Podcasts about Kaizen

A global economic crisis is dragging down sales.Departments are working in silos and leaders at all levels are arguing about priorities. Managers are too busy to coach their teams.You might think this describes your organization today—and it was the exact situation Toyota faced nearly 50 years ago.This challenge sparked one of the most ambitious and influential—and least known outside Japan—leadership development programs in Toyota's history: the Kanri Nouryoku Program, or Kan-Pro for short. “Kanri” meaning management, and “Nouryoku” meaning capability.Kan-Pro helped establish the people-centered learning culture Toyota is famous for today and embedded A3 thinking as a foundational process for problem-solving, communication, and leadership development.I invited Isao Yoshino—a 40-year Toyota leader who was one of the key team members who helped create and lead the program—to share his experience in two pivotal moments in Toyota's evolution and how he learned to lead cultural leadership transformation from a place of influence, not authority. Join me and Mr. Yoshino—also the subject of my Shingo-award winning book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn — as we celebrate its 5-year anniversary this month!YOU'LL LEARN:The problem Toyota was trying to solve—and how Kan-Pro emerged as the countermeasureThe leadership styles of Masao Nemoto vs. Taiichi Ohno—and how both shaped Toyota's culture through the development of Toyota Way management culture and the Toyota Production System How Mr. Yoshino learned to coach and develop more senior executives as a mid-level internal change leaderThe process that established A3 thinking as the standard for leadership development, communication, and problem-solving across ToyotaCritical leadership behaviors that led to Toyota's success—which have come to be known as “lean management”Stay tuned for Episode 50 where Mr. Yoshino shares his major assignment to “change the culture”—how he and his team, including Lean Global Network Chairman John Shook, led the training and transformation of frontline American leaders at NUMMI, the GM–Toyota joint venture in the 1980s.ABOUT MY GUEST:Isao Yoshino, worked at Toyota Motor Corporation for over 40 years—from the late 1960s to the early 2000s—and played an important role in the development of Toyota's people-centered learning culture it's now famous for. He was a key part of Kan-Pro senior leadership development program, which embedded A3 thinking as the process for problem-solving, communication, and leadership development across the organization—and has deep expertise in the practice of hoshin-kanri—Toyota's strategy deployment process.IMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes: ChainOfLearning.com/47My website with resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonDownload my free KATALYST™ Change Leader Self-Assessment: KBJAnderson.com/katalyst Learn more about the Japan Leadership Experience: kbjanderson.com/japantrip My book featuring lessons from Isao Yoshino's 40 years of Toyota Leadership: LearningToLeadLeadingToLearn.comTIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:03:51 The leadership shift behind the Toyota Way towards a people centered approach06:03 How Taiichi Ohno shaped the Toyota Production System and Masao Nemoto shaped Toyota Way style leadership07:41 Closing Toyota's leadership gap and how Kan-Pro emerged as a countermeasure12:41 Why committed top-down leadership ownership is essential to creating organizational culture14:46 How seriousness and patience sets Toyota apart15:17 Why Toyota created Kan-Pro to 're-tighten the belt' on leadership capabilities and why they need to refocus on leadership capabilities every generation18:55 The leader's role in setting direction and providing support to their people 20:40 The mindset shift in top management to not to fake it21:17 Mr. Yoshino's experience coaching senior leaders through hands-on A3 learning25:38 Key influence skills Mr. Yoshino learned from great Toyota managers28:12 The importance of respect by senior leaders even when there's resistance to change28:58 Being a Yes-Minded Persuader – a key KATALYST™ Chang Leader competency –  in bringing leaders along in change 31:25 Lessons from coaching senior leaders using A3 thinking during Kan-Pro35:45 The positive shift when leaders prepare the A3 themselves37:48 Importance of handwritten A3s to senior executives41:13 The significance of a leader stamping their hanko on an A3 document43:35 Why an A3 at Toyota is different compared to most companies45:16 Mr. Yoshino's highlights in participating in Katie's Japan Leadership Experience lean management tours 48:29 Leading change involves empathy, patience, and helping others change themselves48:50 Questions to reflect on as a change agent in your organization Apply for the Nov 2025 Japan Leadership Experience https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/ 

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Challenging Ego and Creating Empathy with April SimmonsTim sits down with industry powerhouse, April Simmons, to explore her journey from loan officer to digital retailing pioneer to operations leader at Horne Auto Group.April shares candid stories of breaking barriers as a woman in automotive, building successful internet departments, and discovering her “second mountain”—a mission to empower others.From resilience to reinvention, this TimTalks episode has actionable insights for anyone looking to grow in the auto industry.Connect with April on LinkedIn.[00:00 – 01:04] Opening & Guest IntroductionTim introduces the episode and welcomes long-time friend and automotive leader April Simmons.[01:04 – 02:31] A Decade of PartnershipApril reflects on meeting Tim in 2016 and their early work together to bring CarNow into Earnhardt.[02:31 – 03:57] Taking Risks as a Thought LeaderApril and Tim recall navigating early challenges of introducing new tech into traditional dealerships.[03:57 – 05:02] April's Automotive Origin StoryFrom a Nebraska bank loan officer to the Arizona car scene, April shares her path to the auto industry.[05:02 – 07:22] Early Lessons & AdaptingApril discusses her evolution with technology, from banking systems to the dawn of digital retailing.[07:22 – 09:04] Entering Retail Automotive & Breaking BarriersApril shares her journey into finance and her determination to rise in a male-dominated industry.[09:04 – 12:03] Building Internet Departments & Learning MarketingApril explains how she learned internet sales and marketing by leveraging vendor insights and curiosity.[12:03 – 13:29] The Secret Sauce: CommunicationApril's success formula: apply proven retail principles while evolving communication methods.[13:29 – 17:21] Women in Automotive: Opportunity & ObstaclesTim and April explore how women dominate when given the chance, and what holds the industry back from greater inclusivity.[17:21 – 22:10] Retaining Women & Evolving CultureApril stresses retention and the need for leadership to evolve beyond historic toxic norms.[22:10 – 26:08] Treat People How You Wish To Be TreatedA powerful discussion on breaking cycles and building better, healthier leadership environments.[26:08 – 31:22] From Survival to JoyApril opens up about transitioning from survival mode to a values-driven life and leadership journey.[31:22 – 36:08] The Call to EmpowerApril outlines her calling to be the “foundation of others' evolution,” teaching and empowering without boundaries.[36:08 – 37:43] Continuous ImprovementApril shares her word of the year: Kaizen. She gives insight into how small daily actions fuel growth and clarity.[37:43 – 37:54] Closing RemarksTim and April wrap the episode with gratitude, encouragement, and a commitment to always get better together.

I always enjoy having the opportunity to speak with business professionals and leaders. Fidel Guzman not only is such a professional, but he also works in the corporate training arena teaching his company's employees and leaders about leadership and continuous improvement. Fidel comes by his talents honestly. He grew up in an environment where he needed to learn and grow. He secured a Bachelor's degree and an MBA both from Northeastern Illinois University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. Fidel started out wanting to be a kindergarten teacher, but he ended up taking a different road. He went to work for a company where he helped people progress within various industries. The company he worked for was bought by ION Group in Chicago, IL. Fidel flourished and became the Manager of Internal Training for the company. Mr. Guzman is quite adaptable and can train people within the organization even though they may well have their own expertise in different industries. Fidel and I talk about everything from leadership, the future of corporate training and we even take time to explore how AI is and will become more a part of his work and the work we all do. When not working Fidel has various outside activities. His most loved efforts go, of course, into being part of a family. He also serves as Vice President of Education for Toastmasters International. He loves to be involved in Mixed Martial Arts. He keeps quite busy at a variety of activities and clearly loves the challenges he gets to address along the way. About the Guest: Fidel Guzman is a dynamic and enthusiastic Learning & Develoment professional with a proven track record in instructional design, project management, and training development. With a Master of Business Administration from Northeastern Illinois University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude, Fidel has consistently demonstrated his commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. His extensive experience spans various industries, including finance, telecommunications, and fitness, showcasing his versatility and adaptability. Currently serving as the Manager of Internal Training at ION Group in Chicago, IL. Fidel and his small but mighty team facilitate onboarding programs and training initiatives for over 13,000 employees globally. He has experience developing comprehensive new hire onboarding curricula and career progression pathways for multiple departments, ensuring effective and innovative learning solutions. Fidel's leadership extends beyond his professional role, as he actively participates in numerous company committees focused on community volunteer events, work-life balance education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Fidel's passion for personal and professional development is evident in his certifications, including “Creating a Coaching Culture” from SHRM and “Coaching Skills for Leaders and Managers” from PMI. Fluent in both Spanish and English, he leverages his bilingual skills to connect with a diverse audience. Outside of his professional endeavors, Fidel enjoys podcasting, judo, triathlons, hiking, and poetry, reflecting his well-rounded and adventurous spirit. In addition to his professional achievements, Fidel has a strong commitment to volunteerism and community involvement. He is serving as the Vice President of Education for Toastmasters International and has been an MMA class instructor and coordinator at St. Bruno Elementary. His dedication to helping others is further demonstrated through his role as an academic tutor at Berwyn Public Library. Ways to connect with Fidel: (1) Fidel Guzman, MBA | LinkedIn New Podcast- The Hero in the Mirror on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/44xD76FcF5YFMNyuigFmBm?si=2so3OWJdQby6F91ZaY1AUg The Hero in the Mirror also on Youtube: (3) HerointheMirror - YouTube 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 ** 01:21 Greetings, everyone. I am Michael Hingson, and you are listening to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet, and today we get to do the unexpected. And of course, what the unexpected is is anything that doesn't have anything to do with inclusion or diversity. So that's most things you know, in a lot of ways. Anyway, our guest today is Fidel, and am I pronouncing it right? Guzman, yes, you got it. Oh, my goodness. Comes from listening to Guzman's who play baseball. Okay, I'll take that. That's a way. So Fidel reached out to me some time ago. We're going to be doing some speaking to his company ion. But in the meanwhile, I also convinced him that he had to come on unstoppable mindset and talk with us, tell us about himself, tell us a lot about what he does and why he does it, and help to contribute to our general theme, which is that we're all more unstoppable than we think we are, and we usually underrate ourselves. So we we try to improve by discovering that more people are unstoppable than we think they are, and that we thought they were. So that works out. Well, Fidel has a degree in business. He has a Masters of Business Administration. You graduated sigma cum laude, which is pretty cool. And I did cum laude, but I didn't get to do sigma or Magna, but that's okay, but that's okay anyway. Fidel, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here.   Fidel Guzman ** 02:56 Michael, it's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me.   Michael Hingson ** 03:00 Well, my pleasure, and I'm looking forward to to chatting and talking about some businessy things and anything else that you want to talk about. So let's start this way. It's always fun to do this. Why don't we start by you telling us kind of, maybe, about the early Fidel growing up and some of that stuff, and what got you started down the road of life as it were.   Fidel Guzman ** 03:20 Yeah, yeah, that's all right, yeah, let's let's go back. Let's go back to where it all started,   Michael Hingson ** 03:25 long time ago,   Fidel Guzman ** 03:30 definitely. So I'm born and raised in Los Angeles, Compton, Huntington Park area. I come from Mexican parents. They they they came here to the United States to give their their family a better future. Some first generation Mexican American, very proud. So actually, we do have a little diversity in here on this call. Oh, good. There we go. Yeah. So first generation Mexican American, my family traveled a lot when I was young. My dad's a truck driver, so wherever there was work, he would take us along. So we grew up and raised Los Angeles. I was seven or eight, then we ended up going to Mexico for a couple years, in Dallas, then St Louis, and then we ended up here in Chicago, here in the Midwest. Wow. Winter, the winters here were a bit surprising and tough. When I was in elementary school, I remember the first snow that I saw. It was, it was beautiful. After two weeks, I was like, All right, when is it? When is it gonna go away? And I was in for the the rude awakening that it's gonna it's gonna stick around for, for a few months or so, yeah, but I've had, you know, since then here, here in Chicago, we started to grow our roots. And I have five brothers and a sister. So I have a big family, a big Hispanic family, and I went to high school. My freshman year, I went to Lane Tech. Tech for all my folks who are familiar with the Chicagoland area. And then I ended up going to transferring over to Morton West in Berwyn. After I graduated high school, I went to Northeastern Illinois University, my alma mater, I got my undergrad in business management and marketing, and also got my Masters in Business Administration. So I am a proud double alumni from Northeastern Illinois University, and I really owe this, this community of Northeastern Illinois University, a lot with respect to the great teachers that they have there, the community that they try to build, and the friends and that I made along the way, as well as the education, of course, that helped, really helped me expand my career opportunities. After I graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with my undergrad, I started my first real corporate role inside of backstop solutions. And backstop solutions was a still, you know, it was a great company to be a part of lots of mentors. If I can, actually, I would like to give a quick shout out to a few mentors that I had along the way, such as Deanne Falk, Richard fu our CEO, our legacy CEO, Clint Coghill, Sarah Schroeder, and the current head of learning and development under ion. Alexander Lloyd and I really want to thank them for all their mentorship and leadership, because it's really helped me get and grow to the person that I am today. So with that, yeah, I am the manager of internal training at ion. We came I came in via an acquisition, when backstop was acquired, and throughout that period, like I was, I had some some free time, so to say, and ended up getting my Masters in Business Administration.   Michael Hingson ** 06:48 And so along the way, did you get yourself married and all that? Oh, my   Fidel Guzman ** 06:52 wife is going to kill me. Yes. Along the way, sorry about that. No, yeah, yeah, of course, yeah. Can't forget, can't forget about those significant others. But yes, I am married. My wife has a master's in occupational therapy, so she's in the medical field, and I'm in, like, the business learning and development side of things, so our conversations are pretty interesting, as well as our perspectives on things. I also have a daughter. She's 16, going on 17 people are usually very surprised when I tell them the age of my daughter, but had her early when I was in my early 20s, so young dad and she was a blessing. I wouldn't, wouldn't have it any other way.   Michael Hingson ** 07:33 That's that is great. Why did you decide to go into business and study business in college.   Fidel Guzman ** 07:42 So interestingly enough, when I got into college, I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. I wanted to be cool Mr. Guzman, because I also really I love kids. I love working with kids. I was also a mixed martial arts program coordinator and instructor at an elementary school on the south side of Chicago for three years, and that was during my undergrad. And I taught all grades kindergarten through eighth grade, some of the basics in boxing, wrestling, jiu jitsu and kickboxing, so a bit of both. But as I was going through through my clinicals, as I was going through the the Yeah, the education aspect of it, I ended up wanting to switch majors. So I was like, I was like, hey, there's probably a lot more opportunity, a lot more opportunity for growth inside of the business segment. So I ended up switching my majors to business management, marketing, and somehow learning just found its way back into my life. So a lot of the stuff that I learned from some of those, those preliminary courses in in education. I mean, still, still resonate to this day, right? Understand your audience. Understand which students are visual learners, which ones are experiential learners. Which one need more repetitive exercise to to drill something in? So, yeah, the universe did not, did not lead me too far away from, from from teaching and being an instructor, and here I am. I know   Michael Hingson ** 09:08 that feeling well. So a couple things. First of all, I was born in Chicago, but we moved to California when I was five, but in Chicago, you start kindergarten at the age of four. So I went for a year to a special kindergarten class that my parents and others advocated for, for premature, blind kids, because there were a whole bunch in the Chicago area during the whole baby boomer area, a number of children were born prematurely and given a pure oxygen environment, which caused them to lose their eyesight. And so the bottom line is that happened to me among others. And so I went to the Perry school. I don't even know if it's around anymore. Somebody told me it wasn't around anymore, but that's where I went to school. And went there for a year of kindergarten, learned braille and other things. And then we moved to California. So I always wanted to be a teacher as well, and I came at teaching from a different standpoint, as you did. That is to say, Well, I wanted to be a teacher. My first job out of college wasn't directly teaching, except I ended up having to write training materials and do other things like that, and then I ended up going into sales, and what I learned is that the best sales people are really teachers. They're counselors. They guide and they help people, especially when you're dealing with major account sales, they help people look at products. They teach about what their product does and the really good sales people are brave enough to admit when their product might not be the best fit for someone, because it's also all about building trust. And good teachers are concerned about building trust as well. Of course.   Fidel Guzman ** 10:57 Yeah, one of my teachers when I was close to graduating, you know, one of the things that you know this teacher, Dr funk, if I remember correctly, he instilled in us, if you're able to synthesize what you learned and explain it to a five year old, you've done a good job. Like you, you you yourself understand that particular concept or that particular topic. And I really took that to heart. So now, you know, and a lot of these roles, if, from the the main instructor, I want and need to be able to explain it, you know, to my kid, to explain it in in simple terms. And, of course, you know, expand on it if needed. But, but   Michael Hingson ** 11:40 it ultimately comes down to you can provide all the information you want, but they have to teach themselves, really, and they're not going to do that, and they're not going to listen to you if they don't trust you. So trust is a vital part of what we do,   Fidel Guzman ** 11:56 exactly spot on,   Michael Hingson ** 11:58 and I have found that that developing that trust is so extremely important. I learned a lot about trust from working with guide dogs, right from the very first guide dog that I obtained back in 1964 when I was 14. It was all about building a team and I and although I didn't know how to really externally, say it necessarily, until many years later, internally, I understood that my job was to build a relationship and that I was going to be the team leader, and needed to be able to gain trust, as well as trust my teammate in in what we did. So worked out pretty well, though. So, you know, I was that was pretty cool. So what does ion do? What is ion?   Fidel Guzman ** 12:49 Yeah, I yeah for sure. So ion is a essentially, you can, you can think of it as a software company for the investment community. We provide a number of different platforms for them to streamline their processes and track information, or be end users of that of data.   Michael Hingson ** 13:07 So people buy your software and do what   Fidel Guzman ** 13:11 they can either leverage the data that's being provided to them, or they can include data within specific platforms.   Michael Hingson ** 13:20 Are you starting to see that this whole concept of so called AI is valuable in what you do, or, as I am working with that yet,   Fidel Guzman ** 13:30 yes, definitely, we are big on streamlining processes and making sure that we're maximizing the best use of everyone's time, and AI really has a really important component in that. So for for learning and development, one of the ways that we're using AI is for content creation, so whether it's just creating a simple outline for a course or starting to use that to create slides, but there, we're also taking a look at the way AI can be used on a regular basis to provide feedback for reps like let's say someone finishes a demo. If they want to do some self reflection, they can leverage AI to get some feedback on what worked well what didn't. Was there enough engagement? How was my use of technology, so on and so forth. So not only is AI being used from, you know, creating content, but also as, like a ad hoc instructor and and way to generate feedback,   Michael Hingson ** 14:31 well, and it offers so much versatility, you can really have it go many different ways. So it is very possible it can be an instructor, as you say, an ad hoc instructor, but it really can present its information in a good teaching way too. So you can have conversations with it. You can do the same sorts of things that you would do with a teacher. I think that AI clearly, is here to stay, but I think. Think over time, AI is going to evolve a lot. I am not of the opinion that AI will replace people for a variety of reasons, but I think that it's here and it's up to us to be smart as to how we use it.   Fidel Guzman ** 15:14 Definitely. I think one of the the tips that we always give people is AI does a really great job of a number of different things, but it's always going to need that human touch at the end of at the end of the day. So don't just take don't just take some content that AI has created and take it to heart. Make sure to review it. Make sure to put that personal touch on there and have it speak your language. Have it really resonate with the audience as well, especially that, oh, go ahead. Or also just on Super mechanical, super scripted,   Michael Hingson ** 15:49 well, and I think as AI grows, it's going to try to emulate, or we're going to use it to try to emulate people more and more, but it still isn't going to get to the point where it truly is me or you, and we do have to put our mark on it. I've used it to help create several articles, and what I've done when I do that is I'll tell it what I want it to write about, and let it do it, and it comes up with some pretty good ideas that I incorporate into the article, that I create, between what it provides and what I add to the mix. And it really should be that way. Exactly what I've really found interesting is the number of people like in classrooms, who say teachers, who say, you know, it's really harder and harder and harder to tell when a student uses AI to write a paper or if the student is doing it themselves. And the first time I heard that, immediately, my idea of what to do was something like this, let the student use AI if they want to, let the have ai do the whole paper. What you ought to do is to have one day after all the students turn their papers in, where you bring each student up to the front of the class and say, defend your paper. Now you have one minute if they don't really know, yeah. I mean, if they don't know what's going on, then they're not going to be able to do very well, and they fail.   Fidel Guzman ** 17:19 Yes, I am a big proponent of comprehensive exercises and also public speaking. How well? How well can you articulate the thought that you gave in that paper? Right? Some of those different talking points, right? Can you convey the same message in front of the classroom?   Michael Hingson ** 17:38 Yeah, and, and, you can tell if a person is just not necessarily a great public speaker, they're nervous, as opposed to whether they know the subject. And those, in a sense, are two different things. But you can use the fact that students are at the front of the classroom to help make them better speakers, too, which is a good thing.   Fidel Guzman ** 17:59 Yeah, no, yeah. I agree with you. If they are using AI, just, you know, turn around a paper, have them present in front of the classroom. Yeah, let's, let's talk a bit more about your paper, yeah, and, and really have it be an interactive exercise. I think that's really where the end goal is going to be, now that AI has really taken over the way the classroom dynamic has changed. So having more of those interactive exercises, really taking a look at comprehension, whether somebody really understands that topic, and giving giving students and an audience an opportunity to discuss, how do we how do we create a hive mind mentality around this particular topic, especially in a classroom, right whether, whether that's in a school setting, in academia, or whether that's in a corporate setting, inside of an office.   Michael Hingson ** 18:54 Several months ago, we had a guest on unstoppable mindset, who's an executive leadership coach in Northern California who was a major proponent of AI. And when he worked with companies, and especially with presidents and leaders who were stuck on how we evolve and how we grow, he would bring AI into all those meetings, and one day he was dealing with one such situation where he told the president, you got to use you ought to use AI to get some great ideas. The President took that to heart, called his senior leadership staff in and said, take the rest of this day and create ideas about how you think we ought to do things better, and so on, and use AI to do it. And when everyone came in the next day, they had a lot of innovative and creative ideas, and all loved the fact that he encouraged them to use AI. And that led to. Us having a discussion about, is AI going to really take over the jobs that people do? And both of us agreed, no, AI won't. Ai can't replace anyone. We can fire somebody and then put AI in their place, which doesn't really work well. But what is a better thing is let ai do what it does well. So example that he gave was say, you have autonomous vehicles. As autonomous vehicles become more and more prevalent, like trucks that are delivering supplies, like shipping vehicles and so on, let the autonomous vehicle drive, but the driver needs to still be in the cabin and needs to be behind the wheel, even though they're not doing anything, because they are going to let the autonomous vehicle do what it can do. But you can give those people other assignments to do for the company that will keep them busy and do things that otherwise might not be done quite as efficiently. So the bottom line is, you keep people busy, you use the autonomous vehicle, and it's a win win situation all the way around.   Fidel Guzman ** 21:08 Yeah, great. I I've heard something very similar to that, and maybe if I can, if I can synthesize this, it's going to be that we want to remove manual task out of people's times, and we want them to focus on more higher value add activities. Do   Michael Hingson ** 21:29 you think that's fair? I think that's true. Isaac Asimov, years ago, the science fiction writer, wrote a really wonderful science fiction story about a young man who lived in a society where everyone had a particular job to do, and you were matched with your talents. And so there you you're you take a test when you're, like, eight years old and or or even younger, and that starts you down the road of what it is you're supposed to do for the whole country. And then you take another test several years later, and that locks you into what you're trained to do. So you always do the same task, but you do it well, because that's what you're trained to do. Well, this kid was in the whole process taking his tests, and he just wasn't comfortable with what was going on. And eventually he ran away. And what, you know, he he took the last test, apparently they looked at him kind of funny when they looked at the results and he didn't like what was going on. And he just left. He said, I'm not going to do this. I don't, I don't. I don't want to be an engineer. I don't want to do whatever it is that they want. And they eventually caught up with him, and they caught him, and they said, Why'd you run away? And he told them, and then said, No, you don't understand what just happened. Some people in society are the people who create the tests, create the processes, and don't get trained to do a specific thing, because they're the innovators and the inventors that keep society going, and you're one of those kids, and this was like, what, 50 years ago that he wrote that? So it's, it is, it is really interesting, but, but very true and, and the reality is, we can be as creative as we choose to be, and some people are more creative than others, but there are always tasks that we can find for anyone to do, and that will make them very happy,   23:40 absolutely, definitely.   Michael Hingson ** 23:42 So it works out. You know, it does work out really well. Well, a question for you. You have a leadership philosophy, needless to say, and you lead a lot in instructional design, what, what are the core principles, or what are the things that kind of make up how you teach leadership, and what it is that you teach people to do, and how do you go about team development?   Fidel Guzman ** 24:13 Yeah, I think some of the core principles that I that I really focus on with learning and development and instructional design. Number one, it has to be collaboration. It really does take a community to put some some really good training sessions and training opportunities in place, and it's really leveraging all the expertise from different subject matter experts. Give them a chance to share their perspectives and their insights on certain things, but also, really, just to enhance, you know, the the use of these training programs, because people are more keen to listen to like, oh yeah, this guy's a subject matter he's an expert in this particular. Their space and for them to to hop on. So I think that collaboration aspect is, you know, getting the Lean In from managers like, hey, this training is important. Your employees are going to benefit from this training, whether it's just for to develop their their education, to develop their career, whatever that may look like. But I want to say one of the, the first guiding principles is going to have to be collaboration. The second one is going to have to be most likely continuous improvement. As we start to roll out a lot of these different training sessions, whether it's public speaking, whether it's product training, whether it's industry training, if we roll it out, we keep our ear to the ground and make sure that we're receptive to the feedback. We take a look at what works well, what doesn't work well, what needs to be tailored. How can we, how can we also manage this across different time zones? So ion is super global company, I want to say, over 13,000 employees in over 13 plus countries. So also managing what those training programs look like for everyone, for everyone, across the board. So besides the collaboration, besides the continuous improvements or the I like to also say that the Kaizen, the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, right, making those small improvements, the last one I want to say is going to be innovation. How can we incorporate, right? We were talking about AI. How can we incorporate some of these ladies, latest tech trends into what our training delivery looks like, whether it's something as simple as, how do we include more polls throughout a lecture to keep people engaged and participate? How do we include knowledge checks at the end of every session to make sure that people are walking away with some of the key takeaways. So, yeah, collaboration, continuous improvement and innovation. Yeah, how do we stay innovative and stay creative? I think having having some fun, staying creative along the way Definitely, definitely resonates with your audience as you're trying to do different things and trying to keep things as engaging and and fun as possible.   Michael Hingson ** 27:06 What do you say to someone who says, Look, I've really learned all I need to learn. I'm not really interested in learning anything new. That is, I know, isn't that? Yeah, but you hear it a lot, I'm sure, or too much. I   Fidel Guzman ** 27:22 think some people get comfortable right, like, Hey, I'm comfortable with what I know. And learning does require a certain level of mental energy, and it also requires a certain level of you being willing to take on a new challenge, to take on and learn something new. So to them, I would genuinely ask, what's your interest? How can we supplement what this interest looks like? You know, what are your interests in other avenues? And I think that will plant a seed to let them know that learning and development should be something learning, right? Just learning in general, it should be something that you should do throughout your life. I recently started a podcast called the hero in the mirror, and I wanted to take a moment and actually, thank you, Michael. I don't know if you remember our initial conversation. But we were talking, we were talking about, you had asked me, What ideas do you have? What are you working on? Are you working on, any books, any podcasts? And I had mentioned, I was like, Hey, I actually have an idea for a podcast. And you pause for a moment, and you were like, what's stopping it? Yeah, and it was, it was kind of like, it kind of took me back. I'm like, What? What is stopping me? Right? And sometimes, and in coaching, we call it interference, like you're you probably have a fear of failure. You have a fear that something's not going to go right, or this task seems enormous, that you don't know where to start. Yeah, so making small, small mental changes, making small steps, I think, definitely add up. Since then, Michael, I've had I've had three episodes. I've had some great guests hop on and share their story of resilience and triumph. And as I'm starting to do more episodes, I'm I'm hearing stories of people willing to have that, that mindset of, I want to continue to learn, I want to continue to expand on the person that I am and make myself well rounded in these different, different areas. So So, long story short, if somebody says I don't, I don't need to learn anything, there's always room for growth. There's always room for interest, what, what interests you, and how? And how can we follow that interest and and supplement it with some some training content.   Michael Hingson ** 29:49 I know, for me, I'm extremely comfortable with what I know, and I'm extremely comfortable with what I've learned, but I'm also very uncomfortable in knowing there's a lot of stuff I don't know and that i. Still need to learn. So I love to learn right from the very beginning, when I first discovered the internet, I regarded it and still do, no matter what there is with the dark web and everything else, I think the internet is a treasure trove of information, and it's so fun to discover new things online. And there's so many ways to go. We've got so many places where we can go get books that we never had access to before all of us. There's so many places where we can go to learn about organizations, about people. They're just so many wonderful things, and it's only one way, because I also think there is a lot to be said for real personal interactions, but I think the internet is a wonderful treasure trove that gives us the opportunity to learn a whole lot that we don't necessarily know about, subjects that we don't know anything about.   Fidel Guzman ** 30:55 The Internet is a double sided sword. It is. You can find information that will support right? Maybe you know an opinion that you have on the other side of that, you can find lots of information that does not support independent opinion that you have. And also it's a rabbit hole. Soon as you start going out that rabbit hole. But the one thing I do appreciate from the internet is the channels of communication that it's built. Yeah, and I'm appreciative of being able to have connected with you on LinkedIn, and that's turned out to us having this podcast here today.   Michael Hingson ** 31:34 I think that for me, I'm not as interested on going online and in finding something to change an opinion as much as I am finding something that will tell me about something that I didn't know as much about. Now I might change my opinion from what I thought it might be, but I I really love to try to really get as much as possible into dealing with facts or substance to teach me things, and then I'll form my own opinion from that. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. Of course,   Fidel Guzman ** 32:11 gets a good grounding of all the all the materials, synthesize it yourself.   Michael Hingson ** 32:19 Yeah, I think we should do that. I think we have to be the one to synthesize whatever it is we're dealing with. That's That's our responsibility, and that should always be the way it is, which is, and I don't want to get political or anything, but which is one of the reasons that I say any politician who says, Trust me will be the first person I won't trust until I verify. I am a firm believer in trust, but verify. I don't care who it is. I think it's so important that we really take the time every single person needs to take the time to study what's going on, and and, and really look at all sides of something. I think that's important. I listen to newscasts regularly, and I like to listen to newscasts from all sides. Some I find why I don't want to listen to them very much, because of what they do or don't do, but I still think that it's important to really understand all sides of a subject.   Fidel Guzman ** 33:29 Absolutely, I totally agree with you.   Michael Hingson ** 33:32 So you know, I think it is kind of neat to to have that opportunity, and I think we learn so much when we take the time to really study. I'm amazed. I was at a restaurant once, and my wife and I were there. We were talking about newspapers and what we get from newspapers or online, and our waitress came up and Karen said, so do you read the newspaper? And this woman's 30 years old, and she says, No, I don't. I don't have time, you know. And how little she learns, because she doesn't really seek information, which is too bad.   Fidel Guzman ** 34:07 Yep, you people have to be receptive. People have to be receptive to to gaining new bits of information. And sometimes people are just happy knowing like you, like you mentioned earlier, just happy knowing what they're what they know, just comfortable in in their own space, until some more power to that, more more power to them, more power to them,   Michael Hingson ** 34:31 until something happens to disrupt the happiness and surprises them, because they really didn't learn enough to know that that was a possibility. Yep, I never thought I would be doing a podcast, but when the pandemic occurred, I started to learn about it, and learned all the value of it. Now, I had been at our campus radio station at UC Irvine for six years, and I was program director one year, so I understood radio, and when I started learning about podcasts. They went, this is really pretty cool, and I had never thought about it, and had never been interviewed on a podcast, but I realized I know what I can can do with this, and I know that I can sound intelligent on the air. And so I started to learn about it, and here we are now, just today, actually, we published online and in YouTube episode 324 of unstoppable mindset since August of 2021 Congratulations, Michael. Well, thank you. It's a lot of fun. We actually went to two episodes a week in August of 2022 Oh, wow, because we had such a huge backlog. Yeah, and I don't mind having a huge backlog, but it was growing way too much. So we went to two episodes a week, and and it's a lot of fun to to do it. And as and as I love to tell people, for me, the most important thing is I get to learn from every single person who comes on the podcast. It's so neat to be able to do that, of course. So it works out really well. Well for you, what kind of challenges have you faced? What have you done to overcome challenges, and what are some of the biggest challenges you faced, and how you did you deal with them?   Fidel Guzman ** 36:17 Okay, yeah, that's great. That's some of the questions I use on on my podcast, here in the mirror. So I'm on the I'm on the other side of that chair today. Yes, no, it's good. It's good. It's a good question. So I want to say, you know, there are, there are three main, three main challenges that really stand out for me. One I'm very vocal about, and that is my speech impediment, my stuttering problem. It was really bad when I was little kid. I had a speech pathologist. Even now, talking to you on this podcast, I have to be very conscious with what I'm saying. Some of the listeners might might have caught it in the beginning when I get too excited about a particular topic, or if I haven't formulated my thought yet, but the speech impediments is something that has really made public speaking a passion for me. It was hard for me to have a voice when I was a little kid, I used to try to raise my hand and answer a question when I was in elementary school, and the teacher would be like, All right, next one like you had, you had your turn. And so I, you know, I've struggled, you know, to have a voice. I struggled with just completing sentences, and the way that I overcame that is through a speech pathologist that really gave me the confidence to believe in myself. I remember one exercise she gave me one day is she grabbed me from my classroom. She would pick me up from my classroom every Tuesday and Thursday, and she picked me up one day, and I was kind of down in the dumps. I didn't really like going to the class. We weren't really advancing much. And she's like, Hey, we're going to try something different tonight. Different today. She's like, today I'm going to have the order of pizza. And I was still a little little fat kid, like fourth or fifth grade, so I was like, oh, yeah, I'm all for it. What's going on here? And she was like, but the catch is, you need to order this pizza without stuttering. And you know, right away, kind of my heart dropped. And she's like, okay, like, don't, don't worry, we're gonna practice exactly what you want to order. And she's like, What do you want? And I'm like, Well, I want a large pepperoni pizza with an RC, a two liter RC Cola delivered to McPherson Elementary. And she's like, okay. She's like, write it down. I'm like, Alright, great to like, write it down again. I must have written it like, 10 times. She's like, No, now practice it. So about 15 minutes of doing that, she was like, All right, I think you're ready. She hands me the phone and, you know, I pick it up. My heart's in my throat, and I'm just like, like, I'm like, hi, you know, I want to order a large pepperoni pizza with a two liter RC Cola delivered to McPherson elementary for Fidel Guzman, and I was just astonished. I hung up the phone. I was happy for two reasons. Number one, I was going to get some pizza. Number two, I was able to say it a complete, full sentence without stuttering. And she she really believed in me and instilled in me that confidence that I could overcome this. But it wasn't an overnight success. It still required me go going to the speech pathologist, you know, throughout my elementary school, throughout all those years, and even as an adult, continuing to practice and hone that in in high school, doing presentations, in college, doing presentations. So right now, I am the VP of education for our America's Toastmasters Club, and this is one story i i always tell people, and they're like, No, you don't stutter. I'm like, if I get too excited, I'll lower my words. But that was that was one challenge, that was one challenge, and it's. Is it's still something I have to be very conscious of. And I've caught myself a couple times earlier in this podcast where I kind of mumble a little bit or get caught up in a particular word. But besides that one, I want to say that the second one was more of my in college. In college, I struggled paying for school. I mentioned I'm first generation Mexican American, and I was one, one of the first, first of my brothers to attend college full time. And I did all I could to make ends meet, two, three jobs, just paying for tuition. Financial aid was great, you know, it really helped me with a portion of that, but a lot of it really ended up, you know, being due onto me. And then I had my daughter, and it was just a struggle. I was like, How can I be a dad? How can I be a student? How can I work on my career? And I had gone to a financial aid workshop, and the one thing that stood out in this workshop was when they were talking about scholarships granted in high school when you're about to graduate, they talk to you about it, but it doesn't. It doesn't really materialize until you're until you receive that bill. Yeah, you're just like, hey, here's, here's a $2,000 bill for this college class. And you're like, oh, man, this is, this is not, this is not cheap. It's pretty expensive. And the one thing you know that stood out was, you know, let the scholarships, and they started talking about scholarship applications, and I found that there were a couple common denominators with the scholarships. Number one, they wanted two letters of two letters of recommendation. Number two, they want an essay. What are you going to do with your degree? How are you going to make a positive impact in the community? And number three, sometimes, typically an interview. And so I ran with it. I was like, they want two letter, letters of recommendation. They want one essay. They want an interview. No problem. And I made that my part time job. On the weekends, I would just apply, apply, apply. And I started getting some small wins. I started getting a $250 scholarship here, a $500 scholarship there, $1,000 scholarship, you know, here, and all of it started to add up, and it started to gain momentum. And I was lucky enough to get, get, get accepted for a number of different scholarships and complete my my college education, and even, you know, be strong willed enough to go back and do it again and try to try to get my masters. So those were two, two big ones, but I'll pause here and see if you have any questions around those two challenges for me. Michael, no,   Michael Hingson ** 42:41 but I I really admire what you did. You You made a choice and you followed it through. And I think that's of course, the whole issue is that we have to make choices and we need to follow through. And if we find that, we need to refine our decisions. We do that. I know when I was a student and a program director at the university radio station, I wanted everyone to listen to themselves. I thought it was a great idea to have everyone listen to themselves on the air. And the way you do it is you record it and you give it to them. And I didn't anticipate how hard that was going to be, because for me, I was used to doing it for myself, yeah, but I I didn't realize how much resistance I was going to get from literally everyone at the radio station, they were not interested in and I'm thrilled about doing it at all. What I and the engineer at the station did eventually was to put a cassette recorder in a locked cupboard, and whenever the microphone was activated, the recorder would go on. So, you know, you didn't have to hear the music. You just wanted to hear yourself talk. And we, we really took a major step and said, You have to listen to these recordings. We gave each person a cassette. We expect you to listen to these recordings and improve accordingly. What I didn't say much was, I know what it's like. I'm my own worst critic, and I have to listen to it, so you guys do now. I've changed that, and I'll get to it in a second, but we pushed everyone to do it, and it wasn't long, not only before we started seeing improvement, but before the people themselves started recognizing that they were really getting comfortable listening to themselves and that they were taking this to heart, and by the end of the year, we had people who were loving it and wanting their cassette every day or every week, and also a. Some of them went into broadcasting. For me, what I learned, and it took many years before I learned it is I'm not my own worst critic. I shouldn't be negative, as I said earlier, I'm the only one who can really teach me. I'm my own best teacher. And I think when you make that mind shift from being your own worst critic to your own best teacher, it really puts things in a much more positive light. And I've said that before on the podcast, and I will continue to say it, because I think it's a very important   Fidel Guzman ** 45:29 concept. We actually have a similar exercise for our America's Toastmasters Club, where we'll we'll record some speeches, and we'll have people listen back to their recorded speech. And a lot of people say like, man, it's cringe to hear yourself on the on the other side, on the other side of those iPhones, but it is a very useful exercise. You get a better understanding of your your filler words, your eyes, your arms, your vocal variety, your body language. And if you're looking to be a great, I don't want to say public speaker, but if you're just looking just to speak better in general, even when it's an on a presentation, on a call, or if you have to give up a toast at a wedding or a quinceanera, for you to be able to, yeah, critique yourself and gather feedback from your from your own recording   Michael Hingson ** 46:23 well. And the reality is, the more of it you do, and the more you listen to it, having been up there in front giving the speech, you also see how people react. And if you continue to observe and listen to the recordings as you go forward, you will improve, yeah, for sure, which is which is really important. And one of the things that I try to do regularly now is to record talks. When I go and give a speech somewhere, I will record it so that I can listen to it and I enjoy it, because I discover Did I really say that I shouldn't have said it quite that way, but I'll do better next time. But listening to it helps such a tremendous amount,   Fidel Guzman ** 47:13 especially with those filler words. So when you really listen to the recording, you'll be like, Man, I use a lot of likes or SOS or ands or buts, and if you want to speak eloquently, it is, I mean, like anything, you just gotta practice it. You gotta practice it, and you have to be receptive to that, the feedback. And you have to also celebrate the small wins. One thing I am a big proponent on is celebrate the small wins. Yeah. So if you are able to do your your first speech at a Toastmasters clubs like we, we give you tons of accolades, because it is not an easy fit, an easy feat. If you're able to do the second one, even better. You're, you're progressing, and you're, you know, you're increasing your understanding of some of the fundamentals of public speaking. Yeah, so you're preaching to the choir here.   Michael Hingson ** 48:05 Yeah, no, I understand. Oh yeah, it's good, but it is really important to do, and it's fun to do. If you decide to make it fun, and if you decide that you want to become a better communicator there. There are lots of us and all that sort of stuff that people do. I've heard some people say that's really not such a bad thing. Well, I've got to say that I've never really been used to having a lot of us. And you know, there's a guy out here who I don't think he's alive anymore. He used to be a sports announcer out here. His name was Jim Healy, and you may have heard him when, well, out here in Los Angeles, anyway, he was on K lac, and he had somebody, well, he had a recording of somebody, one of the sports jocks, and he announced that he was going to play this recording, and what you're going to hear is this guy in 60 seconds say, you know, 48 times, that's and he did what's amazing, that   Fidel Guzman ** 49:17 when you when you get to Some of those, it's like, what do they say? Nails on a chalkboard? You're like, Oh, yeah. Like, what are you trying to say? Just, just say it. To say, to say the damn thing.   Michael Hingson ** 49:30 Yeah, talk a little bit slower and just say it.   Fidel Guzman ** 49:33 One thing that I'm trying to be conscious, more conscious of is pauses, like those deliberate pauses, those deliberate pauses to collect your thoughts, like I often need, just to collect myself, but also to build suspense the message and the message that you're trying to give, especially when you're in front of a group of people, in front of an audience, and you're pausing there, they're just like, oh, what? So what is he? What is he gonna say next? What's up? What's going on with this pause? So it's also you have this arsenal of tools when it comes to to public speaking and to engage with an audience and to keep them, to keep them interested in what your next thought is going to be. What What am I going to say next? How am I going to, you know, align this topic to something else that I want to discuss.   Michael Hingson ** 50:24 I love, yeah, I've discovered the value of pauses. You can make a pause last too long, and one of the things you learn is how long to make a pause. But I love pauses. They really do add a lot of value. There they get. Well, you talk a lot about continuous improvement, and clearly you you really love the whole concept. What's an example of a project where you instituted continuous improvement, and how do you make that happen? Thanks, Michael.   Fidel Guzman ** 50:56 Let's pause again. Yeah, right. I know. Yeah. All right. Michaels, Michaels, throw me. Well, not much of a curveball, but yeah, no, that's good. So I know continuous improvement. And one project that I worked on, I want to say one that comes to mind is last year I hosted a series of product boot camps. And what these product boot camps really were, were product training and networking opportunities within ion. I had just gone through the acquisition of backstop into the into the ion family, and I saw a need. I saw a need there for some product training. And what I did is I started to coordinate with subject matter experts, hence the collaboration and community principles that I have with learning and development. And started to piece together a boot camp. So a series of training sessions, and we discussed location, we discussed different components that we can include on there. We discussed remote hybrid in person, what some of those options were, and we had about, I want to say, five or six of these boot camps in 2024 and what I noticed is that for each of the boot camps we would tailor it a little bit, because each of these different products that were under specific umbrellas were for certain audiences, you know, for certain segments of the business. So we had to, I had a template, but we had to tweak that template a little bit. Who do we want to come in here? Who do we want to come in for this particular topic? When do we take breaks? If it's in person, you know? Do we take longer breaks if it's in person? How do we include some interactive components to it? How do we test people's knowledge, whether it's through live polls, whether it's using an LMS platform to do knowledge checks? How do we create a certificate based program around this? And for each of those, it was a learning experience. It was a learning experience because we, every subject matter expert, is different, right? You're building different relationships with different people, and even their style of talking or their style of teaching on a particular topic is going to be different. So those continuous improvements throughout each of those boot camps really started to to resonate and just to showcase themselves. And for each of those, we had a similar template for all of them, but we made minor tweaks to make sure that it was as engaging and and thoughtful as possible.   Michael Hingson ** 53:36 Wow. Well, that's pretty cool. Um, and I think that the very fact that you would make the tweaks and you recognize the need to do that was pretty insightful, of course, because for me, I know when I speak, some people early on told me you should write a talk and you should, you should just give that talk. I tried that once. I didn't like what I sounded like when I read a talk, and I haven't done it since. And I also realized that I do better, and sometimes it isn't necessarily a lot, but when I customize every talk so I love to go early and try to hear speakers who speak before me, or get a chance to meet people at an event, because I will learn things invariably that I will put into the talk. And sometimes I'm tweaking talks up to and including the start of the talk, and sometimes I will tweak a talk when I'm speaking and I'm getting the impression just from all the fidgeting, that maybe I'm not getting through to these people, or I'm not really doing this in the best way possible. And I will change until I get what I expect to be the audience. Reaction, because I know what an audience is like when they're fully engaged, and I also know that not every audience is the same, so I hear what you're saying. I think it's important to do that.   Fidel Guzman ** 55:13 Yeah, for you to be able to do that on the fly, kudos, kudos to that. But yeah, we you got to be able to understand that audience, understand that audience, understand what's what's going on, the dynamic of that, of that situation. So you're, you're a veteran at at this, so no surprise there.   Michael Hingson ** 55:31 Well, that's a lot of fun. Well, what do you do when you're not working you, I know you're involved in various activities and so on. So what do you do when you're, yeah, not an eye on writing, doing, training, stuff and all that.   Fidel Guzman ** 55:45 A number of different hobbies. My wife calls me the Energizer Bunny, because I'm always running around doing something, but some of my main things is right now judo. I did wrestling in high school, and I did mixed martial arts when I was getting my undergrad. And I love martial arts. I think iron sharpens iron. It's good to be around a good group of, good group of people, people who are who are like minded, people who are looking to continue to develop themselves. And yeah, if you're in a room full of tough guys, you have no other choice than to start to be a tough guy yourself. So I love martial arts. I did a couple Judo tournaments, judo and jujitsu tournaments last year, where I placed. And let's see, besides that, triathlons, I love to run, I love to bike, I love to swim. I did my first triathlon last year. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a phenomenal experience. I mean, it's two three hours of non stop movement, but it was, it was great just to be part of that, of a huge event like that, besides the martial arts and the constant running and swimming and biking, the last thing I want to say is writing and poetry. I have started to compile all all my poems. Hopefully, in the next year or so, I'll, I'll launch a small book of poems. And, yeah, I'll keep you, I'll keep you posted on that. But I do, I do like to write on the sign, you know, hopefully a book of poems. And, you know, since since having my daughter, I've always liked children's books. I would, I would love it if I could launch my my own series of children books, and I'm working on a couple templates with that. So, yeah, stay staying busy, staying busy, physically active, but also mentally   Michael Hingson ** 57:40 active. So you haven't written any books yet. I have a   Fidel Guzman ** 57:44 couple ideas, a couple ideas of what, what kids books want to do, but you don't have any books published yet? No, none yet. None yet. Well, we're anxious to see that happen. You got, you got it, you're gonna, you're gonna light that fire. You're gonna light that fire as well. No, and again, right? I do appreciate you for for really, really motivating me to start my own podcast, because you had really said, like, what's stopping you? Like, like me, I'm stopping myself, you know. But even yet, yeah, even like, you know, being an author, I know that you're an author, you know, I would love to have a conversation offline with you. You know what that publishing experience was like, because I think that's my biggest interference right now with that, is like, I don't know where to start with the publishing. I know I can self publish. I know I can go through publishers and like, the internet, like we said, a double sided sword, yeah, you have information that tells you you should just self publish, and then you have other bits of information. Was like, You should go through a publishing company and just like, where do I Where do I choose? But I think that's why having mentors, you know, and getting to network with people who are experienced, such as yourself, and these different avenues of public speaking and being a keynote speaker and having a podcast, being a podcast host and being an author. I think, I think it's great, and you are definitely an inspiration to me. Michael, well, thank you.   Michael Hingson ** 59:11 You're familiar with Jackson Hewitt, the accounting and tax company. You got it? Okay? So I can't remember whether it was night, whether it was 2016 or 2017 but I got invited to go speak at one of their events, and I did. And while I was there, I met a woman, and I didn't know what she did, and she she, she worked at a Jackson Hewitt, and I just happened to say, what do you own of a firm? Because most of the people there were supposed to be company owners. And she said, No, maybe someday. And I said, why not? You ought to own a company. You ought to you ought to become a company owner. You'll go further Anyway, last year, she sent me an email, and she said, I've never forgotten that, and I think it was like a year later, or two years later, she's. After I and she met, she said, I got my first company, and I now own 10 branches. Wow. Back, I said, that's pretty cool. Oh,   Fidel Guzman ** 1:00:09 Michael, Michael, you are just making ripples in the universe. Just ripples doing something. Yeah, that's good. I don't want to get too religious, but you're doing God's work, man, well,   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:18 I hope so. You know, expect Hill. Hill. Guy, guide, or she'll guide, yeah, but so what do you think is the future of work, of workplace training and learning?   Fidel Guzman ** 1:00:30 Yeah, I think we, we touched a little bit upon this. But you know, AI, you know, definitely, how can we leverage AI for content creation, creating outlines and also using it as feedback. But I also want to to bring back the the in person training. I know we've all gotten very comfortable with, you know, doing stuff remote, but similar to the example that we talked about earlier, where that teacher was like, oh, all these, all these kids are using AI for these papers, and how do I really test their comprehension? That's, that's something you know, that in person activity, yeah, I think definitely has a tremendous amount of value, not just for the instructor, but for the end learner. Yeah. So I think, I think a mixture of like, okay, great, you know, how can we use AI to create content? How can we use it to provide, you know, feedback for people to continue to improve on certain areas. But how can we bring back that in person component?   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:38 Well, see, oh, go ahead,   Fidel Guzman ** 1:01:39 yeah, to, to to unify. It was probably that pause, that to to unify, to unify a vision, you know, a vision of of continuous improvement. You know that to unify, that vision of what a team might be aiming for, yeah. So, yeah. So, I think, I think, you know, long story short, it's going to be, you know, leveraging a bit of AI and still bringing back that, that in person aspect. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:05 you know, I I've done virtual presentations as well as, of course, lots of in person presentations. I much prefer in person to virtual but my main reason for that is that I can tell what the audience is feeling. I get a lot more information if I'm doing an in person talk than I would get if I'm just doing a virtual talk. Now I've done it long enough that I mostly can do pretty well at a virtual talk, but it's still not the same, yeah, and I still don't get exactly the same information, but I can do virtual talks, and I do and it, and it's fun and and I can play games with it, because I can always turn my video off and really drive people crazy. But you know what? What advice would you give to an aspiring leader who wants to to evolve and make make changes to their organization or to themselves and so on.   Fidel Guzman ** 1:03:06 So advice I would give for aspiring leaders. I think the the main one that I really focus on is opportunities and challenges. Be ready to embrace any opportunities that come your way, but just know that each of those opportunities, it's going to come with its own set of challenges, and be prepared for both, and be okay with dealing both at the same time. And you know last, but you know not least, is that there are there are lots of stories of triumph, and to really curate yours. What does your story of triumph look like? What is your passion and how does, how does all of that connect?   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:53 And it may be evolving, and it may be different in five years than it is today, but both memories are important, yeah, which is cool. Well, Fidel, we've been doing Can you believe we've been doing   Fidel Guzman ** 1:04:08 this for over an hour? Time flies and you're having fun,   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:12 absolutely. And I really appreciate you being here and being a part of this, and I really appreciate all of you who have been listening to us and watching us. We're really excited that you're here. I hope that this has been valuable for you as well, and that you've learned something. Fidel, if people want to reach out to you, how can they do that? I   Fidel Guzman ** 1:04:31 want to say LinkedIn, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn. What's your LinkedIn identifier? You can find me as Fidel Guzman, comma, MBA, and I'll also give you a link so you can, you can accompany it alongside this episode, yeah, but feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn. That's going to be the easiest way to get in touch with me. And I'll also have some links if you want to check out my podcast. And hopefully I'll have, I'll have that book of poems out, yeah, soon.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:59 Well, that will be. Good. Well, thank you again and again. Thank you, all of you. If you'd like to reach out to Fidel, I'm sure he would appreciate it. I would, and you're welcome to reach out to me.

Conversamos con Milly Cabán, ingeniera y coach, quien presenta su nuevo libro, De Sueños a Proyectos: Cómo Construir la Mejor Versión de Ti. Exploramos cómo aplicar conceptos de la ingeniería en la vida diaria para transformar ideas en acciones concretas. Millie comparte su enfoque en la cultura organizacional y el clima de trabajo, resaltando la metodología de Kaizen para implementar mejoras sostenibles. Durante la charla, destacamos la importancia de la disciplina y herramientas prácticas, como la metodología DMAIC, para facilitar cambios significativos. Milly enfatiza el principio de Pareto y cómo decisiones intencionales en hábitos diarios pueden impactar nuestros objetivos. El episodio se adentra en la integración de la vida profesional y personal, motivando a los oyentes a construir relaciones significativas que trasciendan los logros profesionales.

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What does it take to run one of the top-performing machine shops in the country? In this episode of MakingChips, we sit down with Kevin Bowling, COO of Major Tool & Machine, to find out exactly what drives their success—and why it all starts with people. Kevin isn't just leading a massive operation with 670,000 square feet of manufacturing space and machines that can turn parts up to 40 feet in diameter—he's cultivating a culture of excellence, servant leadership, and continuous improvement. From daily standups to custom-built software tools that empower employees to submit (and track) improvement ideas, Kevin shares how his team fuels a winning environment. We talk about how Major Tool keeps scrap rates under 1.6%, mitigates multi-million dollar risks, and engages machinists in everything from quoting to process design. But more than that, Kevin reveals why trust, gratitude, action, growth, and excellence aren't just words on a wall—they're the foundation for shop floor performance. Whether you're running a 3-person shop or leading hundreds, this conversation is packed with ideas you can apply to raise the bar. Because when leadership is intentional and people are empowered, that's when you start making chips—and making money. Segments (0:00) Nick ditches the t-shirt to interview like an adult (0:47) Will we see you at Top Shops 2025? (1:51) Paul shares insights from a woodworking leadership forum (3:50) Introducing Kevin Bowling from Major Tool & Machine (7:40) Overview of Major Tool's massive facility and machine capabilities (12:41) Building culture through employee-led process design and daily Kaizen (16:24) How culture drives retention—Kevin's team gives Cadillacs at 50 years (18:00) Inverted org charts and servant leadership in practice (19:32) Custom software and dashboards built around the floor's needs (22:39) Grow your top and bottom line with CLA (25:05) Aligning improvement ideas with key business KPIs (26:50) Making the scoreboard visible: everyone should know if they won today (29:48) KPIs that drive engagement and performance (31:25) Major Tool's five core values: Trust, Gratitude, Action, Growth, Excellence (35:08) Managing massive parts and multi-million dollar risk (39:45) Everything is scalable—even if you're just starting out (41:13) Real-world Kaizen: from newspaper boards to software tickets (44:25) Why every initiative must start with defining the current state (46:21) Sustaining improvements through standard work (47:39) Integrated systems, employee engagement, and long-term culture (50:22) Let Hire MFG Leaders make your next hire smooth and seamless Resources mentioned on this episode Will we see you at Top Shops 2025? Grow your top and bottom line with CLA Let Hire MFG Leaders make your next hire smooth Major Tool & Machine Virtual Tour of Major Tool Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn PFMEA risk management Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.com On Facebook On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter On YouTube

This week's guests are Kirsten Gallagher and Adam Lawrence. Ron, Kirsten, and Adam discussed Kirsten and Adam's individual backgrounds, what it means to be a "kaizen ninja," how to handle reluctant participants, and more. An MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download here. In this episode you'll learn:  The quotes Kirsten and Adam like (2:30) Kirsten's background (3:26) Adam's background (6:17) What the "kaizen ninja" concept means (8:00) Their experiences with people reluctant to participate (10:14) Adam's anecdote about making a personal impact (20:01) What's unique about each of their styles (22:05) Their final words of wisdom (27:28) Podcast Resources Right Click to Download this Podcast as an MP3 Kirsten on LinkedIn Adam on LinkedIn Process Improvement Partners on LinkedIn Adam's Website Get All the Latest News from Gemba Academy Our newsletter is a great way to receive updates on new courses, blog posts, and more. Sign up here. What Do You Think? What does being a "kaizen ninja" mean to you?

Join our community of RE investors on Skool: https://www.skool.com/the-real-estate-investing-club-5101/about?ref=44459ba83f5540f19109c8a530db40230:00 Episode Introduction0:58 From Engineering to Real Estate Empire Journey3:34 Why Paul Abandoned Multifamily for Better Assets5:56 Mobile Home Park Deal Finding Strategies8:59 Park-Owned vs Tenant-Owned Home Conversions12:07 Self-Storage Investment Thesis and Value-Adds16:00 Small Town Success: Beeville Texas Case Study18:14 U-Haul Partnership Revenue Reality Check21:37 How to Lose Money Podcast Wisdom25:11 Circle of Competence: Warren Buffett's Advice27:17 Geographic Investment Strategy RevealedFROM ENGINEERING TO ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS EMPIRE

Send us a textThis episode is a different kind of conversation—one that goes beneath the surface and straight to the heart.

Small Shifts, Big Change – Mindset Matters Podcast Ep. 191 In this episode, hosts Patrick and Steffany unpack the power of Kaizen—the Japanese philosophy of continuous, incremental improvement—showing how “small shifts create big changes.” Framed by Patrick's concept of “Mind Shui” (feng shui for the mind) and Steffany's 25-year “Quantum Speed” training method, they demonstrate that the tiniest tweak in perception or technique can re-route our entire trajectory, whether in athletics, business, parenting, or personal growth. Key talking points Kaizen Basics: Kai = change, Zen = good. Continuous, “change-good” thinking rewires habits without the burnout of dramatic overhauls. Quantum Paradox: In physics a quantum is the smallest measurable unit, yet “quantum leap” in popular language signals a giant jump. The hosts bridge that paradox: micro-adjustments (e.g., a skater's hip angle, an investor's 30-minute morning routine) compound into macro results. Flight Analogy: – Like a pilot subtly correcting course from Vancouver to Toronto, we must make real-time mindset adjustments to reach long-term goals. Economic & Performance Cycles: Boom-and-slump markets, Olympic quadrennials, and even garden seasons all reward those who respect timing, plant seeds early, and stay agile. Self-Talk Audit: Replacing negative inner dialogue with conscious awareness is a low-effort, high-impact tweak—“clarity equals velocity.” Champions' Paradox: High performers thrive by slowing down to speed up, prioritizing technique, rest, and reflection over constant hustle. Patrick and Steffany close by reminding listeners that most of us aren't yet “doing the best we can—we're doing the best we know how.” The invitation: choose one tiny, repeatable action today—wake up 30 minutes earlier, change your drive route, cut 10 minutes of doom-scrolling—and watch your personal and professional results compound exponentially.

In this episode, host Adam Hoots connects with Dominic Desmarais, a Canadian mechanical engineer and Lean Construction enthusiast with more than two decades of experience. Recorded live from Kyoto, Japan, at The International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC) 33, Dominic shares insights from his profound Lean journey, his passion for bridging the traditional divides between thinkers and doers, and the critical interplay of mind, hands, and heart in the workplace. Dominic examines the fundamental importance of human motivation and respect in the construction industry, drawing compelling analogies between workplace motivation and the intrinsic joy of sports. He emphasizes how authentic human connection, creativity, and physical engagement transform mundane tasks into meaningful activities. Key takeaways include: ·       Understanding the essential "trinity" of mind, hands, and heart to drive motivation and productivity in construction. ·       How genuine respect and human-centered thinking dramatically improve job satisfaction and outcomes. ·       Real-world reflections from Japanese construction sites, highlighting cultural differences in discipline, safety, visual management, and worker care. ·       Dominic's practical insights on recognizing beneficial change (kaizen) versus neutral or harmful change in construction processes. ·       Powerful examples of visual management and operational excellence observed in Japan that can be practically implemented on Western job sites. Dominic thoughtfully challenges traditional Western paradigms, urging construction leaders to dismantle artificial divisions between thinkers and doers, cultivating environments where people can thrive and deliver exceptional value. He advocates for intentional cultural reflection, understanding that true "Lean" practices may differ significantly depending on regional and organizational starting points. ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST:The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO Bullshido podcast. Join host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that matter most to those in the field. With stories from the trenches, lessons learned, and plenty of laughter, this podcast is for the men and women doing the hands-on work of construction. RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:• The Lean Builder | Blog, book, resources, news, and events | www.theleanbuilder.com • IGLC (International Group for Lean Construction) | https://iglc.net/ GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:• Adam Hoots | Podcast host for Hoots on the Ground and Lean Construction Shepherd with ConstructionACHEsolutions | https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhoots/ • Dominic Desmarais | Lean Practitioner, Mechanical Engineer, and Advocate for Human-Centered Construction Excellence | Director of Lean Construction with Graham | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-desmarais-p-eng-680b4236/

Is it possible to lead a real, long-term cultural transformation in a publicly traded company—where shareholders often demand short-term financial results?It's challenging, yet possible. And GE Aerospace, with CEO Larry Culp at the helm, is leading the way. I invited Phil Wickler, Chief Transformation Officer, back to discuss the enterprise-wide shift toward lean at GE Aerospace.We explore what it takes to build a lean management system across a global company of 50,000+ people and how GE Aerospace is embedding problem-solving thinking, leadership behavior, and capability building into every layer of the organization as the strategic approach to getting business results.Discover the difference between “doing” lean and “being” lean and what it takes to shift from operational leadership and “being the expert” to transformational influence and building capability across the organization.If you're an operational leader, internal lean practitioner, external consultant, or if you want to lead change at scale, don't miss this episode!YOU'LL LEARN:How to strengthen the positioning of internal change teams and continuous improvement efforts—with and without executive supportWhy real transformation starts with leadership behaviors—not tools—and the key mindset and behavior shifts needed for lasting impactHow GE Aerospace is overcoming GE's Six Sigma historic approach to improvement and leaders' long-standing misconceptions about lean The purpose and elements of GE Aerospace's proprietary FLIGHT DECK lean operating system and how it's aligning lean fundamentals and behaviors across the organizationWhy shifting the ROI conversation on capability-building (not just cost savings) is critical for long-term transformation successABOUT MY GUEST:Phil Wickler is a Chief Transformation Officer at GE Aerospace where he has enterprise responsibility for EHS, Quality, Lean Operations, Sustainability and Transformation. Phil joined GE in 1995. He progressed through several operations roles, including Six Sigma Black Belt in assembly and component manufacturing, and as a facility manager. Then most recently, the Vice President of Supply Chain at GE, leading global manufacturing and supply chain operations.IMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes: ChainOfLearning.com/46Connect with Phil Wickler: linkedin.com/in/philip-wicklerCheck my website: KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonLearn more about lessons from Toyota Leader, Isao Yoshino: Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn  TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:01:54 Phil's career journey to Chief Transformation Officer04:28 Steps to lead culture change and build a thriving lean enterprise07:23 Common leadership misconceptions09:13 Helping leaders go to gemba with humility12:14 Setting up hoshin kanri up for success14:25 Importance of reflection for continuous improvement16:41 Narrowing down objectives vs. working on everything at once20:18 Moving from an operational leader to a transformational change leader22:04 How centralized and decentralized lean teams support enterprise culture change25:15 Integrating communications and HR functions in transformation & talent development26:18 GE Aerospace's proprietary lean management system – FLIGHT DECK28:12 Mindset shifts that shaped Phil's leadership31:00 Measuring cultural change through lean and FLIGHT DECK34:57 Starting with the basics is critical in leading change37:55 Real-world example of progress at site level39:21 How to strengthen the positioning of lean/Operational Excellence in your organization41:55 One element that accelerated GE Aerospace's transformation42:31 How to get started/ bring senior leaders on board

In this episode, Kerri Roberts pulls back the curtain on her journey from corporate executive burnout to building her purpose-driven consulting firm, Salt & Light Advisors. Through raw storytelling, spiritual insight, and lessons from human design and gene keys, she invites listeners to embrace sacred alignment over superficial success.Tune In To HearBurnout is Sacred Data- Kerri reframes burnout not as a failure, but as a divine signal pointing to deeper purpose and necessary change.Your Resume Holds Clues to Your Calling- Reviewing past roles through a lens of alignment, not achievement, can uncover the consistent thread of your true purpose.Structure Can Strengthen You, But Freedom Will Free You- Corporate life offered Kerri discipline and systems; entrepreneurship offered her freedom, creativity, and wholeness.Human Design + Gene Keys = Powerful Self-Understanding - Kerri explores how understanding her manifesting generator profile and key gene keys helped her step into alignment, not just efficiency.Faith is Fuel for Reinvention- Trusting God's whispers over hustle allowed Kerri to launch her firm with clarity, boldness, and peace.Resources & Mentions: Salt & Light Advisors – Kerri's HR consulting firmhttps://www.saltandlightadvisors.comGene Keys: Unlocking the Higher Purpose Hidden in Your DNA by Richard Ruddhttps://amzn.to/43YW35KHuman Design: Discover the Person You Were Born to Be by Erin Claire Joneshttps://amzn.to/45zjhAMHuman Design System (Manifesting Generator, Sacral Authority)https://www.myhumandesign.comhttps://www.jovianarchive.comKelly Howe – Human Design + Gene Keys Mentorhttps://www.instagram.com/kellyhowecoMalcolm Baldrige National Quality Awardhttps://www.nist.gov/baldrigeMissouri Quality Awardhttps://excellenceinmo.org/quality-awardsLean, Kaizen, Six Sigma – Operational excellence frameworkshttps://www.lean.orghttps://www.isixsigma.comBillie Eilish - "What Was I Made For?" (Barbie Movie Soundtrack)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW8VLC9nnToJoin Our Newsletter:HR and business insights → https://www.saltandlightadvisors.com/contactConnect on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kerrimroberts/https://www.instagram.com/saltandlightadvisors/

Fragestellungen aus der Unterhaltung mit Johannes Wagner: Warum ist das Thema für Dich persönlich relevant? Was war für Dich dann der Anstoß zur Veränderung? Welche Theorie hast Du, warum Menschen ihre eigenen Bedürfnisse manchmal eher in die zweite Reihe stellen? Welche Elemente aus der präventiven Anlagenwartung lassen sich auf den persönlich-menschlichen Ebene übertragen? Was sind vergleichbare Anzeichen, die darauf hindeuten, dass man sich selbst vernachlässigt oder andere Menschen sich vernachlässigen? Welche Wirkung kann der Selbstoptimierungswahn bzw. Selbstausbeutung haben, wenn man den beruflichen Kontext nicht loslassen kann bzw. dort als Angestellter tw. fremdgesteuert ist? Wie können Unternehmer und Führungskräfte das Thema in ihr eigenes Handeln und ihre Rolle integrieren, um weder sich selbst noch ihre Mitarbeitenden auf dieser Ebene zu vernachlässigen, gleichzeitig aber auch bei den Mitarbeitern die Eigenverantwortung zu fördern, wie das ja auch beim "normalen" TPM der Fall sein sollte?

El kaizen, segons la filosofia japonesa, i tal com diu el psic

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Dag Flachet joins us to discuss the concept of Kaizen and its application in improving application security. Dag shares his journey into the world of security, emphasizing the importance of iterative, small-step improvements. The conversation delves into how organizations can effectively implement maturity models to enhance their security programs, the limitations of compliance-focused frameworks like ISO 27,000 and SOC 2, and the practical application of Kaizen principles. They also explore the evolution and future updates of OWASP SAM, and the importance of empowering development teams through a bottom-up approach in security enhancement. Dag is the co-founder of Codific, a professor and board member at the Geneva Business School, and an active member of the OWASP Barcelona Chapter and the OWASP SAMM community. FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA: ➜Twitter: @AppSecPodcast➜LinkedIn: The Application Security Podcast➜YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ApplicationSecurityPodcast Thanks for Listening! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

¿Quieres resultados extraordinarios? Entonces tu estilo de vida no puede seguir siendo ordinario. En este episodio confrontamos la ilusión de querer destacar sin pagar el precio de ser diferente a la mayoría.Support the show

What inspires a veteran of Virginia's auto industry and a lifelong community advocate to run for the House of Delegates? On this edition of VADA Live, Jeff Kelley sits down with Virgil Thornton Sr., candidate for the 86th District and a familiar face from decades in Virginia dealerships. They discuss his unique journey from nuclear testing and automotive leadership to his current campaign, the core philosophies like "Kaizen" and "Omotenashi" that guide him, and his vision for his district and the Commonwealth. From his deep experience as a foster parent and NADA Academy graduate to his key priorities of education, healthcare access, and economic development, this conversation offers an insightful look at a pro-business, pro-dealer candidate rooted in service.

Key Highlights:-The true cost of operational disorganization - and how to measure it.-Why “progress, not perfection” is the key to implementation.-How to identify bottlenecks using data and process tracking.-The concept of Kaizen and continuous improvement in firm operations.-Simple steps to begin streamlining your business today.If you're an advisor wondering whether your practice could be running more smoothly, this episode is your roadmap to clarity.Reach out to Sue at SueCheema@EliteConsultingPartners.com, or Brian at BrianLutz@EliteConsultingPartners.com.

He’s a Harvard grad who’s not afraid to criticize Harvard. He’s a recovering perfectionist. He’s an Emmy Award-winner. He’s a gamer. He’s really, really interesting to talk with. Find out for yourself. Michele Tafoya is a four-time Emmy award-winning sportscaster turned political and cultural commentator. Record-setting, four-time Sports Emmy Award winner Michele Tafoya worked her final NBC Sunday Night Football game at Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022, her fifth Super Bowl. She retired from sportscasting the following day. In total, she covered 327 games — the most national primetime TV games (regular + postseason) for an NFL sideline reporter. Learn More about “The Michele Tafoya Podcast” here: https://linktr.ee/micheletafoya Subscribe to “The Michele Tafoya Podcast” here: https://apple.co/3nPW221 Follow Michele on twitter: https://twitter.com/Michele_Tafoya Follow Michele on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realmicheletafoya/ Learn more about the Salem Podcast network: https://salempodcastnetwork.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He’s a Harvard grad who’s not afraid to criticize Harvard. He’s a recovering perfectionist. He’s an Emmy Award-winner. He’s a gamer. He’s really, really interesting to talk with. Find out for yourself. Michele Tafoya is a four-time Emmy award-winning sportscaster turned political and cultural commentator. Record-setting, four-time Sports Emmy Award winner Michele Tafoya worked her final NBC Sunday Night Football game at Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022, her fifth Super Bowl. She retired from sportscasting the following day. In total, she covered 327 games — the most national primetime TV games (regular + postseason) for an NFL sideline reporter. Learn More about “The Michele Tafoya Podcast” here: https://linktr.ee/micheletafoya Subscribe to “The Michele Tafoya Podcast” here: https://apple.co/3nPW221 Follow Michele on twitter: https://twitter.com/Michele_Tafoya Follow Michele on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realmicheletafoya/ Learn more about the Salem Podcast network: https://salempodcastnetwork.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Enter to win a copy of "Managing on Purpose" by Mark Reich, Chief Engineer of Strategy at the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI). Giveaway open through June 20th.How effective is your organization's strategy in achieving results?If your team doesn't understand how their daily work connects to bigger organizational goals, you don't have a strategy—you have a gap. A gap in engagement. A gap in alignment. This gap leads to confusion, misaligned priorities, and wasted effort.I'm joined by Mark Reich, author of “Managing on Purpose”, to explore how hoshin kanri – often translated as strategy or policy deployment – can bridge this gap and transform your strategy development and deployment process.With 23+ years at Toyota and extensive experience guiding organizations through lean transformations, Mark reveals how hoshin kanri offers a different approach to strategy execution and management. It connects people to purpose, builds capability, and aligns cross-functional areas, turning vision into results.Turn your strategy into action by aligning and building a purpose-driven organization.YOU'LL LEARN:Differences between hoshin kanri and traditional strategy management Common misconceptions around strategy deployment and what sets hoshin kanri apartThe role of catchball in connecting top-down and bottom-up processesThe importance of building reflection (hansei) and PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) into the processReal-world examples of organizations successfully transitioning to hoshin kanri strategy development and deploymentABOUT MY GUEST:Mark Reich is the author of “Managing on Purpose.” He spent 23 years at Toyota, including six years in Japan, seven years at the Toyota Supplier Support Center (TSSC), and over a decade leading Toyota's North American hoshin kanri process. Today, he's the Senior Coach and Chief Engineer of Strategy at the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), where he guides organizations and their executives on lean transformation.IMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes: ChainOfLearning.com/45Connect with Mark Reich: linkedin.com/in/markareichMark Reich's book, “Managing on Purpose”: lean.org/store/book/managing-on-purposeResources and ways to work with me: KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonDownload my FREE KATALYST™ Change Leader Self-Assessment: KBJAnderson.com/katalyst Learn more about the history and application of hoshin kanri: Learning to Lead, Leading to LearnTIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:2:05 Hoshin Kanri vs. traditional management approaches to strategy2:52 Mark defines hoshin kanri3:49 What people get around around strategy deployment4:26 Two key differences that sets hoshin kanri apart from traditional strategy5:16 The problem Mark aimed to solve in “Managing On Purpose”10:07 Why knowing your true north vision matters11:34 The complexity of the x-matrix in implementing strategy15:31 Why catchball is essential to hoshin kanri20:32 Leading effective catchball conversations23:07 Vertical vs. horizontal catchball24:31 Collaborative input in the A3 process26:17 How leaders can retain perspective for effective catchball conversations28:30 The PDCA cycle's critical role in hoshin kanri framework31:06 Importance of flexibility in leadership32:19 Distinguishing daily tasks vs. long term tasks for success34:31 Embedding reflection time in the hoshin process to make PDCA work37:31 Long-term learning in implementing effective systems39:48 Using hansei for reflection and prioritization Enter to win a copy of "Managing on Purpose" by Mark Reich, Chief Engineer of Strategy at the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI). Giveaway open through June 20th.Apply today for my next Japan Leadership Experience — learn more and discover the power of this immersive learning experience.

Send me a messageIn this episode of the Sustainable Supply Chain podcast, I had a cracking chat with René Schrama, Chief Commercial Officer at Peak Technologies. We dug into the evolving landscape of supply chain automation and what it truly means to “leverage automation intelligently” today.René shared how supply chain leaders are moving beyond full-scale automation projects and instead focusing on targeted improvements that actually matter. We explored why finding even six seconds to save in a warehouse process can add up to real gains, and how the Kaizen approach remains a solid guiding principle for continuous improvement.We didn't shy away from the challenges, either. René highlighted the impact of geopolitical disruptions like tariffs and shifting trade policies, and why adapting supply chain strategies has become more critical than ever.A big takeaway for me? Automation isn't about replacing people, it's about striking the right balance between human creativity and machine precision. We also discussed the importance of designing out waste, re-harvesting resources, and why open systems, not closed silos, are key to future-proofing operations.If you're in supply chain, sustainability, or digital transformation, this one's worth a listen. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts, or on my website at https://www.sustainablesupplychainpodcast.com/#SupplyChain #Sustainability #Automation #Kaizen #IntelligentAutomation #PodcastElevate your brand with the ‘Sustainable Supply Chain' podcast, the voice of supply chain sustainability.Last year, this podcast's episodes were downloaded over 113,000 times by senior supply chain executives around the world.Become a sponsor. Lead the conversation.Contact me for sponsorship opportunities and turn downloads into dialogues.Act today. Influence the future.Support the showPodcast supportersI'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's generous supporters: Alicia Farag Kieran Ognev And remember you too can Support the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent episodes like this one.Podcast Sponsorship Opportunities:If you/your organisation is interested in sponsoring this podcast - I have several options available. Let's talk!FinallyIf you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - feel free to just send me a direct message on LinkedIn, or send me a text message using this link.If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover it. Thanks for listening.

Part 1 Legacy by James Kerr Summary"Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of Life" by James Kerr is a book that explores the leadership principles and culture of the New Zealand national rugby team, the All Blacks. The core premise of the book is that the All Blacks have maintained a sustained level of success in rugby by adhering to specific values and practices that can be applied not only in sports but also in business and life. Key Themes and Insights:Leadership: Kerr emphasizes the importance of strong leadership. The All Blacks' success is attributed to leaders who empower their teammates, focus on collective goals, and foster a culture of accountability.Teambuilding and Culture: The book delves into how the All Blacks build a cohesive team culture centered around values, such as respect, humility, and excellence. Every member of the team is expected to contribute to this culture.Legacy: The notion of legacy plays a crucial role in the All Blacks' philosophy. Players are encouraged to think about the impact they leave not just in their playing careers but also on future generations. The concept of 'leaving the jersey in a better place' exemplifies this mindset.Attention to Detail: The All Blacks focus extensively on preparation and the small details that can make a significant difference in performance. Kerr highlights how this attention to detail translates into executing their game plan successfully.Resilience and Adaptability: The book discusses how the All Blacks have developed resilience in the face of challenges and setbacks, emphasizing the importance of learning from failure and adapting strategies.Continuous Improvement: Continuous learning and improvement are vital for the All Blacks. Kerr shares insights into their rituals, practices, and the "Kaizen" philosophy, which encourages incremental improvement.Influence of Maori Culture: The book also reflects on how Maori culture and its values significantly influence the team. Concepts like "Whanau" (family) foster strong bonds among team members, enhancing teamwork and collaboration. Conclusion:In summary, "Legacy" offers rich insights into how the principles that guide the All Blacks can be successfully applied to various areas beyond rugby. Kerr's lessons are relevant not only for athletes and coaches but also for leaders in business and other fields, emphasizing that strong values and a commitment to excellence can lead to extraordinary success.Part 2 Legacy AuthorJames Kerr is a prominent author and speaker known for his works focusing on leadership, team dynamics, and high-performance culture. He gained significant recognition for his book "Legacy," which was released in 2013. Book Details: Title: Legacy Release Year: 2013 Overview of "Legacy": In "Legacy," Kerr draws lessons from the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team, exploring themes of leadership, teamwork, and behavior that contribute to their success. The book has become a management classic, used in various organizational settings for leadership training and development.Other Notable Works by James Kerr: In addition to "Legacy," James Kerr has authored several other books, including: "The Catalyst: A Trailblazer's Guide to Making Change Happen" (2019) "This Is Your Life: The Complete Story of You" (2021) "The Team That Couldn't Lose: What You Need to Know to Reshape Your Own Team" (co-authored with John Campbell) Best Edition of "Legacy": While "Legacy" was originally published in hardcover, a widely recommended edition is the 2019 paperback release that includes updated content and insights. This edition is often favored for its accessibility and ease of reading, making it a popular choice among readers and professionals seeking to implement its teachings.Part 3...

欢迎收听雪球出品的财经有深度，雪球，国内领先的集投资交流交易一体的综合财富管理平台，聪明的投资者都在这里。今天分享的内容叫银行股与泡泡玛特，来自KAIZEN投资之道。2025年二季度以来，A股市场呈现结构性分化，银行股与消费赛道的“新经济代表”泡泡玛特均出现显著上涨。银行股受益于政策红利、险资配置需求及低估值修复逻辑，而泡泡玛特则凭借Z世代消费趋势、全球化扩张及IP价值爆发成为资本市场的焦点。两者看似分属不同赛道，但均反映了当前市场对“确定性”与“成长性”的双重追逐。以下结合最新数据与底层逻辑，分析其投资机会与未来走势。银行股上涨的底层逻辑与投资逻辑1.低利率环境下的“股息锚定效应”当前十年期国债收益率仅1.73%，而上市银行平均股息率达5.08%，显著高于无风险利率。在“资产荒”背景下，险资、社保等长期资金加速增配银行股，2025年一季度中央汇金通过ETF间接增持银行股超10亿份，平安人寿等险资机构连续加仓招商银行H股至11%，凸显银行股的“现金奶牛”属性。2.政策红利与风险缓释央行降准降息缓解银行净息差压力，地方政府债务置换、房企“白名单”融资政策降低资产质量担忧。同时，监管推动公募基金“被动化+低波化”，银行股在沪深300等核心指数中权重较高，迫使基金经理被动补仓，形成增量资金支撑。3.估值修复空间明确银行板块市净率仅0.69倍，较历史均值折价30%以上，叠加2024年归母净利润增速达4.5%，盈利稳定性与估值性价比双优。若经济复苏预期强化，银行股有望从“防御”转向“进攻”，进一步拔估值。泡泡玛特上涨的底层逻辑与投资逻辑1.Z世代消费趋势的爆发泡泡玛特2025年一季度海外营收同比激增475%-480%，占总营收近四成，远超三丽鸥等传统IP企业的海外占比。其核心IP Labubu系列2024年全球销售额达30亿元，限量款在二手市场溢价超10倍，成为Z世代“社交货币”与收藏符号。2.全球化布局与供应链优势公司通过“IP孵化+供应链+全球化”构建护城河，海外直营店单店年营收已达国内1.5倍。越南工厂投产使成本降低10%，中东、东南亚等新兴市场成为新增长极。摩根士丹利预计其三年内海外营收将突破200亿元。3.资本市场的“软实力”溢价泡泡玛特市值已超越三丽鸥，登顶亚洲角色经济榜首。其股价自2023年低点累计涨幅超22倍，背后反映的是资本市场对“文化出海”与“情绪价值消费”的认可。然而，其商业模式高度依赖Z世代消费习惯，存在IP生命周期波动与竞争加剧风险。后市比较：银行股 vs 泡泡玛特1.短期更值得投资：银行股确定性更强：银行股受益于政策红利、险资配置需求及估值修复逻辑，短期上涨动能充足，且具备“抗跌”属。风险敞口可控：当前经济复苏预期升温，银行资产质量改善，叠加政策托底，短期回调空间有限。2.中长期潜力：泡泡玛特成长性突出：泡泡玛特凭借IP创新与全球化扩张，有望成为“中国版迪士尼”。若Labubu等IP持续迭代，海外市场渗透率提升，其盈利空间可进一步打开。风险需警惕：Z世代消费偏好易变，若核心IP吸引力衰减或海外扩张受阻，股价波动性将显著放大。总结银行股与泡泡玛特代表了当前市场的两种投资逻辑：前者聚焦“低风险+高股息”的防御性价值，后者押注“Z世代+全球化”的成长性红利。短期来看，银行股在政策托底与险资加持下更具确定性；中长期维度，泡泡玛特若能维持IP创新与海外扩张势头，或成新经济标杆。投资者可结合自身风险偏好，银行股适合作为“压舱石”，泡泡玛特则适合高风险偏好者布局“软实力”赛道。最后我是重仓持有银行股几年了，未来还会继续持有。此时此刻奉上刘禹锡的诗句：“他日卧龙终得雨，今朝放鹤且冲天。”

I did a NixOS focused podcast a few weeks back and it was a good episode but at the same time I feel like we got too caught up in the weeds of Nix terminology, so lets do a part 2.==========Support The Channel==========► Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brodierobertson► Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/BrodieRobertsonVideo► Amazon USA: https://amzn.to/3d5gykF► Other Methods: https://cointr.ee/brodierobertson==========Guest Links==========Today we have the founder of All Things Linux, Kaizen on the show and you might think this is just some Discord community but there's a lot of ideas floating around for how to expand into much more than just that==========Support The Channel==========► Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brodierobertson► Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/BrodieRobertsonVideo► Amazon USA: https://amzn.to/3d5gykF► Other Methods: https://cointr.ee/brodierobertson==========Guest Links==========NixOS Website: https://nixos.org/Farid Blog: https://fzakaria.com/2024/07/05/learn-nix-the-fun-wayFulltime Nix: https://fulltimenix.com/==========Support The Show==========► Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brodierobertson► Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/BrodieRobertsonVideo► Amazon USA: https://amzn.to/3d5gykF► Other Methods: https://cointr.ee/brodierobertson=========Video Platforms==========

FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text MessageEver find yourself stuck in the cycle of trying to make massive life changes overnight, only to fail and feel frustrated? You're not alone. Today's episode explores a powerful alternative approach to personal transformation that's been hiding in plain sight for centuries.We begin with the remarkable story of Harriet, a 176-year-old tortoise collected by Charles Darwin himself, whose species adapted gradually over millions of years to thrive in specific environments. This natural example of incremental change serves as our gateway to understanding how real, lasting transformation works in human lives.Drawing wisdom from both Eastern and Western traditions, we dive into the Japanese concept of "kaizen"—the philosophy of continuous improvement through small, consistent changes. We examine how this approach aligns perfectly with insights from modern personal development experts like Darren Hardy and Jeff Olson, who emphasize that success comes not through dramatic gestures but through "mundane, unsexy, unexcited, sometimes difficult daily disciplines, compounded over time."Ready to break free from the cycle of dramatic starts and disappointing finishes? This episode offers a refreshing alternative that aligns with how lasting change actually happens. What small improvement will you commit to today? Listen now and discover how tiny steps can lead to your flourishing life.Key Points from the Episode:• Harriet the tortoise lived to 176 years old and was one of the tortoises Charles Darwin collected from the Galapagos• Different tortoise species evolved gradually over millions of years to adapt to their environments• The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy emphasizes "mundane, unsexy, unexcited, sometimes difficult, daily disciplines, compounded over time"• The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson focuses on "simple productive actions, repeatedly, consistently, over time"• Kaizen is the Japanese concept for small, consistent improvements that lead to significant change• Small virtues or daily disciplines may seem insignificant but yield powerful results when practiced consistentlyWhat small step will you take today to improve? One small, insignificant step at a time will put you on the road to a flourishing life.Other resources: Want to leave a review? Click here, and if we earned a five-star review from you **high five and knuckle bumps**, we appreciate it greatly, thank you so much!

In this Episode: In this episode of the Achieve Results Now podcast, Mark Cardone and Theron Feidt emphasize that while people set ambitious goals, they often "fall to the level of their habits." They introduce the concept of "TNT" – Today, Not Tomorrow – as the crucial mindset for building momentum and achieving results. The hosts acknowledge that many people struggle with procrastination and feeling unmotivated, but stress that immediate action, no matter how small, is key. Three actionable steps to cultivate powerful habits: 1. Audit Your Anchors The first step is to analyze your existing routines, especially the "bookends" of your day (morning and evening). These are often the most consistent parts of your day and present prime opportunities for intentional change. The hosts suggest questioning whether your current morning and evening routines are truly serving you and setting you up for success. Even small adjustments to these habitual moments can significantly impact your energy and productivity throughout the day. The goal is to identify and transform unproductive anchors into positive ones that foster motivation and a strong start. 2. Pick One Game-Changer Habit Identify the single habit that, if consistently implemented, would have the biggest ripple effect across other areas of your life. This isn't about overhauling everything at once, but finding that one keystone habit that, once established, naturally leads to other positive changes. Examples given include starting martial arts or consistent morning walks, which often lead to increased energy and improvements in work and family life. The hosts suggest reflecting on your stress points and reverse-engineering the habit that would alleviate that stress. While these foundational habits might seem "boring," their consistent practice yields significant long-term results. 3. Upgrade by 10% Embrace the Kaizen principle of continuous, small improvements. Instead of aiming for drastic changes, look for ways to make your existing efforts just 10% (or even 1%) better each day. For example, if you make 10 sales calls, aim for 11; if you do 10 push-ups, do 11. This incremental approach creates a powerful compound effect over time, leading to substantial progress without feeling overwhelming. The episode highlights that even if you're not adding new activities, making existing ones slightly better can yield remarkable results and foster a mindset of constant improvement. The podcast concludes by reinforcing the "Today, Not Tomorrow" philosophy, encouraging listeners to apply these three steps immediately to build powerful habits and accelerate their journey toward their goals. Related Podcast: ARN Podcast - Ep. 243: Bookend Your Day:  https://www.achieveresultsnow.com/single-post/bookend-your-day ARN Suggested Reading: The Compound Effect – by Darren Hardy Blessings In the Bullshit: A Guided Journal for Finding the BEST In Every Day – by Mark Cardone & Theron Feidt https://www.amazon.com/Blessings-Bullshit-Guided-Journal-Finding/dp/B09FP35ZXX/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=blessings+in+the+bullshit&qid=1632233840&sr=8-1 Full List of Recommended Books: https://www.achieveresultsnow.com/readers-are-leaders   Question: 1.   Do you have a question you want answered in a future podcast? 2.   Go to www.AchieveResultsNow.com to submit. Connect with Us: Get access to some of the great resources that we use at: www.AchieveResultsNow.com/success-store www.AchieveResultsNow.com www.facebook.com/achieveresultsnow www.twitter.com/nowachieve Thank you for listening to the Achieve Results NOW! Podcast.  The podcast that gives you immediate actions you can take to start seeing life shifting results NOW!

Today we have the founder of All Things Linux, Kaizen on the show and you might think this is just some Discord community but there's a lot of ideas floating around for how to expand into much more than just that==========Support The Channel==========► Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brodierobertson► Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/BrodieRobertsonVideo► Amazon USA: https://amzn.to/3d5gykF► Other Methods: https://cointr.ee/brodierobertson==========Guest Links==========Today we have the founder of All Things Linux, Kaizen on the show and you might think this is just some Discord community but there's a lot of ideas floating around for how to expand into much more than just that==========Support The Channel==========► Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brodierobertson► Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/BrodieRobertsonVideo► Amazon USA: https://amzn.to/3d5gykF► Other Methods: https://cointr.ee/brodierobertson==========Guest Links==========Website: https://allthingslinux.org/Wiki: https://atl.wiki/Github: https://github.com/allthingslinuxOpen Collective: https://opencollective.com/allthingslinuxtecharo.lol==========Support The Show==========► Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brodierobertson► Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/BrodieRobertsonVideo► Amazon USA: https://amzn.to/3d5gykF► Other Methods: https://cointr.ee/brodierobertson=========Video Platforms==========

BONUS: Zach Goldberg shares how to build high-performing engineering teams and master the startup CTO role In this BONUS episode, we dive deep into the world of startup leadership with Zach Goldberg, author of The Startup CTO's Handbook. We explore the critical transition from engineering to leadership, the art of balancing technical debt with startup urgency, and the communication skills that separate great CTOs from the rest. The Genesis of The Startup CTO's Handbook "My original training in software engineering was not enough for being a leader. All the people and leadership skills, I had to learn on my own." Zach's journey to writing The Startup CTO's Handbook began with a stark realization about the gap between technical training and leadership reality. Despite his classical software engineering background, he discovered that the people and leadership skills required for CTO success had to be self-taught. The book emerged from a growing Google Doc of topics and frameworks addressing the leadership and management challenges that CTOs consistently face - from hiring and performance management to making strategic decisions under pressure. Today, we can either buy the digital/print book on Amazon, or read the book on GitHub.  In this segment, we also refer to the book The Great CEO Within. Learning to Truly Learn: The Max Mintz Story "Max only cared about my ability to learn - to get curious about something hard. He wanted to help me deal with complexity." Zach opens his book with a deeply personal story about his mentor, Max Mintz, who fundamentally changed his approach to learning during what he calls "the most impactful single coffee" of his life. Over 1.5 years of conversations, Max taught him that true learning isn't about accumulating facts, but about developing curiosity for hard problems and building the capacity to handle complexity. This lesson forms the foundation of effective CTO leadership - the ability to continuously learn and adapt in an ever-changing technical landscape. The Three Critical CTO Mistakes "As a CTO, the most important 3 things: people, people, people. Do the people have the right energy, the right passion? Assemble the right team." Zach identifies consistent patterns in startup CTO failures across his experience. The first and most critical mistake is undervaluing people decisions - failing to prioritize team energy, passion, and the right assembly of talent. The second category involves investment mistakes, particularly the challenge of balancing short-term survival needs with long-term technical goals. In startups, the ROI timespan is exceptionally short, requiring optimization for immediate objectives rather than hypothetical scale. The third mistake is treating technology as religion rather than tools, losing sight of what the business actually needs. Optimizing for Velocity and Developer Experience "You are optimizing for velocity! What are you doing to help developers get their work done? Look at developer experience as a metric." Successful startup CTOs understand that velocity - the time from idea to valuable market delivery - is paramount. This requires a fundamental shift in thinking about technology decisions, focusing on features that deliver real customer value rather than technical elegance. Zach emphasizes measuring developer experience as a key metric, recognizing that anything that helps developers work more effectively directly impacts the company's ability to survive and thrive in competitive markets. The Professional Skill Tree Concept "It's like a character progression in an RPG. When we learn one type of skills, we don't learn other types of skills. We make investments every day and we have a choice on where we learn." Drawing from gaming metaphors, Zach explains how technical professionals often reach Level 100 in engineering skills while remaining Level 1 in management. The skill tree concept highlights that every learning investment is a choice - time spent developing one skill area means less time available for others. For engineers transitioning to leadership, the key is recognizing opportunities to serve as tech leads, where they can begin setting culture and quality standards while still leveraging their technical expertise. Balancing Kaizen with Startup Urgency "Pick the high-impact debt, and pay that down. This is not always easy, especially because we also need to pick what debt we don't invest on." The tension between continuous improvement and startup speed requires sophisticated thinking about technical debt. Using financial analogies, Zach explains that technical debt has both principal and interest components. The key is identifying which debt carries the highest interest rates and can be paid down most quickly, while consciously choosing which debt to carry forward. This approach maintains the healthy tension between quality and speed that defines successful startup engineering. The Power of Audience Empathy "The single hardest skill, especially for very tech leaders is that of 'audience empathy.' When you explain ideas to people, you usually assume a lot - but they might not." According to Zach, the most undervalued communication habit for startup tech leaders is developing audience empathy. Technical leaders often suffer from the curse of knowledge, assuming their audience shares their context and understanding. The solution requires deliberately considering what the audience already knows before crafting any communication, whether it's explaining technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders or providing clear direction to team members. In this segment we refer to the concept of “the curse of knowledge”, a cognitive bias that occurs when a person who has specialized knowledge assumes that others share in that knowledge. About Zach Goldberg Zach Goldberg is a seasoned technical entrepreneur, executive coach, and author of The Startup CTO's Handbook. With a founder's mentality and a passion for systems thinking, Zach helps engineering leaders build high-performing teams. He also founded Advance The World, a nonprofit inspiring youth in STEM through immersive experiences. You can link with Zach Goldberg on LinkedIn, and visit Zach's website at CTOHB.com.

How many questions is too many?You know that asking effective questions is key to helping others solve problems and unlocking improvement, but can you ask too many questions?Yes! And when you do so, you actually hinder progress, not enable it.In this episode, I share one of the most common mistakes leaders and coaches alike make when learning to Break the Telling Habit® and moving from “telling” to “asking”. It's a crucial shift to stop being the expert with all the answers, but when you overpivot to only asking, you can leave the person you're intending to support feeling frustrated and stuck. Coaching for improvement isn't just about inquiry—it's about navigating what I call the “Coaching Continuum”—knowing when to provide open support for problem-solving and when to step in with direction.And importantly, always keeping the problem-solving responsibility with the person you are coaching.YOU'LL LEARN:When and how to switch between directive coaching and open coachingThe Coaching Continuum and how to maintain the ownership of problem-solving with the actual problem ownerThree key steps to navigate the Coaching Continuum effectivelyA leader or coach's role in overseeing the problem-solving process, whether using an A3 report or another improvement methodThe importance of embracing struggle in the learning process and allowing time for responseTune in to learn how to navigate this continuum and become a more effective Transformational Improvement Coach!IMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes with links to other episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/44Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonDownload my FREE KATALYST™ Change Leader Self-Assessment: KBJAnderson.com/katalyst Learn more about the role of leader as coach: Learning to Lead, Leading to LearnTIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:02:59 Navigating the coaching continuum 03:59 A brief explanation of the coaching continuum to be a more helpful coach05:32 The 3 key steps to effectively navigate the coaching continuum05:43 Step 1: Understand their thinking to know whether open coaching or directive guidance is needed07:12 Step 2: Get comfortable with struggle08:26 When to pivot from open coaching to directive coaching8:37 How to label your actions to clarify your intention11:01 Step 3: Today's not the only day, follow up with a coaching process question to encourage learning11:27 Benefit of asking a process question to understand next steps13:32 A leader's role in developing an  A3 report and owning the thinking process not the thinking15:13 Why coaching and leadership is situational15:35 Steps to make a plan for effective coaching15:42 Step 1: Ask a question before immediately jumping in15:54 Step 2: Give an example how you might approach the problem16:15 Step 3: The next step to take and what to expect

If scaling your business feels more like a chaotic sprint than a steady climb, this episode will shift your perspective. I share the concept of Kaizen Scaling — the power of small, consistent improvements that stack up to serious results. No overhauls, no burnout, just smart strategy grounded in neuroscience, energy, and actual systems that free you up to grow.You'll learn the five CEO habits that help stabilise your income at 100k months, the truth about hustle in disguise, and how to make decisions from the version of you who's already there. It's practical, soulful, and wildly empowering.Highlights:(00:42) The power of Kaizen scaling(01:24) Some core habits for scaling(02:18) Collapsing time through identity and consistencyConnect with Dawn:Instagram @dawnmcgruer @dawnofanewerapodcastFacebook https://www.facebook.com/dawnamcgruerLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/businessconsort/Web www.dawnmcgruer.comThis podcast is in association with @HerPowerCommunity - The #1 Female Founders Global Community where connections flourish & growth is intentionalhttps://www.patreon.com/c/herpowercommunity This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podkite - https://podkite.com/privacy

On this episode of SPOT Radio, Charlie Webb, CPPL, discusses the Sterile Summer Patient Safety Road Trip 2025—an outreach initiative designed to raise awareness about sterile packaging practices and awareness. Joined by his wife, Lisa Webb, General Manager of Van der Stähl Scientific, the duo will actively support the Sterile Aware initiative, engaging medical device manufacturers by distributing awareness bracelets and posters while demonstrating advanced medical device packaging machinery.Beyond their mission to promote patient safety, Charlie and Lisa are also weaving moments of vacation and exploration into their journey, striking a balance between industry advocacy and personal adventure.Tune in to hear more about this unique road trip blending education, engagement, and a bit of summer fun!About Charlie Webb CPPL: Charlie Webb CPPL is the founder and President of Van der Stahl Scientific; a medical device packaging and testing machine provider and packaging testing and calibration laboratories.He is also a certified internal auditor and is the Quality Manager for Van der Stähl Scientific's demanding ISO/IEC 17025 Laboratory accreditation. Under Charlie's quality management system his lab received the MSI Continuous Improvement Award. Charlie is a member of the IOPP Medical Device Packaging Technical Committee, he is a former co-PM in the Kiip group and voting ASTM F02 technical committee and has multiple granted and pending patents on medical device packaging machinery and pouch testers.His current patent-pending technologies include a medical device tray sealer that will integrate pouch testing within the packaging machine to provide 100% real-time seal testing. Also, in development is his patented HTIP system (human tissue isolation pouch) this disposable system is designed to help avoid packaging machine contamination.About Lisa Webb: As the General manager of Van der Stähl Scientific she has grown the company sales by double in her 15-year tenure. Her technical acumen is impressive as there is not a packaging machine in Van der Stähl Scientific's offering that she does not know every nut and bolt and its placement.Beyond understand the medical device packaging and testing machines operation and build she also understands the ISO 11607 processes for which they are held under. Lisa also oversees many of the functions in Van der Stähl Scientific's ISO/IEC 17025 medical device pouch test and calibration laboratory. She is Kaizen trained and certified and continues to improve Van der Stähl Scientific's operation from product development to market reach.Team Email: info@vanderstahl.comRoadtrip webpage:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/missy-travis-b8588b45/Roadtrip Video: https://youtu.be/s58_ih8G7IM?si=Vglm3Nm60M5-3EmW Storyteller Hilt: https://www.storytelleroverland.com/pages/hilt 

Send us a textAnyone who's ever thought about writing a book knows the feeling: a mix of excitement, hope, and, yes—fear. In this episode of Authors Who Lead, I dive deep into the emotional realm of writing, pulling back the curtain on the ten most common fears that keep writers from taking the next step.Timestamp:00:00 Overcoming book-writing challenges04:23 Organized writing: audience & strategy08:37 Overcoming writing fears10:58 Kaizen: power of small steps15:53 Exclusive podcast for aspiring writers17:09 Join our writing communityFull show notesCOMMUNITY PROGRAMS

In this episode of Chat By The Pitch, we connect with Tony Cavalle and Gavin Mole of Dallas Surf — a club that's rapidly redefining youth soccer in DFW. Tony shares the origin story of Dallas Surf, while Gavin breaks down how the club is building its player DNA from the ground up. We talk structure, coaching education, technology, and the long-term vision that includes a unified coaching style and a full developmental pathway. Whether you're a parent, coach, or club leader — this is a blueprint worth hearing.

As we give ourselves to God, our life and work flows out as sacrificial labor as we strain to produce good things for others. This brings us back to the idea that we, the ones creating value for customers, are in a position of givers. We give of our time, strength, ideas, resources, and skills. And our work to produce value for our customer through a Disciplined Offering has eternal ramifications. There is a transcendent moral good in our physical labor. Kaizen is more than Continuous Improvement.Kaizen is Disciplined Offering.

Tracy Young has been on our radar for some time, having co-founded PlanGrid (acquired by Autodesk) and now co-founder of TigerEye - a GTM modern analytics platform. As a successful co-founder, Tracy has a natural sales background combined with her engineer background - a powerful combination.  On the TigerEye website, the company's core values are: Wholehearted, Humility, Kaizen, Trust, and Simplicity. Tracy discusses how she leads the company and has battled in her own head what a construction CEO or a tech co-founder looks like. It looks like her: a petite, Asian woman.  Tracy belives that the focus on a great leader should not be whether they are masculine or feminine but rather how they build their team - they have a vision, they're authentic, genuine, and are great communicators who care.  Follow Tracy on LinkedIn More about Women Sales Pros - we have a website, we are on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.  Subscribe to our 2x a month news, and share the podcast with others! We'd love a 5 star rating and comments on iTunes if you are so moved! It really makes a difference.  subscribe: https://bit.ly/thewspnews Contribute: https://forms.gle/v9rRiPDUtgGqKaXA6 Past News Issues: bit.ly/past_news_issues https://womensalespros.com/podcast/   

As we give ourselves to God, our life and work flows out as sacrificial labor as we strain to produce good things for others. This brings us back to the idea that we, the ones creating value for customers, are in a position of givers. We give of our time, strength, ideas, resources, and skills. And our work to produce value for our customer through a Disciplined Offering has eternal ramifications. There is a transcendent moral good in our physical labor. Kaizen is more than Continuous Improvement.Kaizen is Disciplined Offering.

In this episode, we explore the power of micro-habits and the Kaizen approach, a Japanese philosophy centered on continuous, incremental improvement. Rather than relying on massive changes or bursts of motivation, Kaizen teaches us that small, consistent actions—done daily—can lead to significant transformation over time. Micro-habits are the foundation of this mindset: tiny actions like doing one push-up, writing one sentence, or reading one page that feel almost too easy to skip. These small wins compound, boost motivation, and rewire our identity as someone who follows through.We also discuss why this approach outperforms hustle culture in the long run, with examples from elite athletes, military training, and personal development leaders. By anchoring micro-habits to existing routines and prioritizing consistency over intensity, anyone can use Kaizen to build momentum, stay mentally resilient, and avoid burnout. The episode wraps with a call to action: choose one micro-habit and stick with it for the next seven days—because small steps, done daily, can move mountains.

Tim, Phil, & Elaad are joined by Kaizen Asiedu to discuss a grand jury indicting a liberal judge accused of aiding an illegal immigrant evade ICE, a federal judge ruling that the Trump administration can resume using the Alien Enemies Act, a former NYC Democrat explaining why he abandoned the left, and CNN saying White South Africans should go back to Europe.   Hosts:  Tim @Timcast (everywhere) Phil @PhilThatRemains (X) Elaad @ElaadEliahu (X) Serge @SergeDotCom (everywhere) Guest: Kaizen Asiedu @thatsKAIZEN (X)

#402 Is your business leaking customers without you realizing it? In this episode hosted by Brien Gearin, we chat with Samantha Irwin, founder of Kaizen Coaching and Consulting, about why customer experience is everything — and how failing your team means failing your customers. Samantha shares her journey from middle school teacher to boutique hotel owner and explains why even 1% better service can transform your business. We unpack her "customer journey Ferris wheel," practical retention strategies, and real-life examples of exceeding expectations when things go wrong — including a behind-the-scenes story of how she turned a nightmare booking error into a glowing review. Plus, we dive into empowering employees, creating a culture of hospitality, and simple ways any business can boost loyalty and retention without breaking the bank. If you want loyal customers (and happy employees), this conversation is packed with must-hear insights! What we discuss with Samantha: + Why customer experience = business success + The link between staff churn and customer churn + Creating a “customer journey Ferris wheel” + Real-life story of exceeding expectations + Practical retention strategies for small biz + Empowering employees to enhance service + The true cost of high employee turnover + Small actions that build customer loyalty + Communication's role in customer retention + How to train (and hire) for hospitality Thank you, Samantha! Check out Kaizen Coaching and Consulting at Kaizen.zone. Watch the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠video podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ of this episode! And follow us on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To get exclusive offers mentioned in this episode and to support the show, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠millionaireuniversity.com/sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://nordvpn.com/millionaire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! Want to hear from more incredible entrepreneurs? Check out all of our interviews ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's the real purpose behind the Japanese practices integral to lean management —like kata, obeya, and A3 reports?These methods are often misunderstood as mere templates or formats, without recognizing the deeper meaning and intention that drive their impact.In this episode, we're picking up on my conversation with Tim Wolput, Japanologist, Toyota Way management expert, and former World Aikido Champion, in Part 2 of this masterclass on Japanese culture and management. Tim brings a unique perspective on the connection between martial arts and leadership—exploring how practices like kata, obeya, and omotenashi (the spirit of hospitality) can be applied to transformational leadership in your organization.YOU'LL LEARN:What it means to flip the pyramid, highlighting the difference between servant leadership and traditional top-down leadershipWhat the tea ceremony teaches us in looking beyond transactional thinkingThe essence of obeya in being more than a space to display information and manage initiatives, but process for people development and collaborationThe importance of holding precious what it means to be human in leadership The concept of “ichigo ichie” and embracing the uniqueness of the present momentIn episode 42, we explored how Samurai and rice farming shaped Japanese leadership and how it differs from Western management. If you missed it, hit pause and listen now before continuing this episode!ABOUT MY GUEST:Tim Wolput is a Japanologist and Toyota Way Management expert passionate about helping people transform themselves, their organizations, and the world for the better. Since 2023 Tim has been my in-country partner for my immersive Japan Leadership Experiences. Originally from Belgium, Tim has lived in Japan since 1999 where he attended Tokyo University Graduate School where he studied the history of traditional Japanese mathematics. He is also the 2005 World Champion in Aikido. Tim is a certified Toyota Way Management System instructor and consultant to global organizations on Lean, Agile, and Toyota Production System (TPS).IMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes: ChainOfLearning.com/43Listen to Part 1 with Tim Wolput: ChainfOfLearning.com/42Connect with Tim Wolput: linkedin.com/in/timwolputCheck out my website for resources and working together: KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonLearn about my Japan Leadership Experience program: kbjanderson.com/JapanTripTIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:01:54 The meaning and practice of Aikido and lessons for leadership and lean management06:20 What it means to flip the organizational pyramid and how it relates to supportive and servant leadership09:37 Importance of kata in Japanese culture 17:24 The ritual of the tea ceremony and how it relates to business and customer service21:05 Disadvantages of replacing humans with machines to get things done22:40 The concept of obeya, visual management, and people development25:30 The importance of being people focused rather than tools and processes to reach goals

My guest for Episode #527 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Dave Fitzpatrick, co-founder of Zenkai Improvement Partners and a 30-year resident of Japan. Dave brings a unique perspective as a Canadian Lean practitioner who has worked extensively in both manufacturing and healthcare, guiding international leaders on immersive study experiences throughout Japan. Episode page with video, transcript, and more In this episode, Dave and I share details about a new collaboration we're leading together--the Lean Healthcare Accelerator Experience. This is a jointly developed series of immersive visits to high-performing organizations in Japan, designed specifically for healthcare executives who want to see Lean principles in action across both hospitals and manufacturing settings. We talk about why we're creating this experience, what makes it unique, and how cultural context, leadership behaviors, and intentional long-term commitments drive sustainable improvement--not because it's "just Japan," but because of the systems and mindsets these organizations have cultivated. Dave shares his personal Lean journey, including how he transitioned from working in aeronautics to leading study tours for visiting professionals. He reflects on the differences between Japanese and Western companies when it comes to employee engagement, psychological safety, and respect for people. We also preview the first Accelerator trip taking place in June 2025 and discuss what makes these experiences so valuable and transformational for participants. Whether you're in healthcare or another industry, this conversation is packed with insights about creating a culture of continuous improvement--and how a visit to Japan can accelerate your learning. Questions, Notes, and Highlights: Can you share your origin story--how did you first get involved with Lean, Kaizen, or the Toyota Production System? What initially stood out to you when you began visiting Japanese manufacturing and healthcare organizations? From your experience, what cultural factors give Japanese organizations an advantage--or do they? How do successful Japanese companies build deep employee engagement and commitment to improvement? What lessons can visitors take home from Japan--and why is it not just about being "Japanese"? What are some common misconceptions people have before visiting Japan on these study experiences? How does hierarchy or seniority in Japanese companies affect psychological safety and speaking up? What kinds of organizations will we be visiting during the Lean Healthcare Accelerator? What role will Reiko Kano play in these visits, and how does her expertise go beyond translation? What's the value of including manufacturing visits in a healthcare-focused learning experience? How do Japanese companies view improvement work in relation to headcount and job security? Why is respect for people and time such a noticeable theme in Japanese customer service and operations? What do you hope participants in the Lean Healthcare Accelerator take away from this experience? This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Is your clinic's marketing feeling all over the place with little to show for it? It's time to apply the principle of Kaizen and build a lean, high-performing marketing system—starting with your website. In this episode of Online Marketing For Doctors TV and Podcast, we explore how consistent, strategic improvements to your website design and UX can turn it into a powerful patient-generating machine.  

Kaizen 19 has arrived! Gerhard has been laser-focused on making Jerod's pipe dream a reality by putting all of his efforts into Pipely. Has it been a big waste of time or has this epic side quest morphed into a main quest?!

In this solo episode, I share a few thoughts on my episode with Kaizen Asiedu. I also talk about where I get my news, the state of legacy media, and plans for my new podcast, "Something Different".

Explore the life-changing concept of constant and never-ending improvement—known as "Kaizen"—and how small, consistent actions can create massive transformation over time. From relationships and health to business and personal growth, you'll learn practical strategies to implement micro improvements in every area of your life, making your goals more attainable and your journey more fulfilling. Own your power with this Success Tip.  For more about Rod and his real estate investing journey go to www.rodkhleif.com  

Easter is the perfect time to reflect on what seeds you want to plant, where you want to put your energy, and what brings you joy. Laura also shares insights on the art of kaizen to make small changes that lead to big changes.Laura's Blog:Kaizen: The Power of Small Steps to Transform Your LifeFor more information about Laura and her work you can go to her website www.healingpowers.net or find her on X @thatlaurapowers, on Facebook at @realhealingpowers and @mllelaura, and on Instagram, TikTok and Insight Timer @laurapowers44.