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The Edges of Lean explores topics in continuous improvement (lean thinking, creative problem solving, six sigma) that get overlooked. Meet the people practicing lean in odd places or with different twists, always with a focus on respect for people and continuous learning.
Episodes
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
In Lean, we know the value of getting ideas from the people who are doing the work, especially when it comes to ideas for improvement. But what happens when your organization feels like it is too big to get ideas from everyone effectively? What if you're just too far away? Soushiant Zanganehpour is a social scientist and an entrepreneur, and he is the founder and CEO of Swae, a platform for crowdsourcing innovation, and making inclusive decisions powered by artificial intelligence. Let's hear what he has to say.
About Soushiant Zanganehpour
Soushiant is a social scientist and entrepreneur. His career spans the fields of policy-making, impact investing, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability. He focuses on upgrading inclusivity and democracy within companies and transforming democratic institutions to be 21st-century compatible.
He is the Founder & CEO of Swae, an award-winning idea management, and decision-making platform, powered by AI and bottom-up decision-making.
KEY TOPICS IN THIS PODCAST:
- 01:32-02:50 Soushiant’s career background and What Swae is all about
- 02:51-08:12 The most common problems of companies/organizations that need attention
- 08:13-10:41 The importance of decentralized decision-making in a crowd-sourced environment.
- 10:43-15:50 Disadvantages of hierarchical structure
- 15:51-19:57 What are Decentralized Autonomous Organizations(DAO) and how do they work?
- 20:14-30:05 A confluence of trends presentation explained from a Free Fall of Trust to Decentralization to Personalization to changing demographics to social movements and finally leading to changing of guard.
- 30:06-39:18 How the Swae platform supports anonymity when it comes to idea-sharing
- 39:21-42:18 Things that next-generation leaders need to be paying attention to
- 42:37-45:06 Soushiant’s advice for young people who are starting their careers
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- A DAO is an organization represented by code that is running on a decentralized network of computers, rather than a single central server. Because DAOs are code-based, they can be run completely transparently and autonomously. This means that DAO decision-making can be done without the need for a hierarchical structure or central authority
- One of the main disadvantages of a hierarchical structure is that it can lead to a high level of bureaucracy. This means that there are a lot of rules and regulations and decision-making takes a long time
- Swae is a decentralized software platform that helps organizations to make better decisions. It does this by providing a protocol for decision-making and crowdsourcing.
- Anonymous idea-sharing can help to prevent bias, as employees are less likely to be influenced by the opinions of others.
- When employees feel like their voices matter, they are more likely to stick around.
Memorable Quotes From Soushiant Zanganehpour
“ Don't waste your time trying to reform systems that are inherently designed for the past, build something different”
CONNECT WITH SOUSHIANT ZANGANEHPOUR
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/soushiant
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soushiant/
MEDIUM: https://medium.com/soushiant
EMAIL: soushiant@swae.io
WEBSITE: https://swae.io/
SWAE OVERVIEW (A CONFLUENCE OF TRENDS): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WY46tdfwcw9p3ksjbMNEFhrB52u0Y3Wk/view?usp=sharing
Wednesday Aug 31, 2022
Wednesday Aug 31, 2022
Practicing Lean changes your brain. Do you agree? I know for me, repeating the patterns of the Plan-Do-Check-Act, or the pattern of the improvement kata, and because of using and adapting lean tools, I think very differently from the way I used to think. This conversation with ST Rappaport illuminated what cognitive functions we are improving when we practice Lean thinking, and why that practice works. I think you will be as fascinated as I was when you meet her.
About ST RAPPAPORT
ST is a productivity coach, who like many people, struggled to be more efficient and effective - until, she says, she changed the way her brain is wired. Now she helps others, through her organization, LifePix University. LifePix University helps growing entrepreneurs solve their core problems so they can become more efficient and effective in their personal and professional life.
KEY TOPICS IN THIS PODCAST:
- ST’s career background
- How did she get into teaching about the growth mindset?
- What is Feuerstein's Method?
- How does Feuerstein's Method help ST with her reading difficulties?
- The connection between a Growth Mindset with Feuerstein's Method
- Cognitive function explained
- How cognitive deficiencies affect people’s emotions
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- A growth mindset is a belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed with effort and practice. This mindset is in contrast to a fixed mindset, which is the belief that abilities are set in stone and cannot be changed.
- Practicing lean thinking may be a way for people to develop their cognitive functions.
- Reuven Feuerstein's method is a cognitive intervention program. The goal of the program is to improve cognitive functioning in individuals with brain injuries and other cognitive impairments.
- Cognitive function refers to the ability to think, learn and remember. It is a broad term that encompasses many different mental processes, including attention, planning, problem-solving, decision-making, and working memory.
- Understanding how your brain works can help you to learn new things more easily and to use your strengths to your advantage.
Memorable Quotes From ST Rappaport
“ Time-saving was the best thing. This is part of the challenge with cognitive functions because we're so used to doing it the same way. We think this is the right way and this is the best way to do it. “
CONNECT WITH ST RAPPAPORT
https://www.lifepixuniversity.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/st-rappaport-869b7619b/
https://www.instagram.com/lifepixphotography/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqwMNmGg9DS0ebpDZZ-Ff3A
https://www.tiktok.com/@lifepixuniversity
Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
Wednesday Aug 24, 2022
In continuous improvement, we love our numbers. Data is the bedrock of knowing what our current situation is, and whether we are improving. Kevin Palmieri is the CFO, Founder & Co-Host of Next Level University, a Global Top 100 Self-Improvement podcast with more than 1000 episodes reaching over half a million people in more than 125 countries. Kevin and his business partner are all about helping people to continuously improve – and Kevin started out not really being a numbers guy. But he changed his mind. Let’s hear how it happened.
Kevin Palmieri
Kevin is the Founder, CFO & Host of the Next Level University, a Global Top 100 Self-Improvement podcast with more than 1000 episodes reaching over half a million people in more than 125 countries on how to improve your life, love, health & wealth
KEY TOPICS IN THIS PODCAST:
- Kevin’s career background
- How he started podcasting
- How he was introduced to math and why he didn't like it
- How he faced and embraced math
- Why must businesses continuously improve their system?
- Growth is crucial for every relationship
- How does he understand the value of math now?
- Leaders' biggest organizational continuous improvement challenges
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Growth is essential for fulfillment. Without it, we would be stuck in the same place, both figuratively and literally. We would never learn or experience new things. We would never reach our potential
- By taking the time to identify and address our bad habits, we can make positive changes that will have a lasting impact on our lives.
- Small changes really can create big impacts. If you're looking to make a positive difference in your life, don't underestimate the power of starting small.
- While skills can be learned, passion and humility are two things that cannot be taught.
- By making self-improvement a priority, businesses can position themselves for long-term success.
Memorable Quotes From Kevin Palmieri
“Understand what you're really good at and understand what you're really not good at.. Self awareness, true humility is having the courage to admit what you're good at, but having the courage to admit what you're not.”
CONNECT WITH KEVIN PALMIERI
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-palmieri-5b7736160/
Websites: https://speakerhub.com/speaker/kevin-palmieri
Podcast: https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/
Wednesday Aug 17, 2022
Wednesday Aug 17, 2022
Kaj Smit was a typical student with a typical life – until the day he woke up in a hospital and learned he had suffered two brain hemorrhages. Physically he had to start over again and mentally he was in a very dark place. What does it take to recover from something like this? And what did Kaj learn that continuous improvers should take to heart? Just a note before we get started: we will be discussing suicidal thoughts. If you or a loved one are considering suicide, the number to call for help and support in the US is 988, and in the Netherlands, it is 0900 0113
Kaj Smit
Kaj Smit is a young man who has experience in designing and creating websites online. He's also an escape room expert!
On May 12, 2021, he had two brain hemorrhages. That's not the end of the story, but the beginning. He went from a vegetative state to being once again a fit young man who's capable of everything, and he did this in less than one year. This has given him a new view of the world and incredible perseverance and a positive attitude that no one can take away from him.
KEY TOPICS IN THIS PODCAST:
- Kaj's experience of brain injury following his brain hemorrhages
- Why did he consider suicide?
- What made the difference for him to pursue life, not death?
- How did he help himself to regain his memory
- What activities helped him recover quickly
- The valuable lessons he learned from his experience.
- The three steps to move forward, even in a difficult situation: Wish, believe, dare!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- It's important to remember that suicide is not a solution. When someone is considering suicide, they are usually in a great deal of pain and they see death as the only way to escape that pain.
- When someone is going through a tough time, it's important to have a supportive network of family and friends.
- Being positive is important when you are trying to recover from an illness or injury. Your body responds to your thoughts and emotions, so if you are constantly thinking negative thoughts, your body will produce stress hormones that can make it harder to heal.
- To achieve our goals, we must be willing to take risks. This is especially true when it comes to our health. Too often, we allow fear to hold us back from doing what we need to do to heal and live normal lives.
- Tiny steps are important.
Memorable Quotes From Kaj Smit
“ Don't look at the end goal. Look at where you started”
CONNECT WITH KAJ SMIT
Website: www.kajsmit.com
Wednesday Aug 10, 2022
Wednesday Aug 10, 2022
Today we're talking about knowing your priorities and achieving your goals. So often we get bogged down in the day-to-day, and we lose sight of what's important to us. In this episode, we're going to talk about how to identify your priorities and how to plan to achieve your goals with Adam J. Walker.
Adam Walker
Husband, Father of six, Wearer of fedoras, Nonprofit co-founder & CMO, Co-founder of TogetherLetters, a collaborative newsletter service for groups to share without using social media. He is also a co-host of Tech Talk Y'all, a self-proclaimed tech comedy podcast.
KEY TOPICS IN THIS PODCAST:
- Adam’s career background
- The importance of valuing your time
- How setting priorities helped Adam to become more productive
- Why is saying no not a bad thing?
- Why is choosing wisely spending your time so important?
- How to balance your time with your priorities?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, but it's how we use our time that matters. Time is our most precious commodity and it's important to recognize and value our time.
- Allocate your time to something creative and productive
- Use a to-do list and save your time
- One way to regain a sense of balance is to know your priorities and save time. By taking a few moments each day to assess what's most important, you can ensure that you're spending your time in the way that best supports your goals.
- If you want to be successful, it's important to focus on your priorities and use your time wisely. That means saying "no" to things that are not on your list of priorities.
Memorable Quotes From Adam Walker
“ I want to say yes to only the things that I emphatically and joyfully shout yes to!
CONNECT WITH ADAM WALKER
Adam Walker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjwalker/
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/onewaywalker
Website: http://www.adamjwalker.com/
Wednesday Aug 03, 2022
Wednesday Aug 03, 2022
In this episode, Fiona Valentine joined me. We've talked a lot about what continuous improvers can learn from artists, and about how and why we can’t practice continuous improvement without building our skills for creativity. Fiona Valentine is an artist, who works right at that important intersection of art, creativity, and business. She helps artists learn how to sell their art – and she helps businesspeople tap into their creativity. And she knows a thing or two about lean thinking as well!
Fiona Valentine
Fiona Valentine paints the beauty and joy she finds in nature, hosts The Confident Artist Facebook Group, and is the creator of The Profitable Artist Method for aspiring artists who want to paint for fun and profit, even if they’ve never sold any of their work before.
Her teaching challenges the typical advice given to creatives because she believes that both painting and the art of selling art can be learned by anyone willing to follow The Profitable Artist Method.
Fiona's mission is to help each student enjoy their creativity and discover that real artists don’t starve, they thrive.
KEY TOPICS IN THIS PODCAST:
- Fiona’s career background
- What is creativity?
- Common misconceptions about creativity
- How does Fiona define "artist" and "creativity?"
- How to develop creativity?
- How to incorporate arts in business and our daily routine?
- Art explained
- The Importance of a combination of art skills and business skills
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Creativity is often described as the ability to come up with new and innovative ideas. However, creativity is much more than simply coming up with something new. It also involves the ability to see things from a different perspective and to find new ways to solve problems
- Many people believe that creativity is a trait that is reserved for artists and musicians, but the truth is that everyone can be creative. Creativity is simply the ability to come up with new ideas and see the world in new ways.
- One of the most important skills that any business person can possess is the ability to think creatively. After all, it is often the out-of-the-box ideas that lead to breakthrough products and services.
- By incorporating the arts into businesses, we can allow employees to explore new ways of thinking and problem-solving. In addition, the arts can also be used as a tool for marketing and promoting businesses.
Memorable Quotes From Fiona Valentine
“ Anything is possible. You've got an enormous amount of potential, You've got enough talent and creativity to make beautiful art and a beautiful business. What you need are skills so focus on getting those skills and enjoy the journey. There's no hurry.”
CONNECT WITH FIONA VALENTINE
Website: https://fionavalentine.com/
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Remote work: it's here to stay, and that impacts everything! For many remote workers, it’s still something new. But for Mari Anne Snow, who is the author of the soon-to-be-released “Remote Work Handbook," remote work has been her area of expertise for more than 20 years. That's how long she has been leading remote teams and continuously improving how to operationalize remote work. Mari Anne is the CEO and founder of Sophaya, and the Remote Nation Institute (RNI), Tune in to this episode to learn more about how to handle a team in a remote work environment.
Mari Anne Snow
Mari Anne Snow is a recognized expert on remote and distributed team leadership. As CEO and founder of Sophaya and the Remote Nation Institute (RNI), Mari Anne is rewriting the rules of remote work and setting new professional standards that ensure business results, team engagement, and top productivity in today's dispersed workforce.
Mari Anne is a business expert who can help you create engaged remote team cultures. Mari Anne and her team work with your company to set up, implement, and maintain remote work or distributed team programs that lead to top business productivity. We provide the knowledge, coaching, and implementation support to operationalize any size remote work, work from home, virtual or dispersed team program as well as optimize existing ones.
KEY TOPICS IN THIS PODCAST:
- Mari Anne’s career background
- How did she get involved with coaching leaders who are managing teams working remotely?
- How leaders effectively implement change management with a remote team
- What leaders can do to help team members adapt to changes in their process
- The importance of engagement and the reward system in a remote work setting
- Common pros and cons of working remotely and some countermeasures for the "cons"
- What a leader should have to be able to effectively manage teams working remotely
- What Mari Anne's upcoming "Remote Work Handbook: is all about
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- One of the biggest challenges is dealing with change. Because the remote work setting is constantly changing, we must learn to be adaptable and flexible in our approach.
- Leaders must be adaptable themselves so they can effectively lead their team through change.
- By making change a positive experience, you can help your employees become more flexible and adaptable, which will benefit your company in the long run.
- Being a successful leader requires a great deal of strategic thinking. This is especially true when leading a team in a remote setting. Because there is no face-to-face interaction, it is important to find other ways to build relationships and foster communication.
Memorable Quotes From Mari Anne Snow
“The only way to learn is to put your hand up and to make yourself available... So take a risk and then be ready to not be perfect, because you won't be perfect. And admit your mistakes, learn from your mistakes. Just don't keep doing the same thing. “
CONNECT WITH MARI ANNE SNOW
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariannesnow1/
Email: masnow@sophaya.com
Website: https://www.remotenation.com/
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
What does a PhD candidate look like? What does a “Lean Six Sigma expert" look like? How about a CEO? My guest Kathryn McIver wants you to know why how we look impacts our opportunities. So, she changed the topic of her PhD dissertation to research lookism. She's here to share her research.
Dr. Kathryn McIver
Dr. Kathryn McIver is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and earned her doctorate from the University of Maryland where she studied the impacts of appearance on women’s careers. Prior to shifting into operations management, McIver focused on Lean Six Sigma program inception and development where she strongly emphasized the employee’s role in program sustainability and success. When she isn’t designing Lean programs, McIver teaches at the University of Colorado Denver Business school and spoils both of her Bassett Hounds rotten.
KEY TOPICS IN THIS PODCAST:
- Dr. Mclver’s career background
- How her looks/pink hair impacted her profession
- “Lookism” explained
- How making assumptions about other people’s looks may affect them negatively
- What does it mean to look “professional?”
- Why we believe that people in certain professions need to look a particular way, and how this is intersectional with sexism, racism and other biases.
- What can leaders do to reduce lookism inside their organization?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Lookism is the prejudicial or discriminatory treatment of people based on their physical appearance. It can manifest as discrimination in hiring, promotion, salary, and other areas of employment.
- Combating lookism can be difficult, but raising awareness about the issue is a good place to start. Increasing understanding and acceptance of the different types of beauty can help to reduce the harmful effects of lookism..
Memorable Quotes From Dr. Kathryn McIver
“ It is okay to have a bad day, it's okay to have a bad week or a bad month or even a bad year that we don't always have to always be on. And that doesn't erode who we are, what our contributions are. And I certainly think coming out of the pandemic, everybody will resonate with this idea that it's okay to have a bad year.”
CONNECT WITH DR. MCLVER
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kathryndmciver
Email: kathryn@thecomplexmanager.com
Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
Where do we work? It is one of the biggest questions facing leaders today. It doesn't look like employees are flocking back to offices, and remote and hybrid work sure seem like they're here to stay. Does that mean we can't have the culture we want? In his book “Remote, Not Distant” Gustavo Razzetti argues leaders can design a culture for remote work. And by the way, that includes a Lean culture - so tune in.
Gustavo Razzetti
Gustavo Razzetti is the CEO and founder of Fearless Culture, a culture design consultancy that helps teams do the best work of their lives. For more than 20 years, Razzetti has helped leaders from Fortune 500s, startups, nonprofits, and everything in between on every continent but Antartica.
Gustavo is also the creator of the Culture Design Canvas, a framework used by thousands of teams and organizations across the world to map, assess, and design their culture.
In addition to his consulting work with clients, Gustavo regularly speaks with leaders and teams about culture change, teamwork, and hybrid workplaces. His coaching and tools have helped countless executives and teams develop work environments where people collaborate to accelerate individual and collective performance.
A prolific writer and author of four books including the recent “Remote, Not Distant,” Gustavo’s insights have been featured in The New York Times, Psychology Today, Forbes, BBC, and Fortune, among others.
KEY TOPICS IN THIS PODCAST:
- Gustavos’s career background
- Company culture defined
- What is a culture retrospective?
- The importance of leaders demonstrating vulnerability
- How a "stinky fish" tool helps team to boost trust and collaboration
- Hybrid and remote company culture explained
- The importance of trust in a remote company
- How the book “Remote, Not Distant” helps companies to build a strong and positive culture
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- People need to feel that their leaders are reliable and dependable, and that starts with ensuring that words and actions are always in alignment
- When expectations are clear and communication is open, employees are more likely to be aligned with the company's goals and values.
- Communication is vital to maintaining a healthy culture.
- Being a leader doesn't mean that you have to be perfect. In fact, admitting that you're not perfect can actually help to build trust and credibility with your team.
- The most important thing in a company culture is not your location, but your ability to be flexible.
- A strong company culture doesn't just happen, it has to be built intentionally. Creating a culture of respect, trust, and teamwork is essential for any organization that wants to function at its best.
Memorable Quotes From Gustavo Razzetti
“ Culture is something that everyone creates. So the behaviors of all the employees shape the culture”
CONNECT WITH GUSTAVO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gustavorazzetti/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gusrazzetti
His Book:
https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Not-Distant-Company-Workplace/dp/0999097385
Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
Many of us start our continuous improvement learning in a training class. And many of us deliver CI training. How effective is that training? Does it prepare us to lead improvement? Some training programs are more successful than others in preparing people for the real world. One way to measure the effectiveness of a training program is to look at the outcomes. Amita Sherwood joined me today to talk about what’s missing from your continuous improvement training and share her insights on making training much more effective.
Amita Sherwood
Amita Sherwood is a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with over 22 years of CI experience in Insurance, Federal (DoD and Civilian), Health Care, Higher Education, Financial Services, Information Technology, Energy, and Manufacturing. Amita has a B.S. in Management Science and Information Systems from The Pennsylvania State University. Amita is passionate about developing peoples' CI skills and "seeing the lightbulb go off".
Key Topics in this podcast:
- Amita’s career background
- How she get into Lean Six Sigma and her involvement in training
- What is was like being trained at GE training
- What is missing from a lot of CI training related?
- The importance of training
- The importance of effective communication
- Why coaching is one the most important aspects of team development
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- There is no point in providing comprehensive training if the person being trained never has the opportunity to put their new skills into practice.
- Training must be tailored to the needs of both the individual and the organization, and it must be ongoing.
- By providing adaptive training that is aligned with the goals of the business, businesses can ensure that their employees have the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful.
- The role of a coach is to help individuals identify their areas of improvement and then create a plan to address those areas. Without the guidance of a coach, it would be difficult for individuals to make the necessary changes to their methods and procedures.
- Certifications are important but the real value lies in the experience and learning that comes from the training itself.
Memorable Quotes From Amita Sherwood
“The focus should be that it's learning, it's learning the skill set, it's learning about the process area, You're attacking from the problem solving, it's learning about the people that you're working with?, there's many aspects of that learning.”
CONNECT WITH AMITA
Company Website:
https://www.esquaredsolutions.biz/
Blog:
https://www.esquaredsolutions.biz/blog/
LinkedIn: