Shows / Gemba Academy
Episodes
- Gemba Academy
Continuous Improvement Happens Now
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the present moment. It’s an interesting thing, really. We spend so much of our lives thinking about what’s…
- Gemba Academy
GA 653 | LifeStream Mapping with Christian Wolcott
Value stream mapping is one of the most familiar tools in lean practice. Christian Wolcott has spent 25 years using it with clients from Toyota suppliers to…
- Gemba Academy
How Do You Dry Yourself Off?
From time to time, I start blog articles that never see the light of day. This, dear reader, may be one of them, since the topic is…how should I put it?…
- Gemba Academy
Building Trust Among Team Members: A Leader’s Responsibility
Building trust among team members may be one of the hardest parts of a leader’s job. It takes time, consistency, and intentional effort. We know great…
- Gemba Academy
GA 652 | Culture Before Technology with Hessam Vali
Most lean practitioners know the theory of constraints. Fewer apply it before they start fixing things. Hessam Vali, a manufacturing consultant and MES…
- Gemba Academy
Think, Act, Improve: Lessons from As a Man Thinketh
Every few years, I like to work my way through James Allen’s short book, As a Man Thinketh. This time, I listened to it as an audiobook. Each time I work…
- Gemba Academy
GA 651 | The Soup Stage of Transformation with Ben Morley
Most resistance to lean is blamed on the wrong thing. Ben Morley, an Air Force pilot turned Lean Six Sigma consultant, argues the tools are never really the…
- Gemba Academy
The Sound of Breaking Glass
I recently read a story I can’t stop thinking about. In 1903 a young boy in central Illinois was serving as an altar server at St. Mary’s Cathedral…
- Gemba Academy
GA 650 | Train It Before You Trust It with David Osagie-Igiehon
Most continuous improvement practitioners are using AI the same way they use Google, and getting roughly the same quality of results. David Osagie-Igiehon has…
- Gemba Academy
Nobody Washes a Rental Car
Quick question…have you ever washed a rental car before returning it? If you’re anything like me, the answer is almost certainly “of course…
- Gemba Academy
The Kudos Conundrum – A Leadership Learning
Defining the PROBLEM I recently came across an article that confirmed what I’ve learned from my past experiences. Throughout my career reporting to…
- Gemba Academy
GA 649 | Accountability Starts in the Mirror with Michael Caito
Most organizations have a strategy. Far fewer can actually execute one. Michael Caito built and sold a food delivery business decades before DoorDash existed…
- Gemba Academy
You Are Not Standing Still
If you’re in a safe space and physically able…I’d like you to try something. Stand up, tilt your head back, and stand on your non-dominant…
- Gemba Academy
GA 648 | Discovering Lean in High School with Ted Pendergrass
Most lean practitioners spend their careers trying to change the minds of adults who have been doing things the same way for decades. Ted Pendergrass decided…
- Gemba Academy
The Peculiar Longevity of Things Not So Bad
I recently listened to a sermon by Fr. Mike Schmitz where he brought up something called the Region Beta Paradox. I had never heard of it before…but…
- Gemba Academy
How to Use Hoshin Kanri to Turn Strategy Into Action
Why Do Organizations Struggle to Turn Strategy Into Action? Most organizations do not struggle to create strategies. They struggle to turn strategy into…
- Gemba Academy
GA 647 | Making Sleep a Priority with Tim Thomas
Most organizations measure productivity, absenteeism, and safety incidents without ever asking what all three have in common. Tim Thomas, a former Australian…
- Gemba Academy
The Space Between Trigger and Response
The Multiple Perspective Advantage helps us step back, observe our emotional reactions, and respond with greater intention. This simple practice can improve…
- Gemba Academy
Lean Digitalization: Improve the Process Before You Digitize It
Technology Does Not Make a Process Lean We live in a time when technology, AI, automation, and digital tools are advancing at an incredible pace. Because of…
- Gemba Academy
GA 646 | Connect Before You Correct with Royden Johnson and Luc van Merrienboer
Culture shapes how people receive change, and nowhere is that clearer than on a shop floor where history, language, and moral authority all sit alongside the…
- Gemba Academy
Kindness at Work: A Different Kind of Continuous Improvement
Could you ever imagine voluntarily giving one of your kidneys to a complete stranger? As it turns out, there are people who do exactly that. These…
- Gemba Academy
GA 645 | Why Leadership Is Failing with Keith Wyche
Trust in leadership has been declining for decades, and Keith Wyche has the research to prove it. A 40-year veteran of AT&T, IBM, and Walmart, Keith opened…
- Gemba Academy
Stop Worrying and Start Problem Solving
Worry is one of the least productive uses we can make of our minds. It’s also one of the least pleasant. I know this because I’ve struggled with worry…
- Gemba Academy
GA 644 | Defining Propaganda with Owen Fitzpatrick
Most leaders assume that the right argument, delivered clearly, will change minds. Owen Fitzpatrick has spent 30 years studying why that assumption is wrong. A…
- Gemba Academy
Will We Remember How To Think?
AI tools can help us write, think, cook, work, and even parent better. But as we become increasingly dependent on them, are we slowly losing our ability to…
- Gemba Academy
GA 643 | Asking Better Questions with Kabrina Ashley
Most organizations say they want high performers, yet quietly punish them for being too valuable to lose. Kabrina Ashley, a coach and behavioral science…
- Gemba Academy
What Spills Out When the Pressure Is On?
What happens when your organization faces unexpected pressure? The response often reveals and amplifies the habits, relationships, and leadership behaviors…
- Gemba Academy
GA 642 | The Future of Work with Jonathan David Lewis
Something fundamental has shifted in how people relate to work, and most leaders are still operating from a story that the workforce has already left behind…
- Gemba Academy
Be Where Your Feet Are
If you walk through almost any workplace, you’ll likely see it. A supervisor is talking with an employee while glancing at their phone. A manager attends a…
- Gemba Academy
GA 641 | What Makes a Good Teammate with Eric Reveno
Most organizations spend enormous energy developing leaders and almost none developing teammates. Stanford Associate Head Men’s Basketball Coach Eric…
- Gemba Academy
Why Some Leaders Grow Wiser
Experience alone doesn't produce wisdom. The leaders who continue to grow are the ones who intentionally seek lessons in every success, setback, and…
- Gemba Academy
Don’t Let the Objective Statement Stop Your Project
If you’ve ever taught Lean Six Sigma or coached a new Green Belt, you’ve probably watched someone stare at the Project Charter for several minutes before…
- Gemba Academy
Leadership Is Human
Have you ever wondered why leadership is so difficult? Most people think of leadership as something reserved for CEOs, politicians, military officers, or…
- Gemba Academy
GA 640 | Optimistic Fear with Cornelia Choe
Most leaders think their biggest risk is making the wrong call. Cornelia Choe argues the real danger comes earlier, when a leader stops questioning the mental…
- Gemba Academy
Your Response Is Always a Choice
Every day presents leaders with situations they can't control. What they can control is how they respond. Inspired by Viktor Frankl's timeless insight, this…
- Gemba Academy
The Keys to Developing Lean Leadership
Why Lean Leadership Matters More Than Ever If you have worked in an organization that has practiced Lean for some time, implemented Kaizen events, and…
- Gemba Academy
GA 639 | Putting the Customer First with Slaytor Baldwin
A suppressor manufacturer in Utah started its lean transformation about a year ago. Twelve months later, inventory turns had doubled, changeover time dropped…
- Gemba Academy
The Boy in the Back of the Bus
A simple invitation on a school bus changed my life forever. Inspired by the movie Wonder, this personal story explores why kindness may be one of the most…
- Gemba Academy
Old Habits Die Hard, When Leadership Behavior Doesn’t Match Leadership Intent
Old Habits Die Hard, When Leadership Behavior Doesn’t Match Leadership Intent A tale as old as time, a company launches a new initiative. There’s energy…
- Gemba Academy
The Dull Saw: A Leadership Lesson
Years ago, I watched a maintenance technician struggle with what should have been a simple task. He was cutting through a piece of metal with a handheld saw…
- Gemba Academy
Building the Staircase
John was a frustrated plant manager. His team was missing shipments, quality problems were increasing, overtime costs were climbing, and employee morale was…
- Gemba Academy
GA 638 | Separating Risk from Being Reckless with George Barrios
  Confidence and arrogance can look identical from the outside. George Barrios has spent a career in rooms where the difference mattered, from running a…
- Gemba Academy
The Most Dangerous Improvement Project
Lean and Six Sigma practitioners are experts at improving processes, but often overlook the most important process of all: the conversation happening in their…