The Lean Solutions Podcast

This week on the podcast, I’m speaking with Brian Bolen. Brian has 12 years of quality and CI experience. He's an ASQ, certified Six Sigma Black Belt. He also has his master's degree in operational excellence from Eastern Michigan University In this episode, Brian and I talk about why leaders need to be focusing on servant leadership and how it can help leaders be more effective in their roles. Wh...

This week on the podcast, I’m speaking with Paul Akers. Paul is an author, entrepreneur and the founder and president of FastCap, a product development company specializing in woodworking tools and hardware for the professional builder. In this episode, Paul and I go over how Lean can be applied to improve your work environment and why you need to focus on small consistent changes when trying to m...

This week I’m speaking with Felipe Engineer, a registered Scrum master and trainer. Felipe also leads the Lean construction program at McCarthy Building Companies and is the CEO and podcast host of the EBFC Show, which is dedicated to Lean construction. In this episode, Felipe and I go into detail about integrating Lean into construction. We also talk about Scrum, what it is and how Scrum can be u...

This week I’m speaking with Andrew Van Breugel, an experienced manufacturing professional with a diverse range of skills and Lean experience that  extends to plant management, operations management, product development, manufacture and quality. In this episode, Andrew and I speak about sustainability and leadership in Lean and how leaders can develop their leadership skills and also help their tea...

This week I’m sharing some of the interviews and chats I got to have during my time at the 2021 Operational Excellence Summit in the State of Nebraska.  I got the opportunity to speak with multiple leaders in the Lean and Operational Excellence community and I’m excited to share my interviews with you today. The state of Nebraska launched the Center of Operational Excellence in 2016 to change the...

This week on the podcast, I’m talking with Chris Burnham. Chris has twenty years of experience with learning and coaching Lean and Continuous Improvement principles and his career has spanned a variety of roles from front-line servant leader to responsibility for Global Continuous Improvement Programs. Chris is also the host of The Lean Leadership Podcast. In this episode, Chris and I talk about g...

This week I am chatting with Tony Hayes, an executive lean leader responsible for the Wabash management system, continuous improvement and quality at Wabash. In this episode, Tony and I talk about his experience with Lean and Lean culture as well as transformation and why it’s so important to create a story around transformation with Lean. What You’ll Learn This Episode: What makes a good Lean lea...

This week on the podcast, I am speaking with Lee Campe.  Lee is the President of Performance Excellence Inc. and a Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt. In this episode, Lee and I talk about his extensive training and experiences in Lean Six Sigma and Design for Six Sigma. We also talk about the importance of maintaining high standards in Lean Six Sigma and advice on training in LSS. What You’ll...

This week on the podcast, I am speaking with Jim Vinoski, a writer, manufacturing advocate and Lean expert with a focus in engineering, operations and management. In this episode, Jim and I talk about Lean in manufacturing and how leaders can involve and excite their team when it comes to implementing Lean.  We also talk about some of the important lessons and tips Jim has for someone just startin...

This week on the podcast, I am speaking with Matthew Singh.  Matthew is the Director of Operational Excellence and Master Black Belt for the Department of Administrative Services in the state of Nebraska and has 20 years of experience in progressive management roles. In this episode, Matt and I talk about Operational Excellence, his work in the state of Nebraska and the importance of listening to...

On this week’s episode, I’m talking with Valorie Hendrix, the owner and consultant of Dynamic Empire Consulting. Valorie has over five years of working in different areas of project management, including cost reduction, Value Engineering, quality management, and Lean and Six Sigma. During this episode, Valorie and I talk about Value Engineering and Value Analysis, what it is and how you can integr...

This week on the podcast, I’m excited to be talking with Craig Tedrow, an experienced Continuous Improvement professional with a demonstrated history of working in the automotive, aerospace, and defense industry. Craig is also a Senior Consultant at PA Consulting. In this episode, Craig and I talk about standard work, why it’s important to implement and how you can involve your team members with s...

This week on the podcast, I’m chatting with Bruce Hamilton. Bruce is President of GBMP, a Boston-based non-profit founded in 1994 that provides Lean and Six Sigma assistance to manufacturing, healthcare and service organizations. In this episode, Bruce and I chat about how technology development is impacting Lean and how organizations can reduce turnover and increase employee retention during Covi...

This week I’m talking with Adam Lawrence, the Managing Partner of Process Improvement Partners, LLC and the author of The Wheel of Sustainability. During this episode Adam and I talk about his book and what inspired him to write the book. We also talk about what the wheel of sustainability really means and how you can use this information to create sustainable solutions. What You’ll Learn This Epi...

This week I’m talking with Richard Sheridan, the co-founder of Menlo Innovations where his team’s mission is to end human suffering in the workplace. Richard is also the author of J oy, Inc. - How We Built a Workplace People Love and Chief Joy Officer . In this episode, Rich and I talk about his company Menlo Innovations and the importance of having a balanced and satisfying work culture, includin...

On the podcast this week I’m speaking with Tanya Stinson, who is the founder of Leaning Towards Change, LLC. and an experienced leader in Lean and the healthcare industry. During this episode, Tanya and I are talking about Lean and healthcare. We go over how a healthcare setting is different when it comes to Lean and how leaders can identify and reduce waste in order to better serve patients. What...

This week I’m speaking with Brion Hurley, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and founder of Business Performance Improvement, a sustainable process improvement consulting firm. In this episode, Brion and I talk about the major differences between Six Sigma and Lean and how continuous improvement can be applied to the social sector. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Lean vs. Six Sigma, the difference...

This week I’m speaking with Dawn Holly Johnson, the CEO of 3D value group and the author of the soon to be released book What CEOs Don't Know. During this episode, Dawn and I chat about Operational Excellence and how leaders can improve their overall organizational performance by adopting simple strategies and lean concepts. What You’ll Learn This Episode: What compelled Dawn to write her book The...

This week I’m speaking with Deb Coviello. Deb is the founder of Illumination Partners, Author of the book CEO’s Compass - Your Guide to Getting Back on Track  and the host of The Drop In CEO Podcast. In this episode, Deb and I talk about developing high performing leaders, how you can find them and the best ways to prepare them for their leadership roles. What You’ll Learn This Episode: The inspir...

This week I’m speaking with Crystal Davis, an experienced business process improvement consultant and certified leadership development coach and CEO of The Lean Coach, Inc. Crystal and I talk about how leaders and businesses can shift to efficiently working during the pandemic and how leaders can help their team members with the adjustment of returning to the workplace as we come out of the pandem...

This week I’m speaking with Siobhan McHale, the Executive General Manager of People, Culture & Change (HR) at DuluxGroup and the author of The Insider’s Guide to Culture Change: Creating a Workplace that Delivers, Grows, and Adapts. Siobhan and I talk about the importance of workplace culture and the steps you need to take to bring about a culture change in your workplace. What You’ll Learn Th...

This week I’m speaking with Mike Leigh, who is the President of OpX Solutions, a performance improvement company that helps manufacturers remove the barriers that prevent them from achieving their goals by developing leaders and improving processes. In this episode we talk about Kaizen events, including why they are important and how to ensure that the outcome of the event is successful. What You’...

This week I’m speaking with David Mann, who has over 25 years of consulting on lean and lean management implementations in a wide range of manufacturing, health care, enterprise business processes, and extended value chains. In this episode we talk about David’s book and one of my favorite lean books, Creating a Lean Culture and how you can create the behaviors and practices of a lean management s...

This week I’m speaking with John Dyer, an author, speaker, teacher and consultant in team based continuous process improvement. With over 30 years experience, he is the President of John Dyer & Associates where he works with leaders in many different industries in the area of process improvement and leadership development. In this episode we talk about the different styles of leadership and ho...

This week I’m chatting with Katie Anderson, an internationally recognized leadership coach, consultant, author and professional speaker. Katie is best known for her focus on helping individuals and organizations lead with intention. Katie is also the author of “Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn” and wrote the forward for my book. In this episode we talk about being an intentional leader, and crea...