KPI Fireside: A Continuous Improvement Podcast

KPI Fire
  • 5.0 (4)
  • MANAGEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

KPI Fireside is the podcast for business leaders, process improvement professionals, and anyone passionate about making things better. Through insightful interviews with industry leaders, innovators, and changemakers, we explore the stories behind successful Continuous Improvement journeys. Hosted by KPI Fire, this podcast dives deep into Lean Six Sigma, Strategy Execution, KPI Management, and Operational Excellence—helping you overcome obstacles and drive real impact in your organization.

  1. Chris Keahey on The Value of Tracking ROI in CI

    21H AGO

    Chris Keahey on The Value of Tracking ROI in CI

    What happens when continuous improvement teams can clearly prove their impact? In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Chris Keahey to break down why tracking ROI is one of the most critical and overlooked aspects of any CI program. Chris shares how his journey from firefighting into Lean Six Sigma shaped his approach to discipline, standard work, and decision-making under pressure. But the core of the conversation focuses on a bigger challenge: making CI measurable, defensible, and valuable in the eyes of leadership. 🔻 If you can’t prove ROI, CI becomes vulnerable. 🔻 Validated data beats projected savings. 🔻 Finance alignment is non-negotiable. 🔻 Standard definitions create consistency. 🔻 Your program should speak the language of leadership. 🔗 Connect with Chris Keahey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckeahey18/ 🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/ 🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

    51 min
  2. Cheryl Jekiel on Letting Go To Lead

    APR 20

    Cheryl Jekiel on Letting Go To Lead

    What if the biggest mistake leaders make… is trying to be the answer? In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Cheryl Jekiel, founder of the Lean Leadership Center, to unpack one of the hardest shifts in leadership: letting go. 🔻 Why most leaders are underprepared to lead—and how that shows up in real organizations 🔻 How letting go actually creates stronger, more capable teams 🔻 The difference between directing, training, mentoring, and coaching 🔻 How to handle team ideas without shutting people down 🔻 What great leaders do differently to build independence instead of reliance 🔗 Connect with Cheryl Jekiel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryljekiel/ 🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/ 🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

    50 min
  3. Jess Orr on What Leaders Get Wrong About Transformation

    APR 13

    Jess Orr on What Leaders Get Wrong About Transformation

    Why do so many continuous improvement programs fail to deliver lasting impact? In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Jess Orr, a business transformation leader with deep experience in Lean and continuous improvement, including time working directly at Toyota. Jess shares why many organizations limit their results by concentrating improvement efforts in a small group of specialists instead of building a system that engages everyone. 🔻 Why limiting CI to specialists restricts impact and scalability 🔻 Why sustainable improvement requires systems—not just short-term wins 🔻 How to justify CI investment using data and performance metrics 🔻 The role of leaders in building problem-solving capability across teams 🔗 Connect with Jess Orr on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessorr/ 🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/ 🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

    47 min
  4. Francine Bejarano on The Execution Gaps Leaders Don't See

    APR 6

    Francine Bejarano on The Execution Gaps Leaders Don't See

    What happens when teams deliver everything they were asked for—but still miss what the customer actually wanted? In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Francine Bejarano, a program and product delivery leader who has led major technology and transformation initiatives at companies like T-Mobile, IBM, and Verizon. 🔻 The difference between output metrics and outcome-driven success 🔻 Why success must be defined upfront—not measured at the end 🔻 How “voice of the customer” changes alignment and priorities 🔻 The danger of “watermelon metrics” (green on the outside, red on the inside) 🔻 Why understanding the “why” drives better execution and buy-in 🔻 How visibility and structured prioritization improve decision-making 🔗 Connect with Francine Bejarano on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francine-bejarano-173725149/ 🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/ 🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

    43 min
  5. Stan Bryant on Translating Vision Into Action

    MAR 30

    Stan Bryant on Translating Vision Into Action

    In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Stan Bryant, a senior project management professional and principal of Strategic Initiative Solutions. With a career spanning large-scale technology integration, operations leadership, and PMO development, Stan shares what it takes to lead complex projects, build PMOs that prove their value, and help organizations connect project execution to measurable business results. 🔻Why projects are often born from pain points leaders no longer want to tolerate, from mandates to cost pressures to operational inefficiencies. 🔻How project leaders can better communicate with sponsors by matching updates to stakeholder influence and interest. 🔻Why discipline in planning, stakeholder management, communication, and risk mitigation is essential for project success. 🔻Why change management and formal authorization plans are often the missing link between project delivery and real operational adoption. 🔗 Connect with Stan Bryant through email: sbryant@sis-pm.com 🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/ 🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

    41 min
  6. Lyndsay MacLeod on Leadership That Sustains Change

    MAR 23

    Lyndsay MacLeod on Leadership That Sustains Change

    In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Lyndsay MacLeod, an award-winning continuous improvement professional with more than 20 years of experience leading transformational change across engineering, manufacturing, and financial services. With a background spanning Lean Six Sigma, process improvement, Agile, and operational excellence, Lyndsay shares how Lean principles can strengthen technology teams, why visibility matters in software delivery, and how leaders can build cultures of learning instead of fear. 🔻 Why Lean thinking is especially valuable in technology organizations with complexity, legacy systems, and technical debt. 🔻 How value stream mapping helps software teams understand flow, expose bottlenecks, and improve feature delivery. 🔻 How control charts create better conversations than red-amber-green dashboards by separating normal variation from true signals. 🔻 How leadership mindset and behavior play a major role in creating high-performing teams and sustainable transformation. 🔻 Why Lyndsay’s perspective on applying Lean in male-dominated environments highlights the resilience, credibility, and adaptability needed to make improvement work. 🔗 Connect with Lyndsay MacLeod on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndsay-macleod-7b12215/ 🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/ 🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

    40 min
  7. Christoph Roser on Why Improvement Fails Without Standard Work

    MAR 16

    Christoph Roser on Why Improvement Fails Without Standard Work

    In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Chris Roser, a worldwide renowned expert for lean production; Toyota, McKinsey, and Bosch Alumni, and professor for Production Management at the Karlsruhe University of applied sciences.. Drawing on decades of experience in manufacturing, supply chain management, bottleneck detection, and Lean research, Chris explains why improvement fails without standard work. 🔻 Why Toyota and BMW get dramatically more improvement ideas from frontline workers than most Western companies. 🔻 How supervisors use regular checklists to make improvement part of daily work instead of an extra task 🔻 Why the smallest improvement ideas often create the biggest long-term advantage when companies actually pick them up 🔻 The critical difference between work standards, standard work, SOPs, and leader standard work 🔻 Why copying Toyota tool-for-tool usually fails, and what companies should do instead 🔻 Why improvement disappears when it is not captured and sustained through work standards 🔗 Connect with Chris Roser on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christoph-roser-allaboutlean/ 🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/ 🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

    55 min
  8. Nick Belcher on Creating a People-First Lean Culture

    MAR 9

    Nick Belcher on Creating a People-First Lean Culture

    What separates short-term Lean initiatives from lasting Lean cultures? In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Nick Belcher, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Lean Culture Architect who has spent decades helping organizations move beyond Lean tools and build people-first improvement cultures. Nick shares why lasting transformation happens when leaders focus on developing people, reinforcing behaviors, and embedding continuous improvement into everyday work rather than treating it as a separate initiative. 🔻 Why Lean tools alone cannot sustain improvement without cultural change 🔻 What a people-first Lean culture actually looks like in practice 🔻 Why leadership behaviors determine whether Lean succeeds or fails 🔻 Why continuous improvement must become part of daily work 🔻 The role of engagement and trust in sustaining Lean transformations 🔻 How organizations move from isolated improvements to enterprise-wide learning 🔻 Why developing people is the foundation of operational excellence 🔗 Connect with Nick Belcher on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickbelchermba/ 🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/ 🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

    47 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

KPI Fireside is the podcast for business leaders, process improvement professionals, and anyone passionate about making things better. Through insightful interviews with industry leaders, innovators, and changemakers, we explore the stories behind successful Continuous Improvement journeys. Hosted by KPI Fire, this podcast dives deep into Lean Six Sigma, Strategy Execution, KPI Management, and Operational Excellence—helping you overcome obstacles and drive real impact in your organization.

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