In this episode of KPI Fireside, Keith Norris sits down with Heather Everton, Vice President of Product at Merrick Bank, to explore how daily standups can transform the way teams work. Heather shares why standups are not just another meeting, but a powerful ritual for building trust, creating alignment, and driving clarity without falling into the trap of micromanagement.

From her experience in both small startups and large enterprises, Heather highlights the simplicity and discipline of a good standup, the questions every team should ask, and the psychological benefits of connection and accountability. She also discusses how tools like Standup Alice help make standups more effective across remote, hybrid, and global teams.

🔻 Why a 10-minute standup can replace 10 meetings

🔻 How standups build trust and autonomy inside teams

🔻 The role of rituals in creating culture and alignment

🔻 Practical tips for running effective standups in any industry

Whether you are leading a software team, managing operations, or looking for ways to improve connection and performance, this conversation shows how standups can bring clarity and momentum to your organization.

📚 Learn more about Standup Alice: https://www.standupalice.com/

🔗 Connect with Heather Everton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-everton-a4205065/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Dr. Keith Clinkscales shares his remarkable journey from electrical engineer and Lean Six Sigma consultant to Director of Strategic Planning and Performance Management at Palm Beach County. With insight shaped by decades of experience in both private industry and public service, Dr. Clinkscales unpacks the real driver of performance: how people feel, think, and show up to work.

From building metrics that empower rather than punish, to reshaping toxic cultures and reviving employee engagement, this episode is a masterclass in managing the human side of performance.

🔻 Why attitude might be the most underrated performance tool

🔻 How toxic cultures get created, and how leaders c a n change them

🔻 What public sector teams taught Dr. Clinkscales about legacy systems and lasting change

🔻 How to create cross-department collaboration in siloed organizations

🔻 How to tell if its time to stay and lead c h a n g e or time to move on

This one is packed with wisdom, energy, and real-world leadership lessons that will stick with you long after the final minute.

📚 Read "Your Attitude Is Your Breakthrough" : https://a.co/d/4EoeW33

🔗 Connect with Dr. Keith Clinkscales on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkeithclinkscales/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

What does it really take to build a culture of continuous improvement that lasts?

In this episode, Keith sits down with Ken Snyder—Executive Director of the Shingo Institute—to unpack the leadership behaviors, cultural systems, and guiding principles that separate companies who talk about improvement from those who actually achieve it.

From Toyota’s legacy to modern AI integration, Ken shares hard-earned lessons from five decades of experience in global manufacturing, higher education, and enterprise excellence.

🔻 Why most CI efforts fail to sustain—and how to avoid idea killers

🔻 The three most important drivers of lasting results

🔻 What executives often overlook about culture, systems, and strategy

🔻 How to move from isolated success to enterprise-wide alignment

🔻 The surprising role of humility in high-performing organizations

Whether you're leading from the boardroom or the shop floor, this episode will challenge the way you think about improvement—and equip you to lead it better.

📚 Learn more about the Shingo Institute: https://shingo.org/

🔗 Connect with Ken on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/snyderken/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Tyson Heaton, Senior Director of Co-Learning and Business Strategy at Lean Enterprise Institute, to explore why the most powerful part of Lean isn't the tools, it's the people.

Drawing from his experiences at OC Tanner and LEI, Tyson shares how his perspective shifted from technical solutions to human capability, and why that shift is essential for lasting transformation. From the value of flow to the role of daily management systems, he unpacks how true improvement happens when you build trust, expose problems, and empower teams to solve them.

🔻 Why capability beats quick fixes

🔻 How “no problems” is the biggest problem of all

🔻 The link between lean systems, flow, and human well-being

🔻 How AI might become a third coach in Lean development

🔻 Why frustration should trigger curiosity, not blame

Whether you're deep into Lean or just getting started, this episode will challenge how you think about improvement and why it has to start with people.

📚 Learn more about the Lean Enterprise Institute: https://www.lean.org/

🔗 Connect with Tyson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyson-heaton-94171138/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

Is your belt more than just a piece of paper?

In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Kevin Clay—Master Black Belt and founder of Six Sigma Development Solutions—to break down the real meaning behind Lean Six Sigma belt certifications.

From white to black belt, Kevin shares why the value of a belt isn’t in the color or the test—but in the capability it represents. Whether you're an aspiring Green Belt, a hiring manager, or a CI leader designing your internal program, this conversation reveals what it really takes to build problem solvers—not just test takers.

🎙️ In this episode:

🔻 The difference between a belt and actual capability

🔻 Why “testing out” isn’t enough—and what to do instead

🔻 What white, yellow, green, and black belts really mean

🔻 How to build training that creates real change agents

🔻 What to look for when hiring certified practitioners

👀 Thinking about certification—or hiring someone who is? Don’t miss this one.

📚 Buy Kevin’s book Why They Fail: https://sixsigmadsi.com/why-they-fail/

🔗 Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssdsi/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Gwendolyn Galsworth—diving deeper into Obeya, visual leadership, and metrics that drive action. Missed Part 1? Check out Episode 16: The Visual Language That Transforms Work.

In this second installment, Gwen and host Keith Norris explore one of the most misapplied tools in the Lean toolbox: the Obeya Room. Together, they unpack what makes it powerful, where most efforts go wrong, and why visual metrics should do more than just “monitor”—they should drive.

🔻 The real purpose of Obeya (hint: it’s not about adding more dashboards)

🔻 Why digital tools often fail to deliver behavior change

🔻 The neuroscience of “touching” data—and how it drives accountability

🔻 The difference between metrics that monitor vs. metrics that drive

🔻 Gwen’s “10 Doorways” framework for building a truly visual workplace

🔻 How visuality grows self-leaders and transforms organizational culture

Whether you’re an executive, CI leader, or team supervisor, this episode offers a blueprint for using visual thinking and Obeya leadership to make strategy visible—and results sustainable.

🔗 Learn more about the Visual Workplace: https://visualworkplace.com/

🔗 Connect with Dr. Gwendolyn Galsworth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gwendolyngalsworth/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

This is Part 1 of a special two-part conversation with Dr. Gwendolyn Galsworth on the power of visual thinking to transform work, culture, and leadership. Don’t miss Part 2 in Episode 17—check it out here when you're ready.

In this episode, host Keith Norris welcomes back visual workplace pioneer Dr. Gwendolyn Galsworth for a rich, wide-ranging conversation on the language of visual work—and how it transforms people, processes, and entire organizations.

🔻 What “I-driven” visuality really means—and why it matters

🔻 The two questions that drive every visual solution

🔻 Why so many 5S programs fail—and how to go deeper

🔻 The human side of improvement: how visuality reduces stress and unlocks growth

🔻 Why visual thinking is not just a tool—but a language

Whether you're an operator, supervisor, or executive, this episode will change the way you see your workplace—and how it speaks back.

🔗 Learn more about the Visual Workplace: https://visualworkplace.com/

🔗 Connect with Dr. Gwendolyn Galsworth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gwendolyngalsworth/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Keith Norris reconnects with Randy Kesterson—Lean strategist, consultant, and creator of the Lean Journey cartoon series—to explore how visual storytelling can simplify, clarify, and challenge the way we think about Lean.

🔻 A deep dive into The Lean Journey: A cartoon series inspired by the Star Wars Franchise

🔻 Closing the gap between Lean theory and everyday reality

🔻 The role of AI in Lean thinking and predictive problem-solving

🔻 How tiered meetings drive accountability

🔻 Making Hoshin Kanri work through simplified strategic alignment

If you've ever struggled to get your team to “get it,” this episode offers a fresh take on how to communicate Lean with impact—and maybe even a little laughter.

🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/

🔗 Connect with Randy Kesterson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randykesterson/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Spencer Maybee—Vice President at Western Pipe Fabrication and second-generation small business leader—to explore what Lean looks like when you’re just getting started.

🔻 Why Lean clicked the first time Spencer heard it explained through welding

🔻 What it takes to push change inside a multi-generational family business

🔻 How small changes like shared spreadsheets made a big impact

🔻 What respect for people looks like

🔻 The real-life tension between tradition, growth, and new ideas

Whether you're building something from scratch or helping a small team get better every day, this episode is proof that Lean starts wherever you are—with the problems right in front of you.

🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/

🔗 Connect with Spencer Maybee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-maybee/

🔗 Explore Western Pipe Fabrication: https://www.wpfiut.com/

🔗 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Andreas Mader—CEO of Aperia Corporation and longtime Lean transformation leader—to explore how real improvement happens: not through perfection, but through progress.

From global manufacturing to executive coaching, Andreas shares stories and insights on building CI cultures that sustain, developing leaders who stay curious, and creating systems that don’t just improve processes—but people.

🔻 Why sustainment is the missing piece in most CI programs

🔻 The one mindset shift that makes improvement stick

🔻 How to create simplicity in the face of complexity

🔻 What it really means to lead through service

🔻 Why being better every day beats being perfect someday

🔻 The difference between solving a problem and owning it

Whether you're on the shop floor or in the C-suite, this episode is a reminder that real change starts with a single question: how can we be better tomorrow than today?

🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/

🔗 Connect with Andreas Mader on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akmader/

🔗 Explore Aperia Corporation: https://aperia.com/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.