Gemba Academy Podcast: Lean Six Sigma | Toyota Kata | Productivity | Leadership

This week's guest is Katie Anderson. Ron and Katie met up at the AME conference in Dallas to discuss what Katie's been up to as well as her book, Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn. Katie also shed some light on her approach to lean, leadership, and learning.  An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

About Katie's book (1:55)

Katie's background (3:54)

The quote that Katie likes (4:43)

What we should be doing as it relates to learning (5:24)

The power of creating structure (8:36)

Dealing with obstacles (11:06)

Shifting what success looks like (16:34)

What the next three to five years look like in the lean world (15:41)

How lean will help companies navigate uncertain times (17:15)

Her upcoming trip to Japan (19:41)

Podcast Resources

Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3

Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn

Katie's Website

Katie on LinkedIn

GA 173 | How to Use A3 Thinking with Katie Anderson

GA 242 | How to Leverage Different Lean Experiences with Katie Anderson

GA 281 | Building an Online Community of Practice with Katie Anderson and Karyn Ross

GA 297 | The Importance of Hansei and Revitalization with Katie Anderson

GA 331 | Leading and Learning at Toyota with Katie Anderson

Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy

Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here.

What Do You Think?

What does success look and feel like to you?

This week's guest is Jen Borden. Ron and Jen discussed transactional lean, what it entails, and how you can get started with it.  An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

Jen's quote (1:43)

Jen's background (2:27)

About transactional process improvement (4:14)

Jen's experience with it (6:04)

Practical advice for getting started (8:51)

The role 5S plays (10:25)

How having multiple sites makes a difference (12:01)

Podcast Resources

Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3

Jen on LinkedIn

Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy

Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here.

What Do You Think?

Do you have any experience with transactional lean?

This week's guests are Scott Laundry and Marc Bicknell. Ron, Scott, and Marc discussed all things kata, including being a good coach and how kata can be "evil." An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quotes that Scott and Marc like (2:34)

Their backgrounds (3:10)

Why kata can be good and "evil" (4:31)

Their approach to coaching kata (8:53)

How the target condition is formed (13:01)

What's special about kata (16:33)

The problem with the fishbone diagram (20:41)

About personality tests (22:42)

Advice for those new to kata (26:58)

Podcast Resources

Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3

Marc on LinkedIn

Scott on LinkedIn

Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy

Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here.

What Do You Think?

Where does the power of kata lie for you?

This week's guest is Billy Taylor. We caught up with Billy at the recent AME conference in Dallas, where he and Ron discussed his book The Winning Link and the concept of governance. Billy also shared some powerful anecdotes we think you'll enjoy. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quote Billy likes (1:56)

His background (2:41)

What the transition was like (5:04)

About his book The Winning Link (8:40)

Deliberate clarity (10:44)

Cultivating ownership (14:14)

Executing winning (16:59)

A story about driving change (18:41)

The importance of governance (21:09)

An anecdote about Jimmy Johnson and Troy Aikman (27:56)

Why Billy wrote his book (29:04)

Podcast Resources

Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3

Billy on LinkedIn

The Winning Link

Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy

Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here.

What Do You Think?

What does governance mean to you?

This week's guest is Mike Thelen. Ron and Mike caught up at the recent AME conference in Dallas, where they discussed company culture, the role of docility, and why "firefighters" get promoted instead of leaders.  An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quote that inspires Mike (1:55)

Mike's background (3:42)

What it takes to change your company culture (8:13)

Why it's so difficult (11:54)

Breaking away from a culture of firefighting (15:40)

The role of docility (29:02)

Asking the right questions (30:41)

Podcast Resources

Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3

Mike on LinkedIn

Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy

Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here.

What Do You Think?

What are your thoughts on docility? What does it mean to be docile?

This week's guest is Gregory MacDougall. Gregory's interview is the first we're sharing from the recent AME Conference in Dallas. Gregory explained how he chooses keynote speakers, what his health journey has taught him, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quote that inspires Gregory (2:19)

Gregory's background (3:48)

The process of selecting keynote speakers (7:39)

His health journey (11:55)

How people react when they see him now (21:46)

Podcast Resources

Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3

Gregory on LinkedIn

Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy

Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here.

What Do You Think?

Share a story about personal growth.

This week's guest is Trond Undheim. Ron and Trond discussed Trond's book Augmented Lean, and his thoughts on automation and technology. He and Ron also each shared their stance on social media and its effects on humanity. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quote Trond likes (2:37)

Trond's background and what he's been up to (3:43)

His background pertaining to lean (9:38)

About Augmented Lean (12:32)

His take on Toyota (17:47)

Some examples (24:13)

Doing things faster not better (32:32)

His approach to automation (36:13)

His opinion of the impact of social media on humanity (41:18)

Ron's take on social media (44:44)

Podcast Resources

Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3

Augmented Lean

Trond on LinkedIn

What Do You Think?

What's your take on social media? Is it harmful, beneficial, or both?

This week's guest is Alex Judd. Alex explained his growth-oriented approach to leadership and coaching, and even gave Ron some parenting advice. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quote Alex likes (3:31)

Alex's background (8:05)

The services they provide (10:41)

What leadership means to Alex (11:41)

An anecdote about "here" (16:36)

What "there" means in the context of leadership (20:02)

What to do when you don't know where to go (23:32)

Alex's parenting advice (32:10)

What good growth looks like (39:53)

Dealing with people who have different energy (45:05)

Podcast Resources

Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3

Alex on LinkedIn

Path for Growth

What Do You Think?What does leadership mean to you?

This week's guest is Paul Stamper. Paul shared how lean has helped Ventura County improve its processes and how continuous improvement can bring positive change to government and service environments in general. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quote that inspires Paul (2:32)

Paul's background (3:38)

His favorite philosopher (8:39)

About Ventura County's lean journey (9:17)

The makeup of Ventura County (16:32)

How Lean and Six Sigma have made it to the town level (17:08)

Collaborating with other areas (19:26)

An example (23:13)

The pandemic response (28:38)

Paul's advice (32:36)

Podcast Resources

Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3

AME Conference - Use Promo Code Gemba15 for 15% off

Paul on LinkedIn

Paul on Twitter

County of Ventura - Service Excellence

What Do You Think?

How else could lean be helpful in government?

This week's guest is Patrick Dippel. Ron and Patrick talked about volatility and how leaders and organizations everywhere can deal with uncertain times. Patrick also explained the merits of on-demand labor and how his website Veryable works. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

In this episode you'll learn: 

The quotes Patrick likes (3:58)

His background (5:24)

About his time at GE (7:54)

What "volatility" means (10:55)

Pat's thoughts on the "Great Resignation" (13:47)

How to survive and thrive in volatile times (16:34)

About on-demand labor and how Veryable works (18:35)

What the operator experience is like on Veryable (23:26)

The parallels between JIT and on-demand labor (26:52)

Advice for those dealing with volatility and uncertainty (29:43)

Podcast Resources

Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3

AME Conference - Use Promo Code Gemba15 for 15% off

Patrick on LinkedIn

Patrick's Blog

Veryable

Veryable on LinkedIn

Veryable on YouTube

Veryable on Twitter

What Do You Think?

How do you deal with volatility?