Lean Manufacturing Archives

GA 604 | Creating a Culture of Problem Solvers with Sarah Tilkens and Leah Roe

By Jessica Bush - October 30th, 2025

This week’s guests are Sarah Tilkens and Leah Roe. Ron, Sarah, and Leah discussed the problem solver revolution, building trust in yourself and others, working with younger generations, and more. An MP3 audio version of this epis

Continuous Improvement Eliminates Excess Overtime

By Ricky Banks - October 21st, 2025

For decades, overtime has been treated in many organizations as a “badge of honor.” It signals a sign of dedication and sacrifice to “get the job done.” Leaders often view it as a necessary tool to meet deadlines and maintain b

GA 602 | Clues from the Factory Parking Lot with George Pesansky

By Jessica Bush - October 16th, 2025

This week’s guest is George Pesansky. Ron and George discussed taking gemba walks, what we can learn from factory parking lots, the Kano model, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In thi

GA 600 | Reflecting on Six Hundred Episodes with Ron Pereira

By Jessica Bush - October 2nd, 2025

This week we’re celebrating our 600th episode. Our Director of Studios Greg Nickell asked Ron about the company’s growth over the years, the challenges we’ve faced, what we hope the next generation will take away from

GA 599 | Coaching Different Personalities with Melissa Sherman

By Jessica Bush - September 25th, 2025

This week’s guest is Melissa Sherman. Ron and Melissa discussed misconceptions about continuous improvement, navigating different personalities, the role coaching plays in change management, and more. An MP3 audio version of this

GA 598 | Making Lean Work with Darren Walsh

By Jessica Bush - September 18th, 2025

This week’s guest is Darren Walsh. Ron and Darren discussed some of the pitfalls he’s seen in continuous improvement, the corresponding countermeasures, his book, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available

GA 595 | Dynamic Work Design with Don Kieffer

By Jessica Bush - August 28th, 2025

This week’s guest is Don Kieffer. Ron and Don discussed the concept of dynamic work design, their individual takes on AI, Don’s book, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this ep

GA 594 | Common Failures in Modern Leadership with William C. Davis

By Jessica Bush - August 21st, 2025

This week’s guest is William C. Davis. Ron and William discussed some defining moments in William’s impressive career, what leaders are doing wrong nowadays, dealing with tricky and uncomfortable situations, and more. An MP

GA 593 | The Importance of Simplification with Dr. Lucas Chesla and Kirk Nicholas

By Jessica Bush - August 14th, 2025

This week’s guests are Dr. Lucas Chesla and Kirk Nicholas. Luke and Kirk shared how continuous improvement is used in the military, the book they wrote together, their thoughts on AI, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episod

GA 592 | The Aha! Moment with Dexter Chan

By Jessica Bush - August 7th, 2025

This week’s guest is Dexter Chan. Ron and Dexter discussed handling resistance, other challenges he’s faced, and why the “Aha!” moment makes all the effort worth it. An MP3 audio version of this episode is avail

GA 591 | The Power of Slow, Incremental Growth with Brian Schreuder

By Jessica Bush - July 31st, 2025

This week’s guest is Brian Schreuder. Ron and Brian discussed Brian’s company’s lean journey, some of the challenges they’ve faced, what their material management looks like, and more. An MP3 audio version of th

GA 590 | The Smart Factory with Nikhil Pal

By Jessica Bush - July 24th, 2025

This week’s guest is Nikhil Pal. Ron and Nikhil discussed the concept of the Smart Factory, the analytics involved, the effect technology has had on humanity, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for downlo

GA 589 | Implementing Lean at Small to Mid-Sized Manufacturers with Justin Goethe

By Jessica Bush - July 17th, 2025

This week’s guest is Justin Goethe. Ron and Justin discussed why people struggle to get on board with lean, the role traditional consulting can play, why “A Plan for Every Part” is important, and more. An MP3 audio ve

GA 588 | When Lean Doesn’t Stick with Holly Plaga

By Jessica Bush - July 10th, 2025

This week’s guest is Holly Plaga. Ron and Holly discussed why lean doesn’t always take root, the mindset necessary for success, creating a sustainable lean culture, Holly’s “favorite mistake,” and more. An

GA 587 | The Differences Between Six Sigma Belts with John Knotts

By Jessica Bush - July 3rd, 2025

This week’s guest is John Knotts. Ron and John, a Senior Coach at Gemba Academy, discussed cultural alignment in continuous improvement, the key differences between the various Six Sigma belts, how continuous improvement leads to

GA 586 | Being Kaizen Ninjas with Kirsten Gallagher and Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - June 26th, 2025

This week’s guests are Kirsten Gallagher and Adam Lawrence. Ron, Kirsten, and Adam discussed Kirsten and Adam’s individual backgrounds, what it means to be a “kaizen ninja,” how to handle reluctant participants,

GA 585 | OKRs and Accountability with Philipp Schett

By Jessica Bush - June 19th, 2025

This week’s guest is Philipp Schett. Ron and Philipp discussed OKRs, accountability, making structural changes, balancing transparency and autonomy, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. I

GA 584 | Radical Love Leadership with Mike Schoenberger

By Jessica Bush - June 12th, 2025

This week’s guest is Mike Schoenberger. Ron and Mike discussed the concept of “Radical Love Leadership,” improving the human connection at work, his company Sunco’s values, and more. An MP3 audio version of this

GA 583 | Misconceptions About Lean with Alen Ganic

By Jessica Bush - June 5th, 2025

This week’s guest is Alen Ganic. Ron and Alen discussed how Alen simplifies complicated topics, the powers of lean beyond manufacturing, dealing with “CAVE” people, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is av

GA 580 | The Transformation of Operational Excellence with Dr. Adil Dalal

By Jessica Bush - May 15th, 2025

This week’s guest is Dr. Adil Dalal. Ron and Adil discussed the rapid evolution of AI and technology, how it affects lean and operational excellence, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here.

GA 576 | Authentic Leadership with Tony Hayes

By Jessica Bush - April 17th, 2025

This week’s guest is Tony Hayes. Ron and Tony discussed the meaning behind authentic leadership, the importance of humility and vulnerability, dealing with poor leadership, and more. MP3 audio version of this episode is available

GA 575 | Continuous Improvement at Corporations vs. Startups with Christopher Lieb

By Jessica Bush - April 10th, 2025

This week’s guest is Christopher Lieb. Ron and Chris discussed Chris’s transition from practicing continuous improvement at a large company to a startup, the mentality he likes to adopt, and more. An MP3 audio version of th

GA 574 | Dealing with Resistance from Management with Tanner McClure

By Jessica Bush - April 3rd, 2025

This week’s guest is Tanner McClure. Ron and Tanner discussed Tanner’s introduction to lean, dealing with resistance from management and supervisors, the “paper doll” tool, and more. An MP3 audio version of this

GA 573 | Initiating Operational Excellence on a Global Scale with Jackey Lin

By Jessica Bush - March 27th, 2025

This week’s guest is Jackey Lin. Ron and Jackey discussed Jackey’s diverse career background, deploying operational excellence on a global scale, overcoming communication barriers, and more. An MP3 audio version of this epi

GA 571 | What Employee Engagement Isn’t with Craig Coyle

By Jessica Bush - March 13th, 2025

This week’s guest is Craig Coyle. Ron and Craig discussed Craig’s experience as an Apache pilot, what employee engagement is and isn’t, why new leaders quit, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available

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