In this episode, Sam Morgan and I discuss his personal journey into launching his coaching business to include his personal use of kata to make it happen. We discuss the use of kata for both business and personal applications. What You'll Learn: How did you get to the point of starting your own coaching business? You don't have any lean certifications (LSSMB) or coaching certifications (ICF) What makes you feel like you are qualified to coach lean and ops leaders? You talk to lots of lean and op...
Feb 21, 2023•36 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In this episode, Dr. Joe Sprangel and I discuss Humanist Manufacturing. Joe explains the Humanist Manufacturing Framework to include the humanist commitments necessary for leader success. What You'll Learn: What is Humanist Manufacturing? Could you share the phases of your humanist manufacturing framework? What are the humanist commitments you used as the foundation of your framework? The second phase is focused on the leader and the leadership team. Why is this important? It appears that you ha...
Feb 14, 2023•36 min•Season 2Ep. 1
The wait is over....Its finally time for Season Two! Listen in for background on The Lean Solutions Podcast, as well as impact metrics from this past year. Season Two kicks off this Tuesday with Dr. Joe Sprangel. Season Two includes video and audio for every episode. Tune in every Tuesday with some returning and some new guests. Find all episodes on your favorite podcast platform or go to www.findleansolutions.com and click on 'podcast.'
Feb 12, 2023•8 min•Season 2Ep. 113
In this episode, I am presenting our teams approach to lean product and process development events. This was a presentation I gave at the LPPDE virtual conference last month. You may be wondering why we haven't been posting regular episodes...we are preparing to launch season two this next year. Stay tuned for more amazing podcasts as we kick off the new year. About the LPPDE: The Lean Product and Process Development Exchange, Inc. is a nonprofit organization created to foster opportunities to g...
Dec 20, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 112
In this episode of The Lean Solutions Podcast, I met with Craig Tedrow, Tina Pietrangelo, and Mark Schmidt to discuss the current workforce challenges in hiring and retaining employees. About the Guests: Craig Tedrow is an experienced Continuous Improvement Professional with a demonstrated history of working in the automotive, aerospace, and defense industry. Skilled in Training Coordination, Continuous Improvement, Team Building, Presentation Skills, and Conflict Management. Strong professional...
Nov 29, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 111
In this episode, Mike Ettore and I discuss leadership concepts from the military and how they can help in the corporate world. What You'll Learn: Trust-Based Leadership Marine Corps Core Value Military Leadership concepts in the corporate world About the Guest: Mike has served in leadership roles for over 45 years. He’s earned a reputation for being an exceptionally effective leader and is known for achieving superior results in a wide range of challenging environments. In addition to having ret...
Nov 15, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 110
I am still travelling. In this episode, I replay a webinar with Ernie and Tracey Richardson as we discuss their book, 'The Toyota Engagement Equation' and the many learnings from working with Toyota over 30 years.
Nov 08, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 109
I am currently travelling so I wanted to post this throwback episode where I discuss the fuel needed to spark and maintain a continuous improvement culture. Enjoy.
Nov 01, 2022•11 min•Season 1Ep. 108
This past week, Lean Solutions was a proud sponsor for the AME international Conference in Dallas. Craig Johnson and I were there to attend, exhibit, network, and record some great interviews for the podcast. During this episode, I was able to catch up with the Conference Chair, Dan McDonnell, as well as many other attendees and speakers of the conference. We discussed learnings, takeaway's, and tour/workshop ahha moments. About AME: The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), is a not-f...
Oct 25, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 107
In this episode, Elisabeth Swan and I discuss the intangibles when it comes to leading others. Elisabeth is the president of Swan Consulting & Associates, Inc., and co-founder of the Just-In-Time Café. She’s the co-author of the Problem-Solver’s Toolkit: A Surprisingly Simple Guide to Your Lean Six Sigma Journey, and has been helping clients drive change for decades. She’s a Master Black Belt, Speaker, Coach and Lean Six Sigma consultant with a focus on leveraging people to build vibrant pro...
Oct 18, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 106
In this episode, Craig Johnson and I discuss the importance of structured problem solving and the power of a robust training program. What You'll Learn: Why should organizations adopt a structured problem solving process? Some of Craig's favorite problem solving tools. Why should people pursue lean training? What does good lean training look like? What does the future of lean training look like? About the Guest: Craig Johnson is a leadership professional with a diverse background in engineering,...
Oct 11, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 105
In this episode of The Lean Solutions Podcast, Kevin Gausch and I discuss lean applied in different industries. Specifically, the construction industry. His knowledge and stories help explain how lean can be applied outside manufacturing when practitioners truly understand the principles of continuous improvement. About the Guest: As a Certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence through ASQ with a focus on the construction industry, Kevin has set himself apart as an expert in qual...
Oct 04, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 104
In this episode, I am playing a recording of my speaking event last week at Lean Leadership Week for Lean Frontiers. Lean Leadership Week is an annual gathering of those seeking to learn, implement, and sustain successful lean transformations in order to address some of the most common challenges in lean organizations. The Summit highlights companies who are addressing these challenges through Lean Accounting, Lean HR, Lean Management, and Lean People Development. My presentation was titled: Dev...
Sep 27, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 103
In this episode I was able to have Bob Emiliani back for a second time to discuss many topics to include his views on 'Fake Lean.' What You'll Learn: What is Fake Lean? Findings of an Ongoing Root Cause Analysis on Lean Transformation Failures Research studies Bob is currently working on What is Bob's favorite topic to discuss? About the Guest: Dr. Bob Emiliani is an accomplished author whose work spans three disciplines: engineering, social sciences, and humanities. He has authored or co-author...
Sep 20, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 102
In this episode, Paul Deane and I discuss his three core pillars to an operational excellence journey. What You'll Learn: Three Core Pillars of an operational excellence journey. The biggest drivers for an organization to adopt Lean. The biggest challenges organizations face when embarking on a Lean journey. Paul's biggest 'win' he has seen organizations achieve having implemented effective Lean. How do you get buy-in for Lean? About The Guest: Paul Deane has over 25 years working with large glo...
Sep 13, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 101
Today is a replay of a conversation I had with Nigel Thurlow, a leading expert on Lean and Agile approaches. Nigel advises companies on successful transformation strategies and how to achieve effective and lasting change. As the chief agile at Toyota connected, he established the Toyota agile Academy and is also the co-author of The Flow System. In this episode, Nigel and I talk about Agile, how it relates to Lean and the flow from scientific thinking to Agile into the flow system. What You’ll L...
Sep 06, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 100
In this episode, Paul Dunlop and I discuss the importance of daily management systems and structures as well as the digitalization in and of lean management systems. This is Paul's third time on the show. What You'll Learn: The importance of Daily management systems and structures Digitization in / of Lean The importance of leader standard work About The Guest: Paul brings with him over 20 years of management and manufacturing experience in a broad range of industries. In his operational managem...
Aug 30, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 99
In this episode, Dr. William Harvey and I discuss the most important skills he was able to transfer from his time in the United States Marine Corps to his corporate career in lean management. We discussed everything from goal setting to leadership skills and kaizen. What You'll Learn: As it relates to goal setting, what influenced Dr. Harvey at an early age to set challenging personal goals? An important tactic in creating an environment for increased teamwork. Key benefits recognized by observi...
Aug 23, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 98
In this episode, I was able to catch up with the attendees and speakers of the Michigan Lean Consortium Annual Conference that took place last week in Traverse City, Michigan. This was an in–person event and the engagement was AMAZING. Some of the highlights include discussions with keynote speakers Richard Sheridan and Mark Graban, among many other attendees. Michigan Lean Consortium: http://michiganlean.org/ Richard Sheridan Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menloprez/ https://menloinnovation...
Aug 16, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 97
In this episode, Patrick's guest is George Trachilis, P.Eng. Patrick and George discuss the Harada Method and how it can benefit individuals and organizations. About the Guest: George Trachilis lives in Canada and consults remotely and throughout the world. He started his career at Motor Coach Industries in 1994 where he received Lean coaching in Just-in-Time manufacturing , and Total Quality Management . Having lead change for over 10 years, he decided to start his own consulting firm in 2003. ...
Aug 09, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Katie Anderson is back for another episode where we talk about her chain of learning and the importance of leaders doing the little things. Katie is 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...
Jul 26, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 95
In this episode, Jonathon Andell and I discuss his involvement with Motorola when Six Sigma was first introduced. Jonathon was a young engineer at Motorola at that time and shares some great memories about his learnings early on. We also discuss how Lean and Six Sigma has shaped his problem solving approach over the years and he shares his biggest factors impacting effectiveness of lean transformations. What You'll Learn: Jonathon's experience with Six Sigma at Motorola early on. Lean and Six Si...
Jul 19, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Dawn Holly Johnson is a returning guest on The Lean Solutions Podcast. Back in episode 46, we discussed operational excellence and, at that time, Dawn was getting ready to release her book, What CEOs Need to Know: The #1 Reason Startups Fail and All Organizations Underperform. Well, now that Dawn has released her book, I am excited to catch up and learn how things have been going. What You'll Learn: 1. The reasons that companies struggle with OpEx. 2. What should OpEx leaders do instead? 3. Lear...
Jul 12, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Due to my travel schedule this week, I wanted to share a throwback to a conversation I had with Paul Akers this past year. 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 make improvements. What You’ll Lea...
Jul 05, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 92
In this episode, I talked with Jim Huntzinger about the importance of Lean Accounting Management within any organization. Jim helps listeners dig into their own accounting systems to ensure they are making decisions based on correct costing data. What You'll Learn: How did you get involved with lean accounting? How did the Lean Accounting Summit come into being? How do lean accounting and process development connect? What work still needs to be accomplished in these areas? What else can process ...
Jun 28, 2022•35 min•Season 1Ep. 91
In this episode, Dan Davis and I discuss what its like to manage a continuous improvement culture in a large global company. We talk about both successes and challenges of being in this role. Dan also provides the listeners with some tips and tricks to help other leaders develop their own CI culture. What You'll Learn: What it's like to manage The Center of Excellence for Continuous Improvement for a large publicly traded company? What is the key in opening the door to CI culture? How are you ge...
Jun 21, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 90
In this episode, I talk with Muhammad Khurram from Pakistan about Lean Daily Management Systems. Muhammad and I discuss the importance of daily management to support sustainment of improvement initiatives for any lean journey What You'll Learn: Lean Daily Management – LDM System is the key to sustain a Lean Culture What are the objectives of a good Lean Daily Management System? Key Elements for a Lean Daily Management System Who should have Leader Standard Work – LSW System How to handle the Dai...
Jun 14, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 89
This episode is a recording of a conversation I had with a global team about my best selling book, "Avoiding the Continuous Appearance Trap." A team from Xylem Inc. spent the past few months studying the questions in the book and discussing their answers and learnings for application across the enterprise. The team had some great questions for discussion. Xylem Inc. is a leading global water technology company dedicated to solving the world's most challenging water issues. They are an internatio...
Jun 07, 2022•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 88
This is a "Throwback" to one year ago when I interviewed Dr. Jeff Liker about The Toyota Way 2nd Edition. This episode is in the top 5 of most listened to episodes since we launched this podcast. What You Will Learn: We discuss his newly published second edition of The Toyota Way. Dr. Liker and I talk about sustainment of continuous improvement initiatives, specifically, CONTROL vs. LEARNING environments. We also discuss how Dr. Liker is using virtual reality to teach The Toyota Way. About the G...
May 31, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 87
In this episode, Rick Foreman and I discuss Rick's Lean Leadership journey to include his learnings as the V.P. of Lean Development for Federal Heath. Rick truly exemplifies the qualities of a servant leader and has been successful in his many roles throughout multiple industries. What you will learn in this episode: What's the purpose behind your Lean Leadership journey "Behavior is the echo of belief. Do our beliefs as a Lean Leader match up with what we model daily? If not, why not, and how d...
May 24, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 86
