Lean Blog Interviews - Healthcare, Manufacturing, Business, and Leadership Mark Graban Podcasts

This episode will be available only to Apple Podcasts paid subscribers through December 13th, 2023 when it will be released to the public.
Welcome to another intriguing episode of Lean Blog Interviews. In today's segment, our host, Mark Graban, engages Chad Bareither in a conversation centered on the passionate theme of continuous improvement across industries. Mr. Bareither, a well-known figure in continuous improvement, recently shared his wealth of knowledge and experience through his book, “Improve Less: The Focus and Align Framework for Sustainable Continuous Improvement.” This intriguing discussion provides insights into Bareither’s approach, giving listeners insight into how they can incorporate principles of continuous improvement in their respective organizations.
Chad Bareither wears multiple hats - as a change agent, an educator, and an innovator, he is deeply committed to turning around the performance of organizations through his extensive knowledge and expertise. His journey into this field has roots in several disciplines, such as mechanical engineering, industrial systems engineering, and applied statistics, knowledge he has honed through engagement with numerous Fortune 500 companies and the U. S. Army. As a Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, he has distinguished himself as an expert in triggering positive and effective organizational change.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more
My guest for Episode #492 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Nick Katko, previously here in Episode 428 in 2021 with his co-author Mike DeLuca talking about their book Practicing Lean Accounting. 
Today, Nick is here to discuss his book, The Lean CFO: Architect of the Lean Management Accounting System — now in its second edition — released back in February.
Nick also did a webinar earlier this year as part of the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement webinar series.
For over 20 years, Nick has worked at BMA, assisting clients in Lean management implementation by working closely with them to resolve the real-world issues they face.
He holds a BS in accounting and an MBA in finance, both from the University of Kentucky, and is a certified public accountant.
Questions, Notes, and Highlights:
What makes a CFO a “Lean CFO”? Are there “degrees of Lean CFO”??
Are there some wrong things to measure? Things we should start measuring?
Viewing inventory as an asset? How does inventory reduction trip us up potentially?
What is “lean management accounting”??
Robbing Peter to pay Paul – ending that via Lean causes a problem then? Is there a way to ease your way out of that?
Reducing inventory is an outcome of better processes?
Is it better for Lean to be part of a growth strategy?
Chapter 3 – “Lean is the strategy” — are you hearing that more often? Are they walking the talk?? How common is this?
“Knowing what's possible” when you have experience with Lean – and the emotions people feel, regret?
The virtuous cycle of using CI to drive CAPACITY (instead of cost reduction)?
The Lean CFO: Architect of the Lean Management Accounting System — What's different in the 2nd edition?
Tell us about your new BMA Lean Accounting Certification Program… 
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in its 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast was also brought to you by Arena, a PTC Business. Arena is the proven market leader in Cloud Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) with over 1,400 customers worldwide. Visit the link arenasolutions.com/lean to learn more about how Arena can help speed product releases with one connected system.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

My guest for Episode #491 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Sarah Tilkens, an experienced Lean Leader with a demonstrated history of working in construction and manufacturing.

She is a senior manager of operational excellence at GE Healthcare. 

Sarah's a Six Sigma Black Belt, a certified life coach / executive coach, a lifelong learner, leader, mother, and CEO and Founder of her company, The KPI Lab. She earned her bachelor's in Biological Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Sarah's Lean journey is intriguing as she sculpted her Lean management skills on the manufacturing floor at GE, despite her background in Biological Sciences. Interestingly, her Lean journey extends from being intrigued by her colleagues pursuing Six Sigma certifications to studying at GE's Lean Academy in Japan, where she observed the best Lean practices.

Moreover, she details her unique philosophy about Lean mindset, the significance of continuous improvement, and her holistic approach to coaching--indispensable factors in her role as a Lean Leader. She also talks about her personal transformation during the pandemic, integrating coaching skills into her professional life, and why self-care is a priority. Tune in to this engaging discussion to learn about Sarah's Lean journey as she shares her most significant learnings and experiences.

Questions, Notes, and Highlights:

Tell us your Lean or OpEx origin story...

Did you get exposed to Lean when you worked in construction?

Why construction? - went into sales, to a place of discomfort 

How was the shift to manufacturing?

Hired as a Lean Leader - learned it there at GE

How did they educate you about Lean at GE?

You joined GE Healthcare in November 2018 -- right after CEO Larry Culp was brought in as the first outsider CEO, right? 

I was able to attend the September event that was hosted by GE (including GE Healthcare) called The Lean Mindset - how do you describe that mindset?

1x1 fit - each coachee as a customer?

Creating PULL for projects?? -- better defining problem statements

Tell us about getting certified as a coach?

How can you take care of yourself so you can better help others as a leader?

How long should we give an experiment before deciding if we should adjust or try something new?

The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in its 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.

This podcast was also brought to you by Arena, a PTC Business. Arena is the proven market leader in Cloud Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) with over 1,400 customers worldwide. Visit the link arenasolutions.com/lean to learn more about how Arena can help speed product releases with one connected system.

This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Episode page with links, transcript, and more
My guest for Episode #490 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Quint Studer, the co-founder of HealthCare Plus Solutions Group and owner of the minor league baseball team, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
He's a returning guest, having joined us in Episode #353 (2019) when we talked about his book, The Busy Leader's Handbook. He's written many other books — his first being Hardwiring Excellence (2003), a book that was recommended to me when I started serving healthcare organizations back in 2005 — and that book made a huge impact on me.
Quint previously founded Studer Group, which received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2011. He's also currently a speaker, an entrepreneur, and a philanthropist.
His most recent previous book is The Calling: Why Healthcare is So Special. His latest book is Rewiring Excellence, a free eBook. The Human Margin: Building the Foundations of Trust, written in partnership with Katherine A. Meese, PhD, is due for publication in March 2024.
In this episode, Quint speaks poignantly about the need to transform rigid practices in healthcare. His clarion call emphasizes the significance of rewriting conventional healthcare procedures to create adaptable strategies. This dynamic conversation also illuminates his concept of ‘rewiring' excellence. Quint challenges the traditional definitions and procedures regarding excellence, maintaining that these outmoded ideologies need to be revamped with modern perspectives for enhanced results. Thus, stay tuned to hear more about how to navigate the changing landscape of healthcare.
Questions, Notes, and Highlights:
What can leaders do to help ensure that the calling doesn't turn into burnout and a loss of that calling?
How can we stop the blame game?
“If you do it right, there should be no turnover” (CNAs)
Focus, fix, and follow up
The need to close the loop…
Blame culture
Assumptions — about why MDs don't refer in house
Quint's excellent article, ‘I may be wrong': The power of admitting our mistakes
Why do people get vilified for saying they were wrong or they changed their minds?
When people hide behind “do you have any research?”
Tell us about your latest book, Rewiring Excellence: Hardwired to Rewired… free eBook now, print book in pre-order status.
How do we decide if a hardwired process needs to be “rewired”?
What is the “Human Capital Ecosystem™ Assessment“?
Looking ahead to your next book — how can leaders build trust?
Hosting a podcast now? The Healthcare Plus Podcast
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in its 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast was also brought to you by Arena, a PTC Business. Arena is the proven market leader in Cloud Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) with over 1,400 customers worldwide. Visit the link arenasolutions.com/lean to learn more about how Arena can help speed product releases with one connected system.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

This episode will be available to paid Apple Podcasts subscribers only until November 1st, when it will become available to the public.
Ward is a seasoned C-suite executive with over 6 years leading fully remotely while building technology organizations from the ground up for companies 150 to 650 employees in size and 50M to 125M revenue across the Americas and Europe.
He is currently Chief Product Officer and CTO at RealSelf and is a technical advisor with his own company - website is https://wardvuillemot.com - where he advises startup founders and CEOs on technical roadmaps and technology organization along with lean approaches…

Episode page with video and more
Our guest today is D. Lynn Kelley! She is author, with John Shook (who has been a guest here many times), of the new book, Change Questions: A Playbook for Effective and Lasting Organizational Change.
Lynn currently serves as a senior advisor to BBH Capital Partners.
Following a career highlighted by leadership roles in engineering, supply chain, and continuous improvement in various industries, Kelley retired from Union Pacific Railroad in 2018.
At Union Pacific, she was senior vice president of supply chain and continuous improvement. She was also the executive co-owner of the company’s innovation program.
Before joining Union Pacific, Kelley was vice president of operational excellence, an officer and a member of the executive leadership team at Textron.
Kelley holds a PhD in evaluation and research and taught undergraduate and graduate statistics courses. Before becoming a professor, she held the positions of executive vice president and chief operating officer of Doctors Hospital in Detroit.
The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in its 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.
This podcast was also brought to you by Arena, a PTC Business. Arena is the proven market leader in Cloud Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) with over 1,400 customers worldwide. Visit the link arenasolutions.com/lean to learn more about how Arena can help speed product releases with one connected system.
This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network.