a worse or better place because of unicorns...

This week's guest is Andrew Piland. Ron and Andrew discussed how continuous improvement works in the construction industry, what Respect for People looks like, supply chain waste, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn: Andrew's background (5:25) What he's up to these days (11:05) About Last Planner (16:55) What Respect for People looks like in construction (21:59) How you avoid getting to that problem spot (23:31) What...

This week's guest is Phil Ranck. Ron and Phil talked about Lean Alaska, which Phil founded, as well as his work with the United States Army. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn: The quote Phil likes (4:05) Phil's background (6:11) A cool story about the military (10:08) The difference between corporate and military environments (14:27) Academics versus application (17:12) How else you can gain experience (19:52) The obstacles to...

This week's guest is Roland Guerrero. Ron and Roland discussed Roland's experience working with the city of Fort Collins on their lean journey. Ron also asked Roland to weigh in on whether contentment and continuous improvement can coexist. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn: The quote Roland likes (2:34) Roland's background (3:35) Fort Collins' lean journey (5:10) Example improvements (7:27) Why it was challenging (12:48) Other...

This week's guest is Sam Morgan. Ron and Sam discussed Sam's coaching experiences and the connection between scientific thinking and confidence. They also discussed whether contentment and continuous improvement can coexist. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn: Sam's quote (3:45) Sam's background (5:04) What Sam identified as his purpose (12:13) The connection between scientific thinking and confidence (13:52) Whether contentment...

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 Right...

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...

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...

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...

This week's guest is Alex Judd. Ron and Alex listened to and discussed David Foster Wallace's famous commencement speech, "This Is Water." This is a very powerful episode that contains some great food for thought for the new year. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn: Why this commence speech is important (3:47) Alex's background (9:33) What is water? (10:16) The ability to think critically (13:39) The argument he is making (16:18)...

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...

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...

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...

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 Right...

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...

This week's guest is Billy Taylor. We caught up with Billy at the recent AME conference in Dallas, where he and Ron discussed his book The Winning Link and the concept of governance. Billy also shared some powerful anecdotes we think you'll enjoy. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn: The quote Billy likes (1:56) His background (2:41) What the transition was like (5:04) About his book The Winning Link (8:40) Deliberate clarity...

This week's guest is Mike Thelen. Ron and Mike caught up at the recent AME conference in Dallas, where they discussed company culture, the role of docility, and why "firefighters" get promoted instead of leaders. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn: The quote that inspires Mike (1:55) Mike's background (3:42) What it takes to change your company culture (8:13) Why it's so difficult (11:54) Breaking away from a culture of...

This week's guest is Gregory MacDougall. Gregory's interview is the first we're sharing from the recent AME Conference in Dallas. Gregory explained how he chooses keynote speakers, what his health journey has taught him, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn: The quote that inspires Gregory (2:19) Gregory's background (3:48) The process of selecting keynote speakers (7:39) His health journey (11:55) How people react when...

This week's guest is Trond Undheim. Ron and Trond discussed Trond's book Augmented Lean, and his thoughts on automation and technology. He and Ron also each shared their stance on social media and its effects on humanity. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn: The quote Trond likes (2:37) Trond's background and what he's been up to (3:43) His background pertaining to lean (9:38) About Augmented Lean (12:32) His take on Toyota...

This week's guest is Alex Judd. Alex explained his growth-oriented approach to leadership and coaching, and even gave Ron some parenting advice. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn: The quote Alex likes (3:31) Alex's background (8:05) The services they provide (10:41) What leadership means to Alex (11:41) An anecdote about "here" (16:36) What "there" means in the context of leadership (20:02) What to do when you don't know where...