Podcasts about Kaizen

Wil and Nicholas open by talking about “flowing like water” and how that mindset shows up in hospitality: staying adaptable, humble, and open. Nicholas traces his path from teaching skiing to unexpectedly building a career in enterprise software and QA with major pharma and tech companies, then starting a nonprofit, and finally helping open Feast Bistro in Bozeman. He describes the harsh reality of the first two years at Feast: the gap between fantasy and the P&L, mispriced menus, long hours, financial strain, and the grit required to survive COVID. What kept them afloat was humility, constant feedback from guests, and a deep belief that hospitality is about service, not ego.Those struggles led him to create Check This Out, a simple SMS-driven retention and word-of-mouth platform built first for Feast. Traditional marketing (direct mail, email, social) felt like guesswork because he couldn't track what actually drove revenue or distinguish new from returning guests. By counting every mailer and transcribing every comment card, he discovered that over 80% of guests came because someone they knew recommended Feast. That insight became the backbone of Check This Out: use SMS to bring guests back more often and amplify referrals with trackable, time-bound offers that clearly show who is driving traffic and sales. Throughout the episode, Nicholas emphasizes the same core ideas he's lived by: hospitality as service, learning over knowing, capital-efficient building, and using simple tools that actually work.10 Key Takeaways Hospitality is a gateway industry.Nicholas entered it through ski instruction and serving tables, learning empathy and customer focus, skills that shaped everything he's done since. Boredom fuels creativity.Long, quiet Vermont summers sparked the imagination that later helped him pivot careers and eventually become an entrepreneur. An unlikely path to restaurateur.Years in software QA taught him how to build systems that solve real user problems, experience that later informed Feast and Check This Out. Most pro formas are fantasy.Reality hits fast in restaurants: labor, food cost, pricing, and traffic rarely match projections, and the P&L forces honesty. Underpricing is a common early mistake.Feast discovered they were charging too little and had to adjust based on real customer behavior and feedback. Equity builds commitment.Giving chefs, GMs, and key partners skin in the game helped Feast survive the hardest stretches and come out stronger. Listening is everything.Nicholas embraces Kaizen and Deming's cycle: feedback from guests and staff only matters if you act on it without ego. Word-of-mouth is the true growth engine.His analysis showed 80%+ of guests came through personal recommendations, far more than any ad channel. SMS outperforms email and social.Near-100% open rates and fast response times mean campaigns drive real, trackable revenue, something other channels can't match. Check This Out delivers “butts in seats.”Restaurants use it to send compelling texts and let guests forward offers to friends, giving operators clear attribution and measurable ROI instead of guesswork.

Join an active community of RE investors here: https://linktr.ee/gabepetersenREAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT MASTERCLASS

W dzisiejszym odcinku podcastu BSS bez tajemnic zapraszam Was na rozmowę o jednym z najpraktyczniejszych podejść do zarządzania – LEAN management. Moim gościem jest Kamil Walerzak, ekspert Lean Management & Quality z firmy QuaZon, trener i konsultant z wieloletnim doświadczeniem. Kamil to człowiek, który o Lean nie tylko mówi, ale przede wszystkim codziennie go wdraża w organizacjach – zarówno produkcyjnych, jak i usługowych.W tym odcinku rozmawiamy o tym, czym tak naprawdę jest Lean Management, skąd się wziął i dlaczego wciąż – mimo że jego korzenie sięgają połowy XX wieku – jest jednym z najskuteczniejszych sposobów doskonalenia organizacji. Kamil opowiada o japońskiej filozofii Kaizen, o tym, jak Toyota stworzyła system, który zrewolucjonizował świat przemysłu, i jak te same zasady możemy dziś zastosować w biurze, usługach czy administracji.Pretekstem do naszej rozmowy są studia podyplomowe Lean Management & Lean Green prowadzone na SGGW w Warszawie, których Kamil jest jednym z wykładowców. Dowiecie się, dla kogo są te studia, jak wyglądają zajęcia (176 godzin teorii i praktyki!), jakie tematy obejmują i dlaczego są idealne zarówno dla menedżerów z doświadczeniem, jak i osób, które dopiero zaczynają swoją przygodę z doskonaleniem procesów.Rozmawiamy o praktyce, studiach przypadków, ekologicznych aspektach Lean Green i o tym, jak tworzyć kulturę ciągłego doskonalenia w każdej organizacji. Jeśli interesuje Was zarządzanie procesami, efektywność, a przede wszystkim zdrowy rozsądek w biznesie – ten odcinek jest dla Was.Kluczowe punkty rozmowy:Lean management nie jest ograniczony tylko do produkcji, ale ma szerokie zastosowanie również w sektorze usług, co czyni go uniwersalnym narzędziem optymalizacji procesów.Studia podyplomowe na SGGW dotyczące lean management i lean green oferują uczestnikom zarówno teoretyczną wiedzę, jak i praktyczne warsztaty, które pozwalają na wdrożenie zdobytych umiejętności w realnym świecie biznesu.Program studiów jest skierowany do szerokiego grona odbiorców, od osób rozpoczynających swoją karierę zawodową, po doświadczonych menedżerów, którzy chcą pogłębić swoją wiedzę i umiejętności w zakresie zarządzania procesami.Linki:Kamil Walerzak na Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamil-walerzak-085a0760/Studia Lean Management i Lean Green na SGGW - https://splean.sggw.edu.pl/Porozmawiaj o tym odcinku ze sztuczną inteligencją – https://bbs-bez-tajemnic.onpodcastai.com/episodes/UCA0yEUZeOU/chat  ****************************  Nazywam się Wiktor Doktór i na co dzień prowadzę Klub Pro Progressio https://proprogressio.com/pl/dzialalnosc/klub-pro-progressio/1 – to społeczność wielu firm prywatnych i organizacji sektora publicznego, którym zależy na rozwoju relacji biznesowych w modelu B2B. W podcaście BSS bez tajemnic poza odcinkami solowymi, zamieszczam rozmowy z ekspertami i specjalistami z różnych dziedzin przedsiębiorczości.Zapraszam do odwiedzin moich kanałów na:YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@wiktordoktor Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wiktor.doktor LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wiktordoktor/ Moja strona internetowa - https://wiktordoktor.pl/ Możesz też do mnie napisać. Mój adres email to - kontakt(@)wiktordoktor.pl   ****************************  Patronami Podcastu “BSS bez tajemnic” są: Marzena Sawicka https://www.linkedin.com/in/marzena-sawicka-a9644a23/ Przemysław Sławiński https://www.linkedin.com/in/przemys%C5%82aw-s%C5%82awi%C5%84ski-155a4426/ Damian Ruciński - https://www.linkedin.com/in/damian-rucinski/ Szymon Kryczka https://www.linkedin.com/in/szymonkryczka/Grzegorz Ludwin https://www.linkedin.com/in/gludwin/ Adam Furmańczuk https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-agilino/ Anna Czyż - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-czyz-%F0%9F%94%B5%F0%9F%94%B4%F0%9F%9F%A2-68597813/ Igor Tkach - https://www.linkedin.com/in/igortkach/ Damian Wróblewski - https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianwroblewski/ Paweł Łopatka - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pawellopatka/ Ewelina Szindler - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ewelina-szindler-zarz%C4%85dzanie-mark%C4%85-osobist%C4%85-0497a0212/Wiktor Doktór Jr. - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wiktor-dokt%C3%B3r-jr-916297188/  Wspaniali ludzie, dzięki którym pojawiają się kolejne odcinki tego podcastu. Ty też możesz wesprzeć rozwój podcastu na: Patronite - https://patronite.pl/wiktordoktor Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/wiktordoktor Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wiktordoktor Buycoffee.to - https://buycoffee.to/wiktordoktorBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bss-bez-tajemnic--4069078/support.

My guest for Episode #539 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Darren Walsh, author of Making Lean and Continuous Improvement Work: A Leader's Guide to Increasing Consistency and Getting Significantly More Done in Less Time. Episode page with video, transcript, and more Darren is the Director and Leadership Coach at Making Lean Work Ltd and holds a master's degree from the Lean Enterprise Research Centre at Cardiff University. He brings more than 25 years of experience helping leaders transform organizations in automotive, aerospace, medical devices, energy, and healthcare. In this episode, Darren and Mark explore why so many Lean and continuous improvement programs fail to sustain—and how leaders can build the right systems and habits to make improvement last. Darren explains the three common pitfalls he's seen across industries: choosing the wrong improvement approach, relying on traditional “solution thinking,” and lacking consistent leadership routines. Darren also introduces his DAMI model—Define, Achieve, Maintain, Improve—as a way for organizations to avoid “kaizening chaos” and instead create a stable foundation for improvement. He shares stories from across sectors, including healthcare examples where better standards and daily management led to faster care, higher throughput, and dramatically lower mortality rates. Mark and Darren discuss the difference between problem-solving and firefighting, the danger of “shiny Lean” initiatives that don't address core issues, and the leadership routines that keep everyone aligned and focused on the right problems. The conversation offers a grounded reminder that Lean isn't about tools or jargon—it's about building consistency, clarity, and capability throughout the organization. “You can't kaizen chaos. First, you have to define and stabilize the standard.” “Most organizations say they want improvement—but they haven't built the routines to sustain it.” “If every team in your business is working on the right problem, that's an incredibly powerful organization.” “Firefighting feels heroic, but it hides the real causes and keeps us from solving them.” Questions, Notes, and Highlights: What's your Lean origin story? How did you first get introduced to Lean and continuous improvement? You've worked across industries—from electronics to oil and gas. How do you overcome the “we're different” resistance when applying Lean in new settings? Why do some organizations still associate Lean with cost-cutting instead of learning and improvement? What led you to write Making Lean and Continuous Improvement Work? What problems were you seeing again and again? Can you explain the three common pitfalls you describe in the book? What is the DAMI model—Define, Achieve, Maintain, Improve—and how can leaders use it effectively? How can organizations build a strong foundation for improvement before jumping into tools like 5S or Kaizen? What are the essential leadership routines for sustaining Lean and consistency? Why do so many teams fall into firefighting mode, and how can leaders break that habit? How can visual management and daily management systems help teams focus on the right problems? How do you balance working on small employee-driven Kaizen improvements versus larger, strategic problems? You've said, “You can't Kaizen chaos.” What does that mean in practice? What lessons from the healthcare case study—cutting waiting times by 88%—stand out most to you? How can leaders ensure alignment and help every team work on the right things? What's next for your work and research? What will your next book focus on? This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Apply for the May 2026 Japan Leadership Experience—https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/Where is your primary focus as a leader, change practitioner, or organization? Getting business results? Improving processes? Or developing people? What if the real key to lasting business success isn't found in metrics or milestones—but in how you create a culture that nurtures people and their problem-solving capabilities? In this episode I explore what it really takes to deliver sustainable organizational success, and why building a people-centered learning culture—one where developing others isn't an afterthought, but the foundation that enables operational excellence and, ultimately, better business outcomes.Effective leadership begins when you shift from managing results to developing people—creating the conditions for continuous improvement, engagement, and growth.When you put people first, results follow.Whether you are a senior executive, lean practitioner, or team leader, that's how you build organizations that learn, adapt, and thrive—today and for generations to come.YOU'LL LEARN:How Toyota's philosophy of Monozukuri wa hitozukuri (“We make people so we can make things”) shapes a people-first culture of learning and improvementWhy focusing on people → process → results (not the reverse) drives lasting impact across teams and organizationsThe interdependence of three qualities that support business success  —quality of people development, quality of work, and quality of results – to create sustainable impact Insights from real leaders about how shifting from results-focused to people-focused leadership led to  significant measurable improvement in business outcomesHow to model intentional leadership practices to develop people, foster engagement, and sustain a culture of continuous learning and improvementIMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/58 Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonLearn more about my Japan Leadership Experience: kbjanderson.com/japantripTIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:01:51 What leadership with purpose truly means02:06 Why Toyota's motto, “ The only secret to Toyota is its attitude towards learning,” is its secret to success03:18 Three interrelated qualities that determine lasting business success represented by a pyramid03:45 [Third level] Results - The outcomes customers see04:12 [Second level] Process - The technical and operational systems that make the work flow better04:37 [First level] People - The foundation that nurtures people, problem-solving, and learning05:28 Why the Western approach is backwards when it comes to people, processes, and results06:50 The meaning of the quote, “profit is excrement,” that captures the backwardness of the usual business approach to success07:39 The difference between lean as a transactional toolkit versus a way of nurturing people and problem solving at all levels07:53 Why putting people first is not just in Japan or for Toyota leaders08:41 Leaders who put people first as the foundation for success10:12 The challenge in putting people first10:38 An example from Gustavo of why our intentions and our actions are aligned12:29 Gustavo's realization that he had a people engagement problem13:20 The positive results in engagement when he focused on people first14:08 What leadership in action looks like14:35 What it really means to create a chain of learning across your organization15:00 The two pillars of the Toyota Way15:43 Three questions to ask yourself as you reflect on this episode16:26 Questions to ask your people to create a cycle of reflection and continuous improvement17:13 How to build organizations and leaders that last Apply for the May 2026 Japan Leadership Experiencehttps://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/

Join an active community of RE investors here: https://linktr.ee/gabepetersenDISCOVER HOW TO TURN SINGLE FAMILY HOMES INTO CASH FLOW MACHINES

Del South Impact me fui a disfrutar del II Festival de novela negra Gaditanoir. Este año, además de acompañar a Jesús en una de sus charlas, acudía como finalista del V Certamen Riverside. No pude llevarme el premio final pero al menos mi relato ha sido publicado en la antología junto al resto de finalistas y al ganador.La antología aún no está disponible en la web de Kaizen editores, pero cuando se ponga a la venta actualizaré las notas del programa, por si quieres adquirirla ;)Dime qué te ha parecido este capitulo y deja un comentario en ivoox o Spotify.Si lo prefieres, envíame un correo electrónico a la dirección de gmail almadailypodcast. En redes soy @almajefi y me encuentras en X / Twitter, Bluesky, Threads, Instagram y Telegram.Y ahora también puedes seguirme en substack: https://substack.com/@almajefi

Fragestellungen aus der Unterhaltung mit Achim Maisenbacher: Welche Bereiche lassen sich im Handwerkskontext bevorzugt digitalisieren und automatisieren? Welche Voraussetzungen sind dafür nötig? Welche Herausforderungen und Hürden treten dabei auf? Welche Fehler werden immer wieder gemacht? Welche Rolle spielt der Faktor Mensch bei der Digitalisierung und Automatisierung? Welche Rolle spielt ggf. das Selbstverständnis und die Generationenzugehörigkeit? Wie kann man Widerständen begegnet? Was lässt sich auf vergleichbar "manuelle" Branchen übertragen? Was lässt sich vom Handwerk lernen? Wie sieht der Einstieg und erste Schritte aus?

In this special feature-length show, recorded live in Zurich, we hear from industry experts and market participants on their view of the reporting scene in 2025, ESMA's call for evidence, and the challenges ahead for 2026. With expert contributions from Kaizen, Capgemini, the FIA, MarketAxess, Erste Digital, KFW, SIX and Regis-TR. 

Join an active community of RE investors here: https://linktr.ee/gabepetersenINDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE INVESTING

The blog postIn this Lean Blog Audio episode, Mark Graban explores two silent killers of improvement—fear and futility—and how leaders can dismantle both to unleash the full potential of their teams.Drawing from his book Lean Hospitals and more recent research by organizational psychologist Ethan Burris, Mark explains how fear (“What will happen if I speak up?”) and futility (“Why bother? Nothing will change.”) combine to silence ideas, suppress learning, and stall continuous improvement.Through real-world healthcare examples—including Virginia Mason Medical Center's Patient Safety Alert system and Allina Health's Kaizen program—Mark shows what it looks like when organizations replace fear with trust and futility with action. The results? More engagement, faster problem-solving, and safer care for patients.Key themes include:Why “Respect for People” must go beyond posters and become daily practiceHow psychological safety grows when leaders respond with curiosity, not criticismThe link between timely follow-up on staff ideas and sustained Kaizen participationHow Lean thinking offers practical antidotes to fear and futilityThis episode is a reflection on what's still holding many organizations back—and how leaders can make it safe and worthwhile for people to speak up, share ideas, and improve the systems around them.Listen and ask yourself:What invisible barriers might be silencing improvement in your workplace?

Kaizen Asiedu is a Harvard-educated, Emmy-winning former executive turned truth-teller, mentor, and political commentator. Follow Kaizen: X - https://x.com/thatsKAIZEN Substack - https://thatskaizen.substack.com Triggernometry is proudly independent. Thanks to the sponsors below for making that possible: - Shopify! Sign up for a £1 per month trial at https://www.shopify.co.uk/trigger/ - Superpower: Test 100+ biomarkers. Detect early signs of 1,000+ conditions. Click https://superpower.com - Protect your wealth with The Pure Gold Company. Get your free investor guide at https://pure-gold.co/trigger Join our exclusive TRIGGERnometry community on Substack! https://triggernometry.substack.com/ OR Support TRIGGERnometry Here: Bitcoin: bc1qm6vvhduc6s3rvy8u76sllmrfpynfv94qw8p8d5 Shop Merch here - https://www.triggerpod.co.uk/shop/ Advertise on TRIGGERnometry: marketing@triggerpod.co.uk Find TRIGGERnometry on Social Media: https://twitter.com/triggerpod https://www.facebook.com/triggerpod/ https://www.instagram.com/triggerpod/ About TRIGGERnometry: Stand-up comedians Konstantin Kisin (@konstantinkisin) and Francis Foster (@francisjfoster) make sense of politics, economics, free speech, AI, drug policy and WW3 with the help of presidential advisors, renowned economists, award-winning journalists, controversial writers, leading scientists and notorious comedians. 00:00 - Introduction 02:15 - Kaizen's Take On Slavery And Konstantin's Doha Debate Clip 06:36 - Identity Politics And Polarisation Of The Left And Right 13:19 - The Right Is Making The Same Mistake The Left Made With Trump 23:14 - Jewish New Yorker's Are Worried 28:59 - Immigration And The I.C.E Raids 37:45 - Wealth Inequality 49:56 - What Should Be Done To Combat The Radicalisation In America? 55:27 - Social Media And Monetisation 59:45 - What's The One Thing We're Not Talking About That We Really Should Be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join an active community of RE investors here: https://linktr.ee/gabepetersenCRACKING THE CODE ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING INVESTING

What does it really take to become lean—not just do lean?This is the secret to transformational lean leadership that Larry Culp, CEO of GE and GE Aerospace shared with me on stage three years ago. In this special bonus episode, I want to share his insights and wisdom about leadership and lean culture with you.This bonus episode marks two milestones in my own Chain of Learning® journey: 

What if the key to explosive growth, happier employees, and loyal clients wasn't another marketing tactic — but something much simpler? In this episode of SoTellUs Time, hosts Trevor and Troy Howard uncover one of the most underrated business superpowers of all time: listening. You'll discover how the world's most successful companies — from Microsoft to Starbucks, LEGO, Toyota, and Zappos — transformed their culture, customer loyalty, and profits by learning to truly hear what people were saying. This episode breaks down exactly how to apply those same listening strategies inside your business — to increase team morale, drive innovation, and attract lifelong customers. Whether you're a small business owner, team leader, or entrepreneur, these lessons will change how you communicate forever. ⏱️ Episode Breakdown: 00:00 - Intro: The most profitable skill you're overlooking 01:00 - Why listening is a business superpower 03:00 - How listening transformed Microsoft's culture 05:00 - The hidden goldmine: listening to your employees 09:00 - How Ritz-Carlton, Toyota & Southwest turned feedback into millions 13:00 - Listening to clients: the key to retention and referrals 17:00 - What Starbucks, Netflix & small businesses do differently 21:00 - Listening to data & reviews like LEGO and Spotify 23:00 - Turning what you hear into powerful action steps 25:00 - The challenge: practice deep listening this week

SummaryIn this episode of the OPD podcast, Joe and Austin welcome Tom Shepherd, a performance coach and author, to discuss the importance of mindfulness in training and life. Tom shares his journey in the fitness industry, emphasizing the significance of quality over quantity in training, the role of suffering in personal growth, and the transformative power of meditation. The conversation explores how mindfulness can enhance performance in sports and daily activities, the flow state, and the importance of creating a culture of self-improvement. Tom also introduces his upcoming venture, Kaizen, focused on constant self-improvement.Takeaways- Mindfulness is about channeling attention to what we want in our lives.- Mindfulness can enhance performance in sports and daily activities.- Suffering can lead to personal growth and deeper meaning in life.- Meditation should focus on acceptance and stillness, not just relaxation.- Finding meaning in suffering can transform our perspective on life.- Athletic endeavours can provide a safe space to explore suffering and resilience.- The flow state is where effortless action occurs, enhancing performance.- Recognising moments of mindfulness can lead to greater fulfillment in life.- Creating a culture of self-improvement is essential for personal development.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Tom Shepherd and Mindfulness02:37 The Importance of Mindfulness in Performance04:32 Understanding Focus and Attention08:48 Quality Over Quantity in Training12:41 Practicing Mindfulness in Daily Life15:28 The Impact of Environment on Mindfulness20:14 Mindfulness in Martial Arts and Training23:58 Self-Reflection and Mindfulness in Work30:27 Finding Meaning in Activities37:33 The Relationship Between Fun and Meaning40:41 The Balance of Thrills and Meaning41:28 Mindfulness and the Search for Meaning42:15 Understanding Suffering and Its Role in Life43:38 Facing Inner Demons for Personal Growth45:35 Resilience Through Adversity46:19 Meditation: Beyond Relaxation48:53 Cultivating Focus and Mindfulness51:42 The Importance of Non-Goal-Oriented Meditation53:45 Finding Effortless Action in Life55:52 The Flow State and Meaningful Action58:43 Applying Mindfulness to Everyday Life01:00:58 Creating Meaning Through Responsibility01:04:10 The Necessity of Suffering for Fulfillment01:05:31 Strength Through Suffering01:06:17 The Future of Coaching and Self-Improvement

What does it take to keep a family business thriving for generations? In this episode of Unstoppable Mindset, I talk with Jan Southern, a seasoned business advisor who helps family-owned companies build long-term success through structure, trust, and clarity. We explore why so many family firms lose their way by the third generation—and what can be done right now to change that story. Jan shares how documenting processes, empowering people, and aligning goals can turn complexity into confidence. We unpack her “Three Ps” framework—People, Process, and Product—and discuss how strong leadership, accountability, and smart AI adoption keep growth steady and sustainable. If you've ever wondered what separates businesses that fade from those that flourish, this conversation will show you how to turn structure into freedom and process into legacy. Highlights: 00:10 – Why unexpected stories reveal how real businesses grow. 01:39 – How early life in Liberal, Kansas shaped a strong work ethic. 07:51 – What a 10,000 sq ft HQ build-out teaches about operations. 09:35 – How a trading floor was rebuilt in 36 hours and why speed matters. 11:21 – Why acquisitions fail without tribal knowledge and culture continuity. 13:19 – What Ferguson Alliance does for mid-market family businesses. 14:08 – Why many family firms don't make it to the third generation. 17:33 – How the 3 Ps—people, process, product—create durable growth. 20:49 – Why empowerment and clear decision rights prevent costly delays. 33:02 – The step-by-step process mapping approach that builds buy-in. 36:41 – Who should sponsor change and how to align managers. 49:36 – Why process docs and succession planning start on day one. 56:21 – Realistic timelines: six weeks to ninety days and beyond. 58:19 – How referrals expand projects across departments. About the Guest: With over 40 years of experience in the realm of business optimization and cost-effective strategies, Jan is a seasoned professional dedicated to revolutionizing company efficiency. From collaborating with large corporations encompassing over 1,000 employees to small 2-person offices, Jan's expertise lies in meticulously analyzing financials, processes, policies and procedures to drive enhanced performance. Since joining Ferguson Alliance in 2024, Jan has become a Certified Exit Planning Advisor and is currently in the process of certification in Artificial Intelligence Consulting and Implementation, adding to her ability to quickly provide businesses with an assessment and tools that will enhance their prosperity in today's competitive landscape. Jan's forte lies in crafting solutions that align with each client's vision, bolstering their bottom line and staffing dynamics. Adept in setting policies that align with company objectives, Jan is renowned for transforming challenges into opportunities for growth and longevity. With a knack for unraveling inefficiencies and analyzing net income, Jan is a go-to expert for family-owned businesses looking to extend their legacy into future generations. Ways to connect with Jan: Email address : Jan@Ferguson-Alliance.com Phone: 713 851 2229 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jansouthern cepa Website: https://ferguson alliance.com About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Well, hi everyone. I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. But the neat thing about it is we don't usually deal with inclusion or diversity. We deal with everything, but that because people come on this podcast to tell their own stories, and that's what we get to do today with Jan southern not necessarily anything profound about inclusion or diversity, but certainly the unexpected. And I'm sure we're going to figure out how that happens and what's unexpected about whatever I got to tell you. Before we started, we were just sitting here telling a few puns back and forth. Oh, well, we could always do that, Jan, well, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here. Thank you so much. Glad to be here. Any puns before we start?   Jan Southern ** 02:09 No, I think we've had enough of those. I think we did it   Michael Hingson ** 02:11 in, huh? Yes. Well, cool. Well, I want to thank you for being here. Jan has been very actively involved in a lot of things dealing with business and helping people and companies of all sizes, companies of all sizes. I don't know about people of all sizes, but companies of all sizes in terms of becoming more effective and being well, I'll just use the term resilient, but we'll get into that. But right now, let's talk about the early Jan. Tell us about Jan growing up and all that sort of stuff that's always fun to start with.   Jan Southern ** 02:50 Yes, I grew up in Liberal Kansas, which is a small town just north of the Oklahoma border and a little bit east of New Mexico kind of down in that little Four Corners area. And I grew up in the time when we could leave our house in the morning on the weekends and come home just before dusk at night, and our parents didn't panic, you know. So it was a good it was a good time growing up. I i lived right across the street from the junior high and high school, so I had a hugely long walk to work, I mean,   Michael Hingson ** 03:28 to school,   Jan Southern ** 03:30 yeah, and so, you know, was a, was a cheerleader in high school, and went to college, then at Oklahoma State, and graduated from there, and here I am in the work world. I've been working since I was about 20 years old, and I'd hate to tell you how many years that's been.   Michael Hingson ** 03:51 You can if you want. I won't tell   03:55 nobody will know.   Michael Hingson ** 03:57 Good point. Well, I know it's been a long time I read your bio, so I know, but that's okay. Well, so when you What did you major in in college psychology? Ah, okay. And did you find a bachelor's degree or just bachelor's   Jan Southern ** 04:16 I did not. I got an Mrs. Degree and had two wonderful children and grew up, they've grown up and to become very fine young men with kids of their own. So I have four grandchildren and one great grandchild, so   Michael Hingson ** 04:33 Wowie Zowie, yeah, that's pretty cool. So when you left college after graduating, what did you do?   Jan Southern ** 04:40 I first went to work in a bank. My ex husband was in pharmacy school at Oklahoma, State University of Oklahoma, and so I went to work in a bank. I was the working wife while he went to pharmacy school. And went to work in a bank, and years later, became a bank consultant. So we we lived in Norman, Oklahoma until he was out of school and and as I began having children during our marriage, I went to work for a pediatrician, which was very convenient when you're trying to take care of kids when they're young.   Michael Hingson ** 05:23 Yeah, and what did you What did you do for a pediatrician?   Jan Southern ** 05:27 I was, I was her receptionist, and typed medical charts, so I learned a lot about medicine. Was very she was head of of pediatrics at a local hospital, and also taught at the university. And so I got a great education and health and well being of kids. It was, it was a great job.   Michael Hingson ** 05:51 My my sister in law had her first child while still in high school, and ended up having to go to work. She went to work for Kaiser Permanente as a medical transcriber, but she really worked her way up. She went to college, got a nursing degree, and so on, and she became a nurse. And eventually, when she Well, she didn't retire, but her last job on the medical side was she managed seven wards, and also had been very involved in the critical care unit. Was a nurse in the CCU for a number of years. Then she was tasked. She went to the profit making side of Kaiser, as it were, and she was tasked with bringing paperless charts into Kaiser. She was the nurse involved in the team that did that. So she came a long way from being a medical transcriber.   Jan Southern ** 06:51 Well, she came a long way from being a single mom in high school. That's a great story of success.   Michael Hingson ** 06:56 Well, and she wasn't totally a single mom. She she and the guy did marry, but eventually they they did divorce because he wasn't as committed as he should be to one person, if it were,   Speaker 1 ** 07:10 that's a familiar story. And he also drank and eventually died of cirrhosis of the liver. Oh, that's too bad. Yeah, that's always sad, but, you know, but, but she coped, and her her kids cope. So it works out okay. So you went to work for a pediatrician, and then what did you do?   Jan Southern ** 07:31 Well, after my husband, after he graduated, was transferred to Dallas, and I went to work for a company gardener, Denver company at the time, they've been since purchased by another company. And was because of my experience in banking prior to the pediatrician, I went to work in their corporate cash management division, and I really enjoyed that I was in their corporate cash management for their worldwide division, and was there for about four years, and really enjoyed it. One of my most exciting things was they were moving their headquarters from Quincy, Illinois down to Dallas. And so I had been hired. But since they were not yet in Dallas, I worked with a gentleman who was in charge of putting together their corporate offices. And so we made all the arrangements. As far as we had a got a 10,000 square foot blank space when we started. And our job was to get every desk, every chair, every pen and pencil. And so when somebody moved from Quincy, Illinois, they moved in and they had their desk all set up. Their cuticles were cubicles were ready to go and and they were they could hit the ground running day one, so that,   Michael Hingson ** 09:02 so you, you clearly really got into dealing with organization, I would would say, then, wouldn't, didn't you?   Jan Southern ** 09:11 Yes, yes, that was my, probably my first exposure to to the corporate world and learning exactly how things could be more efficient, more cost effective. And I really enjoyed working for that company.   Michael Hingson ** 09:30 I remember, after September 11, we worked to provide the technology that we were selling, but we provided technology to Wall Street firms so they could recover their data and get set up again to be able to open the stock exchange and all the trading floors on the 17th of September. So the next Monday. And it was amazing, one of the companies was, I think it was Morgan Stanley. Finally and they had to go find new office space, because their office space in the World Trade Center was, needless to say, gone. They found a building in Jersey City that had a floor, they said, about the size of a football field, and from Friday night to Sunday afternoon, they said it took about 36 hours. They brought in computers, including IBM, taking computers from some of their own people, and just bringing them into to Morgan Stanley and other things, including some of the technology that we provided. And within 36 hours, they had completely reconstructed a trading floor. That's amazing. It was, it was absolutely amazing to see that. And you know, for everyone, it was pretty crazy, but Wall Street opened on the 17th and and continued to survive.   Jan Southern ** 10:57 That's a great story.   Michael Hingson ** 10:59 So what did you do? So you did this, this work with the 10,000 square foot space and other things like that. And then what?   Jan Southern ** 11:08 Well, once, once everyone moved into the space in Dallas. Then I began my work in their in their corporate cash management area. And from there, my next job was working in a bank when my my husband, then was transferred back to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I went back to work in banking. And from that bank, I was there about three to four years, and I was hired then by John Floyd as a as a consultant for banks and credit unions, and I was with that company for 42 years. My gosh, I know that's unusual these days, but I really enjoyed what I did. We did re engineering work and cost effectiveness and banks and credit unions for those 42 years. And so that was where I really cut my teeth on process improvement and continuous improvement, and still in that industry. But their company was bought by a an equity firm. And of course, when that happens, they like to make changes and and bring in their own folks. So those of us who had been there since day one were no longer there.   Michael Hingson ** 12:26 When did that happen?   Jan Southern ** 12:27 That was in 2022   Michael Hingson ** 12:32 so it's interesting that companies do that they always want to bring in their own people. And at least from my perspective, it seems to me that they forget that they lose all the tribal knowledge that people who have been working there have that made the company successful   Jan Southern ** 12:51 Absolutely. So I guess they're still doing well, and they've done well for themselves afterwards, and but, you know, they do, they lose all the knowledge, they lose all of the continuity with the clients. And it's sad that they do that, but that's very, very common.   Michael Hingson ** 13:13 Yeah, I know I worked for a company that was bought by Xerox, and all the company wanted was our technology. All Xerox wanted was the technology. And they lost all of the knowledge that all the people with sales experience and other kinds of experiences brought, because they terminated all of us when the company was fully in the Xerox realm of influence.   Jan Southern ** 13:39 So you know what I went through? Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 13:42 Well, what did you do after you left that company? After you left John Floyd,   Jan Southern ** 13:47 I left John Floyd, I was under a I was under a non compete, so I kind of knocked around for a couple of years. I was of age where I could have retired, but I wasn't ready to. So then I found Ferguson Alliance, and I'm now a business advisor for family owned businesses, and so I've been with Ferguson just over a year, and doing the same type of work that I did before. In addition to that, I have become a certified Exit Planning advisor, so that I can do that type of work as well. So that's that's my story in a nutshell. As far as employment,   Michael Hingson ** 14:26 what is Ferguson Alliance?   Jan Southern ** 14:29 Ferguson Alliance, we are business advisors for family owned businesses. And the perception is that a family owned business is going to be a small business, but there are over 500,000 family owned businesses in the United States. Our market is the middle market, from maybe 50 employees up to 1000 20 million in revenues, up to, you know, the sky's the limit, and so we do. Do a lot of work as far as whatever can help a family owned business become more prosperous and survive into future generations. It's a sad statistic that most family owned businesses don't survive into the third generation.   Michael Hingson ** 15:16 Why is that?   Jan Southern ** 15:19 I think because they the first the first generation works themselves, their fingers to the bone to get their their business off the ground, and they get successful, and their offspring often enjoy, if you will, the fruits of the labors of their parents and so many of them, once they've gone to college, they don't have an interest in joining the firm, and so they go on and succeed on their own. And then their children, of course, follow the same course from from their work. And so that's really, I think, the primary reason, and also the the founders of the businesses have a tendency to let that happen, I think. And so our coaching programs try to avoid that and help them to bring in the second and third generations so that they can, you know, they can carry on a legacy of their parents or the founders.   Michael Hingson ** 16:28 So what do you do, and what kinds of initiatives do you take to extend the longevity of a family owned business then,   Jan Southern ** 16:39 well, the first thing is that that Rob, who's our founder of our family owned business, does a lot of executive coaching and helps the helps the people who are within the business, be it the founder or being at their second or third generations, and he'll help with coaching them as to how to, hey, get past the family dynamics. Everybody has their own business dynamics. And then you add on top of that, the family dynamics, in addition to just the normal everyday succession of a business. And so we help them to go through those types of challenges, if you will. They're not always a challenge, but sometimes, if there are challenges, Rob's coaching will take them through that and help them to develop a succession plan that also includes a document that says that that governance plan as to how their family business will be governed, in addition to just a simple succession plan, and my role in a lot of that is to make sure that their business is ready to prosper too. You know that their their assessment of as far as whether they're profitable, whether they are their processes are in place, etc, but one of the primary things that we do is to help them make certain that that if they don't want to survive into future generations, that we help them to prepare to either pass it along to a family member or pass it along to someone who's a non family member, right?   Michael Hingson ** 18:34 So I've heard you mentioned the 3p that are involved in extending longevity. Tell me about that. What are the three P's?   Jan Southern ** 18:41 Well, the first p is your people. You know, if you don't take care of your people, be they family members or non family members, then you're not going to be very successful. So making certain that you have a system in place, have a culture in place that takes care of your people. To us, is very key. Once you make sure that your people are in a culture of continuous improvement and have good, solid foundation. In that regard, you need to make sure that your processes are good. That's the second P that that you have to have your processes all documented, that you've authorized your people to make decisions that they don't always have to go to somebody else. If you're a person in the company and you recognize that something's broken, then you need to have empowerment so that your people can make decisions and not always have to get permission from someone else to make certain that those processes continuously are approved improved. That's how to you. Could have became so successful is they installed a product. They called it, I say, a product. They installed a culture. They called it kaizen. And so Kaizen was simply just continuous improvement, where, if you were doing a process and you ask yourself, why did I do it this way? Isn't there a better way? Then, you know, you're empowered to find a better way and to make sure that that that you can make that decision, as long as it fits in with the culture of the company. Then the third P is product. You know, you've got to have a product that people want. I know that you've seen a lot of companies fail because they're pushing a product that nobody wants. And so you make certain that your products are good, your products are good, high quality, and that you can deliver them in the way that you promise. And so those are really the 3p I'd like to go back to process and just kind of one of the things, as you know, we had some horrendous flooding here in Texas recently, and one of the things that happened during that, and not that it was a cause of it, but just one of the things that exacerbated the situation, is someone called to say, Please, we need help. There's flooding going on. It was one of their first responders had recognized that there was a tragic situation unfolding, and when he called into their system to give alerts, someone says, Well, I'm going to have to get approval from my supervisor, with the approval didn't come in time. So what's behind that? We don't know, but that's just a critical point as to why you should empower your people to make decisions when, when it's necessary.   Michael Hingson ** 21:56 I'm sure, in its own way, there was some of that with all the big fires out here in California back in January, although part of the problem with those is that aircraft couldn't fly for 36 hours because the winds were so heavy that there was just no way that the aircraft could fly. But you got to wonder along the way, since they are talking about the fact that the electric companies Southern California, Edison had a fair amount to do with probably a lot a number of the fires igniting and so on, one can only wonder what might have happened if somebody had made different decisions to better prepare and do things like coating the wires so that if they touch, they wouldn't spark and so on that they didn't do. And, you know, I don't know, but one can only wonder.   Jan Southern ** 22:53 It's hard to know, you know, and in our situation, would it have made any difference had that person been able to make a decision on her own? Yeah, I was moving so rapidly, it might not have made any any difference at all, but you just have to wonder, like you said,   Michael Hingson ** 23:10 yeah, there's no way to, at this point, really know and understand, but nevertheless, it is hopefully something that people learn about for the future, I heard that they're now starting to coat wires, and so hopefully that will prevent a lot, prevent a lot of the sparking and so on. I'd always thought about they ought to put everything underground, but coating wire. If they can do that and do it effectively, would probably work as well. And that's, I would think, a lot cheaper than trying to put the whole power grid underground.   Jan Southern ** 23:51 I would think so we did when I was with my prior company. We did a project where they were burying, they were putting everything underground, and Burlington Vermont, and it was incredible what it takes to do that. I mean, you just, we on the outside, just don't realize, you know, there's a room that's like 10 by six underground that carries all of their equipment and things necessary to do that. And I never realized how, how costly and how difficult it was to bury everything. We just have the impression that, well, they just bury this stuff underground, and that's all. That's all it takes. But it's a huge, huge undertaking in order to do that   Michael Hingson ** 24:36 well. And it's not just the equipment, it's all the wires, and that's hundreds and of miles and 1000s of miles of cable that has to be buried underground, and that gets to be a real challenge.   Jan Southern ** 24:47 Oh, exactly, exactly. So another story about cables. We were working in West Texas one time on a project, and we're watching them stretch the. Wiring. They were doing some internet provisioning for West Texas, which was woefully short on in that regard, and they were stringing the wire using helicopters. It was fascinating, and the only reason we saw that is it was along the roadways when we were traveling from West Texas, back into San Antonio, where flights were coming in and out of so that was interesting to watch.   Michael Hingson ** 25:28 Yeah, yeah. People get pretty creative. Well, you know, thinking back a little bit, John Floyd must have been doing something right to keep you around for 42 years.   Jan Southern ** 25:40 Yes, they did. They were a fabulous country company and still going strong. I think he opened in 1981 it's called advantage. Now, it's not John Floyd, but Right, that was a family owned business. That's where I got to cut my teeth on the dynamics of a family owned business and how they should work and how and his niece is one of the people that's still with the company. Whether, now that they're owned by someone else, whether she'll be able to remain as they go into different elements, is, is another question. But yeah, they were, they were great.   Michael Hingson ** 26:20 How many companies, going back to the things we were talking about earlier, how many companies when they're when they buy out another company, or they're bought out by another company, how many of those companies generally do succeed and continue to grow? Do you have any statistics, or do more tend not to than do? Or   Jan Southern ** 26:40 I think that more tend to survive. They tend to survive, though, with a different culture, I guess you would say they they don't retain the culture that they had before. I don't have any firm statistics on that, because we don't really deal with that that much, but I don't they tend to survive with it, with a the culture of the newer company, if they fold them in, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 27:15 Well, and the reality is to be fair, evolution always takes place. So the John Floyd and say, 2022 wasn't the same as the John Floyd company in 1981   Jan Southern ** 27:31 not at all. No, exactly, not at all.   Michael Hingson ** 27:34 So it did evolve, and it did grow. And so hopefully, when that company was absorbed elsewhere and with other companies, they they do something to continue to be successful, and I but I think that's good. I know that with Xerox, when it bought Kurzweil, who I worked for, they were also growing a lot and so on. The only thing is that their stock started to drop. I think that there were a number of things. They became less visionary, I think is probably the best way to put it, and they had more competition from other companies developing and providing copiers and other things like that. But they just became less visionary. And so the result was that they didn't grow as much as probably they should have.   Jan Southern ** 28:28 I think that happens a lot. Sometimes, if you don't have a culture of continuous improvement and continuous innovation, which maybe they didn't, I'm not that familiar with how they move forward, then you get left behind. You know, I'm I'm in the process right now, becoming certified in artificial intelligent in my old age. And the point that's made, not by the company necessarily that I'm studying with, but by many others, is there's going to be two different kinds of companies in the future. There's going to be those who have adopted AI and those who used to be in business. And I think that's probably fair.   Michael Hingson ** 29:13 I think it is. And I also we talked with a person on this podcast about a year ago, or not quite a year ago, but, but he said, AI will not replace anyone's jobs. People will replace people's jobs with AI, but they shouldn't. They shouldn't eliminate anyone from the workforce. And we ended up having this discussion about autonomous vehicles. And the example that he gave is, right now we have companies that are shippers, and they drive product across the country, and what will happen to the drivers when the driving process becomes autonomous and you have self driving vehicles, driving. Across country. And his point was, what they should do, what people should consider doing is not eliminating the drivers, but while the machine is doing the driving, find and give additional or other tasks to the drivers to do so they can continue to be contributors and become more efficient and help the company become more efficient, because now you've got people to do other things than what they were used to doing, but there are other things that AI won't be able to do. And I thought that was pretty fascinating,   Jan Southern ** 30:34 exactly. Well, my my nephew is a long haul truck driver. He owns a company, and you know, nothing the AI will never be able to observe everything that's going on around the trucking and and you know, there's also the some of the things that that driver can do is those observations, plus they're Going to need people who are going to program those trucks as they are making their way across the country, and so I'm totally in agreement with what your friend said, or your you know, your guests had to say that many other things,   Michael Hingson ** 31:15 yeah, and it isn't necessarily even relating to driving, but there are certainly other things that they could be doing to continue to be efficient and effective, and no matter how good the autonomous driving capabilities are, it only takes that one time when for whatever reason, the intelligence can't do it, that it's good To have a driver available to to to to help. And I do believe that we're going to see the time when autonomous vehicles will be able to do a great job, and they will be able to observe most of all that stuff that goes on around them. But there's going to be that one time and that that happens. I mean, even with drivers in a vehicle, there's that one time when maybe something happens and a driver can't continue. So what happens? Well, the vehicle crashes, or there's another person to take over. That's why we have at least two pilots and airplanes and so on. So right, exactly aspects of it,   Jan Southern ** 32:21 I think so I can remember when I was in grade school, they showed us a film as to what someone's vision of the country was, and part of that was autonomous driving, you know. And so it was, it was interesting that we're living in a time where we're beginning to see that, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 32:41 we're on the cusp, and it's going to come. It's not going to happen overnight, but it will happen, and we're going to find that vehicles will be able to drive themselves. But there's still much more to it than that, and we shouldn't be in too big of a hurry, although some so called profit making. People may decide that's not true, to their eventual chagrin, but we shouldn't be too quick to replace people with technology totally   Jan Southern ** 33:14 Exactly. We have cars in I think it's Domino's Pizza. I'm not sure which pizza company, but they have autonomous cars driving, and they're cooking the pizza in the back oven of the car while, you know, while it's driving to your location, yeah, but there's somebody in the car who gets out of the car and brings the pizza to my door.   Michael Hingson ** 33:41 There's been some discussion about having drones fly the pizza to you. Well, you know, we'll see,   Jan Southern ** 33:50 right? We'll see how that goes. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 33:53 I haven't heard that. That one is really, pardon the pun, flown well yet. But, you know, we'll see. So when you start a process, improvement process program, what are some of the first steps that you initiate to bring that about? Well, the first   Jan Southern ** 34:11 thing that we do, once we've got agreement with their leadership, then we have a meeting with the people who will be involved, who will be impacted, and we tell them all about what's happening, what's going to happen, and make certain that they're in full understanding. And you know, the first thing that you ever hear when you're saying that you're going to be doing a re engineering or process improvement is they think, Oh, you're just going to come in and tell me to reduce my staff, and that's the way I'm going to be more successful. We don't look at it that way at all. We look at it in that you need to be right. Have your staff being the right size, and so in in many cases, in my past. I we've added staff. We've told them, you're under staffed, but the first thing we do is hold that meeting, make certain that they're all in agreement with what's going to happen, explain to them how it's going to happen, and then the next step is that once management has decided who our counterparts will be within the company. Who's going to be working with us to introduce us to their staff members is we sit down with their staff members and we ask them questions. You know, what do you do? How do you do it? What do you Did someone bring it to you. Are you second in line or next in line for some task? And then once you finish with it, what happens to it? Do you give someone else? Is a report produced? Etc. And so once we've answered all of those questions, we do a little a mapping of the process. And once you map that process, then you take it back to the people who actually perform the process, and you ask them, Did I get this right? I heard you say, this? Is this a true depiction of what's happening? And so we make sure that they don't do four steps. And they told us steps number one and three, so that then, once we've mapped that out, that gives us an idea of two of how can things be combined? Can they be combined? Should you be doing what you're doing here? Is there a more efficient or cost effective way of doing it? And we make our recommendations based on that for each process that we're reviewing. Sometimes there's one or two good processes in an area that we're looking at. Sometimes there are hundreds. And so that's that's the basic process. And then once they've said yes, that is correct, then we make our recommendations. We take it back to their management, and hopefully they will include the people who actually are performing the actions. And we make our recommendations to make changes if, if, if it's correct, maybe they don't need to make any changes. Maybe everything is is very, very perfect the way it is. But in most cases, they brought us in because it's not and they've recognized it's not. So then once they've said, yes, we want to do this, then we help them to implement.   Michael Hingson ** 37:44 Who usually starts this process, that is, who brings you in?   Jan Southern ** 37:48 Generally, it is going to be, depending upon the size of the company, but in most cases, it's going to be the CEO. Sometimes it's the Chief Operating Officer. Sometimes in a very large company, it may be a department manager, you know, someone who has the authority to bring us in. But generally, I would say that probably 90% of our projects, it's at the C   Michael Hingson ** 38:19 level office. So then, based on everything that you're you're discussing, probably that also means that there has to be some time taken to convince management below the CEO or CEO or a department head. You've got to convince the rest of management that this is going to be a good thing and that you have their best interest at heart.   Jan Southern ** 38:43 That is correct, and that's primarily the reason that we have for our initial meeting. We ask whoever is the contract signer to attend that meeting and be a part of the discussion to help to ward off any objections, and then to really bring these people along if they are objecting. And for that very reason, even though they may still be objecting, we involve them in the implementation, so an implementation of a of a recommendation has to improve, has to include the validation. So we don't do the work, but we sit alongside the people who are doing the implementation and guide them through the process, and then it's really up to them to report back. Is it working as intended? If it's not, what needs to be changed, what might improve, what we thought would be a good recommendation, and we work with them to make certain that everything works for them. Right? And by the end of that, if they've been the tester, they've been the one who's approved steps along the way, we generally find that they're on board because they're the it's now. They're now the owners of the process. And when they have ownership on something that they've implemented. It's amazing how much more resilient they they think that the process becomes, and now it's their process and not ours.   Michael Hingson ** 40:32 Do you find most often that when you're working with a number of people in a company that most of them realize that there need to be some changes, or something needs to be improved to make the whole company work better. Or do you find sometimes there's just great resistance, and people say no, there's just no way anything is bad.   Jan Southern ** 40:53 Here we find that 90% of the time, and I'm just pulling that percentage out of the air, I would say they know, they know it needs to be changed. And the ones typically, not always, but typically, the ones where you find the greatest resistance are the ones who know it's broken, but they just don't want to change. You know, there are some people who don't want to change no matter what, or they feel threatened that. They feel like that a new and improved process might take their place. You know, might replace them. And that's typically not the case. It's typically not the case at all, that they're not replaced by it. Their process is improved, and they find that they can be much more productive. But the the ones who are like I call them the great resistors, usually don't survive the process either. They are. They generally let themselves go,   Michael Hingson ** 42:01 if you will, more ego than working for the company.   Jan Southern ** 42:05 Yes, exactly, you know, it's kind of like my mom, you know, and it they own the process as it was. We used to laugh and call this person Louise, you know, Louise has said, Well, we've always done it that way. You know, that's probably the best reason 20 years in not to continue to do it same way.   Michael Hingson ** 42:34 We talked earlier about John Floyd and evolution. And that makes perfect sense. Exactly what's one of the most important things that you have to do to prepare to become involved in preparing for a process, improvement project? I think   Jan Southern ** 42:52 the most important thing there's two very important things. One is to understand their culture, to know how their culture is today, so that you know kind of which direction you need to take them, if they're not in a continuous improvement environment, then you need to lead them in that direction if they're already there and they just don't understand what needs to be done. There's two different scenarios, but the first thing you need to do is understand the culture. The second thing that you need to do, other than the culture, is understand their their business. You need to know what they do. Of course, you can't know from the outside how they do it, but you need to know that, for instance, if it's an we're working with a company that cleans oil tanks and removes toxins and foul lines from oil and gas industry. And so if you don't understand at all what they do, it's hard to help them through the processes that they need to go through. And so just learning, in general, what their technology, what their business is about. If you walk in there and haven't done that, you're just blowing smoke. In my mind, you know, I do a lot of research on the technologies that they use, or their company in general. I look at their website, I you know, look at their LinkedIn, their social media and so. And then we request information from them in advance of doing a project, so that we know what their org structure looks like. And I think those things are critical before you walk in the door to really understand their business in general.   Michael Hingson ** 44:53 Yeah, and that, by doing that, you also tend to. To gain a lot of credibility, because you come in and demonstrate that you do understand what they're doing, and people respond well to that, I would think   Jan Southern ** 45:10 they do. You know, one of our most interesting projects in my past was the electric company that I mentioned. There was an electric company in Burlington, Vermont that did their own electric generation. We've never looked at anything like that. We're a bank consultant, and so we learned all about how they generated energy with wood chips and the, you know, the different things. And, you know, there were many days that I was out watching the wood chips fall out of a train and into their buckets, where they then transferred them to a yard where they moved the stuff around all the time. So, you know, it was, it's very interesting what you learn along the way. But I had done my homework, and I knew kind of what they did and not how they did it in individual aspects of their own processes, but I understood their industry. And so it was, you do walk in with some credibility, otherwise they're looking at you like, well, what does this person know about my job?   Michael Hingson ** 46:20 And at the same time, have you ever been involved in a situation where you did learn about the company you you went in with some knowledge, you started working with the company, and you made a suggestion about changing a process or doing something that no one had thought of, and it just clicked, and everybody loved it when they thought about it,   Jan Southern ** 46:42 yes, yes, exactly. And probably that electric company was one of those such things. You know, when they hired us, they they told us. We said, We don't know anything about your business. And they said, Good, we don't want you to come in with any preconceived ideas. And so some of the recommendations we made to them. They were, it's kind of like an aha moment. You know, they look at you like, Oh my gosh. I've never thought of that, you know, the same I would say in in banking and in family businesses, you know, they just, they've never thought about doing things in a certain way.   Michael Hingson ** 47:20 Can you tell us a story about one of those times?   Jan Southern ** 47:24 Yes, I would say that if you're, if you're talking about, let's talk about something in the banking industry, where they are. I was working in a bank, and you, you go in, and this was in the days before we had all of the ways to store things electronically. And so they were having a difficult time in keeping all of their documents and in place and knowing when to, you know, put them in a destruction pile and when not to. And so I would say that they had an aha moment when I said, Okay, let's do this. Let's get a bunch of the little colored dots, and you have big dots and small dots. And I said, everything that you put away for 1990 for instance, then you put on a purple dot. And then for January, you have 12 different colors of the little dots that you put in the middle of them. And you can use those things to determine that everything that has a purple dot and little yellow.in the middle of that one, you know that that needs to be destructed. I think in that case, it was seven years, seven years from now, you know that you need to pull that one off the shelf and put it into the pile to be destructed. And they said, we've never thought of anything. It was like I had told him that, you know, the world was going to be struck, to be gone, to begin tomorrow. Yeah, it was so simple to me, but it was something that they had never, ever thought of, and it solved. They had something like five warehouses of stuff, most of which needed to have been destroyed years before, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 49:21 but still they weren't sure what, and so you gave them a mechanism to do that,   Jan Southern ** 49:27 right? Of course, that's all gone out the window today. You don't have to do all that manual stuff anymore. You're just, you know, I'd say another example of that was people who were when we began the system of digitizing the files, especially loan files in a bank. And this would hold true today as well, in that once you start on a project to digitize the files, there's a tendency to take the old. Files first and digitize those. Well, when you do that, before you get to the end of it, if you have a large project, you don't need those files anymore. So you know, our recommendation is start with your latest. You know, anything that needs to be archived, start with the newest, because by the time that you finish your project, some of those old files you won't even need to digitize, just shred them. Yeah, you know, it's, it's just little simple things like that that can make all the difference.   Michael Hingson ** 50:32 When should a family business start documenting processes? I think I know that's what I thought you'd say,   Jan Southern ** 50:40 yes, yes, that is something that is near and dear to my heart. Is that I would even recommend that you maybe do it before you open your doors, if potential is there, so that the day you open your business, you need to start with your documenting your processes, and you need to start on your succession planning. You know, those are the days that once you really start working, you're not going to have time. You know, you're going to be busy working every day. You're you're going to be busy servicing your customers, and that always gets pushed to the back when you start to document something, and so that's the time do it when you first open your doors.   Michael Hingson ** 51:29 So when we talk about processes, maybe it's a fair question to ask, maybe not. But what are we really talking about when we talk about processes and documenting processes? What are the processes?   Jan Southern ** 51:41 Well, the processes are the things that you do every day. Let's take as an example, just when you set up your your files within your SharePoint, or within your computer, if you don't use SharePoint, your Google files, how you set those up, a process could also be during your accounting, what's the process that you go through to get a invoice approved? You know, when the invoice comes in from the vendor, what do you do with it? You know, who has to approve it? Are there dollar amounts that you have to have approvals for? Or can some people just take in a smaller invoice and pay it without any any approvals? We like to see there be a process where it's approved before you get the invoice from the customer, where it's been approved at the time of the order. And that way it can be processed more more quickly on the backside, to just make sure that it says what the purchase order if you use purchase orders or see what your agreement was. So it's the it's the workflow. There's something that triggers an action, and then, once gets triggered, then what takes place? What's next, what's the next steps? And you just go through each one of the things that has to happen for that invoice to get paid, and the check or wire transfer, or or whatever you use as a payment methodology for it to go out the door. And so, you know what you what you do is you start, there's something that triggers it, and then there's a goal for the end, and then you fill in in the center,   Michael Hingson ** 53:38 and it's, it's, it's a fascinating I hate to use the word process to to listen to all of this, but it makes perfect sense that you should be documenting right from the outset about everything that you do, because it also means that you're establishing a plan so that everyone knows exactly what the expectations are and exactly what it is that needs to be done every step of the way,   Jan Southern ** 54:07 right and and one of the primary reasons for that is we can't anticipate life. You know, maybe our favorite person, Louise, is the only one who's ever done, let's say, you know, payroll processing, or something of that sort. And if something happens and Louise isn't able to come in tomorrow, who's going to do it? You know, without a map, a road map, as to the steps that need to be taken, how's that going to take place? And so that's that's really the critical importance. And when you're writing those processes and procedures, you need to make them so that anybody can walk in off the street, if necessary, and do what Louise was doing and have it done. Properly.   Michael Hingson ** 55:00 Of course, as we know, Louise is just a big complainer anyway. That's right, you said, yeah. Well, once you've made recommendations, and let's say they're put in place, then what do you do to continue supporting a business?   Jan Southern ** 55:20 We check in with them periodically, whatever is appropriate for them and and for the procedures that are there, we make sure that it's working for them, that they're being as prosperous as they want to be, and that our recommendations are working for them. Hopefully they'll allow us to come back in and and most do, and make sure that what we recommended is right and in is working for them, and if so, we make little tweaks with their approvals. And maybe new technology has come in, maybe they've installed a new system. And so then we help them to incorporate our prior recommendations into whatever new they have. And so we try to support them on an ongoing basis, if they're willing to do that, which we have many clients. I think Rob has clients he's been with for ever, since he opened his doors 15 years ago. So   Michael Hingson ** 56:19 of course, the other side of that is, I would assume sometimes you work with companies, you've helped them deal with processes and so on, and then you come back in and you know about technology that that they don't know. And I would assume then that you suggest that, and hopefully they see the value of listening to your wisdom.   Jan Southern ** 56:41 Absolutely, we find that a lot. We also if they've discovered a technology on their own, but need help with recommendations, as far as implementation, we can help them through that as well, and that's one of the reasons I'm taking this class in AI to be able to help our customers move into a realm where it's much more easily implemented if, if they already have the steps that we've put into place, you can feed that into an AI model, and it can make adjustments to what they're doing or make suggestions.   Michael Hingson ** 57:19 Is there any kind of a rule of thumb to to answer this question, how long does it take for a project to to be completed?   Jan Southern ** 57:26 You know, it takes, in all fairness, regardless of the size of the company, I would say that they need to allow six weeks minimum. That's for a small company with a small project, it can take as long as a year or two years, depending upon the number of departments and the number of people that you have to talk to about their processes. But to let's just take an example of a one, one single department in a company is looking at doing one of these processes, then they need to allow at least six weeks to for discovery, for mapping, for their people to become accustomed to the new processes and to make sure that the implementation has been tested and is working and and they're satisfied with everything that that is taking place. Six weeks is a very, very minimum, probably 90 days is a more fair assessment as to how long they should allow for everything to take place.   Michael Hingson ** 58:39 Do you find that, if you are successful with, say, a larger company, when you go in and work with one department and you're able to demonstrate success improvements, or whatever it is that that you define as being successful, that then other departments want to use your services as well?   Jan Southern ** 59:00 Yes, yes, we do. That's a very good point. Is that once you've helped them to help themselves, if you will, once you've helped them through that process, then they recognize the value of that, and we'll move on to another division or another department to do the same thing.   Michael Hingson ** 59:21 Word of mouth counts for a lot,   Jan Southern ** 59:24 doesn't it? Though, I'd say 90% of our business at Ferguson and company comes through referrals. They refer either through a center of influence or a current client who's been very satisfied with the work that we've done for them, and they tell their friends and networking people that you know. Here's somebody that you should use if you're considering this type of a project.   Michael Hingson ** 59:48 Well, if people want to reach out to you and maybe explore using your services in Ferguson services, how do they do that?   Jan Southern ** 59:55 They contact they can. If they want to contact me directly, it's Jan. J, a n, at Ferguson dash alliance.com and that's F, E, R, G, U, S, O, N, Dash alliance.com and they can go to our website, which is the same, which is Ferguson dash alliance.com One thing that's very, very good about our our website is, there's a page that's called resources, and there's a lot of free advice, if you will. There's a lot of materials there that are available to family owned businesses, specifically, but any business could probably benefit from that. And so those are free for you to be able to access and look at, and there's a lot of blog information, free eBook out there, and so that's the best way to reach Ferguson Alliance.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:52 Well, cool. Well, I hope people will take all of this to heart. You certainly offered a lot of interesting and I would say, very relevant ideas and thoughts about dealing with processes and the importance of having processes. For several years at a company, my wife was in charge of document control and and not only doc control, but also keeping things secure. Of course, having the sense of humor that I have, I pointed out nobody else around the company knew how to read Braille, so what they should really do is put all the documents in Braille, then they'd be protected, but nobody. I was very disappointed. Good idea   Speaker 2 ** 1:01:36 that is good idea that'll keep them safe from everybody. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:39 Well, I want to thank you for being here, and I want to thank to thank all of you for listening today. We've been doing this an hour. How much fun. It is fun. Well, I appreciate it, and love to hear from all of you about today's episode. Please feel free to reach out to me. You can email me at Michael H i@accessibe.com or go to our podcast page. Michael hingson, M, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s, O, n.com/podcast, but wherever you're listening, please give us a five star rating. We value your thoughts and your opinions, and I hope that you'll tell other people about the podcasts as well. This has been an interesting one, and we try to make them all kind of fun and interesting, so please tell others about it. And if anyone out there listening knows of anyone who ought to be a guest, Jan, including you, then please feel free to introduce us to anyone who you think ought to be a guest on unstoppable mindset. Because I believe everyone has a story to tell, and I want to get as many people to have the opportunity to tell their stories as we can. So I hope that you'll all do that and give us reviews and and stick with us. But Jan, again, I want to thank you for being here. This has been a lot of fun.   Jan Southern ** 1:02:51 It has been a lot of fun, and I certainly thank you for inviting me.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:00 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Join an active community of RE investors here: https://linktr.ee/gabepetersenGROUND-UP DEVELOPMENT IS THE ULTIMATE WEALTH BUILDER

How often do you find yourself racing from meeting to meeting, rushing through tasks, or filling every silence with your own voice? In our doing-oriented culture, pausing feels uncomfortable—even counterproductive. Yet left unchecked, our instinct for action and answers can limit learning, development, and innovation.In this episode, I explore the power of the pause and why mastering it may be one of the most transformative leadership habits you can develop. Pausing with purpose—slowing down to create space for silence, reflection, and intentional action—actually accelerates your impact. It's in the pause—the space between our “doing”—that learning deepens, decisions improve, and people grow. Whether you're leading a team, coaching others, or developing your own learning mindset, this episode will help you discover the power of the pause to drive performance, engagement, and lasting change.YOU'LL LEARN:Why silence feels uncomfortable—and how our instinct to fill the space with our thinking limits growth, reflection, and learningHow embracing ma (間), the Japanese concept of “ meaningful space between”, creates the conditions for learning, understanding, and transformation The importance of intentional reflection (hansei) to cultivate a  learning culture rooted in continuous improvementWhy mastering the pause creates ripple effects across your team, transforms your leadership, and leads to better resultsThree ways to develop the power of the pause as a transformational leadership habit to create clarity, ownership, and insightIMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/56 Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonTIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:01:50 The benefits of mastering the pause 02:12 Why silence is uncomfortable making us want to keep things moving05:05 Katie's aha moment of the telling habit08:58 How to pause to create space for others to think10:16 How the pause is used in Japanese culture13:18 The meaning of ma (間) and how to apply this concept15:41 How reflection (hansei) is deeply rooted in Toyota's culture16:17 An example of how Agustín created pauses in the busyness of the usual work routines to give space for conversations17:47 Why the power of the pause is three-fold17:51 [ONE] Restore the PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Adjust) cycle18:20 [TWO] Pausing gives others space to think18:46 [THREE] The pause shifts you from being reactive to proactive19:40 Three ways to practice the power of the pause19:44 [FIRST] Count silently to 10 after you ask an open question20:01 [SECOND] Schedule reflection and thinking time for yourself and for your team20:22 [THIRD] Practice the Intention Pause21:32 The benefits of holding back before sharing your idea

 Join an active community of RE investors here: https://linktr.ee/gabepetersenHOW TO FIND OFF-MARKET DEALS WITHOUT SPENDING THOUSANDS ON MARKETING

Midudev (Miguel Ángel Durán) comparte con nosotros el lado humano de la programación: cómo se construye comunidad con propósito, por qué el miedo puede ser palanca de crecimiento y el valor de la mejora continua (Kaizen). Hablamos de temas como métricas vs. personas (la “comunidad silenciosa”), responsabilidad como creador y estrategias reales para crecer sin vender humo.Repasamos casos prácticos: del clon mejorado de la Kings League (y la llamada legal) a la web de La Velada, con +10 millones de visitas este año y desarrollo en abierto con más de 400 contribuidores. Cómo pasar de idea a impacto, con foco en rendimiento, UX y comunidad. Consejos accionables para creadores: no empieces en Twitch; usa TikTok e Instagram para descubrir audiencia y lleva el directo cuando ya exista comunidad. Y una realidad dura: el esfuerzo no garantiza resultados, por eso la clave es disfrutar el proceso, iterar y servir a la audiencia correcta. Ha sido un verdadero placer contar con Midudev en este episodio. Si queréis saber más sobre su curso gratuito, os dejamos su web: https://midu.dev/Support the show

Harvard grad, Emmy-winning creative, and Clear Thinker founder Kaizen Asiedu joins Max to teach you how to instantly spot bias, spin, and manipulation in real time — and build a sane, truth-centered information diet in a world engineered to confuse you.15 Daily Steps to Lose Weight and Prevent Disease PDF: https://bit.ly/46XTn8f - Get my FREE eBook now!Subscribe to The Genius Life on YouTube! - http://youtube.com/maxlugavereWatch my new documentary Little Empty Boxes - https://www.maxlugavere.com/filmThis episode is proudly sponsored by:AX3 Life produces highly bioavailable astaxanthin, dubbed the king of carotenoids and a “longevity vitamin.” Visit http://ax3.life and use code MAX for 20% off.Thanksgiving is almost here! Fuel your health and make an impression with Diestel Family Ranch's organic, regenerative, and DELICIOUS turkey. Get $20 off your holiday turkey at diestelturkey.com with code MYBIRD.ARMRA Colostrum protects, rebuilds, and strengthens your body's barriers for defense against everyday threats and enhanced vitality. ⁠TryARMRA.com/genius⁠ and use code GENIUS to get 15% off of your first order.

Send us a textHello PE Nation!Today I wanted to share six new principles that guide our teaching and our lives: take risks, embrace the journey, no limits, Kaizen, love your craft, and change the game. Stories range from a final hello to a principal to the Savannah Bananas' reinvention of baseball, with clear takeaways for any classroom.• why taking smart risks reduces regret• embracing process and momentum over titles• removing false limits for ourselves and students• Kaizen as daily, steady improvement• loving the craft so students feel it• how to change the game without losing standards• practical ways to make PE more joyful and inclusive• book one context and what's coming in book twoIf you want to pick up “High Fives and Empowering Lives, A Physical Educator's Quest for Excellence,” check the show notes to support the show.Happy teaching,Dave-Kindergarten PE Games and Activities ebook ($3.99 for 10 activities)-Check out supersizedphysed.com for more resources, including free PDFs, articles, and courses to help with your PE program. Please leave a review to help grow this podcast and keep pushing our profession forward.-Team Building Games Ebook (with preview): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Team-Building-Games-and-Activities-for-PE-Class-14063095Grab my copy of the Outside PE Checklist as a reference that includes equipment, procedures, transitions, and other essentials for successful outdoor teaching-Free resources include Substack and Medium articles with PE tips, games, and strategies-High Fives and Empowering Lives  book available as an ebook or paperback-Paperback or download: HERE-Amazon Ebook: HERESupport the showBecome a supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/385837/support

It's our first Kaizen after the big Pipely launch in Denver and we have some serious mopping to do. Along the way, we brainstorm the next get-together, check out our new cache hit/miss ratio, give Pipely a deep speed test, discuss open video standards, and more!

It's our first Kaizen after the big Pipely launch in Denver and we have some serious mopping to do. Along the way, we brainstorm the next get-together, check out our new cache hit/miss ratio, give Pipely a deep speed test, discuss open video standards, and more!

Join an active community of RE investors here: https://linktr.ee/gabepetersenMULTIFAMILY AND LUXURY REAL ESTATE INVESTING STRATEGIES

“I don't give advice to my kids. I lead by example.” – Mark Fujiwara Mark's compass isn't a slogan on a wall—it's lived. Born to a Japanese father and Chinese mother, he grew up between two worlds that both valued humility, presence, & community. ✨Wabi-sabi: embrace the cracks & fill them with gold. ✨Ichigo ichie: the sacredness of one moment. ✨Kaizen: one small improvement, every day. ✨Ikigai: doing work that gives life meaning. Those ideas shaped not just his mindset—but how he leads. In boardrooms, he's the calm in the storm. In life, he's the guy who turns struggle into connection. As a wealth advisor, speaker, & founder of Sanctuary 88, he doesn't preach balance—he models it. He builds spaces where honesty is strength & leadership begins with stillness. Because in a world obsessed with hustle, Mark reminds us that the rarest power is peace. The kind that leads quietly, listens deeply, & lifts everyone in the room. If you've ever needed a reminder that leadership can sound like silence… Connect with Mark through Sanctuary 88 & markfujiwara.com. Lao Tzu said, “To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.” Mark listened.

Anne Frewin is a results-driven change agent and Lean coach with more than 12 years of experience partnering with senior leaders and frontline teams to foster a culture of continuous improvement. Drawing on expertise in Lean methodologies, she has led transformative initiatives across healthcare, manufacturing, laboratories, and administrative environments—consistently delivering measurable gains in quality, efficiency, and cost savings. Anne is recognized for her ability to inspire individuals to exceed their own expectations, cultivating relentless problem-solvers through targeted coaching, Kaizen facilitation, and hands-on training. Her leadership is grounded in both academic achievement—including dual Master's degrees in Healthcare Administration and Organizational Leadership—and a proven record of guiding organizations through strategic operational transformations.Link:LinkedIn - Anne Frewin

What if the secret to world-class quality isn't technology but pride? In this episode, Jason unpacks the Japanese concept of Monozukuri - the deep pride and craftsmanship that drives excellence in every detail of work. From the story of Japan's Seven-Minute Miracle cleaning crews to the engineering perfection of the Shinkansen bullet train, Jason reveals how love for the customer, pride in your craft, and acknowledgement of people create unstoppable performance. You'll hear: How one leader turned a team of burned-out cleaners into national heroes through Kaizen. Why “acknowledging your people” might be the single most powerful productivity tool. How friction, frustration, and lack of respect destroy craftsmanship on U.S. job sites. The simple daily practices that can reignite pride and quality in construction. And why every worker deserves to give their hands, head, and heart, not just their labor. If you want to lead teams that love their work and deliver excellence worth clapping for, this episode is your blueprint. Listen now and rediscover what pride in craftsmanship really looks like. If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode.  And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two

INSPIRING COMEBACK STORY

Auto-generated transcript: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. My dear brothers and sisters, people go through what is called a midlife crisis. And this happens for two reasons. One is that when you are young and you have your life goals, most of them are more or less straightforward and… Continue reading Applying_Kaizen_to_mid_life_crisis

Ben Linke is the vice president of Industrial Products and CEO of Waygate Technologies at Baker Hughes. He recently wrote an article for Quality about Kaizen. Sponsored by: MAESTRO: The first all-digital, fully connected CMM built for the future.

Go 1.25.3 and 1.24.9 released

Join an active community of RE investors here: https://linktr.ee/gabepetersenSCALING STUDENT HOUSING TO 100 MILLION

The blog postIn this audio edition of the Lean Blog, Mark Graban revisits a 2014 case study co-authored with Gregory Clancy about Allina Health's early Kaizen journey. What began as four pilot units became a model for engaging everyone in improvement—from nurses to leaders. Mark reflects on concrete examples that still resonate today: reducing wasted motion, improving safety, and building psychological safety so staff feel safe to speak up with ideas.Ten years later, the lessons endure: small ideas create big impact, leaders must coach not control, and improvement thrives only where people feel respected and safe to experiment.Learn how Allina's story connects to enduring principles from Healthcare Kaizen and The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen, and how psychological safety remains the foundation for continuous improvement in healthcare today.

Political extremism has gone off the rails — and America's obsession with tribalism and identity politics is tearing us apart. From nonstop race-baiting to media manipulation, our culture is literally creating new racists.In this explosive episode of Keeping It Real, Jillian Michaels and Kaizen Asiedu break down what's really fueling the divide — and ask the questions no one else will:Can we still talk about race without hate?Can we find common ground in a culture built on outrage? And if can't... are we headed for civil war?This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/jillian.This episode is sponsored by Quince. Go to Quince.com/jillian for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Enter to Win a Copy of David Yeager's book "10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People" - Register to win before October 24th at 11:45pm Pacific: http://chainoflearning.com/55How do you motivate, coach, or lead someone younger—without sounding critical, nagging, or controlling?We've all heard the stereotypes:“Young people don't care.”“They're entitled.”“They can't take feedback.”But what if those assumptions are what's really getting in the way of growth, engagement, and connection?In this episode, I talk with Dr. David Yeager, professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the bestselling book, 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People.David's groundbreaking research—conducted with Carol Dweck, Angela Duckworth, and others—reveals how the right balance of high challenge and high support can unlock potential in the next generation and foster a learning culture where people feel valued, respected, and inspired to grow.Together, we explore the “mentor mindset”—a practical approach to coaching and intentional leadership to help young people move from compliance to engagement and step into their full potential — and how you can provide feedback that creates connection and motivation, not conflict.Whether you're a parent, coach, teacher, or organizational leader, you'll walk away with actionable insights to cultivate a continuous learning mindset and inspire empowered growth. YOU'LL LEARN:How to lead with the mentor mindset to create a “learning zone” that combines high expectations with high support, empathy, respect and belief in people's capability ​​What the “mentor's dilemma” is—and why both the enforcer mindset (high challenge, low support) and the protector mindset (high support, low challenge) fall shortHow great mentors balance rigor and flexibility that encourage people to produce high-quality work without enforcing rigid rulesThe power of transparency and labeling your intent when giving feedback to build trust and clarityThe link between McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y management mindsets and the mentor's dilemma, and how these leadership mindsets show up in organizations such as Microsoft, GE, McDonald's, and WalmartABOUT MY GUEST:David Yeager, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and the cofounder of the Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute. He is the author of, 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People, and best known for his research conducted with Carol Dweck, Angela Duckworth, and Greg Walton on short but powerful interventions that influence adolescent behaviors such as motivation, engagement, healthy eating, bullying, stress, mental health, and more. IMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/54 Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.comConnect with David Yeager: linkedin.com/in/david-yeager Follow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonCheck out David Yeager's book 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation—And Making Your Own Life Easier: amazon.com/10-25-Motivating-Groundbreaking-Generation Reach out to learn more about the Athena App: https://txbspi.prc.utexas.edu/Join The Power of the Mindset Masterclass: https://www.masterclass.com/classes/power-of-mindsetSubscribe to my newsletter: kbjanderson.com/newsletter TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:02:23 The misconceptions about young one that led to David's research04:23 What the mentor's dilemma is and how to overcome it05:53 The disconnect with giving and receiving feedback 07:43 Other alternatives to what mentorship can really be for young ones09:06 The predicament young ones are in between wanting respect, but not having the rights of adulthood10:50 The difference between the enforcer and protector mindset11:32 The mentor's dilemma in withholding feedback or being too supportive12:58 Characteristics of the enforcer mindset in the blame and shame approach and the problems it causes14:02 Characteristics of the protector mindset includes low standards, but high support16:37 Different types of leadership styles and why they can be referred to as “mindsets” instead 19:16 The conflicts between protector and enforcer mindsets21:56 How to have a mentor mindset in dealing with challenges in the workplace or at home22:26 Example of a mentor mindset in dealing with students in holding a high standard, while also providing support28:44 Difference between intellectual rigor and logistical rigor30:92 Benefit of holding a rigorous standard while also providing support in helping others meet their goals32:51 Example of Stef Okamoto in transforming her old enforcer culture to embracing a mentor mindset focused on honesty and collaboration37:14 Example of how to use the mentor mindset in correcting behavior in the workplace without being offensive43:47 The Athena App created with Carol Dweck to help managers deal with conflict45:41 The misalignment between the real experience in working in serving customers and what managers really need46:34 Top tip for managers to show up with the mentor mindset in addition to asking questions47:55 The importance of transparency in leadership to collaboratively troubleshoot issues49:30 Why leading and mentoring young people isn't about lowering the bar or enforcing compliance, but holding high standards with support50:41 Asking questions and providing encouragement to be a better leader51:28 The power of labeling and making your intentions clear when giving feedback52:37 Question to reflect on to shift into a mindset mentor Enter to Win a Copy of David Yeager's book "10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People" - Register to win before October 24th at 11:45pm Pacific: http://chainoflearning.com/55

Discover the timeless laws of success behind Steven Bartlett's The Diary of a CEO. Learn how a broke 18-year-old dropout built a multimillion-dollar company by 27 — and what his 33 Laws can teach you about mindset, leadership, and growth. Free Audiobook / PDF & Infographic

Join an active community of RE investors here: https://linktr.ee/gabepetersenESCAPING THE 14-HOUR WORKDAY TRAP

Barry emphasized the importance of finishing the year strong while laying the groundwork for 2026, comparing it to a sprinter running through the finish line. He introduced five key pillars for success—mindset and resilience, productivity, financial resources, relationships, and vision—and encouraged attendees to self-assess their strengths and gaps. Barry shared strategies like journaling, affirmations, and meditation to build resilience, along with shifting from time management to activity management to maximize productivity. He also highlighted the role of AI and virtual assistants in saving time, reframing expenses as business investments, and being intentional about building supportive networks. Barry urged participants to set a 12-month vision now rather than waiting for January, stressing that clarity of purpose and consistent small improvements (Kaizen) drive growth. He closed by inviting attendees to upcoming events and training, reinforcing that momentum, mindset, and vision are the foundation for long-term success.

Josh Howell, LEI President, and Mark Reich, LEI Chief Engineer Strategy, are joined by Jon Armstrong, Co-Founder and CEO of Do It American MFG Company, which produces goods for public utilities. Jon started the company in 2008 and is an advocate for U.S.-based manufacturing. Earlier in his career as a manager at Walker Corporation he learned about the Toyota Production System (TPS) directly from the eminent Hajime Oba while being assisted by the Toyota Production System Support Center (TSSC).   This month The Management Brief explores how leaders transform and rethink traditional management approaches to achieve success with lean. Jon remembers the “wonderful experience” of working alongside Mr. Oba “that honestly changed my life and resulted in some successes and the company that we're building today.”  Jon learned TPS by doing and experimenting because Mr. Oba and TSSC staff would never directly advise a path to improvement: “One of the main things I learned real quick is — especially with Mr. Oba because he didn't really say very much — you really had to work hard and pay attention to what he was paying attention to. That was the key thing, to try to understand in manufacturing and processes what was important. They would tell you, but they wouldn't tell you by telling you. They'd tell you by paying attention to certain things.”  Some of highlights of the trio's discussion includes:  Leadership style learned from Mr. Oba: “I just loved being around him,” says Jon. “He seemed like a nice guy. He took things so seriously, and there was such a sense about him of really caring — about not only the process and transferring the knowledge, but also a real caring for the people that were working within the process. I just really appreciated that. I try to do that as much as I can moving forward with the folks we've got here.”   Living the TSSC mission: Mark, who was a general manager at TSSC, says that Jon has realized the mission of TSSC to help organizations improve and keep manufacturing in the United States. Jon replies, “From TSSC, what they really gave me is that the learning I had gave me the confidence that we could do a manufacturing company and do it better than the people we were competing with. If you apply TPS — just some of the principles — and you do a good job of that, people using traditional methods are not going to be able to compete with you.”  Kaizen learnings from TSSC: The purpose of kaizen is not the improvement that is generated but learning how to improve. Jon says, “People think the way you improve is you do kaizen events; the kaizen event is the improvement. It wasn't. Those are really training events. The kaizen event was to teach us how to do improvement.”  Respect people and promote problem solving: Josh recalls his visit to Do It American MFG, where he saw an “abundance” of respect for the people doing the work. For example, the company uses an andon system to assist employees when problems arise, to which leaders try to respond rapidly with assistance, not blame, to encourage the identification of problems. “If you're responsive and you don't blame them, they are much more willing to share and help become part of the problem-solving solution. It works really well. One thing we've done is we have taken the fear away.” Some employees have come from companies with a bad culture and, says Jon, “it's fascinating how long it takes to unlearn what goes on if somebody works in a bad culture where they get beat up for making a mistake or causing a defect.” 

Pour en savoir plus sur comment trouver le bonheur et remplir ta vie d'épanouissement, je te donne rendez-vous sur : https://www.sylvainviens.com/

This episode explores the power of Kaizen, the Japanese philosophy of getting 1% better every day. Listeners are challenged to a 30-day Kaizen Challenge to transform their leadership through small, consistent improvements.Host: Paul FalavolitoConnect with me on your favorite platform: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Substack, BlueSky, Threads, DiscordFree Leadership Resources: www.paulfalavolito.comBooks by Paul FalavolitoThe 7 Minute Leadership Handbook: bit.ly/48J8zFGThe Leadership Academy: https://bit.ly/4lnT1PfThe 7 Minute Leadership Survival Guide: https://bit.ly/4ij0g8yOfficial 7 Minute Leadership MerchGrab exclusive gear and more: linktr.ee/paulfalavolitoPartners & DiscountsFlying Eyes Optics – Best aviator sunglasses on the marketGet 10% off with code: PFAVShop now: flyingeyesoptics.comGatsby Shoes – Dress sneakers built for leaders on the moveUse my affiliate link for 10% off: Gatsby ShoesSubscribe & Listen to My Podcasts:The 7 Minute Leadership Podcast1 PAPA FOXTROT – General Aviation PodcastThe DailyPfav

One thing I'm always leery of are fitness industry buzzwords. For instance when people start talking about cleanses, detoxes, or fitness “challenges” I'm immediately skeptical. And in that same vein, you here all kinds of people today talking about gym culture. But what does that really MEAN? Can you truly create a gym culture? And […] The post Andy McCloy on Kaizen Coaches and Building an ELITE Gym Culture appeared first on Robertson Training Systems.

Join an active community of RE investors here: https://linktr.ee/gabepetersenVIRTUAL WHOLESALING BLUEPRINT FOR MASSIVE PROFITS

How does sparking innovation drive national success? In this episode with Lawrence Armstrong, Chairman of Ware Malcolm, an award-winning design firm operating across the USA, Canada and Mexico, find out how to embed innovation in team culture. Experience our episodes in a whole new way - watch every video version on our YouTube channel HERE Subscribe now to be the first to catch our next release.   Soundbites [0:09 Whole-brain creativity in leadership [3:27] Layered Leadership drawing from architecture and art [4:25] Culture as a multilayered element [5:52] Career growth through mentoring and coaching [7:24] From architecture into interior, graphic and civil design services [8:06] Cultures across different offices [8:40] Innovation and incremental improvement [10:30] Staff-generated ideas to improve the company [12:44] Balancing top-down leadership to strengthen culture [14:01] Recruiting the right people and Kaizen thinking [14:52] Business books and influences that shaped the company [17:44] Regenerative innovation through constant change [19:10] Anticipating AI's impact on architecture [21:04] Historical innovations and their influence on modern architecture CONTACT LAWRENCE ARMSTRONG Websites: layeredleadershipbook.com  lawrencerarmstrong.com  waremalcomb.com  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lawrencearmstrong Email: larmstrong@waremalcomb.com   ABOUT PODCAST HOST, NINA SUNDAY Nina Sunday's latest book, ‘'Manage Self, Lead Others: Constructive Conversations, True Self-Leadership, and Culture You Can't Fake'' now on Amazon - paperback or kindle. Amazon USA ⁠⁠https://a.co/d/3WaplI9⁠⁠ Amazon Australia ⁠⁠https://amzn.asia/d/0KwghaM⁠⁠ You can read any Kindle eBook on your PC, laptop or phone; you don't need a Kindle device. === To learn more about face-to-face training programs with Nina Sunday or one of her experienced Facilitators from Brainpower Training Pty Ltd in Australia Pacific, visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.brainpowertraining.com.au/signature-programs/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ === To visit Nina Sunday's speaker site for global in-person speaking bookings visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.ninasunday.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ === Connect with Nina Sunday on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠ === To subscribe to Nina Sunday's blog go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.brainpowertraining.com.au/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and scroll to bottom of the page to register. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enter to win a pair of Nicolas Kemp's books: "IKIGAI-KAN: Feel a Life Worth Living" and "Rolefulness: A Guide to Purposeful Living" - Register by October 10th at 11:45pm Pacific and be sure to share your lucky URL to increase your chances of winning: http://chainoflearning.com/53Ikigai is one of the hottest buzzwords in leadership and personal development. But what does ikigai really mean?When you think of ikigai, what do you envision? Is it the popular Venn diagram that claims to help you find your purpose by identifying “the sweet spot” where what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for overlap? The problem? That's not ikigai at all. And in fact, the very process of putting ikigai into a framework contradicts the authentic meaning of the word.To dispel what he calls the “ikigai hoax” and uncover its deeper meaning I'm joined by Nicholas Kemp—Japanologist, researcher and author of IKIGAI-KAN: Feel a Life Worth Living and the new book Rolefulness, co-authored with Professor Daiki Kato. We explore how ikigai is fundamentally about creating meaning, connection, and a life —and workplace—where people feel life is worth livingIt's about being before doing and cultivating simple joys, authentic relationships, and spaces where people feel safe, valued, and inspired, whatever roles you are playing in your life or at work.Let's rediscover ikigai—not as a trendy framework, but as a powerful principle to understanding personal purpose, leadership development, and how to cultivate organizations where every individual can thrive. YOU'LL LEARN:Why the popular Venn diagram version of ikigai is a myth—and what authentic ikigai really means in JapanWhy ikigai is an essential concept for leaders who want to create people-centered workplacesThe deeper meaning of kokorozashi and its connection to purpose, intention, and leadership impactWhat “rolefulness” means and why understanding your roles in life can bring meaning into your relationships and workplacePractical ways to apply ikigai in leadership and daily life to inspire individuals and build thriving teamsABOUT MY GUEST:Nicholas Kemp, known as The Ikigai Coach, is a coach trainer, public speaker, consultant, and author of IKIGAI-KAN: Feel a Life Worth Living and Rolefulness. He is the founder and head coach of Ikigai Tribe, a community of educators, psychologists, coaches, and trainers dedicated to serving their communities through the authentic practice of Ikigai. With decades of experience living in Japan and training leaders worldwide, Nick is the trusted voice on how Ikigai can be embodied—not just studied.IMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/53 Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.comConnect with Nick Kemp: linkedin.com/in/nicholas-kemp Follow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonCheck out Nick Kemp's Ikigai Tribe website and get his books: https://ikigaitribe.com/Download my free KATALYST™ Change Leader Self-Assessment: KBJAnderson.com/katalyst Learn more about my Japan Leadership Experience: kbjanderson.com/japantrip TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:02:20 What ikigai really means03:11 The misconception people think ikigai is04:10 The ikigai hoax of the popular viral Venn diagram07:04 Why Nick calls himself a Japanologist and his deep understanding of Japanese principles10:57 The different structures of ikigai to identify relationships, people roles, and hobbies11:19 What “Kan” means in Ikigai-Kan that makes you feel that life is worth living13:27 The concept of slowing down into “be” not just “do”14:35 How to get back to the ikigai essence of life and work15:00 The meaning of ibasho and that is built on three ideas that make you feel comfortable and have a sense of purpose17:34 The importance of having a psychologically safe environment where continuous improvement thrives19:54 What kokorozashi means to align our behaviors with intention21:20 How Japan uses kokorozashi in their biggest business school24:01 Breaking down the concept of kokorozashi to put ideas into action25:38 What inspired Rolefullness to make it an extension of ikigai29:03 Tips on how to understand your role in your own life whether at work or home23:23 Three ways to enrich your life 30:22 The importance of meaningful conversations and expressing gratitude32:26 How to be more roleful to make a change in your business and relationships and fulfill a specific role36:07 The concept of authenticity to show up as you are with maximum impact36:58 How to get started in getting more intentional in being your authentic self38:12 The greatest gift of ikigai and allowing a person to pursue their work role42:12 Cultivating ikigai, kokorozashi, and shiko to create space where people feel safe, valued, and inspired43:24 Three simple ways to create ibasho to build a welcome place where people thrive  Register to win a pair of Nick Kemp's books: "Ikigai-Kan" and "Rolefullness" - enter to win by October 10th: http://chainoflearning.com/53

Join an active community of RE investors here: https://linktr.ee/gabepetersenTURN YOUR RENTAL PORTFOLIO INTO A DEAL-GENERATING MACHINE

A company spends $10M over two years on a critical software product, but after firing one vendor and hiring a second, they still have nothing to show for it. This case study details the 5-step action plan used to rescue a failing project, restore internal credibility, and get product delivery back on track. From revamping the product roadmap and redefining vendor contracts to empowering a true product owner, this episode is a masterclass in turning around a high-stakes technology transformation. Discover how to shift from analysis paralysis to momentum and learn why strategy is meaningless without an execution engine you can trust. We also uncover how the team found a surprise opportunity to build new AI products by leveraging decades of institutional data they already had. In this episode: How to create a living technology and product roadmap that aligns both business stakeholders and frontline users. The critical shift from project management (Gantt charts and deliverables) to product management (business outcomes and priorities). Actionable strategies for vendor governance, including tying payment milestones to the delivery of working software. Using incremental delivery and weekly demos to catch misunderstandings early and de-risk the development process. How to move from "analysis paralysis" to action by designing small experiments to test new AI product ideas. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence