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

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 map they’re using to make calls in the first place. In her book The Panoramic Leader , co-authored with Marshall Goldsmith, Cornelia builds a case that continuous change has made the old leadership playbook obsolete. The world stopped...

A suppressor manufacturer in Utah started its lean transformation about a year ago. Twelve months later, inventory turns had doubled, changeover time dropped from 3.5 hours to 9 minutes, and a rollout planned for a year got compressed to three months. Slaytor Baldwin, Director of Operations at SilencerCo, joined Ron Pereira to walk through exactly how that happened, including the five years of fai...

  Confidence and arrogance can look identical from the outside. George Barrios has spent a career in rooms where the difference mattered, from running a semiconductor division at 29 to co-leading a $20 billion merger between WWE and UFC. His book, Sometimes Wrong, But Never in Doubt , started as a phrase buried in a performance review and grew into a full operating philosophy about where real...

Most organizations have the systems. They have the processes, the KPIs, the structured meetings, the strategic plans. And they are still stuck. Norman Wolfe has spent decades helping leadership teams understand why, and the answer keeps coming back to something the org chart cannot capture. The beliefs, priorities, and unspoken assumptions that shape how departments actually behave are running the...

Most people trying to improve their lives are doing it without a clear picture of what they are building toward. For Joel Steele, a near-miss with prison forced him to start making different choices. His book “Life Switch” grows out of that turning point, and the framework he describes maps surprisingly well onto the tools that continuous improvement professionals use every day. In thi...

Most continuous improvement practitioners are trained to prize logic and treat emotion as noise in the system. D. Earl Johnston spent nine years and thousands of research hours across twelve disciplines discovering that framing is backward. His book, “Choosing Emotions,” grew out of a father-daughter moment involving depression, post-it notes, and a single powerful text message. What c...

This week’s guest is Ben Hansen. Ron and Ben discussed how Ben helps companies improve their profit margins, dealing with “profititis,” shifting your focus from revenue to profitability, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn: Ben’s quote (2:23) His background (3:59) How Ben helps companies double t...

This week’s guest is Andy Olrich. Ron and Andy discussed the roles of people and tools in continuous improvement, what NOT to do when building a lean culture, teaching younger generations, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn: The quote Andy likes (3:40) His background (4:25) Andy’s “Aha” moment w...

This week’s guest is Chris Libutti. Ron and Chris discussed Chris and his wife Yamila’s book, “Performance Unleashed,” his time in the military, the importance of self-discipline, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Chris likes (2:29) His background (4:08) About his time in the milita...

This week’s guest is Michael Parent. Ron and Michael discussed an interesting AI conundrum, the impact that systems and design have on performance, Michael’s Tetris experiment, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  Michael’s quote (3:03) Ron’s LinkedIn poll on AI (4:32) About Michael’s back...

This week’s guest is Shahab Shah. Ron and Shahab discussed the importance of balancing human empathy with the demands of reality, why tone matters, first steps for making improvements, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  Shahab’s favorite quote (2:25) His background (4:17) What was the most influential (6:...

This week’s guest is Pete Behrens. Ron and Pete discussed Pete’s book, “Into the Fog,” what it means for leaders to face uncertainty, why leadership is like cooking, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  Pete’s quote (2:10) His background (3:15) Why people are the biggest source of variabil...

This week’s guest is Brian Meyers. Ron and Brian discussed the heart-stopping story of how Brian’s facility caught fire, the profound difference lean made in saving it, what “unwavering commitment” means, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Brian likes (4:16) His background (5:35) The...

This week’s guest is Kristin Kielich. Ron and Kristin discussed Kristin’s experiences with continuous improvement in education, dealing with resistance, measuring success, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Kristin likes (2:51) Her background (4:03) About Kristin’s personal lean journey (1...

This week’s guest is Randall Dupre. Ron and Randall discussed Randall’s book, “Everyday Lean,” the kinds of mistakes Randall sees people making, what good leadership looks like, his favorite lean principles, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  Randall’s quote (2:46) His background (3:12)...

This week’s guest is Dean Svarc. Ron and Dean discussed Dean’s book, “Trojan Horse,” navigating hidden threats, why culture matters, the mistakes leaders make, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote that inspires Dean (2:33) His background (3:05) Why he wrote his book (4:08) What it&#821...

This week’s guest is Ashley Herd. Ron and Ashley discussed Ashley’s Pause, Consider, Act Framework, the concept of a career quilt, micromanagement, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  Ashley’s background (3:36) Her favorite quote (5:08) About the Pause Consider Act framework (9:53) Why “Pause&#...

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam discussed Adam’s Wheel of Sustainability, the importance of continuously improving, what his Sustainability System assessment is trying to solve, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Adam likes (2:41) His background (3:32) The Wheel of Sustainabilit...

This week’s guest is Steven Remsen. Ron and Steven discussed Steven’s time at Intel, how to make change “stick” at a large organization, what Steven sees organizations struggling with, the current state of AI, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote that inspires Steven (1:57) Steven&#821...

This week’s guest is Dr. Julia Garcia. Ron and Julia discussed Julia’s book, “The Five Habits of Hope,” the power of resilience, the role hope plays in problem-solving, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Julia likes (3:59) Why she wrote her book (6:21) The power of resilience (7:40)...

This week’s guest is Royden Johnson. Ron and Royden discussed the concept of a lean operating system talking versus singing, the different phases of the operating system, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Royden likes (2:49) Royden’s background (4:08) Whether your lean operating system is talki...

This week’s guest is Chad Bareither. Ron and Chad discussed making culture changes in the workplace, powerful aspects of Japanese culture, the importance of cleaning up, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Chad likes (3:06) His background (4:29) Chad’s thoughts on culture change (6:37) An anecdot...

This week’s guest is Kathy Miller. Ron and Kathy discussed manufacturing, Kathy’s new book “MORE Is Better,” optimism, psychological safety, and the art of making high-quality connections. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  Kathy’s favorite quote (2:41) Her background (3:01) What motivates Kathy t...

This week’s guest is Hanna Bauer. Ron and Hanna discussed the role of emotional intelligence in success, balancing empathy and accountability, navigating love languages, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Hanna likes (2:38) Her background (3:17) The impact of cultural factors (6:03) The role of emotio...

This week’s guest is Noah Waech. Ron and Noah discussed Noah’s experiences teaching lean, what happens when things don’t go as planned, Value Stream Mapping, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here . In this episode you’ll learn:  The quote Noah likes (3:14) His background (5:05) An anecdote from when Noah was asked to teach about lean...