This week's guest is Phil Ranck. Ron and Phil talked about Lean Alaska, which Phil founded, as well as his work with the United States Army. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quote Phil likes (4:05)

Phil's background (6:11)

A cool story about the military (10:08)

The difference between corporate and military environments (14:27)

Academics versus application (17:12)

How else you can gain experience (19:52)

The obstacles to getting started (24:21)

Podcast Resources

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Phil on LinkedIn

Lean Alaska

Lean Alaska on Facebook

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What Do You Think?

How do academics compare to application in a continuous improvement context?

This week's guest is Roland Guerrero. Ron and Roland discussed Roland's experience working with the city of Fort Collins on their lean journey. Ron also asked Roland to weigh in on whether contentment and continuous improvement can coexist. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quote Roland likes (2:34)

Roland's background (3:35)

Fort Collins' lean journey (5:10)

Example improvements (7:27)

Why it was challenging (12:48)

Other tools they use (16:19)

Whether contentment and continuous improvement can coexist (19:53)

Podcast Resources

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Roland on LinkedIn

Fort Collins Website

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What Do You Think?

How else could lean be used in a government setting?

This week's guest is Sam Morgan. Ron and Sam discussed Sam's coaching experiences and the connection between scientific thinking and confidence. They also discussed whether contentment and continuous improvement can coexist. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

Sam's quote (3:45)

Sam's background (5:04)

What Sam identified as his purpose (12:13)

The connection between scientific thinking and confidence (13:52)

Whether contentment and continuous improvement can coexist (26:56)

What Ron thinks (32:38)

Rich's vision board (36:23)

Podcast Resources

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Sam on LinkedIn

Sam's Website

Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway

LinkedIn Thread

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What Do You Think?

Can contentment and continuous improvement coexist? Why or why not?

This week's guest is our own Ron Pereira. Ron discussed two of his favorite email newsletters: The Process and The Curiosity Chronicle. He also shared some powerful content from each. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

Companies that went bankrupt (4:30)

Self-determination theory (8:41)

A culture that resists complacency (14:43)

About Sahil Bloom's newsletter (17:45)

Life Lessons from 1,000 Years (20:06)

Podcast Resources

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The Process

Sahil Bloom: Life Lessons from 1,000 Years

Sahil's Newsletter

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What Do You Think?

Which of the life lessons stood out to you the most?

This week's guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam discussed the Wheel of Sustainability, kaizen events, and how to handle "CAVE People." An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quote Adam likes (3:17)

Adam's background (4:31)

The Wheel of Sustainability (5:15)

Why he wrote his book (6:41)

What Adam learned (8:29)

An example of when things were tough (11:09)

The plant manager role (16:47)

Advice for the practitioner who is lacking support (18:21)

Who gets nervous about committing (24:42)

How you handle a "CAVE person" (25:56)

The most powerful kaizen event (31:27)

What Adam does on Day 3 (39:12)

Podcast Resources

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Adam on LinkedIn

PI Partners on LinkedIn

PI Partners

Adam on YouTube

The Wheel of Sustainability on Amazon

GA 287 | The Wheel of Sustainability with Adam Lawrence

GA 303 | Running a Successful Kaizen Event with Adam Lawrence

GA 330 | The Power of 3P with Adam Lawrence

GA 359 | Pink Tools and Preventing Injuries with Adam Lawrence

GA 393 | Lean Storytelling with Adam Lawrence

GA 398 | Lean Storytelling Part Two with Adam Lawrence

GA 424 | When Things Go Wrong: The Spirit of Kaizen with Adam Lawrence

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What Do You Think?

How do you deal with CAVE people?

This week we're sharing audio from three of our newer courses on risk analysis. Learn all about Bowtie Analysis, FMEA, and Fault Tree Analysis, and check out our website to watch the free videos that accompany them. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

About Bowtie Analysis (1:06)

The roots of Bowtie Analysis (3:01)

The advantages of Bowtie Analysis (4:53)

The disadvantages of Bowtie Analysis (5:58)

About FMEA (7:14)

The two types of FMEA (10:15)

The differences between them (11:24)

About Fault Tree Analysis (15:10)

The structure of the fault tree diagram (16:24)

What Fault Tree Analysis is used for (17:23)

Podcast Resources

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Bowtie Analysis

FMEA

Fault Tree Analysis

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What Do You Think?

How could you use one or more of these tools at your company?

This week's guests are Bob DeKoch and Phil Clampitt. Ron, Bob, and Phil talked about servant leadership, toxic positivity, and what it means to lead with care. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quotes that inspire them (1:52)

Their backgrounds (2:44)

What "beyond servant leadership" means (4:58)

Pairing core beliefs with skills (8:53)

About toxic positivity (12:17)

Embracing uncertainty (18:19)

Teaching these principles to young people (21:05)

Leading with care (24:02)

How different personality types play a role (27:43)

Podcast Resources

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Phil on LinkedIn

Bob on LinkedIn

Leading with Care on Amazon

Leading with Care Website

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What Do You Think?

What does leading with care mean to you?

This week's guest is Alex Judd. Ron and Alex listened to and discussed David Foster Wallace's famous commencement speech, "This Is Water." This is a very powerful episode that contains some great food for thought for the new year. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

Why this commence speech is important (3:47)

Alex's background (9:33)

What is water? (10:16)

The ability to think critically (13:39)

The argument he is making (16:18)

Why the believer and non-believer are actually similar (26:16)

Being lost (35:14)

The monotony of adult life (42:03)

How NOT to think (44:22)

Darkness and light (49:03)

Why you get to decide how to see things (51:47)

The power of education (58:54)

Why there has to be truth (1:03:59)

Life before death (1:09:41)

Identifying your truth (1:13:15)

Choosing wisely (1:16:19)

Why truth demands submission (1:18:07)

Podcast Resources

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GA 446 | From "Here" to "There" in Leadership with Alex Judd 

This Is Water on YouTube

Path for Growth

Alex on LinkedIn

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What Do You Think?

What part of David's speech spoke to you the most?

This week's guest is Julia Goldstein. Ron and Julia discussed the concept of circular economy, what sustainability looks like in a lean context, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quote Julia likes (2:28)

Julia's background (3:29)

How Julia heard about lean (5:02)

The intersection of lean and sustainability (6:33)

What "circular economy" means (7:37)

Some examples (9:23)

What sustainability communication means (12:07)

The roadblocks people are facing in terms of improving using sustainability (15:40)

Some practical tips (18:52)

Podcast Resources

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Julia on LinkedIn

Julia's Website

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What Do You Think?

How else can sustainability and lean be used together?

This week's guest is Sabrina McCorvey. Ron and Sabrina discussed what it's like practicing lean in a pandemic, how she has used Gemba Academy, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quote that Sabrina likes (2:02)

Her background (2:26)

How she dealt with the pandemic (5:30)

What problem she was trying to solve using Gemba Academy (9:33)

Why they didn't meet any resistance (15:07)

What a standard kaizen event looks like (16:36)

Advice for those just getting started (20:46)

Advice for the seasoned professional (22:44)

Podcast Resources

Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3

Sabrina on LinkedIn

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What Do You Think?

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the way you practice lean?