The Lean Solutions Podcast

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, Natalie Howden is joined by Cindy Darnell, Steve Burgett, and Jordan Kimball for a preview of their sessions at the Lean Solutions Global Summit. Together, they explore how organizations can design better processes, reduce ambiguity, strengthen communication, and develop people through continuous improvement.
Steve and Jordan share how their work at Gentex focuses on designing systems that make problems visible, reduce noise and chaos, and create the stability needed for people to become proactive problem solvers rather than constant firefighters. They also discuss how these principles can be applied beyond manufacturing to support and administrative environments.
Cindy dives into DISC and how understanding different communication and behavioral styles can help leaders navigate change, strengthen teams, and support lean culture transformation. The conversation also explores the connection between people and innovation, the importance of understanding ourselves and others, and how Kata can become a powerful people development process.
Whether you're leading change, improving processes, developing people, or building a stronger continuous improvement culture, this episode offers practical insights for creating systems that work better and teams that work better together.
Key Takeaways:
1. Design processes to make problems visible and reduce ambiguity
2. Standardization and stability give people more room to problem-solve and innovate
3. Understanding different communication styles can make change more effective
4. People and innovation are better together when communication and systems support both
Links:
https://www.findleansolutions.com/summit-2026/
https://www.findleansolutions.com/

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, Shayne Daughenbaugh and Andy Olrich welcome James Martin to explore why batching often feels more efficient, but can actually hurt the flow of an entire organization. James shares real-world examples of reducing batch sizes and moving toward flow, including a transformation that reduced processing time from 14 hours to as little as 1.5 hours while significantly increasing output.
The conversation explores how batching creates waiting, excess inventory, bottlenecks, and localized efficiency, and why teams need to focus on the flow of the entire system rather than individual productivity. James also explains how smaller batch sizes, experimentation, visual management, and employee empowerment can help organizations identify problems more quickly and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Whether you're trying to reduce waste, improve manufacturing flow, or build a stronger continuous improvement culture, this episode offers practical examples of how reducing batching can help work move faster and more effectively through an organization.

Key Takeaways:
Focus on flow—not localized efficiency
Smaller batches can expose and eliminate waste
Make bottlenecks and problems visible
Empower teams to experiment and improve
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-martin-4a4629254/
https://srasolutions.com.au/
https://www.findleansolutions.com/lean-summit/
https://www.findleansolutions.com/

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

In this episode, Patrick Adams is joined by Rebecca Moyers, Director of Operational Excellence for the State of Missouri, for a preview of her session at the Lean Solutions Summit, The Feedback Advantage. Rebecca shares how the State of Missouri is using employee and customer feedback to guide process improvement, strengthen experiences, and focus limited resources on the improvements that matter most.

The conversation explores how Missouri built an operational excellence community across 17 executive agencies, uses feedback to support both employee and customer experience, and applies omni-channel listening to better understand the entire customer journey. Rebecca also explains why organizations need to look beyond internal silos and consider whether every part of an experience connects seamlessly from the customer's perspective.

Rebecca shares practical examples of collecting feedback through website interactions, surveys, call centers, and operational data, and emphasizes that organizations shouldn't ask for feedback unless they're prepared to act on it. Most importantly, she explains that these principles aren't limited to government or large organizations; teams in virtually any industry can use intentional feedback to improve processes, culture, and the experiences they create.

Key Takeaways:
Feedback helps organizations focus improvement efforts on what matters most
Great customer experiences require looking at the entire journey—not individual silos
Employee and customer feedback become more powerful when paired with operational data
Don't ask for feedback unless you're prepared to act on it
Links:
https://www.findleansolutions.com/lean-summit/
https://www.findleansolutions.com/

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
In this episode, Patrick Adams is joined by Paul Doyle and Shawna Hondorp for a preview of their sessions at the Lean Solutions Summit. Together, they explore two critical topics shaping today's organizations: developing leaders through intentional systems and using AI to strengthen talent acquisition without losing the human connection.

The conversation dives into why leadership development should be treated as a business process rather than a training program, how specific leadership behaviors can be standardized and developed across every level of an organization, and why AI works best when paired with a thoughtful strategy. Shawna also shares practical insights into using AI responsibly in recruiting, emphasizing transparency, compliance, and the importance of maintaining authentic human relationships throughout the hiring process.

Whether you're leading a team, developing future leaders, building an AI strategy, or improving your hiring process, this episode provides practical insights for creating stronger leaders, smarter systems, and more intentional organizations.

Key Takeaways:
Leadership development is a business process—not just a training program
Strong leadership is built through intentional behaviors and systems
AI should enhance human connection, not replace it
A successful AI strategy requires intentionality, transparency, and trust

Links:
https://www.findleansolutions.com/
https://www.findleansolutions.com/lean-summit/

What You'll Learn in This Episode:
In this episode, Shayne Daughenbaugh sits down with Seamus Maguire to explore one of the biggest reasons problem-solving fails, even in organizations with experienced people and proven Lean tools. Drawing from his new book, Finding Fact Before Fixing, Seamus explains how cognitive biases, assumptions, and the pressure to find quick answers often lead teams to solve the wrong problem.

The conversation explores why hypothesis testing and experimentation should be at the center of every problem-solving effort, how leaders can ask better questions to uncover true root causes, and why collecting the right data is more important than simply collecting more data. Seamus also shares practical ways to challenge assumptions, use the scientific method in everyday problem-solving, and create a culture where teams focus on finding facts before implementing fixes.

 
Key Takeaways:
Challenge assumptions before finding solutions
Use hypothesis testing instead of educated guesses
Ask better questions to uncover root causes
Collect the right data—not just more data

Links:
linkedin.com/in/seamusmaguire?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios
https://www.routledge.com/Finding-Fact-Before-Fixing-How-Business-Professionals-Can-Avoid-False-Assumptions-When-Solving-Problems/Maguire/p/book/9781041130307
https://www.findleansolutions.com/
https://www.findleansolutions.com/lean-summit/