Lean Blog Interviews - Healthcare, Manufacturing, Business, and Leadership

IN MEMORIAM - Ritsuo Shingo, Former Toyota Executive and Lean Teacher

Blog post about Mr. Shingo's passing
Today, we mourn and remember Ritsuo Shingo, who recently passed away at age 75. I am re-releasing episode 409 with him from two years ago this month, in April 2021.
My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and everybody who worked with him, including my friends at the Shingo Institute.
 

’Picture Yourself a Leader’ - Interview with Elisabeth Swan on Her New Book

Author, podcaster, and consultant
Episode page
Joining us for Episode #473 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Elisabeth Swan, author of the new book Picture Yourself a Leader: Illustrated Micro-Lessons for Navigating Change. It's currently the #1 new release in the Amazon TQM category…
Elisabeth has consulted in the business process performance industry for over 30 years. Her experience spans from helping local non-profits expand their reach to guiding Fortune 100 companies through Lean Transformations. She has trained and mentored thousands of people in improvement projects generating millions in savings. She has deep experience coaching problem solvers and facilitating leadership retreats, strategic planning sessions, process walks, and kaizen events.
Elisabeth is the Co-Designer and Lead Instructor for the Lean Six Sigma Leadership Course at University of California, San Diego (UCSD). She is a co-founder, with Tracy ORourke, of the Just-in-Time Café and co-host of the Just-in-Time Café podcast. She co-authored, also with Tracy, The Problem Solver's Toolkit: A Surprisingly Simple Guide to Your Lean Six Sigma Journey.
In today's episode, we discuss her new book and the process for getting there, including the role of feedback, editing, and an editorial board as inputs to iteration and improvement.
Questions, Notes, and Highlights:
Tell us the story behind the book? Why this book? Why this format?
Sketching and drawing during the pandemic?
Why illustrate each chapter?
Asking people — “What have you figured out?” (PDSA) vs. “what do you know?”
Who is the book written for? Lean leadership or just good “leadership” influenced by C.I.??
Do some people have trouble picturing themselves a leader?
“The word leader can mean many things” — tell us more about that – how can everybody be a leader?
Author talk: Writing and Editing process – PDSA cycles? (Plan, Do, Study, Adjust)
Iterating, asking for honest feedback?
“The curse of knowledge?”
Iterating on the cover design?
“Heading off the head scratchers” — acronyms
“Perfecting Rework” — you invited me to contribute a “wisdom of the crowd” story here… 
W. Edwards Deming's – American way of making toast… you burn it, I'll scrape it
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in its 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Mit Vyas: Insights on Learning from Toyota, Entrepreneurial Success, and Mindfulness Practices

Managing Director of Gemba Automation
Episode page with video, transcript and more
Joining us for Episode #472 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Mit Vyas, managing director for Gemba Automation. He started his career at Toyota and worked for other large corporations. He founded Gemba Automation, a company that has helped customers in software, medical devices, fashion, and construction develop profitable and sustainable businesses.
Mit holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
In today's episode, we discuss what Mit learned working at Toyota, how that's been applied through Lean Startup thinking, and why the practice of meditation has been so important to him.
Questions, Notes, and highlights:
I already gave part of the answer by mentioning Toyota… but tell us more about your Lean origin story?
First job at Toyota – Process Engineer at Toyota was my first “real” job. The experience there was the springboard to the rest of my career.
Inputs & outputs? — not telling you the answer?
“What the actual facts” are out in the factory floor
“Making your thinking visible?” – Problem Solving A3
A3 coaching and questions?
What do you know and how do you know it?
Foundations? How can you learn problem solving if you don't know what the standard work or Takt are?
What does the word “Kaizen” mean to you, to Toyota?
What does “Challenge” mean at Toyota? What does it mean to you?
Leading with humility?
How do you apply PDCA thinking in your company? To starting a company?
What's the problem statement that led to the company as a countermeasure?
Lean Startup concepts?
Minimum Viable Product? Minimum Viable Service?
Have you found good product / market fit?
Check and Adjust — pivot or persevere?
Calming your nervous mind?
Power of meditation – You've been meditating… what have you learned from that practice?
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in its 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Discovering the Benefits of Data-Driven DEI: An Interview with Dr. Randal Pinkett on his New Book

Co-founder, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners
Episode page with links and more
Joining us for Episode #471 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Dr. Randal Pinkett. He was a guest in Episode 380 in 2020, with Prof. Jeffrey Robinson, his co-author for the book Black Faces in White Places.
Today, I'm honored to be joined by Randal again to talk about his new book, his fifth book —  Data-Driven DEI: The Tools and Metrics You Need to Measure, Analyze, and Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, released yesterday, March 14th. 
Randal is an entrepreneur, innovator, speaker, author, media personality and DEI expert who is leading the way in business, technology and equity for all. He is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, a global, multimillion-dollar research, training, consulting, technology, and data analytics firm whose mission is to provide insights about diverse people that lead to equity.  
He's a graduate of the MIT Leaders for Global Operations Program. He's a Rhodes Scholar with a PhD also from MIT. As we talked about a little bit last time, Randal was the winner of Season 4 of The Apprentice.

CEO Gary Michel on Lean for the Enterprise and the Need to Decomplify Work

Episode page with video, transcript and more
Joining us for Episode #470 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Gary Michel.
He was Chairman and CEO of JELD-WEN, Inc. until August 2022 and, just after that, I saw him give an outstanding keynote talk at the AME annual conference in Dallas.
Gary was previously President and CEO of Honeywell Home and Building Technologies (HBT) and President and CEO of ClubCar. He also led the Trane HVAC business, among other executive roles.
He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
His book, Decomplify: How Simplicity Drives Stability, Innovation, and Transformation, will be available later this year.
In this episode, Gary discusses his Lean origin story and how he views and drives Lean as a CEO. He reflects on the importance of strategy deployment and Lean as an enterprise approach, and shares his approach to Lean problem solving as a CEO. Gary emphasizes the impact of taking a “fresh eyes” approach to Gemba walks, and talks about the importance of being inquisitive and taking responsibility for simplifying processes (or “decomplifying” them).
Questions, Notes, and highlights:
What's your Lean origin story?
Lower volume business – how to make it flow? We're not Toyota?
Strategy deployment… lean as an enterprise
How to be focused on most pressing needs?
Reaction to the John Toussaint quote – “you've seen one lean transformation….”
“I teach problem solving a lot”
Who were your teachers, guides and coaches?
Shedding Old habits and old philosophies
How did you drive Lean problem solving from the CEO seat?
How to coach others away from bad habits?
Culture impact of coaching leaders vs. selecting the right ones for promotion?
Having a rallying cry to set direction
Working to reduce fear of speaking up
Get out there… those closest to the work
How to get other leaders out to the Gemba?
The impact of taking leaders out on a Gemba walk??
Some are afraid of that, making mistakes?
The importance of taking a “Fresh Eyes” approach??
Why should leaders be inquisitive when things don't look the way they're supposed to look?
What's your definition of a “great company”?
Problem Solving AND communication as much as anything else
Influencing other CEOs to take interest in Lean yet alone drive it?
Gets asked – What if my CEO isn't driving this?
Decomplifying annual planning and strategy cycles?
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in its 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

My Many Mistakes Related to Today’s Lean Podcast Episodes – Yup, Plural

I'm sorry for mistakenly releasing two episodes on the same day... now three.
Blog post related to this bonus episode

What a Unicorn Knows: Authors Matt May & Pablo Dominguez Discuss Their New Book on Entrepreneurship

New book, available now!
For links, video, transcript, and more visit the episode page 
Joining us for Episode #469 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast are Matt May and Pablo Dominguez, the authors of the new book What a Unicorn Knows: How Leading Entrepreneurs Use Lean Principles to Drive Sustainable Growth. It's available now!
Matt has been before, in episodes 67 and 103… and he was my guest for episode 39 of My Favorite Mistake.
Pablo Dominguez is an Operating Partner at Insight Partners, a leading global venture capital and private equity firm investing in high-growth technology and software ScaleUp companies that drive transformative change in their industries.
Pablo has spent his entire career as a go-to-market and sales-focused operator, working in consulting, public companies, startups, and, most recently, ScaleUps. The application of lean principles has figured centrally in driving sustainable growth in each of these ventures.
Matthew E. May leads the Lean ScaleUp program at Insight Partners, with Pablo.  His mastery of lean principles and methodologies comes from spending nearly a decade inside the Toyota organization, where he played an integral part in launching the University of Toyota, a corporate university dedicated to teaching, preserving, and expanding the Toyota Way. Previously the author of many great books, including The Elegant Solution and, most recently, Winning the Brain Game.
In this episode, we discuss their new book and how they are both influenced by Toyota and broader Lean thinking, including the Lean Startup methodology — and we discuss the questions and topics listed below:
Questions, Notes, and highlights:
Pablo, since this is your first time here, it would be great to hear your “Lean origin story”
Helping people cope with the discovery of waste and opportunities to improve? Feeling bad about it before moving forward?
Congratulations on the release of the book… in startup circles, what's meant by the term “Unicorn”?
What's a ScaleUp compared to a startup?
What is product-market fit? An example?
Risk of trying to scale prematurely?
One of the core themes in your model is “Constant experimentation” 
Investors – do they want to hear about “constant experimentation”? Do they want certainty?
How to prevent Big Company Syndrome (a.k.a., Big Company Disease)?
What is meant by “Lean ScaleUp”?
How do you react when you hear this aversion to “process” in agile or startup circles, as if process means being inflexible?
What's a “lean kaizen sprint”?
Applying this to the sales process?
Lessons Toyota about “building team spirit”?
Building teamwork across silos?
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in its 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Jody Crane, MD: Lean in Emergency Medicine and Hospitals; 3 Big Issues Causing Tough Times in Healthcare

Chief Medical Officer of TeamHealth 
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
Joining us for Episode #468 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jody Crane, M.D. He's the Chief Medical Officer for TeamHealth, and he was previously a guest for Episode 120.
As a proven leader, Dr. Jody Crane, M.D. is considered one of the leading experts in emergency department operations in the United States. Dr. Crane has taught and led healthcare and emergency department improvement efforts with hundreds of organizations in a wide variety of settings on six continents. In this role, he supports clinical quality and safety and performance improvement initiatives for all clinical service lines.
We're talking today because he's a keynote speaker at the upcoming Healthcare Systems Process Improvement conference, which is brought to us by the Society for Health Systems. I'm a member, and I'll be there at the event this year as usual, February 15 to 17 in Louisville, Kentucky. See Jody's full bio and more about his keynote talk.
His book, co-authored with Chuck Noon is The Definitive Guide to Emergency Department Operational Improvement: Employing Lean Principles with Current ED Best Practices to Create the “No Wait” Department.
Questions, Notes, and highlights:
First off, give us a bit of a preview of the core messages for your keynote talk…
It's a tough time in healthcare — three big issues
The impact of pay, culture, and working conditions?
Moral Injury vs. Burnout?
Fixing an imperfect system — broader value stream issues that aren't in our control?
Transitions between facilities and communication across shift handoffs – process improvement opportunities?
Helping people see improvement opportunity vs. “this is just the way it's meant to be”
Framing the problem as “not enough nurses” or “too much waste”?
The impact of Lean? The untapped potential of Lean?
Two questions for executives – Have you heard of Lean? Have you been part of a Kaizen Event?
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 
 

Unlocking the Power of Kata: Tracy Defoe on Adult Learning, Coaching, and Asking Questions

Coach at www.TheLearningFactor.ca
Joining us for Episode #467 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Tracy Defoe.
She is an adult education consultant and researcher specializing in workplace education. For parts of the last 10 years, she has been puzzling over the challenges of participation and leadership in continuous improvement.  
She has taught communication, writing, teamwork, and cross-cultural communication as well as teaching methods to adults in colleges, universities, and the workplace. A regular consultant to business, labour, and government, Tracy is also an advocate for plain language and clear design.
Questions, Notes, and highlights:
Her website
Your origin story for C.I., Lean, Kata…?
How to navigate the distribution of varied mix-level knowledge / experience in a room when it's not 1×1?
How much can somebody absorb at once when learning?
“I don't know Yeti” – the mascot for Kata School Cascadia
The benefit of making learning fun?
Starter Kata questions – when is it OK to move beyond the rigid starter questions?
Teaching and coaching through questions
Being a 2nd coach? Mentor for the coach
Difficult to not jump in with advice when you DO know the process — for kata coaching?
Intervening vs. allowing them to make the mistake?
Being heard vs. feeling heard
The power of plain language… as opposed to jargon? What example comes to mind? Kata / Kaizen?
“Problem solving” sounds too definitive
Kaizen Events off track… Kata goes off track how?
Having a “third coach”?
Tell us about Kata Girl Geeks
Master Class with Tracy and Tilo Schwarz
Time in the coaching dojo and how you learn every time?
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Billy Taylor Discusses His New Book, ”The Winning Link”

Episode page with video, transcript and more
My guest for Episode #466 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is a returning guest, Billy Taylor. Since his last appearance, Billy has written and released a great book titled The Winning Link: A Proven Process to Define, Align, and Execute Strategy at Every Level.
Billy had a long career at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, where he served as plant director for both union and non-union facilities, leading lean transformations in Goodyear's largest and most complex tire-producing sites. Billy more recently founded his firm LinkedXL, where he is CEO.
He was previously a guest in Episodes 293 and 298, back in 2017. He was also a guest on Episode 5 of “My Favorite Mistake.”
Questions, Notes, and highlights:
Before we talk about your book, what stood out to you most at the AME conference this year?
How to understand the level of trust? How do build it??
“Coaching leaders on how to show up”
Productive huddles – Key Performance Actions (KPA)
What is “title-itis”?
Best people… best processes
Defining winning — why is that a challenge for some organizations? Lack of agreement on what winning means?
Purpose mapping – agreeing on this first?
Developing your strategy — how do we know if a strategy is the “right” strategy?? Truly differentiating??
What's your CPI – critical performance indicator? 
“Have you defined what winning means to you?”
SOAP – Strategy on a Page
Aligning to win — As you write — Making jobs better not making jobs go away?
“America… not a hiring problem… a retention problem”
Psychological Safety
“Covid changed the way we do business”
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network.