The Lean Solutions Podcast

What You'll Learn in This Episode: In this episode, Patrick Adams sits down with John Dyer to explore the thinking behind the Lean Excellence World Championship and why it has become one of the most engaging learning experiences at the Lean Solutions Summit. The conversation dives into how the competition gives participants and observers the opportunity to see Lean in action. From process mapping...

What You'll Learn in This Episode: In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, Catherine McDonald sits down with Kathy Miller to explore why successful transformations are driven by people, not just processes. You'll learn how trust, meaningful work, optimism, and strong relationships create lasting cultural change, why consistency is essential for leaders, and how simple daily leadership habit...

What You'll Learn in This Episode: In this episode, Catherine McDonald and Shayne Daughenbaugh welcome Michael Parent to discuss SIPOC, one of the most effective tools for understanding and improving business processes. Michael explains how SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers) helps teams define process boundaries, identify stakeholders, and maintain focus on delivering customer...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode : Spotlight Episode!! As we continue revisiting some of the conversations that sparked meaningful discussions, we’re bringing back this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast with Patrick Adams and Shayne Daughenbaugh. In this conversation, Patrick and Shayne explore what new leaders should focus on when stepping into a Lean journey. Instead of jumping straight int...

What You'll Learn in This Episode: In this episode, Catherine McDonald and Shayne Daughenbaugh discuss the practical realities of capturing, creating, and deploying Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in fast-growing organizations. Drawing from Shayne’s experience leading SOP standardization across multiple locations, they explore how businesses can create consistency while maintaining a human-ce...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this special Lean Solutions Summit episode, Patrick Adams sits down with keynote speakers Richard Sheridan, Joe Dyer, and Jason Schroeder to discuss the summit theme: Better Together: People Plus Innovation . The conversation explores the growing role of AI, automation, and technology in today's organizations while emphasizing that sustainable success still de...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode, Patrick Adams welcomes back Beth Carrington to explore the difference between simply executing action plans and developing true scientific thinking through Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata. Beth shares her journey from the automotive industry into Lean transformation work and explains how discovering Toyota Kata fundamentally changed her approa...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode, Andy Olrich sits down with returning guest Adam Lawrence to explore why so many improvement efforts fail to stick and what leaders can do to create lasting, sustainable change. Adam shares the origin story behind his “Wheel of Sustainability” framework and explains why sustainability is ultimately a leadership process, not just a technical one. T...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode, Shayne Daughenbaugh and Catherine McDonald sit down with leadership strategist and Army veteran Jonathan Pride to explore the SOAR mindset. A leadership framework built around storytelling, ownership, abundance, and resilience. Jonathan shares how leaders can move beyond compliance-driven management and develop teams through coaching, curiosity,...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode, Patrick Adams, Catherine McDonald, Shayne Daughenbaugh, and Andy Olrich unpack the hidden costs that quietly erode margins, and why most organizations don’t see them coming. You’ll learn how these costs often live outside traditional financial statements, showing up instead as rework, inefficiencies, poor handoffs, and constant interruptions like...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode, Patrick Adams and Shayne Daughenbaugh break down the true meaning of GEMBA and why it’s a foundational practice in Lean leadership. You’ll learn how going to the “real place” helps leaders move beyond assumptions and understand what’s actually happening in their processes. The conversation highlights why many leaders avoid the gemba. Often due to...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode, Patrick Adams sits down with Cindy Darnell to explore how behavioral assessments like DISC can transform leadership, communication, and team performance. You’ll learn how understanding personality styles helps leaders adapt their communication, reduce conflict, and build stronger relationships across teams. Cindy shares practical examples of how...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode, Catherine McDonald and Shayne Daughenbaugh explore the power of small, everyday improvements. What they call the “10-minute improvement.” Instead of focusing only on large-scale Lean projects, they break down how organizations can unlock hidden opportunities by addressing small frustrations, workarounds, and communication gaps that often go unnot...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode, Andy Olrich, Patrick Adams, and guest John Broadbent dive into the real starting point of Industry 4.0—shifting from “proof of concept” to “proof of value.” You’ll learn why simply collecting machine data isn’t enough, and how to tie that data directly to financial outcomes that matter to leadership. The conversation breaks down practical first s...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode, Andy Olrich, Patrick Adams, and guest John Broadbent break down what Industry 4.0 really means, and why it’s not as complex or expensive as many think. You’ll learn how to start small , connect existing systems, and use data more effectively to improve operations. The conversation highlights why Industry 4.0 is about integration, not technology ,...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, Andy Olrich and Catherine McDonald break down one of the biggest reasons Lean fails in organizations, and how it has nothing to do with the tools. Most companies try to “sell Lean” as a program or initiative, which immediately creates resistance. Employees see it as something being done to them instead of for them ....

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, Patrick Adams and Shayne Daughenbaugh sit down with Lean expert Darren Walsh to uncover why most Lean transformations stall, and what leaders must do to accelerate real business transformation. With more than 25 years of experience working with world-class organizations, Darren explains why many companies struggle wi...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, hosts Patrick Adams and Shayne Daughenbaugh are joined by Marco Dannerhill to explore how Lean thinking must evolve in today’s fast-changing business environment . Drawing on more than three decades of experience in the plastics industry, Marco shares how Lean has shifted from focusing on localized process improvemen...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode : In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, hosts Patrick Adams, Andy Olrich, and guest Steve Riley discuss the importance of leadership behaviors in maintaining Lean initiatives. They highlight how unintentional actions, such as not picking up trash or not following standard work, can undermine Lean efforts. Steve Riley, a manufacturing operations leader wit...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode : In this second part episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, Patrick Adams and Shane Daughenbaugh discuss the initial steps for a new leader implementing Lean principles. They emphasize understanding the current state through one-on-one interviews and Jeff Liker's leadership development model, which includes personal development, coaching others, daily Kaizen, and...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode : In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, Patrick Adams and Shane Daughenbaugh explore what the first 90 days should look like after discovering Lean or stepping into a new organization. Once someone understands the principles of continuous improvement, what should they actually do first? They discuss how your approach must shift depending on your level of...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, Andy Olrich and Catherine McDonald explore what happens after the strategy day is over . Once goals are set, how do organizations move from planning to real execution? They highlight the challenges of managing too many goals and the necessity of engaging teams in the strategy process.  They unpack why teams often str...

What You’ll Learn in This Episode In this episode, hosts Catherine McDonald and Shayne Daughenbaugh discuss what coaching in the workplace really means. Why it’s far more than a buzzword. The conversation breaks down the difference between coaching, training, and mentoring, and explains how coaching serves as a powerful leadership approach for developing people, building trust, and sustaining cont...

What You’ll Learn:  The second half dives deeper into the people side of continuous improvement . Dave explains how Nemawashi and intentional conversations help build alignment, trust, and momentum. Listeners learn why asking thoughtful questions—like “who else should we talk to?”—can naturally expand buy-in and lead to better decisions. The episode wraps with reflections on leadership, learning,...

What You'll Learn: In the first half of the episode, the conversation focuses on the foundations of effective change and project success . Dave shares insights on the importance of executive support, strong project management, and understanding the real problems teams are trying to solve. The discussion highlights why improvement efforts often stall and how leaders can create clarity by engaging t...