What You’ll Learn: In this episode, host Patrick Adams discusses the importance of continuous improvement using the analogy of climbing Mount Everest, emphasizing preparation, teamwork, and simplicity. About the Host: Patrick Adams is an internationally recognized leadership coach, consultant and professional speaker. He is best known for his unique human approach to sound team building practices, creating consensus and enabling empowerment.Patrick has been delivering bottom-line results through...
Nov 26, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 47
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Andy Olrich, Catherine McDonald, and guest Ryan Weiss discuss Ryan's Optics System, which aligns people and processes for enhanced organizational performance. The system uses a five-step process: identifying the work stream, understanding its purpose, scope, and gaps, creating a SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers) framework, defining quality, value, and speed expectations, and establishing an accountability and responsibility matrix (A...
Nov 19, 2024•43 min•Season 3Ep. 46
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Andy Olrich, Catherine McDonald, and guest Lesley Worthington discuss the importance of effective communication in Lean management and workplace communication. They highlight how clear, respectful communication can make or break Lean initiatives, using personal anecdotes and examples. About the Guest: Lesley combines 20 years of quality and regulatory experience, her university degrees in psychology and law, and thousands of hours of teaching and coachin...
Nov 05, 2024•51 min•Season 3Ep. 44
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Shayne Daughenbaugh, Catherine McDonald, and guest Shane Silsby discuss the difficulties of managing limited resources in local government, such as budget constraints and public input, compared to the private sector's focus on profit. Silsby emphasized the importance of efficient procurement and leveraging technology to improve service delivery. About the Guest: Shane Silsby has 25 years of experience in strategic planning, public policy, organizational ...
Oct 29, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 43
In this episode, Patrick talks about the importance of good leadership and how you can do small things to create the right culture within your organization. What You’ll Learn This Episode: Why you need to keep things simple instead of complex The 3 points to keeping it simple The importance of keeping a clear vision of where you are heading Why you need to keep it visual The 3 main points to keeping it visual About the Patrick: Patrick Adams is the author of the best selling and Shingo-award win...
Oct 23, 2024•32 min•Season 3Ep. 42
In this throwback episode, Patrick Adams dives into the topic of failure. He shares one of his favorite books, It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by former Navy Commander Michael Abrashoff, which tells a powerful story of organizational transformation and innovative leadership. He also explores the decision-making and calculated risks needed to build a culture of continuous improvement.
Oct 15, 2024•11 min•Season 3Ep. 30
What You’ll Learn: In this throwback episode, Patrick talks about the ingredients necessary to spark and maintain a fire of continuous improvement in your organization. About the Patrick: Patrick Adams is the author of the best selling and Shingo-award winning book “Avoiding the Continuous Appearance Trap” and the host of The Lean Solutions Podcast. He is an international speaker, coach, and consultant. He is also a University Lecturer for the #1 Supply Chain Undergraduate Program at the Univers...
Oct 08, 2024•11 min•Season 3Ep. 40
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Patrick Adams, and David McRaney discuss the essential approach in guiding individuals through difficult topics without triggering defensive responses. About the Guest: David McRaney is a science journalist with a deep fascination for brains, minds, and culture. He is best known for creating the blog, bestselling book, and podcast *You Are Not So Smart*, which explores self-delusion and motivated reasoning. McRaney's work, which began as a blog in 2009, ...
Oct 01, 2024•55 min•Season 3Ep. 39
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Patrick Adams, Andy Olrich, and guests Brad Jeavons and Chris Butterworth discuss the complexities of leadership. The traditional, one-size-fits-all approach to leading organizations is no longer sufficient in an environment where agility, empathy, and adaptability are paramount. About the Guest: Chris Butterworth Chris is a multi-award-winning author, international speaker, and Shingo Faculty Fellow. He co-authored three Shingo award-winning books on co...
Sep 24, 2024•49 min•Season 3Ep. 38
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Andy Olrich, Patrick Adams, and guest Hessam Vali discuss The evolution of lean implementation in recent years, which has revolutionized process optimization and decision-making. About the Guest: Hessam Vali is the co-founder and managing partner of Optegrity Solutions and Techam Solutions, with extensive expertise in lean manufacturing, operational excellence, and supply chain management. Holding a Ph.D. and MBA, he has excelled as a fractional COO for ...
Sep 17, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 37
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Patrick Adams, Catherine McDonald, and guest Dennis Sergent discuss the intersection of Lean practices and Deming's principles, delving into the essential lessons Lean practitioners can glean from Deming’s insights. About the Guest: Dennis Sergent, principal at Sergent Results Group, is a management coach, consultant, and facilitator of scientific improvements grounded in Deming's System of Profound Knowledge. With experience at AT&T, where he was in...
Sep 10, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 36
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Andy Olrich, Patrick Adams, and guest Beth Carrington discuss guiding individuals or teams in achieving desired outcomes through coaching kata. Kata methodologies drive innovation, improve efficiency, and foster a culture of continuous improvement, leading to notable success in respective industries. About the Guest: Beth Carrington , a seasoned consultant since 1999, specializes in lean transformations and coaching. With over two decades of leadership e...
Sep 03, 2024•51 min•Season 3Ep. 35
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Catherine McDonald, Andy Olrich, and guest Hugh Alley discuss how crucial it is to identify and develop effective leaders in today's dynamic business environment. Training Within Industry (TWI) offers a systematic approach to building foundational skills that not only enhance operational performance but also cultivate leadership potential. About the Guest: Hugh Alley is author and consultant. He divides his time between coaching senior operational leader...
Aug 27, 2024•52 min•Season 3Ep. 34
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Patrick Adams, Shayne Daughenbaugh, and guest Joyce Weiss discuss coaching leaders in a way that ensures their teams feel heard and respected. Strategies such as staying calm, practicing active listening, and expressing yourself clearly to feel comfortable during uncomfortable communication can be effective in any profession. About the Guest: Our guest today holds a master’s degree in counseling from Oakland University in Rochester, MI, and is the author...
Aug 20, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 33
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Shayne Daughenbaugh, Catherine McDonald, and guest Art Byrne discuss Lean strategy and its extension beyond manufacturing as well as its potential to transform any business by enhancing overall operations. By eliminating waste, delivering consistent customer value, stimulating growth, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, Lean principles enable companies to be more responsive to customer needs and increase wealth for stakeholders. About the ...
Aug 13, 2024•57 min•Season 3Ep. 32
As the midpoint of the year, we've carefully selected a few of our standout episodes from Season Three. These episodes stood out for their ability to captivate and engage our audience, making them the highlights of the season thus far. As always, the continued success of this podcast is made possible by your unwavering support, and for that, we extend our heartfelt gratitude. We're thrilled to revisit and share these moments with our dedicated listeners! What You’ll Learn: In this episode hosts ...
Aug 06, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 31
As the midpoint of the year, we've carefully selected a few of our standout episodes from Season Three. These episodes stood out for their ability to captivate and engage our audience, making them the highlights of the season thus far. As always, the continued success of this podcast is made possible by your unwavering support, and for that, we extend our heartfelt gratitude. We're thrilled to revisit and share these moments with our dedicated listeners! What You’ll Learn: In this episode hosts ...
Jul 30, 2024•50 min•Season 3Ep. 30
As the midpoint of the year, we've carefully selected a few of our standout episodes from Season Three. These episodes stood out for their ability to captivate and engage our audience, making them the highlights of the season thus far. As always, the continued success of this podcast is made possible by your unwavering support, and for that, we extend our heartfelt gratitude. We're thrilled to revisit and share these moments with our dedicated listeners! What You’ll Learn: In this episode hosts ...
Jul 23, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 29
What You’ll Learn: In this episode hosts Catherine McDonald, Shayne Daughenbaugh, and guest Shane Wentz delve into the crucial first steps of implementing lean in an organization, emphasizing the vital role of training and the common pitfalls encountered. About the Guest: Dr. Shane Wentz has been nationally recognized for his leadership, continuous improvement, and innovation contributions, resulting in significant global organizational savings. His career began in the Army as an intelligence an...
Jul 17, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 28
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Shayne Daughenbaugh, Catherine McDonald, and Jeff Shannon discuss common mistakes in meeting leadership. This episode provides strategies to engage virtual participants, tips for effective 30-minute meetings, methods to tactfully redirect conversations, and techniques to end meetings positively. About the Guest: Jeff Shannon , a master facilitator with over 20 years' experience, specializes in corporate strategy workshops and offsite retreats. He designs...
Jul 09, 2024•50 min•Season 3Ep. 27
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Catherine McDonald, Shayne Daughenbaugh and guest David Skuodas explore the importance of being a good client in industry, highlighting how client behavior impacts project cost, schedule, and quality. This episode reveals the relevance of these themes in different project delivery systems and other areas of life. About the Guest: Dave Skuodas is the Director of Design, Construction, and Maintenance at the Mile High Flood District, overseeing a team respo...
Jul 02, 2024•49 min•Season 3Ep. 26
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Patrick Adams and Andy Olrich discuss the challenges of relying on consultants for Lean transformation and the importance of developing an in-house team of problem solvers. They also highlighted common pitfalls in Lean deployment, such as leaders' resistance to support and delegation of standard work tasks. Also the crucial role of leadership buy-in for Lean implementation and the need for training and involving employees in the change process. About the...
Jun 25, 2024•50 min•Season 3Ep. 25
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Patrick Adams and Shayne Daughenbaugh discuss the implementation of Lean principles in accounting, emphasizing simplifying cost accounting, aligning costs with value streams, and adopting a PDCA mindset, while also noting the limitations of traditional practices and the need for a value-based approach. They covered Lean pricing strategies, such as market-based pricing and demand alignment, and discussed optimizing changeovers for efficiency, alongside sh...
Jun 18, 2024•58 min•Season 3Ep. 24
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Patrick Adams and Shayne Daughenbaugh discuss the potential of Lean in government administration. They emphasize the relevance of Lean principles in various administrative settings, including government and industry, and showcase advanced manufacturing and supply chain practices. They address challenges in implementing continuous improvement, such as entrenched processes and resistance to change, and stress the importance of process automation, work visu...
Jun 11, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 23
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Catherine McDonald and Andy Olrich discuss how prioritizing the wrong work can hamper growth and stifle development within organizations. By embracing a culture of continuous improvement, regularly reassessing priorities, and leveraging Lean Six Sigma tools, teams can navigate away from misaligned tasks and toward impactful endeavors, ensuring both organizational success and individual fulfillment. About the Guest: Emma Bint is the Managing Director of H...
Jun 04, 2024•43 min•Season 3Ep. 34
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Patrick Adams and Andy Olrich discuss the importance of continuous learning in Lean and improvement cultures, discussing the upcoming Lean Solutions Summit with TED-like presentations and team-building excursions. They invite listeners to attend the summit, highlighting discounted pricing for groups and students, and discuss various team-building activities and tours aimed at promoting positive change and improvement. About the Guest: Andy Olrich brings ...
May 28, 2024•44 min•Season 3Ep. 19
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Catherine McDonald and Patrick Adams discuss the importance of strategic influence in Lean adoption, highlighting the need to show rather than tell, celebrate small victories, involve people in decision-making, and connect the dots between actions and outcomes. By engaging employees and demonstrating the impact of changes at personal, team, and organizational levels, leaders can foster a culture of continuous improvement and drive sustainable change. Abo...
May 21, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 20
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Catherine McDonald and Shayne Daughenbaugh discuss process management as it emerges as a pivotal mechanism for organizational efficiency. Unlike mere process mapping or SOP creation, it involves continual optimization aligned with overarching goals. Effective leadership, systematic frameworks, and technological integration are key drivers, while challenges such as employee engagement and communication clarity must be navigated for successful implementati...
May 14, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 19
What You’ll Learn: In this episode, hosts Andy Olrich and Patrick Adams discuss the difficulty of navigating through a crisis of market competition and organizational chaos. Through the transformative power of Toyota Kata in Lean methodology, we can embrace a culture of scientific thinking and coaching. Learning to empower our teams, transcend conventional practices, and unlock new realms of success gives us a path to success through continuous improvement. About the Guest: Tilo Schwarz supports...
May 07, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 18
What You’ll Learn: In this two-parted episode, host Andy Olrich delves into Katie Anderson’s transformative Chain of Learning workshops in Australia. Tune in as they explore attendee expectations, workshop insights, captivating leadership themes, and profound reflections. About the Guest: Katie Anderson is an internationally recognized leadership consultant, coach, professional speaker, and learning enthusiast, dedicated to helping purpose-driven leaders create cultures of learning and accelerat...
Apr 30, 2024•33 min•Season 3Ep. 17
