Podcasts about process improvement

The focus of this spotlight episode is hot-side process improvements that will make your brew day quicker, more reliable, and more consistent. We get into the nitty-gritty of tank jackets, grist hydration, lauter-tun geometry, pressure differentials, kettle heating, and more, with a clear focus on lean manufacturing, reducing variability with Six Sigma DMAIC models, optimizing systems for the chemical and physical processes of brewing, workflow improvement for efficiency with provable ROI, and more. Joining for this conversation are: Kevan McCrummen: owner and head brewer of Vantage Point Brewing in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho Matthew Whitaker: sales engineer for Boiler Technologies Unlimited Vernon Spaulding: president and owner of Providence Process Solutions This in-depth discussion about hot-side process is brought to you interruption-free by Miura (https://miuraboiler.com), the global leader in modular on-demand steam solutions. Miura's boiler solutions are efficient, safe, and reliable, with flexible fuel options, compact footprints that fit today's breweries, modular expandable systems that grow with your brewery, and monitoring technology that gives you peace of mind. Their boilers are backed by the industry's only pressure-vessel guarantee against corrosion, and they offer a full lineup of equipment that integrates with your boiler, from water softening to de-aeration, reverse osmosis, and more. Learn more or contact them at Miuraboiler.com (https://miuraboiler.com).

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.

Most cannabis operators are reactive—drowning in checklists, flooded with data, and still missing the point.Compliance gets all the attention, while real operational signals—like handling variability and shifting process conditions—lead to execution gaps and reactive decision-making.Extraction process optimization is tricky, but when the actual root cause is identified and solved, the returns can be astronomical—and compounding.The challenge? Aligning teams around meaningful data, not just required data.The unlock? It's not about overhauling everything—it's about starting small, watching closely, and making the process stronger one step at a time.This week we sit down with Murphy Murri to discuss:What most teams miss when they “optimize”Why compliant data ≠ operational clarityImmediate ways to improve cannabis manufacturingChapters00:00 Introduction to the Cannabis Industry01:14 Murphy's Journey into Cannabis03:39 Current State of Cannabis Manufacturing07:58 Operational Efficiencies and KPIs10:44 Challenges of Industry Maturity13:30 Essential Data Points for Success19:25 The Importance of Moisture Control25:07 Data Utilization and Organizational Mindset28:07 Real-Time Data and Actionable Insights30:14 The Mindset of Compliance vs. Optimization31:58 Understanding Performance Metrics33:55 Data Collection and Operational Efficiency36:00 Leveraging Technology for Process Improvement37:56 The Importance of Accountability in Equipment Performance40:45 Identifying Weaknesses and Opportunities43:01 Reevaluating Processes for Better Outcomes51:28 Return on Investment in Process Optimization53:32 Consulting Services and Future OpportunitiesGuest Links:https://www.murphymurri.com/https://www.instagram.com/murphymurri/?hl=enhttps://x.com/murphymurrihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/murphymurri/ Our Links:Bryan Fields on TwitterKellan Finney on TwitterThe Dime on TwitterAt Eighth Revolution (8th Rev), we provide services from capital to cannabinoid and everything in between in the cannabinoid industry.8th Revolution Cannabinoid Playbook is an Industry-leading report covering the entire cannabis supply chain The Dime is a top 5% most shared  global podcastThe Dime is a top 10 Cannabis Podcast The Dime has a New Website. Shhhh its not finished.Sign up for our playbook here:

Listen to this #IISEAnnual2025 podcast break with Valerie Maier-Speredelozzi from the University of Rhode Island, recorded live on the floor of the IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2025 in Atlanta. Hit play to relive the energy, steal an idea before your next coffee refill, and stay plugged into the #IISEAnnual2025 buzz — wherever you engineer impact.SPONSORED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON'S CULLEN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING: At the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering, the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department prepares students not just to be team players — but to become dynamic leaders. Ranked among the Top 50 public universities by U.S. News & World Report, both the College and department are recognized for academic excellence and innovation. With flexible programs and industry-relevant certifications, such as our Lean Six Sigma program at lss.uh.edu we equip learners at every level to break through outdated systems and lead meaningful transformation. Discover more at ie.uh.edu.

Listen to this #IISEAnnual2025 podcast break with Jingfei Chen, senior principle product manager at ServiceNow, recorded live on the floor of the IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2025 in Atlanta. Hit play to relive the energy, steal an idea before your next coffee refill, and stay plugged into the #IISEAnnual2025 buzz — wherever you engineer impact.SPONSORED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON'S CULLEN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING: At the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering, the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department prepares students not just to be team players — but to become dynamic leaders. Ranked among the Top 50 public universities by U.S. News & World Report, both the College and department are recognized for academic excellence and innovation. With flexible programs and industry-relevant certifications, such as our Lean Six Sigma program at lss.uh.edu we equip learners at every level to break through outdated systems and lead meaningful transformation. Discover more at ie.uh.edu.

Carly Walker of Auburn University is a first-time IISE Annual Conference & Expo attendee. She said she's enjoyed her first year at the event thanks to what she describes as a “welcoming" atmosphere. Listen to this #IISEAnnual2025 podcast break with Carly, recorded live on the floor of the IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2025 in Atlanta. Hit play to relive the energy, steal an idea before your next coffee refill, and stay plugged into the #IISEAnnual2025 buzz — wherever you engineer impact.SPONSORED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON'S CULLEN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING: At the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering, the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department prepares students not just to be team players — but to become dynamic leaders. Ranked among the Top 50 public universities by U.S. News & World Report, both the College and department are recognized for academic excellence and innovation. With flexible programs and industry-relevant certifications, such as our Lean Six Sigma program at lss.uh.edu we equip learners at every level to break through outdated systems and lead meaningful transformation. Discover more at ie.uh.edu.

Listen to this #IISEAnnual2025 podcast break with David Gray from Autodesk Inc., recorded live on the floor of the IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2025 in Atlanta. Hit play to relive the energy, steal an idea before your next coffee refill, and stay plugged into the #IISEAnnual2025 buzz — wherever you engineer impact.SPONSORED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON'S CULLEN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING: At the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering, the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department prepares students not just to be team players — but to become dynamic leaders. Ranked among the Top 50 public universities by U.S. News & World Report, both the College and department are recognized for academic excellence and innovation. With flexible programs and industry-relevant certifications, such as our Lean Six Sigma program at lss.uh.edu we equip learners at every level to break through outdated systems and lead meaningful transformation. Discover more at ie.uh.edu.

Listen to this #IISEAnnual2025 podcast break with Sanjit Addepally from Rutgers University, recorded live on the floor of the IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2025 in Atlanta. Hit play to relive the energy, steal an idea before your next coffee refill, and stay plugged into the #IISEAnnual2025 buzz — wherever you engineer impact.SPONSORED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON'S CULLEN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING: At the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering, the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department prepares students not just to be team players — but to become dynamic leaders. Ranked among the Top 50 public universities by U.S. News & World Report, both the College and department are recognized for academic excellence and innovation. With flexible programs and industry-relevant certifications, such as our Lean Six Sigma program at lss.uh.edu we equip learners at every level to break through outdated systems and lead meaningful transformation. Discover more at ie.uh.edu.

Listen to this #IISEAnnual2025 podcast break with Max Miller from Auburn University, recorded live on the floor of the IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2025 in Atlanta. Hit play to relive the energy, steal an idea before your next coffee refill, and stay plugged into the #IISEAnnual2025 buzz — wherever you engineer impact.SPONSORED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON'S CULLEN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING: At the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering, the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department prepares students not just to be team players — but to become dynamic leaders. Ranked among the Top 50 public universities by U.S. News & World Report, both the College and department are recognized for academic excellence and innovation. With flexible programs and industry-relevant certifications, such as our Lean Six Sigma program at lss.uh.edu we equip learners at every level to break through outdated systems and lead meaningful transformation. Discover more at ie.uh.edu.

Melika Jahan Beikloo is a Ph.D. candidate from Clemson University in the industrial engineering department. It's her first time at #IISEAnnual2025, and she's also giving a presentation Monday, June 2. Listen to this #IISEAnnual2025 podcast break with Melika, recorded live on the floor of the IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2025 in Atlanta. Hit play to relive the energy, steal an idea before your next coffee refill, and stay plugged into the #IISEAnnual2025 buzz — wherever you engineer impact.SPONSORED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON'S CULLEN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING: At the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering, the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department prepares students not just to be team players — but to become dynamic leaders. Ranked among the Top 50 public universities by U.S. News & World Report, both the College and department are recognized for academic excellence and innovation. With flexible programs and industry-relevant certifications, such as our Lean Six Sigma program at lss.uh.edu we equip learners at every level to break through outdated systems and lead meaningful transformation. Discover more at ie.uh.edu.

What happens when you mix discipline, precision, and deep empathy into a real estate business? In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes welcomes Cindy James. Cindy is a licensed REALTOR, & Broker Associate, public speaker, and co-owner of Island Construction & Remodeling in Jacksonville, FL. With over 30 years in the corporate world and a background in real estate investing, Cindy blends business savvy, local expertise, and construction knowledge to help clients buy, sell, and transform homes with confidence. She's built a standout brand by leading with heart, hustle, and an unwavering commitment to helping clients turn houses into homes—and investments into opportunities. From flipping homes and streamlining renovation projects to guiding emotional first-time buyers, Cindy emphasizes the power of listening, empathy, and having a process. She doesn't just help clients buy and sell homes—she helps them achieve life goals with clarity and confidence. Whether she's organizing a move, catching missed home defects, or coordinating cleanouts, Cindy shows that elite real estate agents are much more than transaction managers—they're life facilitators. If you're a real estate professional looking to elevate your client service or a buyer who wants a seamless and empathetic experience, follow Cindy James and stay connected!   Highlights: 00:00 - 05:12 Military Discipline & Early Influences Life with a drill sergeant father Spanish at home, English at school Friday night inspections and household order Lessons from growing up in a military family How discipline shaped her professional habits 05:13 - 12:34 Corporate to Real Estate Evolution 30-year corporate tenure at Florida Blue First home at 22: love for new construction Real estate investment beginnings Applying Six Sigma to her business transition Passion for process and continuous improvement 12:35 - 21:45 Making Chaos Seamless for Clients Problem-solving in real estate transactions The unexpected moving day challenge Leveraging contractors for fast turnarounds Protecting clients from behind-the-scenes stress The goal: smooth closings and stress-free clients 21:46 - 33:59 Relationships, Referrals & Reputation Creating client advocates through service Going beyond the transaction Building trust through action, not just words Referrals from people she's never even sold to Consistency and care over commissions 34:00 - 46:02 Listening, Empathy & Emotional Sales Reading the room: listening with eyes and ears Understanding the story behind the sale Helping clients through trauma-driven moves The art of conversation and natural empathy Counseling clients while closing deals 46:03 - 01:10:01 Construction, Data & Dual Expertise How she became co-owner of a renovation firm Business structure meets on-site grit Seeing potential in properties others pass on Pricing renovations and value-add upgrades Targeted marketing using data and strategy Conclusion   Quotes: "Everything is a process—we just don't stop long enough to actually see it and map it out." – Cindy James "My clients don't need to know about the chaos behind the scenes. They need to feel like it was simple." – Cindy James "I will talk you out of buying a house if it's not the right thing to do." – Cindy James "I don't pretend to be perfect. I'm here to help people achieve a goal—that's what drives me." – Cindy James   To contact Cindy James, learn more about her business, and make her a part of your network, make sure to follow her on her Website, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.   Connect with Cindy James! Website: https://RealEstateWithCindyJames.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cindy.james.realtor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063589868070 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-james-realtor%C2%AE-broker-associate-3907a01a3/   Connect with me! Website: toprealtorjacksonville.com   Website: toprealtorstaugustine.com    If you want to build your business and become more discoverable online, Streamlined Media has you covered. Check out how they can help you build an evergreen revenue generator all powered by content creation!   SUBSCRIBE & LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW as we discuss real estate excellence with the best of the best.   #RealEstateExcellence #CindyJames #JacksonvilleHomes #RealEstatePodcast #EmpathyInBusiness #WomenInRealEstate #HomeFlipping #RenovationExpert #SixSigma #TopAgent #RealEstateTips #HomeBuyers #RealEstateStrategy #LeadershipInRealEstate #ClientFirst #ConstructionToClosing #BilingualAgent #VAHomeLoans #ProcessImprovement #TrustedAdvisor #RealEstateJourney

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

You can choose: Heaven or HellWhy do some process improvement projects feel like a gift—and others like a punishment?If you've ever been caught in the chaos of a so-called "improvement" initiative that made things worse instead of better, you're not alone. This episode explores how traditional process improvement often misses the mark and how a new, wellness-centered approach can turn stress into support for your team.You Will Discover ...

In this episode, Doug Hall, founder of Eureka Ranch and Brain Brew Distillery and a recognized innovation expert, discusses his book, "Proactive Problem Solving." He shares practical strategies for identifying and resolving challenges using systems thinking. Inspired by Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Hall emphasizes engaged leadership and empowering those closest to the work. The conversation focuses on moving beyond simply fixing problems to proactively preventing them.

SummaryIn this episode of the e-commerce content creation podcast, Daniel discusses the importance of studio audits and the physical layout of studios in enhancing workflow efficiency. He introduces the concept of workshops aimed at improving digital workflows and emphasizes the need for identifying quick wins within studio processes. The conversation highlights the interdependence of studio workflows, the challenges of managing exceptions in production, and the critical role of documentation and last but not least, the importance of celebrating team wins and continuous improvement in studio operations.Key TakeawaysThe studio audit focuses on both physical layout and workflow.Internal tools can sometimes outperform external solutions.Physical space impacts digital workflow significantly.Workshops can help identify and improve digital processes.Quick wins are essential for team morale and efficiency.Studio workflows are highly interdependent and complex.Managing exceptions is crucial in production processes.Documentation is often lacking and relies on tribal knowledge.Celebrating wins boosts team motivation and recognition.Continuous improvement is key to operational success.CreditsHosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

#74: Most business success doesn't come from one big move—it comes from doing the right things over and over, on purpose. In this episode, we're breaking down the real power of repetition in business: why it works, how it builds momentum, and how those daily reps are the bridge from being good... to becoming world-class.I'll share personal stories from my background in athletics, explain the systems I've built to keep my business engine running, and unpack why early results might seem slow, but behind the scenes, they're compounding fast. Whether you're creating content, making sales calls, underwriting deals, or building client relationships, repetition isn't boring, it's your most underrated competitive advantage.If you're aiming to be the best at what you do, this episode is the reminder (and push) to keep showing up and putting in the reps.If you are interested in making an additional $100k this year in private lending-then. you need to register for our National Private Lending Conference, Sept. 3-4 in Las Vegas! Check it out! https://www.americanlendingconference.com/

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

Jennifer Peterson, Manager of Continuous Improvement at Muscatine Power and Water (MPW) in Muscatine, Iowa, joined Jamie Flinchbaugh on the People Solve Problems podcast to share insights about her approach to problem solving. Jennifer's mission at MPW is to reduce frustration for coworkers through process improvement and problem solving. Working in a utility that provides critical services and never shuts down, Jennifer explains that prioritization is essential. At MPW, safety concerns come first, followed by reliability issues. Jennifer shares a practical example of how they tackled the recurring problem of squirrels chewing through utility lines by installing special pole wraps that prevent squirrels from climbing, significantly reducing outages. Rather than accepting this as an inevitable issue, her team actively sought solutions. When it comes to collaboration, Jennifer believes in inclusivity. She prefers having more stakeholders in the room rather than too few, aligning with Jamie's philosophy that problems can't be solved in isolation. Jennifer employs several facilitation strategies to ensure all voices are heard, especially from quieter team members. Her preparation includes learning about participants beforehand, sometimes through conversations with their supervisors, and creating a comfortable environment for contribution during sessions. Jennifer connects problem-solving effectiveness to the organization's mission. MPW revised their mission statement in 2023 to empower Muscatine residents and businesses to thrive, which has helped employees see the direct impact of their work. This connection to community creates natural motivation, as employees often serve their family members, friends, and neighbors. For tackling complex problems like safety and reliability, Jennifer recommends breaking them down into smaller, less intimidating parts. She draws a powerful connection between this approach and psychological safety, noting that when problems seem less overwhelming, people are more likely to embrace solutions and understand different perspectives. After 17 years at MPW, Jennifer recognizes the challenge of blind spots that come with long tenure. Her team documents processes for potential single points of failure and questions long-standing practices. They also use benchmarking and comparative data to challenge themselves, recently shifting from measuring against industry averages to top quartile performance. She notes that MPW's culture embraces holding themselves to high standards, with leadership promoting a standard of excellence throughout the organization. Jennifer combines her MBA from Western Illinois University, Bachelor's in English from St. Martin's University, and certifications as a PMP and Lean Black Belt to bring both analytical rigor and clear communication to her continuous improvement work. Learn more about Jennifer and Muscatine Power and Water at www.mpw.org or connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-peterson-muscatine/.

keywordscybersecurity, leadership, startups, failure, vendor trust, HACKERverse, communication, investment, innovation, beginner's mindset, job search, LinkedIn, networking, AI, personal branding, cybersecurity, lifestyle polygraph, superheroes, career advice, mentorshipsummaryIn this episode of No Password Required, host Jack Clabby and co-host Kaylee Melton engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Mariana Padilla, co-founder and CEO of HACKERverse.AI. The discussion revolves around the importance of embracing failure as a learning opportunity, the role of leadership in fostering a positive work environment, and the challenges faced in the cybersecurity vendor landscape. Mariana shares her insights on the need for better communication in the industry and the importance of a beginner's mindset in driving innovation. The conversation also touches on the future of investment in cybersecurity and the necessity of rebuilding trust within the industry. In this engaging conversation, Mariana discusses the challenges of job searching in the current landscape dominated by AI and the importance of networking and personal branding. She emphasizes that building trust and connections is crucial in the cybersecurity field. The discussion transitions into a fun segment called the lifestyle polygraph, where Mariana shares her thoughts on superheroes and their relevance to personal and professional growth. The episode concludes with Mariana providing insights on how to connect with her and her work.takeawaysEmbracing failure is crucial for personal and professional growth.Leadership should focus on transparency and learning from mistakes.A beginner's mindset can lead to innovative solutions in cybersecurity.The cybersecurity industry struggles with communication and trust.Venture capital influences the direction of cybersecurity startups.Sustainable business practices are essential for long-term success.The sales process in cybersecurity needs to be more efficient.Understanding vendor interoperability is critical for security.Cybersecurity vendors must demonstrate product viability effectively.The industry must evolve to meet the rapid pace of technological change. You're competing against AI for some of these jobs.Networking is so, so, so important.The online application system has been dying for quite some time.Your personal brand matters and you have to have one.Conferences are a prime opportunity to peacock a little bit.Batman has real feelings and real demons.The correct answer is Star Trek.Margot Robbie, I really like her.You're on the fantasy cybersecurity squad.Come follow me on LinkedIn for lots of shenanigans.titlesEmbracing Failure in CybersecurityThe Importance of Leadership in StartupsInnovating with a Beginner's MindsetHACKERverse: Revolutionizing CybersecuritySound Bites"It's all about leadership and leading by example.""I think we have a gap here.""We should focus on sustainably built businesses.""It's just a bunch of nonsense.""Networking is so, so, so important.""Batman has real feelings and real demons.""The correct answer is Star Trek.""Margot Robbie, I really like her.""You're on the fantasy cybersecurity squad."Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Cybersecurity Conversations02:00 Embracing Failure as a Learning Opportunity06:02 The Role of Leadership in Startups09:00 The Value of a Beginner's Mindset11:58 Understanding HACKERverse's Mission13:59 Challenges in the Cybersecurity Vendor Landscape17:08 Shaking Up the Status Quo in Cybersecurity21:52 The Future of Investment in Cybersecurity24:36 Navigating Job Searches in the Age of AI29:35 The Importance of Personal Branding30:23 Lifestyle Polygraph: Fun and Games39:05 Superheroes and Their Lessons43:45 Connecting with Mariana: Final Thoughts

Unlock fresh perspectives on modern executive search operations in this can't-miss episode of The Full Desk Experience. Designed for executive search leaders, owners, and director-level decision makers, this conversation with Vaughn Emery, VP of Revenue Growth at Duffy Group, dives deep into the strategies powering next-level growth in today's recruiting landscape.Key insights include:The Duffy Group's unique, research-driven executive search model that builds deep, mission-aligned partnerships with clients.Transforming sales and process frameworks to balance consistency with flexibility, while keeping teams accountable—without micromanaging.The essential role of technology and AI in modern search, and why the human touch remains irreplaceable for quality outcomes.Tracking overlooked KPIs, like cost-to-hire and post-placement success, for smarter, client-focused results.Executive-level approaches to succession planning and long-term client value creation.Are you future-proofing your processes, or has your tried-and-true approach hit its ceiling? How much will AI truly change the game for executive search, and where is the human element irreplaceable?Press play now to hear first-hand strategies and practical wisdom you can use to elevate your search firm's success._________________Tools mentioned in this episode:Crelate – Mentioned as both the company the host is from (Kortney Harmon, Director of Industry Relations at Crelate) and the platform behind the podcast.Crelate Copilot – Crelate's AI assistant (“Copilot brings you recruiter intelligence…”)._________________Follow Vaughn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaughnemery1/Want to learn more about Crelate? Book a demo hereFollow Crelate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crelate/Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.crelate.com/blog/full-desk-experience

BONUS: From Waterfall to Flow—Rethinking Mental Models in Software Delivery With Henrik Mårtensson In this BONUS episode, we explore the origins and persistence of waterfall methodology in software development with management consultant Henrik Mårtensson. Based on an article where he details the history of Waterfall, Henrik explains the historical context of waterfall, challenges the mental models that keep it alive in modern organizations, and offers insights into how systems thinking can transform our approach to software delivery. This conversation is essential for anyone looking to understand why outdated methodologies persist and how to move toward more effective approaches to software development. The True Origins of Waterfall "Waterfall came from the SAGE project, the first large software project in history, where they came up with a methodology based on an economic analysis." Henrik takes us on a fascinating historical journey to uncover the true origins of waterfall methodology. Contrary to popular belief, the waterfall approach wasn't invented by Winston Royce but emerged from the SAGE project in the 1950s. Bennington published the original paper outlining this approach, while it was Bell and Tayer who later named it "waterfall" when referencing Royce's work. Henrik explains how gated process models eventually led to the formalized waterfall methodology and points out that an entire generation of methods existed between waterfall and modern Agile approaches that are often overlooked in the conversation. In this segment we refer to:  The paper titled “Production of Large Computer Programs” by Herbert D. Benington (direct PDF link) Updated and re-published in 1983 in Annals of the History of Computing ( Volume: 5, Issue: 4, Oct.-Dec. 1983) Winston Royce's paper from 1970 that erroneously is given the source of the waterfall term. Direct PDF Link. Bell and Thayer's paper “Software Requirements: Are They Really A Problem?”, that finally “baptized” the waterfall process. Direct PDF link.   Mental Models That Keep Us Stuck "Fredrik Taylor's model of work missed the concept of a system, leading us to equate busyness with productivity." The persistence of waterfall thinking stems from outdated mental models about work and productivity. Henrik highlights how Frederick Taylor's scientific management principles continue to influence software development despite missing the crucial concept of systems thinking. This leads organizations to equate busyness with productivity, as illustrated by Henrik's anecdote about 50 projects assigned to just 70 people. We explore how project management practices often enforce waterfall thinking, and why organizations tend to follow what others do rather than questioning established practices. Henrik emphasizes several critical concepts that are often overlooked: Systems thinking Deming's principles Understanding variation and statistics Psychology of work Epistemology (how we know what we know) In this segment, we refer to:  Frederik Taylor's book “The Principles of Scientific Management” The video explaining why Project Management leads to Coordination Chaos James C. Scott's book, “Seeing Like a State” Queueing theory Little's Law The Estimation Trap "The system architecture was overcomplicated, and the organizational structure followed it, creating a three-minute door unlock that required major architectural changes." Henrik shares a compelling story about a seemingly simple feature—unlocking a door—that was estimated to take three minutes but actually required significant architectural changes due to Conway's Law. This illustrates how organizational structures often mirror system architecture, creating unnecessary complexity that impacts delivery timelines. The anecdote serves as a powerful reminder of how estimation in software development is frequently disconnected from reality when we don't account for systemic constraints and architectural dependencies. In this segment, we refer to Conway's Law, the observation that explicitly called out how system architecture is so often linked to organizational structures. Moving Beyond Waterfall "Understanding queueing theory and Little's Law gives us the tools to rethink flow in software delivery." To move beyond waterfall thinking, Henrik recommends several resources and concepts that can help transform our approach to software development. By understanding queueing theory and Little's Law, teams can better manage workflow and improve delivery predictability. Henrik's article on coordination chaos highlights the importance of addressing organizational complexity, while James C. Scott's book "Seeing Like a State" provides insights into how central planning often fails in complex environments. About Henrik Mårtensson Henrik Mårtensson is a management consultant specializing in strategy, organizational development, and process improvement. He blends Theory of Constraints, Lean, Agile, and Six Sigma to solve complex challenges. A published author and licensed ScrumMaster, Henrik brings sharp systems thinking—and a love of storytelling—to help teams grow and thrive. You can link with Henrik Mårtensson on LinkedIn and connect with Henrik Mårtensson on Twitter.

Apply for the Nov 2025 Japan Leadership Experience - early registration rate now through May 31st! https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/ How much of the Toyota Way is dependent on Japanese culture?And how much of it all comes down to… being human?There are questions I've explored with 130+ global leaders who've joined my Japan Leadership Experience programs. To help you answer this question, I've invited Tim Wolput – Japanologist and Toyota Way Management expert, to Chain of Learning.Together, we take a deep (and fun!) dive into the differences between classical Japanese and Western management and explore the cultural and historical roots of real lean leadership.In this episode, we travel through Japanese history—from Confucius' teachings to samurai and rice farming traditions, and Deming's influence on Japanese management. If you've ever wanted a masterclass on Japanese management and Toyota Way principles—and how you can apply these lessons to create a culture of excellence—these two episodes are a must-listen.YOU'LL LEARN:Misconceptions about the Toyota Way management practices and applying the principles across culturesDeming's influence on Japan and the development of the Toyota Production System and Toyota WayThe way of the samurai: Focus on the process, not just the outcomeShu-ha-ri: The process towards mastery and turning knowledge into wisdom by learning through doing The power of leading through influence and “doing the right thing”: true leadership inspires growth, not just resultsSubscribe so you don't miss Part 2, where we continue along this path of learning to explore the nuances of Japanese concepts like kata and obeya and their relationship to lean management practices today.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 and studied traditional Japanese mathematics. 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/42Connect with Tim Wolput: linkedin.com/in/timwolputCheck out my website for resources and working together: KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson Learn about my Japan Leadership Experience program: kbjanderson.com/JapanTrip TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:03:53 Biggest misconceptions about Toyota Way management practices05:10 Katie's perspective Japan versus the west08:46 The meaning of Shu Ha Ri and the traditional way of learning10:23 Deming's influence on Japan and The Toyota Way13:05 Why Japan embraced PDCA15:45 Difference in mindset between Asia and the west17:28 The working culture in Japan and how work together in the community22:17 Power of the supplier relationship23:40 Japanese leadership style29:15 Concept of doing the right thing30:56 How to focus on processes as the way to get results34:13 Powerful words of wisdom about the way of the samurai Apply for the Nov 2025 Japan Leadership Experience - early registration rate now through May 31st! https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/ 

Points of Interest1:02 – 1:38 – Intro: Marcel introduces the session as a condensed version of his All-in Agency Summit talk, aimed at equipping agencies with the key levers to diagnose and improve profitability.3:05 – 3:18 – 80/20 Profitability Focus: The goal is to give agencies 20% of the knowledge that provides 80% of the insight needed to take control of profitability, regardless of market conditions.4:28 – 6:27 – The Growth Trap Cycle: Agencies often get stuck in a cycle of hiring during growth, losing profitability, scaling again, and repeatedly encountering the same financial challenges at larger scales.6:42 – 7:01 – Identifying the Real Problem: Founders are urged to identify whether their agency's issue is inefficient delivery (indigestion) or lack of revenue (starvation) to avoid insolvency.9:01 – 10:06 – Financial Metrics Foundation: Understanding core financial metrics—especially agency gross income (AGI)—is essential to making better business decisions beyond tax reporting.14:24 – 18:05 – Delivery Margin as the Core Metric: Agencies should aim for delivery costs to stay under 50% of AGI, enabling better spending on overhead and stronger profitability.21:44 – 26:44 – Lever 1: Average Cost Per Hour: Lowering the average cost of labor through delegation and improved processes helps reduce delivery costs and increase profitability.28:03 – 31:55 – Lever 2: Average Billable Rate (ABR): Maximizing revenue per hour of delivery time, regardless of billing model, improves margins—either by pricing higher or working more efficiently.34:17 – 38:24 – Lever 3: Utilization Rate: Utilization measures how much team capacity is spent on client work; improving it by selling more work or adjusting staff size directly affects profitability.42:01 – 44:45 – Utilization Benchmarks: Weekly and annual utilization targets vary by role; producers should aim for 75%+ weekly, and teams should average 50–65% annually including all roles.45:27 – 49:26 – Impact of Levers on Profit: A case study illustrates how modest gains in utilization and ABR can shift profit margins from 10% to 40%, increasing valuation by up to 500% without hiring or cutting overhead.Show NotesAll-in Agency SummitChris Dubois & Dynamic Agency OSFree Agency Profit ToolkitFree access to our Model PlatformParakeeto Foundations CourseLove the PodcastLeave us a review here.

What separates a busy business from a profitable one? Processes.   In this episode, kevin and Chris unpack how to scale a business by building simple, repeatable systems that remove you from the day-to-day chaos and unlock serious growth.   Here's what we cover: ✅ Why most entrepreneurs stay stuck as technicians  ✅ How to identify and fix your biggest bottleneck ✅ Building processes that allow you to delegate and scale ✅ How we grew a startup windshield business with lightning speed ✅ The mindset shift from working in your business to on your business   If you're ready to stop putting out fires and start scaling with intention, this episode is your roadmap to building a business that runs without you.    

You're doing great work….yet you know you could have a greater influence.You have a vision for more. More strategic work. More influence.Only question—how do you get there?The issue isn't your talent or skills. It's how you are positioned—how your clients or organization see (and value) your role.In this episode, I'm joined by Betsy Jordyn—former Disney OD consultant turned brand positioning strategist—to help you reshape how others perceive your value and become the one leaders turn to when it comes to making significant changes to their leadership and culture.Besty shares actionable ways to communicate your value so you can land the roles and work you truly deserve. And we both share insights we've learned from evolving the framing of our own positioning over time.Whether you're an internal change leader tired of being stuck in execution mode or a consultant struggling to land strategic engagements, this conversation is your road map to stop playing small.YOU'LL LEARN:What positioning actually is—and why it mattersHow to spot the signs your positioning isn't landing the way you wantThe 3 levels of positioning every leader and consultant should masterReal examples from our own careers on how we've evolved our positioningA simple process to clearly articulate your value and stand out in your marketABOUT MY GUEST:Betsy Jordyn is a Brand Positioning Strategist who helps consultants and coaches clarify their message, amplify their influence, and monetize their strengths. Drawing on her experience as a former Disney OD consultant and leader of an external practice serving brands like Wyndham and AAA, she empowers clients to make a bigger impact through authentic thought leadership.IMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes: ChainOfLearning.com/41Watch the Bonus Video – Elevate Your Positioning to Lead Transformational Change: https://youtu.be/O0W9dq3jYnw Connect with Betsy Jordyn: linkedin.com/in/betsy-jordynBetsy's Meeting Discovery Script: betsyjordyn.comBetsy's Podcast, Consulting Matters: betsyjordyn.com/podcasts/consulting-mattersMy website for resources and working together: KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonMy Japan Leadership Experience program: kbjanderson.com/JapanTripFREE KATALYST™ Change Leader Self-Assessment: KBJAnderson.com/katalystTIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:03:26 What positioning is and why it matters06:48 Why your brand is your reputation07:54 Signs your brand positioning is off10:38 Betsy's personal story in understanding the importance of positioning18:28 How Betsy helped Katie improve her positioning25:37 Changing the name from Japan Study Trip to Japan Leadership Experience28:42 Clarity - the highest level of positioning32:25 Second level of positioning that happens a client approaches you with a request35:25 How to clarify the strategic frame and position yourself against that42:15 Third level of positioning in positioning yourself as a strategic partner46:12 How to position yourself when working with a new client48:44 The opportunity of stepping out of the box and become a thinking partner50:06 One key learning to reposition your own work54:07 The strategic framework to pivot your messaging

Do you ever feel overwhelmed that you are responsible for doing too much?Maybe you're frustrated that your team relies on you for answers instead of developing their own solutions.Or you're disappointed that improvements fall apart as soon as you step away.The problem: You're likely stuck in the Doer Trap—and it's holding you (and your team) back from the results you want. The good news? There's a way out.In this episode, I dive into three simple shifts that will instantly help you break free from the Doer Trap and into true transformational leadership.Your power and influence doesn't come from doing it all.Whether you are an executive manager, internal change leader, or lean consultant, your ability to create lasting impact lies in knowing the outcomes you want and your role in getting there.Are you ready to break free from the Doer Trap and lead with real impact? YOU'LL LEARN:What the Doer Trap is—and why it's so easy to fall into5 Doer Trap roles (and which ones you might be stuck in)3 simple shifts to instantly break free of the Doer Trap and make immediate impactHow to gain clarity on your role and step into true leadership by modeling the wayA simple way to frame a contracting conversation to clarify roles and expectationsIMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/40Check out my website for resources and to learn more about my trusted advisor, coaching, and learning experiences KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonDownload my FREE KATALYST™ Change Leader Self-Assessment: KBJAnderson.com/katalyst TIMSTAMPS:03:14 What the doer trap is—and why we fall into it04:55 Mode 1: The Hero – Not everything needs your rescue05:48 Mode 2: The Rescuer – Why you need to let others struggle06:52 Mode 3: The Magician – Doing it all behind the scenes07:43 Mode 4: Pair of Hands – When you default to doing09:53 3 simple shifts to break free from the trap10:06 Shift 1: Clarity – Know your role and who owns what14:14 Why so many operational leaders feel overwhelmed15:12 The power of a purposeful pause17:10 Shift 2: Contracting – Align on roles and expectations23:03 How to frame a clear contracting conversation27:58 Shift 3: Model the way and label your intent28:19 Two ways to reflect and invite real feedback31:49 A real-life example of how one leader found freedom33:42 Questions to reflect if you're falling into one of the doer traps

Are you seeing the impact you want from your organization's efforts? Tune in now and discover strategies to enhance operational efficiency with Dr. Janet Pilcher and Dr. Pat Greco. Gain insights on improving processes, maximizing outcomes, and identifying hidden inefficiencies. If you're committed to better serving your employees, students, and families, listen now to learn how to drive peak operational efficiency.This episode addresses questions such as:How does a focus on operational excellence contribute to an organization's financial health?How does the rounding process contribute to process improvement and employee engagement?How can leaders harness the expertise of their employees to identify and eliminate process barriers?Destination High Performance K12 Leadership Conference: Go here to learn more and register.Recommended Resources: The Culture-Strategy Equation: Reflections from the AASA Conference, Lean In, Stay Curious, and Other Leadership Lessons, Grow Your PeopleRead and study: Each episode of the podcast aligns with the tactics and principles of our host's book, Hardwiring Excellence in Education: The Nine Principles Framework. In conjunction with that book, you can join the mission to create great places to work, learn, and succeed by leading a book study with your leadership team for Hardwiring Excellence in Education. Our free, on-demand book study offers additional tools and resources created by Dr. Pilcher and our Studer Education leader coaches. Each chapter in the study also features exclusive interviews with influential education leaders sharing how they're making a difference in their districts and beyond.Order book here.Sign up for book study here.

Can you tell us more about the specific challenges that Kraft Heinz faced when it comes to reaching consumers through the digital shelf? What was the process like of selecting your tech partner to help address those challenges? How did your team work to create content that would effectively maximize the algorithm across retailers? Looking ahead, what are some of the trends or innovations in the digital marketing and content space that you and your team are keeping an eye on? With the increased demand for quality content from consumers, what are some of the strategies and tactics that you and your team have implemented to ensure that Kraft Heinz is meeting those expectations? 

Enter to win a copy of Lisa Bodell's book "Why Simple Wins" ... and Apply for the Nov 2025 Japan Leadership Experience - super early registration rate now through March 31st! Ever feel like your to-do list never ends? Running from meeting to meeting with no time to think—let alone lead or create? You're not alone.The problem isn't you – that you're not working hard enough. You're probably stuck in the complexity trap—buried in endless demands, inefficiencies, and busywork that keep you (and your team) from doing what truly matters.To help you simplify and focus on meaningful work, I sat down with Lisa Bodell, CEO of FutureThink and bestselling author of Why Simple Wins and Kill the Company. Lisa has a clear message:

Send us a textSummary: In the finale of their insightful series, the Customer Success Playbook podcast hosts Roman Trebon and Kevin Metzger engage with Marcello Calbucci to unpack how AI is influencing the PR FAQ framework. Marcello shares key strategies on leveraging AI for research and feedback while cautioning against over-reliance that may erode critical thinking. From AI's role in enhancing processes to maintaining originality in strategic planning, this episode offers practical takeaways for leaders aiming to innovate wisely and effectively.Detailed Analysis: Wrapping up an engaging series with Marcello Calbucci, this episode dives deep into the intersection of AI and the PR FAQ framework. Marcello begins by distinguishing the different ways AI can be utilized in the strategic process—from research to critiquing work—but he issues a vital caution: relying on AI for strategic thinking can result in average outcomes and missed opportunities for true innovation.Key discussion points include:The three ways AI can support work: research, execution, and critique.Why using AI for strategic decision-making may lead to average, non-differentiated results.How AI can accelerate research while ensuring human oversight drives strategic creativity.The importance of preserving the collaborative process of PR FAQ to ensure diverse, innovative perspectives.Best practices for conducting post-delivery PR FAQ review meetings, including Amazon-style silent reading and structured discussion formats.Marcello also shares how he has developed a custom ChatGPT on his website, providing tailored insights for teams looking to refine their PR FAQs. He underscores that while AI can enhance efficiency, the real value lies in the process of strategic debate, collaboration, and critical thinking.For leaders navigating the evolving landscape of AI and strategic innovation, this episode is packed with thoughtful insights on balancing technology with human creativity. It's an essential listen for anyone refining their customer success playbook.Now you can interact with us directly by leaving a voice message at https://www.speakpipe.com/CustomerSuccessPlaybookCheck out https://funnelstory.ai/ for more details about Funnelstory. You can also check out our full video review of the product on YouTube at https://youtu.be/4jChYZBVz2Y.Please Like, Comment, Share and Subscribe. You can also find the CS Playbook Podcast:YouTube - @CustomerSuccessPlaybookPodcastTwitter - @CS_PlaybookYou can find Kevin at:Metzgerbusiness.com - Kevin's person web siteKevin Metzger on Linked In.You can find Roman at:Roman Trebon on Linked In.

In this bonus episode of Problem Solved: The IISE Podcast, we present Dr. Venkatesh Bellamkonda's keynote address from the Healthcare Systems Process Improvement Conference 2025 in Atlanta. As an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and a consultant physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Dr. Bellamkonda shares his journey into process improvement, inspired by personal experiences and colleagues. He illustrates how quality improvement tools can be applied to everyday challenges, such as organizing a nursery and managing emails.Dr. Bellamkonda also emphasizes the importance of engaging healthcare professionals at all levels through relatable examples and structured training programs. He advocates for using these skills to address significant issues like workplace violence and second victim syndrome, aligning improvement efforts with the core mission of healthcare institutions and the well-being of their teams.Learn more about the HSPI conference at: iise.org/HSPI

In this bonus episode of Problem Solved: The IISE Podcast, we present Mandy Long's keynote address from the Healthcare Systems Process Improvement Conference 2025 in Atlanta. With a distinguished background in artificial intelligence and healthcare technology, including leadership roles at IBM Watson and Experian Health, Mandy explores the practical application of AI in healthcare. She emphasizes the importance of tailoring AI to solve real, human-centered problems, avoiding vendor lock-in, focusing on measurable outcomes, and recognizing the enduring role of human expertise alongside AI.Learn more about the HSPI conference at: iise.org/HSPI

Apply for the Nov 2025 Japan Study Trip - super early registration rate now through March 31st! https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/ What have we really learned after four decades of lean? Is lean thinking still relevant today?And importantly — what needs to change to ensure its future success?In the previous episode, I sat down with James Womack, founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute, to look back on 40 years of lean thinking and management since the publication of The Machine That Changed the World. In this episode, we look ahead to the future of lean and dig into big questions, including those submitted by listeners:Is there a better term than “lean”? What would Jim do differently if he could reintroduce lean to the world?How do AI and new technologies fit with the application of lean principles?What's Jim's greatest surprise over the past 45 years?Jim doesn't hold back in this discussion  — and provides his advice as he passes the baton to the next generation of lean leaders. YOU'LL LEARN:Why lean principles still apply even as technology evolves and takes over tasks once done by peopleWhat's stopping organizations from fully embracing lean principles and practicesWhy lean must be leader-led—not outsourced to consultants or internal operational excellence teams How developing people's capabilities for problem-solving at all levels is critical to successThe true role and purpose of managementIf you are passionate about the potential of lean's impact now and in the future, this is an episode you won't want to miss. ABOUT MY GUEST:James P. Womack, PhD, is the former research director of MIT's International Motor Vehicle Program who led the team that coined the term “lean production” to describe the Toyota Production System. Along with Daniel Jones, he co-authored “The Machine That Changed the World”, “Lean Thinking”, and “Lean Solutions”. Jim is the founder of Lean Enterprise Institute where he continues to serve as a senior advisor. IMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes: ChainOfLearning.com/38Listen to Part 1 where lean has failed and succeeded: ChainOfLearning.com/37Connect with James Womack: linkedin.com/in/womack-james-52763b212Check out my website for resources and working together: KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson Learn about my Japan Study Trip program: kbjanderson.com/JapanTrip TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:01:48 Two things Jim would do differently in introducing lean 03:92 Why consultant-driven Kaizen falls short05:29 The origin of the word “lean”08:29 The alternative label instead of the term "lean"10:26 How lean intersects with emerging and established technologies14:43 Analyzing AI's effectiveness through the value stream16:02 Jim's greatest surprise of the 40 + years of lean19:10 Changes at Toyota's Operations Management Development Division22:27 Why problem-solving skills matter at every level23:34 Jim's parting advice for the next generation of lean leaders Apply for the Nov 2025 Japan Study Trip - super early registration rate now through March 31st! https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/ 

In this solo episode of the Everyday Business Problems podcast, Dave Crysler introduces the IDEAL framework, a structured approach to process improvement that helps businesses optimize workflows, increase efficiency, and drive profitability. Dave walks through each step of the framework—Identify, Determine, Enact, Assess, and Learn—while sharing real-world examples of how businesses have successfully used this method to solve operational challenges. Whether you're looking to improve cash flow, streamline processes, or enhance company culture, this episode provides actionable steps to get started. What You'll Discover: How the IDEAL framework helps businesses systematically improve processes. Why identifying symptoms before jumping to solutions leads to better outcomes. The importance of process mapping and gathering input from cross-functional teams. How to prioritize improvements and implement them effectively. The role of key performance indicators (KPIs) in tracking success. Why a continuous improvement cycle is essential for long-term business growth. A free downloadable guide to help you apply the IDEAL framework to your business. Grab Your Free Copy of the IDEAL framework: https://thecrysler.club/guide/

Explore our Business Central on-demand training courses at https://www.learndynamics.com/    Microsoft Fabric is transforming how businesses handle data in Dynamics 365 Business Central. By offering an end-to-end solution for data analytics, Fabric simplifies complex processes and opens the door to real-time insights   In this episode, Belinda Allen, Director of Enablement at iLink Digital and a Microsoft Certified Trainer, shares insights into the key benefits of integrating Fabric with Business Central.    Learn how Fabric enhances data management, separates compute from storage, and streamlines data modeling with tools like Azure Data Factory and Power BI. As Belinda Allen explains, “Fabric consolidates tools and eliminates the need to move data around, making workflows far more efficient.”    Explore how Fabric is reshaping data management and analytics in Business Central.    Listen now and see how to bring simplicity and power to your data workflows!

Feeling overwhelmed by all the moving parts in your handmade business? You're not alone! In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on the systems and processes that took me from chaos to control. I'll share the hard lessons I learned (so you don't have to), how I stopped feeling like I was constantly playing catch-up, and why systems—not just hustle—are the real secret to business success. You'll learn: ✅ The key difference between systems and processes (and why you need both) ✅ How I fixed one major bottleneck that was draining my time and energy ✅ The step-by-step framework to streamline your business, reduce decision fatigue, and free up your creative time If you feel like you're constantly putting out fires and need a better way to run your business, this episode is a must-listen!     Timestamps & Key Takeaways ⏳ [01:31] - Before Systems: The Chaos of Doing Everything Yourself Before systems and processes, I was drowning in tasks, constantly reacting instead of planning. Sound familiar? ⏳ [02:20] - How I Fixed My Biggest Business Bottleneck I went from scrambling for bare yarn stock to a smooth, automated inventory system. ⏳ [05:51] - The #1 Mistake That Keeps Handmade Businesses Stuck Without systems, processes are isolated. Without processes, systems fall apart. You need both to scale successfully. ⏳ [07:29] - Beating Decision Fatigue: Why Systems Give You Mental Freedom Too many daily decisions can be exhausting. Learn how systems reduce mental clutter and keep your business running smoothly. ⏳ [12:52] - The 4-Step Framework for Building Systems That Work A breakdown of how to map out, document, and optimize the core areas of your business for efficiency. ⏳ [17:46] - Growing Pains? How to Evolve Your Systems as You Scale New level, new devil! Your systems should evolve with your business—here's how to stay ahead of challenges.     Resources Mentioned

Explore our Business Central on-demand training courses at https://www.learndynamics.com/    Sustainability is no longer just a trend—it's a critical business initiative. In this episode, Larisa Harrison, co-founder and director at Bast Fibre Technologies Inc., shares how her company is implementing Business Central's sustainability features.    The 2024 Wave Two Release of Dynamics 365 Business Central introduces powerful tools to help companies measure, manage, and improve their environmental impact.   Discover how they use tools like the Sustainability Journal and Chart of Accounts to track environmental metrics and set actionable goals. Larisa notes, “Sustainability isn't just a priority for us—it's who we are as a company."   Catch this week's episode of

Apply for the Nov 2025 Japan Study Trip - super early registration rate now through March 31st! “Lean has failed.”That's the bold statement James Womack—founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute and MIT researcher whose team introduced the term “lean” to the world—made at a conference where we both recently spoke.That really stuck with me.Has lean really failed? If so, what can we do to course correct?To explore this, I invited him to share his reflections and experiences over the past 40 years—where his vision for lean management has fallen short, where it's succeeded, and what we can learn for the future.In this episode, we take a hard look at lean's evolution, from James' original vision following the publication of “The Machine that Changed the World” nearly 4 decades ago to its real-world impact today.Tune in for powerful stories and insights from one of the founders of the lean movement, a chance to rethink what's next for lean leadership, and how you can adjust your approach towards organizational transformation.YOU'LL LEARN:The 5 critical interlocking elements of successful lean enterprise transformations — and what's missingHow to build systems and practices to sustain a lean culture that truly supports frontline teamsWhy most companies get their approach to operational excellence backwards and the challenge of getting leaders to see lean principles as the key to getting resultsWhy off-shoring and out-sourcing aren't long-term solutionsThe biggest challenges leaders face with lean transformationDon't miss Part 2 of this conversation where we explore lean's future, its relevance for today's global lean community, and James' advice for the next generation of leaders.ABOUT MY GUEST:James P. Womack, PhD, is the former research director of MIT's International Motor Vehicle Program who led the team that coined the term “lean production” to describe the Toyota Production System. Along with Daniel Jones, he co-authored “The Machine That Changed the World”, “Lean Thinking”, and “Lean Solutions”. James is the founder of Lean Enterprise Institute where he continues to serve as a senior advisor.IMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes: ChainOfLearning.com/37Connect with James Womack: linkedin.com/in/womack-james-52763b212Check out my website for resources and working together: KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE: 02:41 James' vision of what lean's impact would be today07:25 Five interlocking pieces of lean transformation and what's been missed07:49 Misconception of Kaizen14:27 Challenges in sustaining lean practices19:00 Lean leadership if implemented the right way21:58 Impact of offshoring and outsourcing24:29 Barriers to senior management buy-in26:42 Challenges in the frontline healthcare system30:27 The importance of daily management and Kaizen37:46 Contributions to GE Appliance's success39:28 The meaning of constancy of purpose41:04 Importance of knowing your north star41:55 The creation of Hoshin planning and why it fails the first year43:54 How we get out of the short-term approach Apply for the Nov 2025 Japan Study Trip - super early registration rate now through March 31st! https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/ 

Explore our Business Central on-demand training courses at https://www.learndynamics.com/    Moving to a paperless accounting system is no longer a future goal—it's a necessity.    In this episode, we break down how to transition your accounting team to a paperless process. From eliminating filing cabinets and paper checks to automating vendor remittances, we cover actionable steps to modernize your accounting workflows.   We also explain how New View's proven approach simplifies this transformation. From on-site visits to establishing scanning processes and approval protocols to vendor communication, their methodology ensures a smooth transition.    We provide mentorship and accountability check-ins to ensure lasting success.      Tune in to this episode of

In this episode, we dive into the role of a Chief of Staff and what it means at AdvancedMD. Dallin gives us an inside look at his day-to-day responsibilities, shares who inspires him most, and even invites us into his home life. From his early years to his first steps into the business world, Dallin's journey is filled with insights, fun stories, and valuable lessons. This is one episode you won't want to miss!

Mateusz Komander: When Process Becomes a Prison, Breaking Free from Over-Rigid Agile Team Practices Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Working with an airline scheduling tool development team, Mateusz encountered a situation where rigid processes became a self-imposed prison. Instead of adapting to challenges, the team's response to missed deadlines was to add more process layers, particularly around testing.  The daily standups became status reports rather than collaboration opportunities, with team members focused on appearing busy rather than supporting each other. Through careful intervention, Mateusz helped transform their daily meetings to focus on future collaborations and mutual support needs. Self-reflection Question: How can you identify if your team's processes are serving as protective measures or becoming barriers to effective collaboration? Featured Book of the Week: Managing for Happiness by Jurgen Appelo Mateusz recommends "Managing for Happiness" by Jurgen Appelo as an essential read for Scrum Masters. This book stands out for its practical combination of tools and real-life examples, helping create better environments for teams' daily work. Its inspirational approach makes it particularly valuable for Scrum Masters looking to introduce new practices and ideas to their teams. In this segment, we also refer to Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman.  [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Explore our Business Central on-demand training courses at https://www.learndynamics.com/    Get ready to elevate your business operations with the 2024 Wave Two Release for Dynamics 365 Business Central.   In this episode, we highlight three key features from the 2024 Wave Two Release. Learn about the new modern search that optimizes list navigation, providing faster and more accurate results compared to the legacy search.   We also explore the new subscription billing module, which significantly enhances recurring billing. Lastly, we cover improvements to 1099 functionality, including email capabilities and setup enhancements.     Tune in to learn how the 2024 Wave Two Release can transform your Business Central experience.

How often do you pause to get a clearer view of your purpose and learn how your life experiences influence your leadership impact?Whether it's in the moment to reflect on a recent situation or zooming out at a major milestone to see the bigger picture, reflection can be incredibly powerful.I'm hitting pause myself this week as I turn the big 5-0! I share two concepts that have helped me understand what it means to live a life of intention and purpose.First, the metaphor of warp and weft—a powerful way to understand the interconnection of the known and discovered elements of your life and see the patterns that emerge in your life's fabric.Second, the deeper meaning of my guiding word—Intention. I explore how I've come to see that Intention = Heart + Direction® and the energetic vitality that uncovering your deeper purpose can have in both your personal life and leadership.If you are looking for ways to understand your purpose, reflect, to make more intentional choices, this episode is for you.Let's explore how you too can lead with intention and can weave purpose into everything you do.YOU'LL LEARN:The importance of reflection to learn and adjust and to understand your purposeHow the weaving metaphor of warp and weft enhances self-discoveryWhy Intention = Heart + Direction® and how to set powerful intentions to align your daily actions with your heartThe Japanese word Kokorozashi (志) and how its deep meaning can be applied to leadership impactIMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources referenced in today's show: ChainOfLearning.com/36Check out my website for resources and working together: KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonFor additional inspiration and guidance around understanding your own warp and weft, read my book "Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn," along with the companion workbook: LearningToLeadLeadingToLearn.comTIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE: 00:40 Reflecting and celebrating turning 5002:50 The history of the warp and weft metaphor05:32 The difference between the warp and weft threads06:27 Questions to ask yourself to apply the warp and weft metaphor in your life09:32 The importance of “zooming out” to see to examine your own fabric of life11:01 Questions to ask yourself to reflect on your your past life experiences11:53 The relationship between the warp and weft metaphor with setting intention12:24 Discovering the richer meaning of Intention = Heart + Direction®13:36 The meaning of the two Japanese kanji symbols for intention14:58 How to apply the concept of Kokorozashi to find your inner purpose16:54 Questions to ask yourself to embody your Kokorozashi to make a bigger impact17:21 The importance of reflection at the micro level18:35 Leveraging Kokorozashi to help take actions that are aligned with your purpose

In this episode of the Treasury Update Podcast, Jonathan sits down with Paul Galloway to talk about the role of assessments in treasury and finance. Paul covers the importance of evaluating your systems, people, and processes and discusses how to use the results to make better decisions. If you have more questions or need guidance on assessments, feel free to contact us. 0:00 intro 0:18 Types of assessments 12:05 Importance of assessments 17:29 Best times to implement 21:44 Practical implementation 26:19 Key action items 28:57 Have questions?

Join host Andrew Stotz for a lively conversation with Cliff Norman and Dave Williams, two of the authors of "Quality as an Organizational Strategy." They share stories of Dr. Deming, insights from working with businesses over the years, and the five activities the book is based on. TRANSCRIPT 0:00:02.2 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host as we dive deeper into the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Today, we have a fantastic opportunity to learn more about a recent book that's been published called "Quality as an Organizational Strategy". And I'd like to welcome Cliff Norman and Dave Williams on the show, two of the three authors. Welcome, guys.   0:00:27.1 Cliff Norman: Thank you. Glad to be here.   0:00:29.4 Dave Williams: Yeah, thanks for having us.   0:00:31.9 Andrew Stotz: Yeah, I've been looking forward to this for a while. I was on LinkedIn originally, and somebody posted it. I don't remember who, the book came out. And I immediately ordered it because I thought to myself, wait, wait, wait a minute. This plugs a gap. And I just wanna start off by going back to Dr. Deming's first Point, which was create constancy of purpose towards improvement of product and service with the aim to become competitive and stay in business and to provide jobs. And all along, as anybody that learned the 14 Points, they knew that this was the concept of the strategy is to continue to improve the product and service in the eyes of the client and in your business. But there was a lot missing. And I felt like your book has started really to fill that gap. So maybe I'll ask Cliff, if you could just explain kind of where does this book come from and why are you bringing it out now?   0:01:34.5 Cliff Norman: That's a really good question, Andrew. The book was originally for the use of both our clients only. So it came into being, the ideas came out of the Deming four day seminar where Dr. Tom Nolan, Ron Moen and Lloyd Provost, Jerry Langley would be working with Dr. Deming. And then at the end of four days, the people who some of who are our clients would come up to us and said, he gave us the theory, but we don't have any methods. And so they took it very seriously and took Dr. Deming's idea of production viewed as a system. And from that, they developed the methods that we're going to discuss called the five activities. And all of our work with this was completely behind the wall of our clients. We didn't advertise. So the only people who became clients were people who would seek us out. So this has been behind the stage since about 1990. And the reason to bring it out now is to make it available beyond our client base. And Dave, I want you to go ahead and add to that because you're the ones that insisted that this get done. So add to that if you would.   [laughter]   0:02:53.0 Dave Williams: Well, thanks, Cliff. Actually, I often joke at Cliff. So one thing to know, Cliff and Lloyd and I all had a home base of Austin, Texas. And I met them about 15 years ago when I was in my own journey of, I had been a chief quality officer of an ambulance system and was interested in much of the work that API, Associates of Process Improvement, had been doing with folks in the healthcare sector. And I reached out to Cliff and Lloyd because they were in Austin and they were kind enough, as they have been over many years, to welcome me to have coffee and talk about what I was trying to learn and where my interests were and to learn from their work. And over the last 15 years, I've had a great benefit of learning from the experience and methods that API has been using with organizations around the world, built on the shoulders of the theories from Dr. Deming. And one of those that was in the Improvement Guide, one of the foundational texts that we use a lot in improvement project work that API wrote was, if you go into the back, there is a chapter, and Cliff, correct me if I'm wrong, I think it's chapter 13 in this current edition on creating value.   0:04:34.3 Dave Williams: In there, there was some description of kind of a structure or a system of activities that would be used to pursue qualities and organizational strategy. I later learned that this was built on a guide that was used that had been sort of semi self-published to be able to use with clients. And the more that I dove into it, the more that I really valued the way in which it had been framed, but also how, as you mentioned at the start, it provided methods in a place where I felt like there was a gap in what I saw in organizations that I was working with or that I had been involved in. And so back in 2020, when things were shut down initially during the beginning of the pandemic, I approached Lloyd and Cliff and I said, I'd love to help in any way that I can to try to bring this work forward and modernize it. And I say modernize it, not necessarily in terms of changing it, but updating the material from its last update into today's context and examples and make it available for folks through traditional bookstores and other venues.   0:05:58.9 Andrew Stotz: And I have that The Improvement Guide, which is also a very impressive book that helps us to think about how are we improving. And as you said, the, that chapter that you were talking about, 13, I believe it was, yeah, making the improvement of value a business strategy and talking about that. So, Cliff, could you just go back in time for those people that don't know you in the Deming world, I'm sure most people do, but for those people that don't know, maybe you could just talk about your first interactions with Dr. Deming and the teachings of that and what sparked your interest and also what made you think, okay, I wanna keep expanding on this.   0:06:40.0 Cliff Norman: Yeah. So I was raised in Southern California and of course, like many others, I'm rather horrified by what's going on out there right now with fires. That's an area I was raised in. And so I moved to Texas in '79, went to work for Halliburton. And they had an NBC White Paper called, "If Japan Can, Why Can't We?", and our CEO, Mr. Purvis Thrash, he saw that. And I was working in the quality area at that time. And he asked me to go to one of Deming's seminars that was held in Crystal City, actually February of 1982. And I got down there early and got a place up front. And they sent along with me an RD manager to keep an eye on me, 'cause I was newly from California into Texas. And so anyway, we're both sitting there. And so I forgot something. So I ran up stairs in the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel there. And I was coming down and lo and behold, next floor down, Dr. Deming gets on and two ladies are holding him up. And they get in the elevator there and he sees this George Washington University badge and he kind of comes over, even while the elevator was going down and picks it up and looks it up real close to his face. And then he just backs up and leans, holds onto the railing and he says, Mr. Norman, what I'm getting ready to tell you today will haunt you for the rest of your life.   0:08:11.8 Cliff Norman: And that came true. And of course, I was 29 at the time and was a certified quality engineer and knew all things about the science of quality. And I couldn't imagine what he would tell me that would haunt me for the rest of my life, but it did. And then the next thing he told me, he said, as young as you are, if you're not learning from somebody that you're working for, you ought to think about getting a new boss. And that's some of the best advice I've ever gotten. I mean, the hanging around smart people is a great thing to do. And I've been gifted with that with API. And so that's how I met him. And then, of course, when I joined API, I ended up going to several seminars to support Lloyd Provost and Tom Nolan and Ron Moen and Jerry as the various seminars were given. And Ron Moen, who unfortunately passed away about three years ago, he did 88 of those four day seminars, and he was just like a walking encyclopedia for me. So anytime I had questions on Deming, I could just, he's a phone call away, and I truly miss that right now.   0:09:20.5 Cliff Norman: So when Dave has questions or where this reference come from or whatever, and I got to go do a lot of work, where Ron, he could just recall that for me. So I miss that desperately, but we were busy at that time, by the time I joined API was in '88. And right away, I was introduced to what they had drafted out in terms of the five activities, which is the foundation of the book, along with understanding the science of improvement and the chain reaction that Dr. Deming introduced us to. So the science of improvement is what Dr. Deming called the System of Profound Knowledge. So I was already introduced to all that and was applying that within Halliburton. But QBS, as we called it then, Qualities of Business Strategy was brand new. I mean, it was hot off the press. And right away, I took it and started working with my clients with it. And we were literally walking on the bridge as we were building it. And the lady I'm married to right now, Jane Norman, she was working at Conagra, which is like a $15 billion poultry company that's part of Conagra overall, which is most of the food in your grocery store, about 75% of it. And she did one of the first system linkages that we ever did.   0:10:44.5 Cliff Norman: And since then, she's worked at like four other companies as a VP or COO, and has always applied these ideas. And so a lot of this in the book examples and so forth, comes from her actual application work. And when we'd worked together, she had often introduced me, this is my husband, Cliff, he and his partners, they write books, but some of us actually have to go to work. And then eventually she wrote a book with me with Dr. Maccabee, who is also very closely associated with Dr. Deming. So now she's a co-author. So I was hoping that would stop that, but again, we depend on her for a lot of the examples and contributions and the rest of it that show up in the book. So I hope that answers your question.   0:11:28.2 Andrew Stotz: Yeah, and for people like myself and some of our listeners who have heard Dr. Deming speak and really gotten into his teachings, it makes sense, this is going to haunt you because I always say that, what I read originally... I was 24 when I went to my first Deming seminar. And I went to two two-day seminars and it... My brain was open, I was ready, I didn't have anything really in it about, any fixed methods or anything. So, for me, it just blew my mind, some of the things that he was talking about, like thinking about things in a system I didn't think about that I thought that the way we got to do is narrow things down and get this really tight focus and many other things that I heard. And also as a young, young guy, I was in this room with, I don't know, 500 older gentlemen and ladies, and I sat in the front row and so I would see him kind of call them on the carpet and I would be looking back like, oh, wow, I never saw anybody talk to senior management like that and I was kind of surprised. But for those people that really haven't had any of that experience they're new to Deming, what is it that haunts you? What is... Can you describe what he meant when he was saying that?   0:12:42.9 Cliff Norman: I gotta just add to what you just said because it's such a profound experience. And when you're 29, if most of us, we think we're pretty good shape by that time, the brain's fully developed by age 25, judgment being the last function that develops. And so you're pretty well on your way and then to walk in and have somebody who's 81 years old, start introducing you to things you've never even thought about. The idea of the Chain Reaction that what I was taught as a certified quality engineer through ASQ is I need to do enough inspection, but I didn't need to do too much 'cause I didn't want to raise costs too much. And Dr. Deming brought me up on stage and he said, well, show me that card again. So I had a 105D card, it's up to G now or something. And he said, "well, how does this work?" And I said, "well, it tells me how many samples I got to get." And he says, "you know who invented that." And I said, "no, sir, I thought God did." He said, "no, I know the people that did it. They did it to put people like you out of business. Sit down, young man, you've got a lot to learn." And I thought, wow, and here you are in front of 500 people and this is a public flogging by any stretch.   0:13:56.1 Cliff Norman: And it just went on from there. And so a few years later, I'm up in Valley Forge and I'm working at a class with Lloyd and Tom Nolan and a guy named, I never met before named Jim Imboden. And he's just knock-down brilliant, but they're all working at General Motors at that time. And a lot of the book "Planned Experimentation" came out of their work at Ford and GM and Pontiac and the rest of it. And I mean, it's just an amazing contribution, but I go to dinner with Jim that night. And Jim looks at me across the table and he says, Cliff, how did you feel the day you found out you didn't know anything about business economics or anything else? I said, "you mean the first day of the Deming seminar?" He said, "that's what I'm talking about." And that just... That's how profound that experience is. Because all of a sudden you find out you can improve quality and lower costs at the same time. I'm sorry, most people weren't taught that. They certainly weren't taught that in business school. And so it was a whole transformation in thinking and just the idea of a system. Most of what's going on in the system is related to the system and the way it's constructed. And unfortunately, for most organizations, it's hidden.   0:15:04.2 Cliff Norman: They don't even see it. So when things happen, the first thing that happens is the blame flame. I had a VP I worked for and he'd pulled out his org chart when something went bad and he'd circle. He said, this is old Earl's bailiwick right here. So Cliff, go over and see Earl and I want you to straighten him out. Well, that's how most of it runs. And so the blame flame just takes off. And if you pull the systems map out there and if he had to circle where it showed up, he'd see there were a lot of friends around that that were contributing. And we start to understand the complexity of the issue. But without that view, and Deming insisted on, then you're back to the blame flame.   0:15:45.1 Andrew Stotz: Yeah. And Dave, I see a lot of books on the back on your shelf there about quality and productivity and team and many different things. But maybe you could give us a little background on kind of how how you, besides how you got onto this project and all that. But just where did you come from originally and how did you stumble into the Deming world?   0:16:08.9 Dave Williams: Sure. Well, sadly, I didn't have the pleasure of getting to sit in on a four-day workshop. Deming died in 1993. And at that time, I was working on an ambulance as a street paramedic and going to college to study ambulance system design and how to manage ambulance systems, which was a part of public safety that had sort of grown, especially in the United States in the '60s. And by the time I was joining, it was about 30 years into becoming more of a formalized profession. And I found my way to Austin, Texas, trying to find one of the more professionalized systems to work in and was, worked here as a paramedic for a few years. And then decided I wanted to learn more and started a graduate program. And one of the courses that was taught in the graduate program, this is a graduate program on ambulance management, was on quality. And it was taught by a gentleman who had written a, a guide for ambulance leaders in the United States that was based on the principles and methods of quality that was happening at this time. And it pieced together a number of different common tools and methods like Pareto charts and cause-and-effect diagrams and things like that.   0:17:33.1 Dave Williams: And it mentioned the different leaders like Deming and Juran and Crosby and others. And so that was my first exposure to many of these ideas. And because I was studying a particular type of healthcare delivery system and I was a person who was practicing within it and I was learning about these ideas that the way that you improve a system or make improvement is by changing the system. I was really intrigued and it just worked out at the time. One of the first roles, leadership roles that emerged in my organization was to be the Chief Quality Officer for the organization. And at the time, there were 20 applicants within my organization, but I was the only one that knew anything about any of the foundations of quality improvements. Everybody else applied and showed their understanding of quality from a lived experience perspective or what their own personal definitions of quality were, which was mostly around inspection and quality assurance. I had, and this won't surprise Cliff, but I had a nerdy response that was loaded with references and came from all these different things that I had been exposed to. And they took a chance on me because I was the only one that seemed to have some sense of the background. And I started working and doing...   0:19:10.1 Dave Williams: Improvement within this ambulance system as the kind of the dedicated leader who was supposed to make these changes. And I think one of the things that I learned really quickly is that frequently how improvement efforts were brought to my attention was because there was a problem that I, had been identified, a failure or an error usually attributed to an individual as Cliff pointed out, somebody did something and they were the unfortunate person who happened to kind of raise this issue to others. And if I investigated it all, I often found that there were 20 other people that made the same error, but he was, he or she was the only one that got caught. And so therefore they were called to my office to confess. And when I started to study and look at these different issues, every time I looked at something even though I might be able to attribute the, first instance to a person, I found 20 or more instances where the system would've allowed or did allow somebody else to make a similar error.   0:20:12.6 Dave Williams: We just didn't find it. And it got... And it became somewhat fascinating to me because my colleagues were very much from a, if you work hard and just do your job and just follow the policy then good quality will occur. And nobody seemed to spend any time trying to figure out how to create systems that produce good results or figure out how to look at a system and change it and get better results. And so most of my experience was coming from these, when something bubbled up, I would then get it, and then I'd use some systems thinking and some methods and all of a sudden unpack that there was a lot of variation going on and a lot of errors that could happen, and that the system was built to get results worse than we even knew.   0:21:00.7 Dave Williams: And it was through that journey that I ended up actually becoming involved with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and learning about what was being done in the healthcare sector, which API at the time were the key advisors to Dr. Don Berwick and the leadership at IHI. And so much of the methodology was there. And actually, that's how I found my way to Cliff. I happened to be at a conference for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and there was an advertisement for a program called the Improvement Advisor Professional Development Program, which was an improvement like practitioner project level program that had been developed by API that had been adapted to IHI, and I noticed that Cliff and Lloyd were the faculty, and that they were in my hometown. And that's how I reached out to them and said, hey can we have coffee? And Cliff said, yes. And so...   0:21:53.1 Andrew Stotz: And what was that, what year was that roughly?   0:22:00.3 Dave Williams: That would've been back in 2002 or 2003, somewhere in that vicinity.   0:22:02.0 Andrew Stotz: Hmm. Okay.   0:22:06.8 Dave Williams: Maybe a little bit later.   0:22:06.9 Andrew Stotz: I just for those people that are new to the topic and listening in I always give an example. When I worked at Pepsi... I graduated in 1989 from university with a degree in finance. And I went to work at Pepsi in manufacturing and warehouse in Los Angeles at the Torrance Factory originally, and then in Buena Park. But I remember that my boss told me, he saw that I could work computers at that time, and so I was making charts and graphs just for fun to look at stuff. And he said, yeah, you should go to a one of these Deming seminars. And so he sent me to the one in... At George Washington University back in 1990, I think it was. And but what was happening is we had about a hundred trucks we wanted to get out through a particular gate that we had every single morning. And the longer it took to get those trucks out the longer they're gonna be on LA traffic and on LA roads, so if we can get 'em out at 5:00 AM, fantastic. If we get 'em out at 7:00, we're in trouble. And so they asked me to look at this and I did a lot of studying of it and I was coming for like 4:00 in the morning I'd go up to the roof of the building and I'd look down and watch what was happening. And then finally I'd interview everybody. And then finally the truck drivers just said, look, the loaders mess it up so I gotta open my truck every morning and count everything on it. And I thought, oh, okay.   0:23:23.7 Andrew Stotz: So I'll go to the loaders. And I go, why are you guys messing this up? And then the loaders was like, I didn't mess it up. We didn't have the production run because the production people changed the schedule, and so we didn't have what the guy needed. And so, and oh, yeah, there was a mistake because the production people put the product in the wrong spot, and therefore, I got confused and I put the wrong stuff on by accident. And then I went to the production people and they said, well, no, it's not us. It's the salespeople. They keep putting all this pressure on us to put this through right now, and it's messing up our whole system. And that was the first time in my life where I realized, okay, it's a system. There's interconnected parts here that are interacting, and I had to go back into the system to fix, but the end result was I was able to get a hundred trucks through this gate in about 45 minutes instead of two hours, what we had done before.   0:24:18.8 Andrew Stotz: But it required a huge amount of work of going back and looking at the whole system. So the idea of looking at the science of improvement, as you mentioned, and the System of Profound Knowledge, it's... There's a whole process. Now, I wanna ask the question for the person who gets this book and they dig into it, it's not a small book. I've written some books, but all of 'em are small because I'm just, maybe I just can't get to this point. But this book is a big book, and it's got about 300... More than 300 pages. What's the promise? What are they gonna get from digging into this book? What are they gonna take away? What are they gonna be able to bring to their life and their business that they couldn't have done without really going deeper into this material?   0:24:57.7 Cliff Norman: Dave, go ahead.   0:25:01.4 Dave Williams: Well, I was gonna joke by saying they're gonna get hard work and only half because this is just the theory in the book and many of the... And sort of examples of the method. But we're in the process of preparing a field guide which is a much deeper companion guide loaded with exercises and examples of and more of the methods. So the original guide that that API had developed was actually about an eight... Well, I don't know how many pages it was, but it was a thick three inch binder. This, what you have there is us refining the content part that explains the theory and kind of gets you going. And then we moved all of the exercises and things to the field guide for people that really wanna get serious about it.   0:26:00.3 Dave Williams: And the reason I say hard work is that the one thing that you won't get, and you should probably pass it if this book if you're on Amazon, is you're not gonna get an easy answer. This is, as a matter of fact, one of the things that emerged in our early conversations about was this project worth it? Is to say that this is hard work. It's work that a very few number of leaders who or leadership teams that really want to learn and work hard and get results are gonna embark on. But for those, and many of our clients, I think are representative of that, of those people that say, gosh, I've been working really hard, and I feel like we could do better. I feel like I could make a bigger impact, or I could serve more customers or clients.   0:26:44.0 Dave Williams: And but I am... And I'm in intrigued or inspired or gotten to a certain point with improvement science on my own, but I want to figure out how to be more systematic and more global and holistic at that approach. Then that's what QOS is about. It builds on the shoulders of the other books that you mentioned, like The Improvement Guide which we talked about as being a great book about improvement, and improvement specifically in the context of a project. And other books like The Healthcare Data Guide and the Planned Experimentation, which are also about methods, healthcare Data Guide being about Shewhart charts, and Planned Experimentation being about factorial design. This book is about taking what Cliff described earlier as that... I always say it's that that diagram that people put on a slide and never talk about from Deming of production views as a system and saying, well, how would we do this if this is the model for adopting quality as strategy, what are the methods that help us to do this?   0:28:01.3 Dave Williams: And this book breaks that down into five activities that are built on the shoulders of profound knowledge, built on the shoulders of the science of improvement and provide a structure to be able to initially develop a system, a systems view of your organization, and then build on that by using that system to continually operate and improve that organization over time. So the book describes the activities. The book describes some of the things that go into getting started, including being becoming good at doing results-driven improvement, building a learning system, focusing in on the things that matter to your organization. And then working towards building the structure that you can improve upon. The book creates that foundation. It provides examples from clients and from people that we've worked with so that you can see what the theory looks like in practice get, kind of get a flavor for that. And we hope it builds on the shoulders of other work that I mentioned in the other books that compliment it and provides a starting point for teams that are interested in taking that journey.   0:29:26.5 Andrew Stotz: And Cliff, from your perspective, if somebody had no, I mean, I think, I think the Deming community's gonna really dive in and they're gonna know a lot of this stuff, but is gonna help them take it to the next level. But for someone who never had any real experience with Deming or anything like that, and they stumble upon this interview, this discussion, they hear about this book, can they get started right away with what's in this book? Or do they have to go back to foundations?   0:29:49.6 Cliff Norman: No, I think that can definitely get started. There's a lot of learning as you know, Andrew, from going through the four-day to understand things. And I think we've done a pretty good job of integrating what Dr. Deming taught us, as well as going with the methods. And one of the things people would tell him in his four-day seminars is, Dr. Deming, you've given us the theory, but we have no method here. And he said, well, if I have to give you the method, then you'll have to send me your check too. So he expected us to be smart enough to develop the methods. And the API folks did a really good job of translating that into what we call the five activities. So those five activities are to understand the purpose of the organization.   0:30:35.6 Cliff Norman: And a lot of people when they write a purpose, they'll put something up there but it's usually we love all our people. We love our customers even more. If only they didn't spend so much, and we'll come out with something like that and there'll be some pablum that they'll throw up on the wall. Well, this actually has some structure to it to get to Deming's ideas. And the first thing is let's try to understand what business we're in and what need we're serving in society that drives customers to us. So that word is used not need coming from customers, but what is it that drives them to us so we can understand that? And then the second part of that purpose needs to define the mainstay, the core processes, the delivery systems that relate directly to customers. And just those two ideas alone, just in the first activity of purpose, most people haven't thought about those ideas.   0:31:27.8 Cliff Norman: And can somebody pick up this book and do that? Yes. And that will answer a big challenge from Dr. Deming. Most people don't even know what business they're in, haven't even thought about it. And so that we... That question gets answered here, I think, very thoroughly. In this second activity, which is viewing the organization as a system contains two components that's viewing the organization as a system. And that's difficult to do, and a lot of people really don't see the need for it. Jane Norman reminded Dave and I on a call we did last week, that when you talk about a systems map with people, just ask 'em how do they know what's going on inside other organizations, other departments within their organization? How do they know that? And most of us are so siloed.   0:32:11.2 Cliff Norman: Somebody over here is doing the best job they can in department X, and meanwhile, department Y doesn't know anything about it. And then three months later the improvement shows up and all of a sudden there's problems now in department Y. Well, somebody who's focused on the organization as a system and sees how those processes are related when somebody comes to a management meeting said, well, we've just made a change here, and this is gonna show up over here in about three months, and you need to be prepared for that. Andrew, that conversation never takes place. So the idea of having the systems map and this book can help you get started on that. The second book that Dave was just talking about, there are more replete examples in there. I mean, we've got six case studies from clients in there than the practitioners and people who actually are gonna be doing this work.   0:33:01.7 Cliff Norman: That's gonna be absolutely... They're gonna need that field guide. And I think that's where Dave was coming from. The third activity is the information activity, how are we learning from outside the organization and how do we get feedback and research into the development of new products and services and the rest of it? And so we provided a system there. In fact, Dave took a lead on that chapter, and we've got several inputs there that have to be defined. And people just thinking through that and understanding that is huge. When Dr. Deming went to Japan in 1950, he was there to do the census to see how many Japanese were left after World War II. And then he got an invitation to come and talk to the top 50 industrialists. And he started asking questions and people from the Bank of Tokyo over there and all the rest of it.   0:33:52.4 Cliff Norman: And Dr. Deming says, well, do you have any problems? And they said, what do you mean? He says, well, do customers call up and complain? And he said, yes. And he says, well, do you have any data? And he said, no. He says, but if they complain, we give them a Geisha calendar. And then Dr. Deming says, well, how many Geisha calendars have you given out? So it's like, in 1991, I'm sitting here talking to a food company and I asked him, I said, well, you get customer complaints? Oh yeah. Do you have any data on it? No, but we give 'em a cookbook. I said, well, how many cookbooks are you giving out? So I was right back to where Deming was in 1950, so having the information activity, that third activity critical so that we're being proactive with it and not just reactive.   0:34:43.7 Cliff Norman: And so I think people can read through that and say, well, what are we doing right now? Well, I guess we're not doing this and move on. Then the fourth activity is absolutely critical. This is where you know that you've arrived, because now you're going to integrate not only the plan to operate, but a plan to improve. That becomes the business plan. For most people in business plan they do a strategy, and then they have a bunch of sub strategies, and they vote on what's important, and they do some other things, and then a year later they come back and revisit it. Well, what happens here is there's some strategic objectives that are laid out, and then immediately it comes down to, okay, what's gonna be designed and redesigned in this system? Which processes, products and services are gonna be designed? 'Cause we can all see it now, Andrew.   0:35:31.6 Andrew Stotz: Mm.   0:35:31.6 Cliff Norman: We can, it's right in front of us. So it's really easy to see at this point, and now we can start to prioritize and make that happen on purpose. As an example when Jane was a vice president at Conagra, they came up with five strategic objectives. Then they made a bunch of promises to corporate about what they were gonna do and when they were going to achieve it. When she laid out the systems map for them, they were horrified that over 30% of the processes that they needed to be having precooked meat didn't even exist. They were gonna have to be designed. And so Jane and I sat there and looking at 'em and said, well, if you'd had this map before you made the promises, would you have made those promises? No, no, we're in trouble right now. I gotta go back to the CEO of the holding company and tell 'em we're not gonna make it.   0:36:22.4 Cliff Norman: But there's a whole bunch of people that sit around in goal settings. We're gonna do this by when and have no idea about what they're talking about. So that's a little bit dangerous here. And then the fifth activity, it's probably the most important. And where I want people to start, I actually want 'em to start on the fifth activity, which is managing individual improvement activities, team activities. And what I mean by that is, nothing can hold you up from starting today on making an improvement and use the model for improvement. The three basic questions, you can write that on an envelope and apply it to a project and start right away. Because learning the habit of improvement, and when you identify, and this is typical in the planning process, again, a chapter that Dave took a lead on in the planning chapter.   0:37:03.8 Cliff Norman: When you lay that out, you're gonna come up with three to five strategic objectives, but that's gonna produce anywhere between 15 and 20 improvement efforts. And when people start three improvement efforts, and they see how difficult that is to traffic through an organization, particularly if you have a systems map, makes it a lot easier. If you don't have that, then there's all sorts of things that happen to you.   0:37:21.3 Andrew Stotz: Hmm.   0:37:22.8 Cliff Norman: But the, the idea of that all coming together is critical. And where you... Where that really shows up for the reader here is in chapter one. So Lloyd Provost took a lead on chapter one. If you read chapter one, you got a pretty good idea of what's gonna happen in the rest of the book. But more importantly, in that book, in chapter one, there's a survey at the end. And every time we give this out to people, they feel real bad.   0:37:48.1 Cliff Norman: And well, Cliff, any, on a scale of one to 10, we only came up with a four. Well, what I would tell 'em is, if you can come up with a four, you're pretty good. And those fundamentals have to be in place. In other words, the management needs to trust each other. There are certain things that have to be in place before you can even think about skating backwards here. And quality as an organizational strategy is all about skating backwards. The people who don't have the fundamentals can't even start to think about that.   0:38:15.0 Cliff Norman: So that survey and the gap between where they are at a four and where they're going to be at a 10, we've integrated throughout the whole book. So as you're reading through the whole book, you're seeing that gap, and then you have a good plan forward as to what do I need to do to get to be a six, an eight, and what do I need to do to finally arrive at a 10? Dave, why don't you add to what I just said there, and I gotta turn on a light here, I think.   0:38:39.2 Dave Williams: Well, I think one of the things that, and Cliff has probably been the one that has helped me appreciate this to the biggest degree is the role in which improvement plays in quality as an organizational strategy. So, I mean, I think in general, in our world, improvement is seen as kind of like a given, but in our case, what we've found is that many times people are not working on the things right in front of them or the problems in which they have, that they are on the hook... I like to say, are on the hook to get accomplished right now. And like Cliff mentioned, many of my clients when I engage with them, I say, well, what have you promised this year? And they'll give me a list and I'll say, well, okay, what are you working on to improve? And they'll be working on projects that are not related to that list of things that they've got to affect. And so usually that's a first pivot is to say, well, let's think about what are the things that you're working on or should be working on that are either designing or redesigning your system to achieve these strategic objectives.   0:39:48.8 Dave Williams: And the reason to put the attention on that fifth activity and get people working on improvement, there's a good chance that the improvement capability within the organization currently isn't to the level that you need it, where you can get results-driven projects happening at a clip that will enable you to chip away at 20 projects versus four in a year. And that it's not well integrated into the leadership, into the support structures that you have. In addition, if you're trying to use improvement on things that you're on the hook for, and Cliff noted, especially if you've got a system map while you're on that journey, you're gonna start to pick up on where the disconnects are. Similar to your example, Andrew, where you were describing your experience working backwards in the process, you're going to start to recognize, oh, I'm working on this, but it's linked to these other things. Or in order for me to do this, I need that. Or... And so that amplifies the project to be kind of just a vehicle to appreciate other things that are interconnected, that are important in improving our work together.   0:41:05.1 Dave Williams: And so I think that that's a critical piece. I mean, I sometimes describe it as the disappointment that people have when they open QOS because they want to have a new method or a new thing to work on. I said, well, there's a lot new in here. And at the same time, we want to build on the shoulders of the fundamentals. We want to build it because it's the fundamentals that are going to be able for you to activate the things that are necessary in order for you to skate backwards, like Cliff was describing earlier.   0:41:36.2 Cliff Norman: I got to add to what Dave was saying because this actually happened to me with a... I'm not going to mention the name of the company, but it's a high-tech companies worldwide. And we got up, a good friend of mine, Bruce Bowles, and we were introducing the idea of quality as an organizational strategy. And one of the guys in the front row, he says, Cliff, this just sounds like common sense, why aren't we all doing this? I said, that's a real good question. Let me put that in the parking lot here. So I put it up on a flip chart. And so we went through the idea of... We were working on Shewhart control charts. And so we showed him one of those. And at the end of all that, he raised his hand and I said, yeah, he says, Cliff, this is hard. I said, well, let me put that up here. This is hard. Then we went through the systems map and he says, look, this is hard. By the end of the two days, it was, this is hard, this is hard, this is hard, this is hard. This goes back to what Dave was saying earlier about once you open this page, there's some work that takes off, but more importantly, there's something new to learn here.   0:42:40.3 Cliff Norman: And that's frustrating to people, especially when they've got to quit doing what they've done in the past. It's what Deming says, you got to give up on the guilt and you got to move forward and transform your own thinking. So there's something here for the management to do. And if they're not willing to do that work, then this is probably not a good thing for them. Just go back to the blame flame and circling org charts and that kind of stuff and then wonder why we're losing money.   0:43:11.8 Andrew Stotz: Yeah, and I think that that's one of the things that we see in the Deming community is that, why are people doing it the way they are, dividing things up and doing KPIs and saying, you take care of that. And we're gonna optimize by focusing on each... We see how that all kind of falls apart.   0:43:27.9 Cliff Norman: It all falls through reductionism.   0:43:29.8 Andrew Stotz: [laughter] Yeah.   0:43:32.5 Cliff Norman: It doesn't understand the system, yeah.   0:43:32.5 Andrew Stotz: Yeah, so what I want to do now is I was just thinking about a book on my shelf called "Competitive Strategy" by Michael Porter. And there's a whole field of study in the area of strategy for businesses. Now you guys use, and you explain a little bit about the way you come up with... Why you come up with organization rather than let's say company as an example. But let's just talk about strategy for a moment. Generally we're taught in business school that there's two main strategies. One is a differentiation strategy. I like to teach my students like Starbucks. It's very differentiated from the old model. And you can have a low cost strategy, which is like McDonald's, where it's all about operational efficiency.   0:44:18.4 Andrew Stotz: And those are two different strategies that can get to the same goal, which is to build a strong and sustainable business that's making a good profit for the employees to get paid well and for shareholders. And so for somebody that understands some of the foundations of typical strategy, it's hard for them to think, wait, wait, wait, what? You're just talking about just better quality is the strategy? How should they frame this concept of quality as a strategy in relation to what we've been taught about low cost and differentiation and other types of strategy? How do we think about this book in relation to that?   0:45:03.2 Cliff Norman: When Deming wrote his book, his very first one of the four "Out of the Crisis", which was the whole idea about quality and competitive position. But he was kind of answering that. And at that time, what we had is we had three companies in the United States that were going at each other, Ford, GM, and Chrysler. And they'd call each other up, well, what are you doing this year? Oh, we're making cars that don't work. Sometimes they break down. That's why we have Mr. Goodwrench to repair them. That's an extra revenue source for us. As one of the executives that are challenged, a colleague of mine, he said, you don't realize how much money we're gonna lose here taking the repair business out because we make a lot of money out of repair. So making cars that don't work has been a good revenue stream for us. Well, all that works out great, until somebody shows up like Toyota that has a car that works and doesn't need to be repaired by Mr. Goodwrench all the time.   0:45:58.8 Cliff Norman: So the mind shift there, and what Dr. Deming was saying is that he was focused on the competition's already licked. And I don't think Porter's thought about that very much, not to be overly critical, because I'm an admirer of his, but the idea of focusing on the need and why is that customer coming to us so that we make a journey, and the Japanese call that being in the Gemba, being in the presence with the customers as they use the product or service and doing the research and the rest of it. And then coming back and then redesign that product or service so that it not only grabs the current customer, but we start thinking about customers that are not even our customers and innovate and actually come up with a design that actually brings new customers to us through products and services that we haven't thought about yet. So if I show you three products just to make a picture of it, we often show like an abacus, which was a hand calculating machine about BC. Then there's a slide rule that came out about the same year that Columbus discovered America. And that was good till about 1968.   0:47:06.0 Cliff Norman: And then the calculator, the handheld calculator came out. Well the need for all three of those products is to do handheld calculations. So we've had that need since BC. Now in 1967, K&E Calculator was making that slide rule, which I used in junior high school. If you'd have come up to me and said, Cliff, what do you need in the way of a better slide rule? I said, well can you get me a holster for it? 'Cause I don't like having to stick me in the face. I put it in my pocket and it sticks me in the face. And if you can give me a holster for that, that would be my view of that. I wasn't about to come up with the TI calculator. That wasn't gonna happen. Not from Cliff. It's gonna come from an engineer at TI. Now, K&E Calculator, if they'd been doing research in the marketplace and saying, is there something that can totally disrupt us going on here? Rather than just looking at figuring out a way to make the K&E slide rule better, they might've discovered that.   0:48:07.0 Cliff Norman: Most people don't do that. They just go back. They just lose their business. And it was interesting in '67, their annual report put out, what's the world gonna look like 100 years from now? So they had dome cities, they had cars flying, they had all sorts of things going on that were great innovations, but they didn't have the TI calculator in there, along with the HP calculator. And that wiped out their business. And so if people understand the need, and that's what Dr. Deming is getting at, he says, they really haven't thought about what business they're in. So why are the customers coming to us? He says, no customer ever asked for pneumatic tire. No customer ever asked for a microwave oven. That came from people with knowledge that were looking at how the customers are using the current products and services and say, now, is there technology innovation going on that we can actually do a better job of providing a better match in the future?   0:48:56.9 Andrew Stotz: And can you explain why you use the word need as opposed to want?   0:49:06.5 Cliff Norman: That's a good question. The idea is that there's a need that's constant in society. So that need of having to do handheld calculations or needing healthcare or to pay bills, that need is constant throughout civilization. And so if I want something that's interesting, that might be the match. That might be something to do with some features what I'm offering and so forth. I'd like to have this, I'd like to have that. But the need and the way we're using that is it doesn't come from customers. It's what drives customers to us. And it's always been there. It's always been there. Need for transportation, for example. Whether you're walking or driving a bicycle or a car or a plane.   0:49:53.6 Andrew Stotz: And Dave, how would you answer the same question when you think about a person running a business and they've had many strategy meetings in their business, they've set their corporate strategy of what we're doing, where we're going and that type of thing. And maybe they've picked, we're gonna be a low cost producer. Thailand's an interesting one because Thailand had a ability to be low cost producers in the past. And then China came along and became the ultimate low cost producer. And all of a sudden, Thai companies had a harder time getting the economies of scale and the like. And now the Chinese manufacturers are just really coming into Thailand, into the Thai market. And now it's like, for a Thai company to become a low cost leader is almost impossible given the scale that China and the skills that they have in that. And so therefore, they're looking at things like I've got to figure out how to get a better brand. I've got to figure out how to differentiate and that type of thing. How does this... How could this help a place like that and a management team that is struggling and stuck and is looking for answers?   0:51:07.0 Dave Williams: Well, I go back to what Cliff said about that many organizations don't pause to ask, why do they exist? What is the need of which they are trying to fulfill? Much of my background involved working in the service industry, initially with public safety and ambulance systems and fire systems, and then later in healthcare and in education. And in many of those environments, especially in places where in public systems where they've been built and they may have existed for a long time, when you ask them about what are they trying to accomplish as an organization or what is it that they... The need that they're trying to fulfill? Typically, they're gonna come back to you with requests or desires or wants or sort of characteristics or outcomes that people say they expect, but they don't pause to ask, like, well, what is the actual thing of which I'm trying to tackle? And Cliff mentioned like, and we actually, I should mention in the book, we have a list of different strategies, different types of strategies, all the different ones that you mentioned, like price and raw material or distribution style or platform or technology.   0:52:30.9 Dave Williams: There's different types of strategies, and the one that we are focusing in on is quality. But I think it's important for people to ask the question. Cliff mentioned transportation. There's a number of different great examples, actually, I think in transportation, where you could look at that as being an ongoing need as Cliff mentioned from the days when there was no technology and we were all on foot to our current day. Transportation has been a need that existed and many different things over time have been created from bicycles, probably one of the most efficient technologies to transport somebody, wheels and carts. And now, and you were referencing, we've made reference to the car industry. It's a fascinating experience going on of the car world and gas versus electric, high technology versus not, autonomous vehicles. There's, and all of them are trying to ask the question of, are there different ways in which I might be able to leverage technology to achieve this need of getting from point A to point B and be more useful and potentially disrupt in the marketplace? And so I think the critical thing initially is to go back and ask and learn and appreciate what is that need?   0:53:58.6 Dave Williams: And then think about your own products and services in relation to that. And I think we include four questions in the book to be able to kind of think about the need. And one of those questions is also, what are other ways in which you could fulfill that need? What are other ways that somebody could get transportation or do learning or to help sort of break you away from just thinking about your own product as well? And that's useful because it's super tied to the system question, right? Of, well, this is the need that we're trying to fulfill and these are the products and services that are matching that need. Then the system that we have is about, we need to build that and design that in order to produce, not only produce the products and services that match that need, but also continually improve that system to either improve those products and services or add or subtract products and services to keep matching the need and keep being competitive or keep being relevant. And maybe if it's not in a competitive environment where you're gonna go out of business, at least be relevant in terms of the city service or community service, government service that continues to be there to match the need of the constituents. So I think it's a really important piece.   0:55:17.0 Dave Williams: It's that North star of saying, providing a direction for everything else. And going back to your original comment or question about strategy, and many times people jump to a strategy or strategies or, and those might be more around particular objectives or outcomes that they're trying to get to. It may not actually be about the method or the approach like cost or technology that they may not even think that way. They may be more thinking about a plan. And I really encourage people to be clear about what they're trying to accomplish and then start to ask, well, how's the system built for that? And later we can bring a process that'll help us learn about our system and learn about closing that gap.   0:56:05.1 Cliff Norman: Yeah. Just what I'd add to that, Andrew, because you mentioned China, a few other countries, but I think the days are coming to an end fairly quickly where somebody can say, oh, we can go to this country. They have low wages, we'll put our plant there and all that. There's a lot of pushback on that, particularly in the United States. And if that's your strategy, that hadn't required a lot of thinking to say the least. But in 1966, over 50% of the countries in the world were, let me rephrase that, over 50% of the population of the world lived in extreme poverty. So there were a lot of targets to pick out where you want to put your manufacturing. And in 2017, and you and Dave were probably like myself, I didn't see this hit the news, but that figure had been reduced from over 50% down to 9%. And all you have to do is just, and I worked in China a lot, they're becoming very affluent. And as they become very affluent, that means wages are going up and all the things that we want to see throughout the world. And I think that's happening on a grand scale right now, but you're also getting a lot of pushback from people when they see the middle class in their own country, like here in the United States, destroyed, and say, I think we've had enough of this. And I think you're gonna see that after January. You're gonna see that take off on steroids.   0:57:31.7 Cliff Norman: And that's gonna happen, and I think throughout the world, people are demanding more, there's gonna have to be more energy, every time a baby is born, the footprints gets bigger for more energy and all the rest of it. So it's gonna be interesting, and I think we are going into an age for the planet where people as Dr. Deming promised that they'd be able to live materially better, and the whole essence of this book is to focus on the quality of the organization and the design and redesign of a system to a better job of matching the need and cause that chain reaction to go off. When Jane and I went over to work in Sweden, Sven Oloff who ran three hospitals and 62 dental clinics there and also managed the cultural activities and young shipping. He said, Cliff, I report to 81 politicians. I don't wanna have to go to them to put a bond on an election to get more money for my healthcare system, I wanna use Dr. Deming's chain reaction here to improve care to the patients in my county and also reduce our costs. A whole bunch of people that don't even believe that's possible in healthcare.   0:58:39.9 Cliff Norman: But that's what Sven Oloff said that's what you're here for. And that's what we proceeded to do, they launched about 350 projects to do just that, and one of their doctors, Dr. Motz [?], he's amazing. We taught him a systems map, I came back two months later, and he had them in his hospital on display. And I said, Motz, how did you do this? He said well Cliff, I'm an endocrinologist by education as a doctor, of course, that's a person who understands internal systems in the body. So he said the systems approach was a natural for me. But I'd like to say it was that easy for everybody else, that systems map idea and as you know, being in the Deming seminar, that's quite a challenge to move from viewing the organization as an org chart, which has been around since Moses father-in-law told him, you need to break up the work here a little bit, and the tens of tens reporting to each other, and then of course, the Romans took that to a grander scale, and so a centurion soldier had 100 other soldiers reporting to him. So we've had org charts long and our federal government took that to a whole new level.   0:59:46.1 Cliff Norman: But the idea is switching off the org chart from biblical times to actually getting it up to Burt [?] about 1935 and understanding a system that's kind of a nose bleed in terms of how much we're traveling there to get us into the 21st century here.   1:00:04.0 Andrew Stotz: And I left Ohio, I grew up outside of Cleveland, and I left Ohio in about 1985, roughly. And it was still a working class, Cleveland had a huge number of jobs and there was factories and all that, and then I went to California, and then I moved to Thailand in 1992. So when I go back to Ohio now, many years later, decades later, it's like a hollowed out place, and I think about what you're saying is... And what's going on in the world right now is that I think there's a desire in America to bring back manufacturing to bring back production and all of that, and that's a very, very hard challenge, particularly if it's gone for a while and the skill sets aren't there, maybe the education system isn't there, I talk a lot with John Dues here on the show about the what's happening in education and it's terrifying.   1:01:05.9 Andrew Stotz: So how could this be... Book be a guide for helping people that are saying, we've got to revitalize American production and manufacturing and some of these foundational businesses and not just services, which are great. How can this book be a guide?   1:01:25.8 Dave Williams: One thing I would say that I think is interesting about our times, many times when I reflect on some of the examples that you just provided, I think about how changes were made in systems without thinking about the whole system together. And there may have been changes at various times that we're pursuing particular strategies or particular approaches, so it may have been the low-cost strategy, it may have been to disrupt a marketplace. And oftentimes, they don't think about... When somebody's pursuing one particular view, they may miss other views that are important to have an holistic perspective. One of the things that I appreciate about QoS in the methods and overall as a holistic view of looking at organizations that it's asking us to really think initially about that North Star, what we're trying to do, our purpose, and what are the tenants. What are the things that are important us, the values...   1:02:38.7 Dave Williams: That are important to us in pursuing that particular purpose? And in doing that, really thinking about how does the system work as it is today, and if we make changes, how does it move in alignment with the values that we have and in the direction that we wanna go? And appreciating, I would say, part of the value of the scientific thinking that is in the Science of Improvement is that it encourages you to try to see what happens and appreciate not only what happens in relation to the direction you're trying to go, but also the... Have a balanced view of looking at the collateral effects of things that you do, and I think that systems do is really important there. So I think from that perspective, the quality as an organizational strategy brings a holistic picture into these organizations, or at least...   1:03:45.1 Dave Williams: To be paying attention to the system that you have, maybe the direction you wanna go, and what happens as you... What are your predictions and what do you see when you study the results of making changes in the direction of the vision that you have. And I think that's at a high level that is one of the ways that I think about it. Cliff, how would you add on there?   1:04:09.1 Cliff Norman: Your question made me think of something that happened about two years ago, Jane and I got a call from a lady that worked for her in one of the chicken plants, and she said, Jane, I had to call you because I need to order some of those Shewhart charts. But what happened today, you should have been here and Jane said, what... She said, Remember that 10 year thing we buried in the ground that we're gonna open up in 10 years, and she said, yeah, said, well, we opened it up today, and the new plant manager was here, and those Shewhart charts came out, and he looked at the costs on them. He said, you were operating at this level? She said, yeah, routinely. And he said what happened? He said, well, they had new management come in and they got rid of the charts, that's the first thing they did, and then gradually they try to manage things like they normally did, and then they forgot everything that we had learned. And that's kind of where we are right now.   1:05:11.0 Cliff Norman: So just think of that a decade goes by, and it just as Dr. Deming said, there's nothing worse than the mobility of management, it's like getting AIDS in the system. And they basically destroyed their ability to run a low-cost operation in an industry that runs on 1 or 2%. And when you watch that happen and understand that we still have food companies in this country, and we have to start there and start looking at the system anew and start thinking about how it can actually cause that chain reaction to take off, and that comes from focusing on quality of the system. And then as Dr. Deming says, anybody that's ever worked for a living knows why costs go down with two words less rework, but instead of people will put in extra departments to handle the rework. Next thing they start building departments to handle...   1:06:01.8 Cliff Norman: The stuff that's not working because the system they don't understand. So that was a... What do they call those things, Dave, where they put them in the ground and pull him out?   1:06:11.0 Dave Williams: Time capsule.   1:06:13.4 Andrew Stotz: Time capsule yeah.   1:06:13.5 Cliff Norman: Yeah. Time capsule. The a 10-year time capsule.   1:06:19.2 Andrew Stotz: It's a great, great story. And a great idea. We had a company in Thailand a very large company that the CEO of it came upon the idea of the teachings of Dr. Deming and over time, as he implemented it in his company, the Japanese Union of Scientists have their prize and his company won that prize and then he had about 10 subsidiary companies that also were doing it and they also won over time. And so Thailand is actually is the second largest recipient of the Japanese Deming Award outside of India. But he left and he retired and another guy took over, a very bright guy and all that, but he threw most of that out and focused on newer methods like KPIs and things like that. And just at the end of last year, maybe six months ago, they reported a pretty significant loss, and I was kind of made me think how we can spend all this time getting the Deming teachings into our business, and then one little change in management and it's done.   1:07:26.9 Andrew Stotz: And that made me think, oh, well, that's the value of the book, in the sense that it's about building the concept of quality as a core part of strategy as opposed to just a tool or a way of thinking that could go out of the company as soon as someone else comes in. Go ahead, Dave.   1:07:41.9 Dave Williams: I was gonna say, Andrew, you raise a point, I think it's really, really important and Cliff mentioned this in terms of the problem of mobility of management. One thing that I don't know that we outline probably in dark enough ink in the book is the critically important piece of leadership, building the structures and the capability. I know we talk a little bit about it, but doing it in a way that both builds up the people that you have... So Cliff emphasiz

Episode NotesVirginia Purnell interviews Ernesto Mandowsky, a systems expert and founder of Million Dollar Machine (MDM), on how small business owners can simplify operations and scale faster.In this episode, we cover:✅ The 6P framework that helps entrepreneurs scale successfully.✅ The biggest mistakes business owners make when trying to grow.✅ Why solopreneurs struggle to reach $1M—and how to fix it.✅ How to use systems & automation to reduce overwhelm.✅ The importance of building a "Million Dollar Machine" for long-term success.Ernesto also shares insights from his upcoming book, Momentum Multipliers: Five Recipes to Build Your Million Dollar Machine, where he breaks down the exact steps entrepreneurs need to take to systematize growth and scale with ease.Key Questions (00:50) How did you get to be where you are today?(02:46) Are there certain businesses that you work with, like a niche or something like that?(03:44) You work with startups or they have to be in the business for X amount of years first?(04:34) Is there a typical thing, like a mistake or a misconception, whatever, that people are typically doing when they first start working with you?(05:37) Do you help them, obviously systematize, but is that done through software? Is it done through bringing in people? Is it done through all of your stuff?(07:46) You mentioned a 90-day system. So do you show them... Was it the 12-week year, like something like that for them to focus on?(10:43) When you help bring in people to the team, are they virtually? Are they in person? Is it a mixture?(13:01) How do you get in front of these potential clients?(15:32) What are a couple of big goals that you are looking to achieve over the next year or two?(16:01) How would that affect your business?(16:55) What do you feel is the number one roadblock standing in your way of reaching that goal?(18:30) What is the best advice that you have ever received?(20:00) What's the best advice you've ever given?(21:50) We've covered a lot of things, but is there something that we haven't talked about yet that you would like to touch on?Virginia Purnell (26:28) Where can we go to learn more about you and what you do? Ernesto Mandowsky https://www.yourmdm.coCTA: score.yourmdm.cohttps://www.instagram.com/mdm.ernestoVirginia PurnellFunnel & Visibility SpecialistDistinct Digital Marketing(833) 762-5336virginia@distinctdigitalmarketing.comwww.distinctdigitalmarketing.comwww.distinctdigitalmarketing.co

Enter to win a copy of Wendy Smith's book "Both/And Thinking"What do you do when you're stuck between two conflicting options? Deliver short-term results or take a long-term view?Focus on business outcomes or people development?Help by being the expert with the answer or a coach asking questions?For most of us, these competing choices are a source of conflict. We deal with uncertainty by asserting certainty that there are two distinct options to choose between.But what if there's a way to embrace both?That's why I invited Wendy Smith – award-winning psychologist and co-author of “Both/And Thinking” – to share her insights on how to make more creative, flexible, and impactful decisions in a world of competing demands.The most successful leaders and change agents have learned the power of navigating paradoxical tradeoffs and reframing problems to discover expansive solutions that didn't initially seem possible. Tune in to learn how to shift from that “either/or” mindset and embrace a “both/and” approach to tackle tough decisions, unlock new possibilities, and lead with greater impact.YOU'LL LEARN:Can you really have it all? – The difference between an and/and vs both/and mindsetA three step process to overcome dilemmas to create a more sustainable outcomeHow to reframe a problem when faced with a seemingly paradoxical choiceThree different patterns of risk when you're not able to shift from the either/or to the both/and thinkingThe benefits of being comfortable with the discomfort of learning something newABOUT MY GUEST:Wendy Smith is the co-author of “Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems,” an award-winning psychologist and professor at the Lerner College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware. She's spent her career studying paradoxes in leadership and on a mission to help individuals and organizations turn problems into possibilities. Wendy's passion lies in helping leaders tackle the complex challenges of interpersonal dynamics, team performance, organizational change, and innovation to transform their organizations and the world.IMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes: ChainOfLearning.com/35Connect with Wendy Smith: linkedin.com/in/wendykimsmithWendy's book: bothandthinking.netCheck out my website for resources and working together: KBJAnderson.comFollow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonTIMESTAMPS: 02:12 Misconception of both/and meaning02:44 And/and vs. both/and06:49 Balancing the roles of expert and coach 07:03 Balancing long-term innovation with immediate business needs08:06 3-step process of dealing with dilemma09:50 Expanding on and/and vs both/and12:03 How to approach paradoxical choices15:23 3 patterns of risk when you don't shift to both/and thinking20:15 Getting comfortable with discomfort22:03 Embracing both/and mindset creates growth mindset24:36 Bringing both/and thinking to your personal life25:50 Both/and thinking at the organizational level27:44 Integrating technical process improvement with people development29:35 Enabling both/and thinking at the organizational level Enter to win a copy of Wendy Smith's book "Both/And Thinking" 

Dive into all things Healthcare Systems Process Improvement Conference 2025 with Ali Anderson and Aaron Kanne. Discover the incredible sessions, keynotes, and networking opportunities awaiting you at this year's premier healthcare engineering event. From first-time attendees to seasoned professionals, this episode breaks down what makes HSPI special, including exclusive workshops, thought-provoking presentations, and insights from industry leaders. If you're passionate about improving healthcare outcomes and processes, this is the episode for you!Don't miss out on HSPI 2025 — Feb. 19-21 at Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia. Visit iise.org/HSPI for more information and to register.Follow SHS on social media to stay updated on conference news and announcements:LinkedInInstagram

Secure patching and endpoint management are crucial aspects of ITOps. Our guests and experts will highlight current challenges and propose actionable strategies to enhance endpoint management across orgs in 2025.Listen to gain insights on how ITOps teams can best work with finance, advice on overcoming tooling and automation issues,and learn some failproof strategies for ITOps improvement. 

Is it time to boost your company's revenue by going after commercial customers or getting your B2B Business Development plan back on track?Whether you are just getting started or going through an overhaul or revamp, here are some things to consider.In part four of this five-part series, we are going to get even more clear on our messaging.Check out Business TIPS!For less than $100 per month you can get immediate answers to questions you have about how to improve your business development or B2B revenue growth plan, process, or team.Learn more at: http://www.joinbusinesstips.comGet more at: https://www.serviceindustrysuccess.com