kata Archives | Gemba Academy

From Struggle to Strength: Lessons Learned on the Lean Leadership Journey

By Alen Ganic - October 21st, 2025

Have you ever faced challenges as a leader when you were promoted for the first time and suddenly found yourself responsible for guiding a team? Maybe you’re currently in a Lean leadership role and find yourself working through obsta

GA 549 | Toyota Kata at Jack Henry with April Bell

By Jessica Bush - October 10th, 2024

This week’s guest is April Bell. Ron and April discussed how Jack Henry uses Toyota Kata, the power of making predictions, managing remote teams, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In t

How Micro-Goals Helped Me Conquer a Hill (And Can Help You Too)

By Ron Pereira - September 3rd, 2024

I went for a 2-mile run with my 13-year-old son yesterday. I do quite a bit of cardio work several times a week, but I rarely run, so I was curious about how I’d do. I’m happy to report it went quite well. Both of us made it throug

GA 529 | Living Out Your Beliefs with Kurt Sears

By Jessica Bush - May 23rd, 2024

This week’s guest is Kurt Sears. Ron and Kurt discussed continuous improvement at Dollar Shave Club, happiness versus joy, the power of living out your beliefs, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for down

GA 526 | Managing Expectations with Jason Henderson

By Jessica Bush - May 2nd, 2024

This week’s guest is Jason Henderson. Ron and Jason discussed what managing expectations looks like, scientific thinking, dealing with negativity, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In

GA 522 | Continuous Improvement at Jack Henry with April Bell

By Jessica Bush - April 4th, 2024

This week’s guest is April Bell. Ron and April discussed how Jack Henry uses continuous improvement, specifically Toyota Kata. They also explored quantifying waste in an office setting, and the intersection of tools and scientifi

GA 520 | Applying Scientific Thinking in Untraditional Contexts with Michael Lombard

By Jessica Bush - March 21st, 2024

This week’s guest is Michael Lombard. Ron and Michael discussed deliberate versus random practice, homeschooling, youth soccer, and what it’s like using scientific thinking in those environments. An MP3 audio version of thi

GA 518 | Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement with Jim Huntzinger

By Jessica Bush - March 7th, 2024

This week’s guest is Jim Huntzinger. Ron and Jim discussed what it means to build a culture of continuous improvement, what the future of continuous improvement looks like, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is availa

Thinking in Bets: Embracing Uncertainty and Probabilistic Thinking

By Ron Pereira - January 17th, 2024

I just finished an interesting book titled “Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions when you Don’t have all the Facts” by Annie Duke, a world champion poker player. There are lots of parallels to Scientific Thinkin

Harmonizing Organizational Excellence: A Fusion of Agile, Deming, and Toyota Principles

By Steve Kane - November 24th, 2023

In the quest for organizational excellence, many companies turn to established frameworks and philosophies to guide their journey. Among the prominent ones are the Agile Manifesto, Deming’s 14 Principles, and the Toyota Productio

Improving Coaching Skills in the Workplace

By Steve Kane - October 27th, 2023

Coaching skills are critical for managers and leaders in today’s business environment. Effective coaching drives team performance, improves employee satisfaction, and contributes to a company’s success. If you’re look

GA 498 | The Power of Improving Less with Chad Bareither

By Jessica Bush - October 19th, 2023

This week’s guest is Chad Bareither. Ron and Chad discussed Chad’s book, “Improve LESS,” Toyota Kata, why continuous improvement is not just “extra work,” and more. An MP3 audio version of this episo

GA 477 | Building a Diverse Continuous Improvement Community with Sam Morgan and Andres Alamillo

By Jessica Bush - May 25th, 2023

This week’s guests are Sam Morgan and Andres Alamillo. Ron, Sam, and Andres discussed the importance of diversity in continuous improvement, using the kata framework as a lens. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available fo

The Six Types of Working Genius: What Makes for a Great Team & Marriage!

By Ron Pereira - February 27th, 2023

Patrick Lencioni, the author of the best-selling book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” has introduced a new concept called the Six Types of Working Genius in the book by the same title. I recently learned about these diff

GA 461 | Scientific Thinking and Confidence with Sam Morgan

By Jessica Bush - February 2nd, 2023

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

GA 451 | Good and “Evil” in Kata with Scott Laundry and Marc Bicknell

By Jessica Bush - November 24th, 2022

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 do

GA 441 | Strategic Visioning with Deondra Wardelle

By Jessica Bush - September 15th, 2022

This week’s guest is Deondra Wardelle. Deondra, a keynote panelist at the upcoming AME Conference, talked to Ron about her consulting work and strategic visioning. They also discussed kata and the future of lean. An MP3 audio ver

GA 427 | The Hierarchy of Action with Ryan McCall

By Jessica Bush - June 9th, 2022

This week’s guest is Ryan McCall. Ron and Ryan explored the Hierarchy of Action, and what it means to “Start with Why.” Ryan also shared some advice for what to do when your “Why?” isn’t embraced by

GA 407 | Choosing an Approach to Lean and Six Sigma with John Knotts

By Jessica Bush - January 20th, 2022

This week’s guest is John Knotts, Senior Coach at Gemba Academy. Ron and John took a deep dive into process improvement versus project-based approaches, and why the two can and should coexist. An MP3 audio version of this episode

GA 391 | Discovering the Power of Toyota Kata with Ron Pereira & Friends

By Jessica Bush - September 30th, 2021

This week we’re sharing a few different audio clips on the power and benefits of Toyota Kata. The videos they come from will be available to view on our website without a subscription, so be sure to check them out. An MP3 audio v

GA 385 | Transcending the Artifacts of Lean with Robert Stone

By Jessica Bush - August 19th, 2021

This week’s guest is Robert Stone. Robert has worked at organizations with varying degrees of lean experience, and he shared what that’s been like. Ron and Robert also discussed why you can’t do lean “to”

GA 371 | Adopting a Learning-Based Approach to Lean with Scott Keenan

By Jessica Bush - May 13th, 2021

This week’s guest is Scott Keenan. Scott described his continuous improvement journey, and the work he’s been doing with Alan Wire. Ron and Scott also discussed our Toyota Kata course, and Alan Wire’s experience with

Break the Habit of Breaking Good Habits

By Steve Kane - April 23rd, 2021

There are countless books, YouTube videos, and other media on topic of building good habits and breaking bad ones. So often the desire to change our ways comes light because of our realization that a problem exists. We learn and we fin

GA 367 | The Dichotomies of Continuous Improvement with Ron Pereira

By Jessica Bush - April 15th, 2021

This week’s guest is Ron Pereira. Ron discussed two books by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, specifically their teachings on dichotomies and balance. Inspired by this, Ron described three of the dichotomies he’s observed in c

GA 360 | The Importance of Being Intentional with Brandon Bartel

By Jessica Bush - February 25th, 2021

This week’s guest is Brandon Bartel. Ron and Brandon discussed setting intentions and the role intention plays. Brandon also shared his aspirations to incorporate more Toyota Kata into his lean journey. A MP3 audio version of thi

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