Business Excellence for Managers

Welcome to the Business Excellence for Managers Podcast . This is where we break down ideas, strategies, and practical tools that help you build stronger teams and more effective organizations. Today we’re diving into Lean Six Sigma maturity and how to actually measure it in a meaningful way inside your team or company. Most people immediately think about certifications, belts, or project counts....

Welcome to the Business Excellence for Managers podcast, where we explore practical ideas and strategies to help you lead more effectively and drive real business results. In today’s episode, we’re focusing on a critical but often underestimated success factor in Lean Six Sigma… emotional intelligence. While most transformations are built on strong tools, data, and processes, their success ultimat...

Welcome to the “Business Excellence for Managers” podcast! In today’s episode, I dive into why Kaizen is making a real comeback in modern management. Continuous improvement isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a practical way to create fast, tangible change. And Kaizen workshops are one of the most effective tools to make that happen. I break down how these workshops compress months of problem-solving into...

Can a simple mindset of ‘a little better every day’ be the real key to business excellence? Welcome to the “Business Excellence for Managers” podcast! In today’s episode, I’m thrilled to speak with Vitezslav Vanek, the founder and CEO of value companion, a business consulting company. I first met Vitja in 2008 at BNP Paribas in Germany, where he worked as an expert in Process Management, and I was...

Welcome to Business Excellence for Managers Podcast, where we explore ideas, strategies, and leaders shaping the future of business. Today’s guest is John Rossman — a powerhouse in digital transformation, leadership, and operational strategy. John is best known for his pivotal role at Amazon, where he was instrumental in launching and scaling the Amazon Marketplace, one of the company’s most game-...

Are you struggling to get your team on board with change? With constant change, we must manage transitions effectively while minimizing employee resistance. Whether implementing new standards, restructuring teams, or launching initiatives, change management techniques make the process smoother. In this episode, I’ll walk you through five key elements of successful change management. You’ll also ge...

Welcome back to the second part of our engaging conversation with Professors Yevgen Bogodistov and Juergen Moormann. In Part 1, we discussed the genesis of their inspiring book on burnout prevention. We explored burnout in the workplace, the book's target audience, and the key findings from their research. The conversation highlighted the need to integrate human and psychological elements into pro...

What if burnout is more than just a personal struggle? What if it’s a sign that our workplaces need to fundamentally change? Welcome to Business Excellence for Managers, where we dive into the strategies and insights that empower leaders to create high-performing, resilient teams. Today, we’re exploring one of the greatest challenges facing modern managers: burnout. I’m joined by two distinguished...

Have you ever wondered how to master the magic of creating empowered and happy organizations? In today's episode I speak with Jack Skeels, a former RAND senior analyst, and currently CEO of AgencyAgile, an Agile transformation and coaching firm that helps agencies, consultancies, and other complex service organizations go better, faster, and happier. His career includes leading Sapient’s 105-p...

Have you ever wondered about the profound connection between achieving business excellence and ensuring environmental sustainability? Well, today's episode is all about that connection. We speak about the importance of sustainability in business, particularly for small businesses, sharing a success story of a local coffee shop. Joining us is a prominent guest, Kumar Vijayendra, an accomplished...

In today's episode, we explore the power of networking for achieving career goals. Our guest, Matt Sitter, who lives in San Francisco, is the CEO of AFN (Advantage Foundry Network), which is a global CEO Network dedicated to finding opportunity in change. In this role, Matt enables the collective and diverse wisdom of AFN’s membership to help Leaders deal with challenges, from dealing with the...

In today's episode we are going to speak about optimizing leadership skills, company culture and boosting “Mojovation”, which is a word used frequently by Joe Apfelbaum. I have the pleasure of introducing you to Joe. He is the CEO and founder of Ajax Union, a B2B digital marketing agency in Brooklyn, NY. He’s a business strategist, LinkedIn expert, and Certified Google Trainer. He enjoys speak...

Excited to introduce our next podcast episode with the remarkable Rick A. Morris! Rick is a certified Scrum Agile Master, best-selling author, and sought-after international keynote presenter. With credentials like PMP, MPM, Scrum Agile Master, and more, he's made a lasting impact across various industries. Rick has over 100 successful Project and Portfolio Management implementations to his na...

Think about how long you'll be working in your life. You should enjoy what you do because it makes you a more energetic and enthusiastic leader. I'm excited to introduce our special guest, Mustafa Ammar. He's from Egypt, and he's traveled all over the world and is fluent in seven languages! Just like me, he thinks of himself as a global citizen. Mustafa helps people make smart care...

In today's episode we delve into the art of storytelling and explore how you can learn a couple new tips and tricks to further improve your presentation and meeting skills. It's my privilege to introduce you to Doug Thompson, a resident of Austin, Texas, and a seasoned storyteller plus TEDx Speaker. He specializes in telling stories and helping others learn storytelling skills and makes co...

This conversation is the same recording that was posted on the First Waves for Employees platform but also has a significant value to management. Today's episode is all about Lean, Continuous Improvement and much more. Mark Graban is an internationally recognized consultant, author, professional speaker, podcaster, and entrepreneur. He builds upon a deep education in engineering and management...

In today's episode we will speak Dean Meyers from New York, a design thinking and innovation trainer, coach, and consultant. He has been teaching people how to apply visual thinking and design thinking in technology since the Macintosh arrived on desktops with the first graphical user’s interface. He has employed techniques including graphic facilitation and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® to help entrepr...

In today's episode we are going to speak about the essence of emotional intelligence and its profound impact on leadership. While often overlooked as a leadership quality, many forward-thinking organizations now integrate emotional intelligence into their hiring process. Reflecting on my career journey, EI was probably one of the key drivers that helped me climb the corporate ladder so quickly...

In today's episode, we dive into the fascinating world of applying Amazon's principles to your company. Besides Jeff Bezos, there is another person who can tell us more. His name is Steve Anderson, and he is an expert in strategic risk and business growth. Drawing on decades of experience in the insurance industry, he wrote the book called, “The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Bu...

Today's episode is all about the world of IT and your company’s digital transformation. My special guest is Ali Davachi, who is a Forbes Author, a digital transformation expert and Founder/CEO of Realware LLC. His goal is to provide frictionless technology that liberates business and accelerates outcomes. Ali says that the best businesses have a “secret sauce”, which is their unique value, tha...

Today's episode delves into the fascinating realm of optimizing your managerial skills through the power of breath. Join me in welcoming our incredible guest, Fleur Conway who is originally from England and now residing in Spain. Over the years, she has gained much knowledge and experience in many areas of health and well-being. Fleur's impressive credentials include: ·  Buteyko method bre...

In this episode, we explore the art of mastering your talk. Our words have the power to make a lasting impact, whether positive, neutral, or negative. Drawing from my 20+ years in senior management, I've witnessed firsthand the influence of effective communication on overall business performance. As managers, we operate in a people-centric realm and must equip ourselves with the tools and tric...

One of the frequently asked questions I receive from managers is: Who should I train when I want to start a Business Excellence initiative? This query can arise from a person who already has a program running or is considering starting one. Prepare to be surprised by some of the answers! In this episode, I will provide you with numerous strategies for selecting the ideal candidates for your progra...

Note to the English-speaking community: This is the bonus episode in German, serving as a follow-up to the exclusive interview with Hakan Seyhan, Episode 4. Ich habe das Vergnügen, Hakan Seyhan vorzustellen. Wir haben uns vor vielen Jahren kennengelernt, als ich als Chief Quality Officer tätig war und Hakan als Senior Manager & Master Black Belt arbeitete. Er half mir bei der Implementierung v...

In this podcast episode, I have the pleasure to present you an amazing guest from Germany. His name is Hakan Seyhan. We met many years ago, during the days when I was working as Chief Quality Officer at a large multinational corporation and Hakan was working as a Senior Manager & Master Black Belt at a prominent Lean Six Sigma consulting firm in Germany. He helped me implement Business Excelle...