In this episode of Industrial Risk: Beyond the Blueprint, George Pesansky—Six Sigma Master Black Belt, President of MyBlendedLearning.com, U.S. Army veteran, and author of Superperformance: 8 Strategies to Reach Full Potential for Yourself, Your Team, and Your Organization—joins host Jowanza Joseph to reveal why "continuous" improvement fails without intention, what "human error" really tells you about a broken system, and how to turn isolated peak moments into everyday operational excellence.

George Pesansky’s Philosophy

Without intention, 'continuous' just becomes 'repetitive'—true excellence isn't accidental; it's engineered through Deliberate Improvement.

Episode Highlights:

🔗 When Lean Meets Safety

George opens by connecting two disciplines often treated as separate: Lean/Six Sigma efficiency and workplace safety. He explains how a mature Continuous Improvement culture directly impacts safety outcomes, and how helping leaders see risk through an operational lens transforms how they manage hazards.

🎯 Deliberate vs. Continuous Improvement

George’s LinkedIn handle is specifically “Deliberate Improvement”—and he explains precisely what distinguishes deliberate improvement from the standard “continuous improvement” most organizations attempt. The difference between the two is why so many CI programs generate short-term gains but fail to sustain results across the organization.

📘 The 8 Strategies of Superperformance

Drawing from his book, George walks through the eight proven strategies to reach full potential—and identifies which principle leaders struggle with most. The framework covers eliminating ambiguity, leading with clarity, extending “golden hours,” building utility, and creating sustainable momentum.

🗑️ Should “Unmanaged Risk” Be the 9th Waste?

In Lean thinking, there are eight classic types of waste—George makes the case that unmanaged risk deserves to be recognized as a ninth. This reframing helps operational leaders move risk management from a compliance obligation to a core efficiency driver.

🧠 “Human Error” Is Not a Root Cause

In safety investigations, “human error” is the most common finding—but from a Six Sigma perspective, George argues it is never truly a root cause; it is a symptom of a broken system. This shift in perspective changes everything about how organizations investigate incidents and design preventive measures.

📊 Great at Math, Terrible at People

Organizations often master Six Sigma's analytical tools while completely missing the cultural dimension. George shares how he coaches the leader who loves control charts but ignores the people behind them—and why the “people side” is actually the biggest lever in any improvement program.

🤖 AI and the Future of Lean Six Sigma

With AI and predictive analytics reshaping operations, George explores how the role of a Lean Six Sigma practitioner is evolving. Are we moving away from problem solving toward problem predicting—and what does that mean for how organizations build improvement capability?

📚 Resources & Contact

* Website: georgepesansky.com; myblendedlearning.com

* LinkedIn: George Pesansky – Deliberate Improvement​

* X (Twitter): @SuperPerformnz​

* Book: Superperformance

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