The Improvement Nerds Podcast

In Episode 34 I have the chance to nerd out with Angie Redmon about some of the strategies that an organization can employ to help improve their work culture, while embarking on a journey to become one of the Best Places to Work. Angie works with companies who aspire to have an award-winning workplace distinction. You’ve heard of these, I’m sure—Best Workplaces, Top Workplaces, Best Banks, etc. Sh...

Episode 33 is timely for two reasons. One is that the episode is about servant leadership, an important topic considering the current amount of uncertainty in our world. And the other reason is that the episode airs shortly after Veterans Day. Our guest Tom Crea, joins us and nerds out with us about his years of service and the lessons he learned about serving others.   A key concept from this epi...

Episode 32 is so streaking awesome. Join me, Jami Downs, and Jeffrey Downs as we nerd out about streaking - not the streaking you're thinking.    This streaking includes creating a "be statement", setting a goal, and then streaking your way toward improvement.   This episode celebrates the idea of becoming who you want to be through consistent conscious actions done daily, weekly, or monthly or th...

How many creative types do you know that can nerd out about Design Thinking and Agile Project Management? Yeah, not many.  My guest for Episode 31, Sheena Birt, does that and opens the door for how combining the best of left-braining thinking and right-brain thinking can lead to awesome design in an organized, repeatable way. Sheena Birt is the owner of Color Story Studio. She partners with busine...

How many creative types do you know that can nerd out about Design Thinking and Agile Project Management? Yeah, not many.  My guest for Episode 31, Sheena Birt, does that and opens the door for how combining the best of left-braining thinking and right-brain thinking can lead to awesome design in an organized, repeatable way.

In Episode 30, Mike Bensi and I nerd out about the importance of culture in the workplace. As we dive deep on the topic we talk about the importance of routinely assessing culture and studying what the key drivers of culture might be. In Mike's experience there are many things that impact culture, but the big ones are: trust in leadership communication clarity of goal opportunity to contribute and...

In this Bonus Episode with Laura Pullen McMichael we nerd out about journey of becoming a Certified Black Belt through ASQ. As we reflect on our individual journeys to certify we talk about study strategy, preparing for the exam, passing the exam, and applying our new knowledge to help drive improvement.   If you have ever asked yourself, any of these questions... "What is a Black Belt?" "Should I...

In Episode 29, I nerd out with Amy Woodall about the idea of Extreme Ownership. In Amy's words, "Extreme Ownership is about owning your 50. It is about accepting that in any situation you are 50% of the problem and 50% of the solution."   In this episode we dive deep on Extreme Ownership, but we also nerd out about The Dreaded Drama Triangle, leadership, parenting, and self-awareness.   Amy has sp...

In this episode, Sarah brings her global health experience, travel nursing experience, and passion for caring for the caregiver to the table as we envision how much better healthcare could be if we provided healthcare professionals the space they need to practice self-care.   I struggle to summarize this episode because we touch on so much. We talk a bit about the struggles and excitement of start...

In Episode 27 I nerd out with Lindsay Tjepkema about the importance of making authentic connections as a leader, as a business, and as a brand. In this episode Lindsay shares strategies on how leaders and organization's can establish trust while building a strong relationships that will drive engagement and loyalty. Lindsay Tjepkema is the CEO and co-founder of Casted, the first and only marketing...

Episode 26 dives deep on the concept that you have to be well before you can have the energy to enact lasting change in your career, your family, your health, in others, etc. In Erica's words, for a person to have whole wellness they need to focus on 6 key things: what they eat, how much they sleep, how they move, what is their purpose, what is their community, and spirituality.   Erica is the fou...

In Episode 25 Jeff Veyera and I nerd out about the importance of addressing culture as part of any change or improvement initiative. In this episode we dive deep on culture, engagement, process improvement, and Quality 4.0.   Jeff Veyera is a 25 year quality professional, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Senior Member of the American Society for Quality with multi-industry experience.  Air Force...

In Episode 24 I nerd out with Lori Lovens about people's natural instincts to innovate or to stay the same.   Lori is a dynamic innovator who delivered hundreds of millions of dollars of product innovation growth for Gatorade and other global brands. Her deep understanding of innovation, from ideation through commercialization, was developed over the past 25 years via immersion in hundreds of cros...

In Episode 23, Stephanie Norling and I connect to discuss the ins and outs of the Communities of Excellence program sponsored by Baldrige. The Communities of Excellence program is a framework that is used by self-defined communities to help them define their approach to leadership, establish a strategy for their community, and implement their plan while tracking results.   Stephanie Norling has be...

In Episode 22, Gerald Bush, and I get down and dirty about Emotional Intelligence. Specifically, what is it, why its important, and how individuals can strengthen their EQ.Per Gerald, Emotional Intelligence in leaders, and environments that are psychologically safe to take risks go hand in hand. We hope you enjoy the episode. As Chief EQ Officer and founder of GBKB Consulting, Gerald provides HR s...

In episode 21, Jeanette Renshaw, from Smart Scale Consulting, and I nerd out hard core about the importance of standardizing first, then scaling second. Some of the other things we nerd out about include systems thinking, the Goal, pizza trackers, and inspection. Jeanette is true improvement nerd, she is a problem solver with a passion to help companies achieve repeatable, predictable, and profita...

In Episode 20, Jason Barnaby and I nerd out hardcore about helping people to address self-doubt and to take the first steps toward doing what they are passionate about. As Jason puts it, he wants to "Torch Fear and Ignite Hope." Which is the mission of the company he founded, Fire Starters, Inc. These days, achieving his mission of #IgniteHope and #TorchFear means working with executive teams to a...

In this episode Ryan Sullivan and I nerd out about creating and building community that empowers each of us to explore and to be our whole, authentic selves. Especially as parents. Ryan shares his passion about being a father (loving his wife and daughter and soon to arrive newborn with a whole heart), growing his Christian faith, creating a fulfilling career, and staying athletically competitive....

In episode 18, I nerd out with KJ McGlinn about the importance of having a servant's heart and giving. Per KJ, "those that give, get". Regardless of the size of the gift. As a representative of the Make A Wish organization, KJ helps to bring dreams to life for patients and families facing medical complications. KJ does this by building a community of people who are passionate about granting wishes...

In Episode 17, I nerd out with Karen Valencic about managing conflict and creating flow through her leadership approach called Spiral Impact. Karen Valencic is founder Spiral impact, a Performance Improvement Company specializing in leadership and team development. As a degreed-tenured engineer, effectiveness and practicality informs her work; 30 years of aikido training brings the artistic flare...

In Episode 16, Jeremiah and I nerd out about his upcoming book Mental Wealth. Mental Wealth is Jeremiah's approach for helping others achieve financial well-being and freedom. Jeremiah, who grew up a region kid, has overcome the circumstances of a poor school system, having a kid at an early age, and $210,711 worth of debt. Now, Jeremiah has dedicated himself to changing the mindset of others and...

Why not have two episodes with Katie Rasoul? In a follow up to Katie's full episode, I wanted to create a bonus episode were all we do is get nerdy about her amazing book Hidden Brilliance: A High-Achieving Introvert's Guide to Self-Discovery, Leadership, and Playing Big . In this bonus episode Katie and I try our best to provide a brief recap of her book. We talk about what it feels like to carry...

Episode 15 is a must listen to episode about the importance of creating psychological safety at work. My guest, Katie Rasoul shares a masterful story about how organization’s need to strive to give people more than a job. That they need to give them a purpose. Katie is a leadership coach, keynote speaker and team culture expert helping leaders change the world through her company, Team Awesome. Sh...

Join Andrea Butcher and I for Episode 14 as we nerd out about The Leadership Challenge. Highlighting the specific behaviors that help to create an effective leader. Andrea is a visionary—she knows how to lead organizations from big picture to execution. She is a dynamic speaker, coach, and facilitator. As the President of HRD, she leads the organization’s growth strategy and focuses on executive l...

In Episode 13, Shelley Brown and I nerd out about mindfulness, among other topics - empathy, leadership, self-awareness, compassion, and meditation. Shelley Brown is a Baltimore based mindfulness speaker, webinar, in-person workshop facilitator and the founder of ROI Mindfulness. She facilitates workshops around the United States with leaders from Executive Committee to front-line managers from a...