In this episode, Host Stephen Bunker speaks with Michael Bremmer, a Vice President and longtime volunteer leader with the Association of Manufacturing Excellence, about building cultures of continuous improvement and how leaders can protect the “learning loops” that fuel long-term performance especially as organizations make major strategic bets like outsourcing, ERP, and AI adoption.

What You’ll Learn

• How third-party assessments can help organizations strengthen improvement practices with clear, actionable feedback.
• Why continuous improvement works best when it’s embedded into how the business runs not treated as a separate program.
• How to connect daily management to strategic priorities so improvement efforts deliver measurable business outcomes.
• Why leaders should be cautious about strategic decisions that save money today but erode organizational learning over time.
• How to think beyond improvement “methodologies” and focus instead on foundational behaviors and systems that sustain progress.
• What AI adoption may do to competitive differentiation and why the transition could be disruptive even if it creates new opportunities.
• Why emotional reactions to unfair moments can quietly derail leadership effectiveness, and how to recover faster.
• How writing down purpose and reflecting on it regularly sharpens perspective and improves decision-making across work and life. ERP transitions.

Across decades in manufacturing excellence and consulting, Michael emphasizes that real improvement is less about adopting the right label and more about building the habits, alignment, and reflection loops that keep organizations learning. He challenges leaders to look past short-term wins, protect the capabilities that drive innovation, and operate with written purpose using reflection, feedback, and perspective shifts to stay effective in a rapidly changing environment.

To learn more about Michael Bremmer and their work, visit ame.org