44 episodes

Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh are two guys with a lot in common: Lean, writing books, speaking, consulting... and a love of good whiskey. Like the Car Talk guys, they both went to MIT... but Lean isn’t rocket science. Let’s hope they can hold their liquor, because they’re not holding back on sharing their opinions... it’s time for Lean Whiskey... Lean talk with a fun spirit!

Lean Whiskey Mark Graban Podcasts

    • Business
    • 4.9 • 9 Ratings

Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh are two guys with a lot in common: Lean, writing books, speaking, consulting... and a love of good whiskey. Like the Car Talk guys, they both went to MIT... but Lean isn’t rocket science. Let’s hope they can hold their liquor, because they’re not holding back on sharing their opinions... it’s time for Lean Whiskey... Lean talk with a fun spirit!

    New Year’s Resolutions, But not Dry January; Boeing Makes One

    New Year’s Resolutions, But not Dry January; Boeing Makes One

    Episode page with video and more
    In Episode 44, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh get back together for this first episode of 2024. Since we’re not doing Dry January, we go right into the whiskey first by talking about old bottles, including one very old one found at auction. We then did our own comparison tasting, with Jamie trying two different age statements of Knob Creek bourbon and Mark trying two different expressions of Glen Scotia scotch from Campbeltown. 
    Dry January is like a New Year’s Resolution that you don’t intend to keep past a month. We discuss New Year’s Resolutions and their reasons for failure. We relate all this to goals, hoshin kanri, SMART goals, systems, and small steps. So, if you’re still working on clarifying your goals or resolutions for the year, take a listen. 
    Boeing’s recent troubles with an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX-9 door plug falling out mid-flight was also discussed, including Boeing’s resolution / commitment to add more inspectors to the process. Will more inspectors and more inspections make a difference? If not, what will make a difference? We may not know the final answer, but we break it all down for you in this discussion. 
    We wrap things up with a little football talk, both the NFL and College. Cheers! 
    Vintage bottle sold at auction, from York, PA
    Jamie’s selection: Knob Creek
    Mark’s selection: Glen Scotia
    NPR on abandoned New Year’s resolutions
    Jamie’s 2010 blogpost on goals
    Jamie’s 2021 short video on working with goals 
    Boeing’s own updates on the 737-9
    On Senator Cantwell’s letter to the FAA
    Yup, University of Michigan wins the National Championship
    Podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or jflinch.com/leanwhiskey 
    Please review us and follow!
     

    • 1 hr 31 min
    Safety at SpaceX Under Elon Musk; 100 Years of Suntory Whiskey

    Safety at SpaceX Under Elon Musk; 100 Years of Suntory Whiskey

    Episode page with video and more
    In Episode 43 of the “Lean Whiskey” podcast, Jamie Flinchbaugh and Mark Graban begin by talking about each of our interviews regarding the new book by Steve Spear and Gene Kim, Wiring the Winning Organization.
    Mark interviewed Steve and Gene for the Lean Blog Interviews podcast, and Jamie interviewed Steve for a forthcoming episode of the People Solve Problems podcast. We then shifted our attention to celebrating 100 years of Suntory Distilling by each pouring different expressions from the Japanese side of the company, Hibiki and Yamazaki. We also discussed the Jim Beam side, its progression and integration into the Suntory ownership. 
    We eventually jumped into our primary In the News segment discussing a detailed investigative journalism report from Reuters on the objectively poor safety record at SpaceX. The data is compelling, from a fatality to a coma, and eight amputations. But the safety rate is six times the industry average, coming in at 4.8 per 100 workers. Yes, space travel and doing anything breakthrough is inherently dangerous, but there's two arguments with this. First, the injuries are things like falling out of trucks and not related to launching a rocket. Second, there are numerous examples of doing inherently dangerous work with a great safety record. Alcoa, under the leadership of Paul O'Neill, is a great example of this, where not only is the work done safely, but with increasing profits along the way. 
    We explore the importance of leadership — through policy to system to culture — in the outcomes of safety. Elon Musk, as the leader of SpaceX, has signaled in many ways that safety is secondary. This includes a distaste for safety yellow on aesthetic grounds to statements that workers are responsible for protecting themselves. Both SpaceX and Tesla have a tendency to withhold reporting required data to OSHA, which might not be visible to employees, but it likely is to management. We make clear that safety practice and culture is the responsibility of management. 
    We wrap up this episode sharing fun facts about our hometowns, wishing everyone a happy holidays, and a final cheers to 2023!
    Links From the Show:
    Mark interviewed Steve Spear and Gene Kim in episode 493 of the LeanBlog Podcast, and Jamie interviewed Steve for a forthcoming episode of People Solve Problems Podcast on their new book, Wiring the Winning Organization
    Celebrating 100 years of Suntory Distilling 
    Mark's blog about the culture clash when Suntory acquired Jim Beam
    Jamie's selection: Hibiki Japanese Harmony
    Mark's selection: Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve NAS Japan Release and the Legent Yamazaki Cask Finish Blend 
    Kaizen & Culture Clash Between Suntory & Jim Beam?
    Reuters' investigative report on safety at SpaceX
    COSH's Dirty Dozen of companies with poor safety records 
    Examples of Paul O'Neill's take on prioritizing safety and being profitable here and here
    Please review us and follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!

    • 1 hr 17 min
    Reflecting on the GE Lean Mindset Event, Including Ford, Uber, and PG&E

    Reflecting on the GE Lean Mindset Event, Including Ford, Uber, and PG&E

    Episode page
    In Episode 42, Jamie Flinchbaugh visits Mark Graban in northern Kentucky and they get to record an episode in person. This was the origin of the podcast series — getting together in person, enjoying whiskey, and talking about Lean stuff. 
    In the last episode, we did an experiment that was inconclusive — sometimes that's how it goes. We had moved the whiskey talk to the end of the episode, but since we had no firm evidence that it was better, we moved it back to the beginning.
    Since we were together, Jamie selected something from Mark's shelf, the Boone County Amburana Wood, as it isn't something you'd regularly find on the shelf. Mark had received a special package in the mail from the Jim Beam distillery — two different expressions of Little Book — and so he did a side-by-side comparison. 
    They then discussed the GE Lean Mindset Event, held for employees, customers, and suppliers. The bulk of the speakers are available on a YouTube playlist.
    We primarily discussed the discussion between Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, and Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. We also discussed the conversation with Patti Poppe, CEO of PG&E (the primary power utility in California if you don't recognize the name). We explored the key nuggets from those speakers. 
    After the recording stopped, the conversation continued at the outstanding Prohibition Bourbon Bar in Newport, Kentucky, ranked as one of America's Best Bourbon Bars by The Bourbon Review (that's where the photo was taken… and yes, they allowed us behind the bar).
     
    Links From the Show:
    Jamie's selection, Amburana Wood finished Bourbon from Boone County
    Little Book, the experimental expressions from Freddie Noe of Jim Beam 
    The playlist for the GE Lean Mindset Event 
    Mark's podcast episode recorded on-site with Jim Womack, Katie Anderson, and Jamie Parker 
    California Burning, the book about PG&E mentioned by Patti
    Prohibition Bar in Newport, Kentucky, featured in The Bourbon Review
    Podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or jflinch.com/leanwhiskey 
    Please review us and follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform! 
     

    • 1 hr 20 min
    Should Lean be Forced? Running & Evaluating Experiments with the Podcast and Beyond, Inexpensive Sip

    Should Lean be Forced? Running & Evaluating Experiments with the Podcast and Beyond, Inexpensive Sip

    Episode link with video and more
    In Episode 41, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh try a couple experiments, in the spirit of continuous improvement. You’ll first notice that we moved the whiskey talk to the end. The hypothesis here is that some people don’t want to hear the whiskey talk, so they can just exit the podcast when we finish the lean talk. We also used a different platform for recording, so it may affect your listening or viewing experience. We would really appreciate any feedback at all on these experiments. 
    In lean talk, we explore the question of whether lean can and should be forced. We examine this from different angles, including terms like accountability and quotas. We even evoke the words of Dr. Deming in the process. We quote Toyota’s Jamie Bonini who said “if the employees are upset by it, it’s not really TPS.” We explore 5S, audits, incentives, and more. 
    We finally get around to talking about the whiskey that we were sipping on during the episode. After all, this is kinda the point. For this episode’s theme, we are pulling the bottle off our shelf that is the least expensive, but still worth sipping on its own. Mark is drinking Benchmark, and Jamie went with Rebel. Cheers! 
    Mark’s audiobook of The Mistakes That Make Us is now available 
    Tennis’ Western and Southern Open
    The Michigan Lean Consortium, where Mark recently presented
    Mark’s famous Office 5S video
    Jamie’s whiskey… Rebel Bourbon 80 proof at $19
    Mark’s whiskey… Benchmark Bourbon 100 proof between $17-19
    Podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or jflinch.com/leanwhiskey 
    Please review us and follow!

    • 1 hr 14 min
    If Burbn Didn’t Pivot to Instagram, We Might Not Have Threads

    If Burbn Didn’t Pivot to Instagram, We Might Not Have Threads

    Episode page with video and more
    In Episode 40, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh get back together after their in-person visit where they enjoyed the origins of this podcast: talking about lean stuff while enjoying some whiskey. We get to celebrate the launch of Mark’s new book, The Mistakes That Make Us, as well as Jamie’s new podcast titled People Solve Problems. We recap our in-person visit and some of the great whiskey we were able to try. And we taste one of the expressions we were able to try at the distillery, New Riff’s Straight Bottled-in-Bond Malted Rye. 
    We then pivoted to talking about pivots, starting with the example of how Instagram originally started as Burbn check-in app to share your drinking experiences with others. It then pivoted to photo sharing, and the rest is history. We compare and contrast other pivots, including Play-Doh, the pacemaker, Slack and Twitter, 3M Post-its, and a purple dye found when trying to cure malaria. We share some lessons from each of our books about how to enable and / or embrace the pivot when the opportunity presents itself. 
    We wrap up talking a bit about the book writing process, and the joys and pains that accompany it. Cheers! 
    Mark’s book, The Mistakes That Make Us, is now available for purchase
    Jamie launched a new podcast, People Solve Problems, interviews based on his book
    Mark and Jamie’s analog in-person Lean Whiskey
    We visited Revival Vintage Bottle Shop, Prohibition Bourbon Bar, and New Riff Distilling
    Mark and Jamie both pouring the New Riff Kentucky Straight Bottled-in-Bond Malted Rye Whiskey
    Instagram pivoted from Burbn
    Instagram, or Meta, also recently launched Threads. You can find Mark here and Jamie here
    Making purple dye from a failed malaria drug 
    Hold on Loosely by 38 Special on Spotify 
    Podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or jflinch.com/leanwhiskey 
    Please review us and follow! 

    • 1 hr 24 min
    Does Starbucks’ CEO Serving Coffee and Uber’s CEO Driving Passengers Do Any Good? Tasting Sourced Whiskeys

    Does Starbucks’ CEO Serving Coffee and Uber’s CEO Driving Passengers Do Any Good? Tasting Sourced Whiskeys

    Episode page with links, video, and more
    In Episode 39, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh toast the completion of Mark's new book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation (coming soon!).
    We also acknowledge Jamie's forthcoming podcast based on the book People Solve Problems. That's already plenty to cover before we even get into our whiskey. 
    Our whiskey theme was sourced juice, or essentially whiskey producers that buy whiskey from other distillers. This practice takes many different forms. Jamie is drinking Holla Bourbon Whiskey, a 4 year wheated bourbon, while Mark is drinking The Senator Straight Rye Whiskey sourced from MGP. Holla Spirits is primarily a vodka company with an incredibly wide range of infused vodkas, from jalapeno to pickle to cotton candy. They use higher grade ethanol from either corn or cane.
    Our lean topic was CEOs who “go to the gemba,” specifically referencing recent Wall Street Journal articles featuring Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi driving an Uber and Starbucks brand-new CEO Laxman Narasimhan being trained and working as a barista. While there is a lot these articles don't tell you, we have to draw some conclusions about whether these efforts are well-intentioned or not. We didn't like the barista with gold cufflinks or the Uber driver ignoring important calls from his General Counsel. 
    We did conclude that there are three dimensions to this practice to get right, and all three must be right for this practice to be worth the effort. First, you have to get the intention correct. Second, you must execute it with the right spirit and curiosity. Third, you have to do the right things with what you learn, not just fixing specific problems but challenging business model assumptions or improving major systems of how the company works.
    Links From the Show:
    Mark's book page to find out more when The Mistakes That Make Us will be released
    Jamie's blog, where you can find the People Solve Problems podcast release
    Mark's recent blog post about Glenns Creek Distillery and creativity-before-capital kaizen
    NBC News covering sourced whiskey
    Whiskey Advocate covering sourced whiskey
    Jamie's whiskey from Holla Spirits, a 4-year Wheated Bourbon, distilled by Southern Distilling Company in North Carolina and blended by Cloonaughill Celtic Malts in York, PA
    Mark's whiskey, The Senator Straight Rye Whiskey, a 4-grain blend distilled by MGP in Lawrenceburg, IN 
    Uber's CEO driving covered by Wall Street Journal as well as Business Insider and Inside Hook 
    Starbucks CEO trains and works as a barista, as covered by Wall Street Journal
    Jamie's past blog about Undercover Boss, and Mark's past blog about a hospital CEO going undercover 
    Mark's recommended podcast is Culture by Design
    Jamie's recommended podcast is Stuff You Should Know 
    Podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or jflinch.com/leanwhiskey 
    Please review us and follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform! 

    • 1 hr 25 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
9 Ratings

9 Ratings

Top Podcasts In Business

The Ramsey Show
Ramsey Network
Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin
Money News Network
NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast
NerdWallet Personal Finance
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
DOAC
Planet Money
NPR
The Money Mondays
Dan Fleyshman