Shows
The Improvement Nerds PodcastS2 E14 - Jim Benson - Make Work Visible, Make Work BetterTitle: S2 E14 - Jim Benson - Make Work Visible, Make Work Better
Subtitle: Kanban and Lean Coffee to replace chaos with clarity
Description:
Jim Benson—co-creator of Personal Kanban, Shingo Prize winner, and co-founder of Lean Coffee—joins Mark to unpack how visual management and WIP limits reduce overload and create humane, effective teamwork. We trace the origins of Kanban for knowledge work, why “Done” should become “Learn,” and how a Seattle café experiment turned into a global pattern for better conversations and decisions.
Chapters
00:00 Intro — why “make work visible” matters
01:05 M...
2025-10-0435 minThe Improvement Nerds PodcastS2 E12 - Rebecca Ellis - Putting the Fun in FungibilityTitle: S2 E12 - Rebecca Ellis - Putting the FUN in Fungibility, Beyond Cross-Training: The Nerdy Truth About Fungibility
🎧 Description:
What if your org chart wasn't a cage, but a launchpad? In this episode of the Improvement Nerds Podcast, host Mark Ryan sits down with Dr. Rebecca Ellis—organizational design expert and Principal at AlignOrg Solutions—to unpack the concept of fungibility in modern workforce strategy.
Dr. Ellis brings over 20 years of experience in healthcare, manufacturing, and finance to this deep dive on how flexible, compatibility-driven teams can boost employee engagement, agility, and innovation. From br...
2025-08-0739 minThe Improvement Nerds PodcastS2 E11 - Laura Hayes - Making Accountability Make SenseIn this episode of the Improvement Nerds Podcast, host Mark Ryan sits down with leadership coach and founder of Ground Rules Coaching, Laura Hayes, to unpack what real accountability looks like—and why it’s often misunderstood. From toxic blame culture to practical tools that drive responsibility, Laura helps us reframe accountability as a path to empowerment, not punishment.
With certifications in Gallup StrengthsFinders, DiSC, Enneagram, The Five Behaviors, and Empathy Training, Laura brings a wealth of insight and heart to the conversation. Whether you’re a team leader, executive, or just trying to show up better at wor...
2025-07-0937 minThe Improvement Nerds PodcastS2_E10 - Chris Hayes - Wired for Excellence, Brain Science to Improve Culture & Change🎧 Podcast Title: Wired for Excellence: The Neuroscience of Change with Chris Hayes
🎙️ Guest: Chris Hayes, Author of Wired for Excellence
🔍 Episode Description:
Don’t miss this fascinating deep dive into the brain science behind organizational change. In this episode of the Improvement Nerds Podcast, host Mark Ryan sits down with Chris Hayes, leadership expert and author of the upcoming book Wired for Excellence, to explore how neuroscience can help us lead better, think clearer, and build cultures that thrive.
Chris explains how our brain’s threat and reward systems, including the amygdala and prefrontal cort...
2025-06-0446 minThe Improvement Nerds PodcastS2 E9 - Leadership, Bandwidth, and the Brutal Truth About Strategy Execution - featuring: Karen MartinS2 E9 - Leadership, Bandwidth, and the Brutal Truth About Strategy Execution - featuring: Karen Martin
🎙️ Episode Description:
In this episode of Improvement Nerds, we’re joined by renowned improvement expert Karen Martin to dive deep into what really makes strategy deployment work. Forget the pretty posters and endless dashboards—Karen shares hard-earned lessons about how real strategy gets deployed: through leadership habits, managing bandwidth, and building momentum with early wins.
Whether you're new to strategic planning or looking to sharpen your deployment approach, this conversation is packed with actionable insights, real talk, and the kind o...
2025-05-0136 minThe Improvement Nerds PodcastS2 E8 - Smart Processes, Smarter Tech: Leaning Into AI with Justin Fischgrund📈In this episode of Improvement Nerds, Mark Ryan sits down with Justin Fischgrund—Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, engineer, professor, and patent-holding innovator—to explore where Lean thinking and artificial intelligence collide.
They dig into how AI can complement, not replace, Lean Six Sigma; the importance of data strategy; and how improvement professionals can stay relevant in a tech-driven world. From SIPOC and DMAIC to ChatGPT and predictive analytics, this episode is packed with practical insights, cautionary tales, and some laughs along the way.
Whether you're an AI rookie or a process pro, this convers...
2025-04-1740 min