Jason Schulist, Executive Director of the Fox Valley Data Exchange, brought his extensive problem-solving experience to the People Solve Problems podcast hosted by Jamie Flinchbaugh. With over 30 years of experience across construction, automotive, utility, and paper industries, Jason shared valuable insights about understanding and addressing different types of problems.  

At Fox Valley Data Exchange, Jason works to make community data accessible across three counties in Northeast Wisconsin. The organization helps stakeholders understand how people thrive by examining factors like meaningful work, wealth, physical health, and transportation. In addition to this role, Jason leads the Generative Local Community Institute, focusing on creating economic models that help people flourish.  

Jason introduced listeners to the Cynefin model, which provides a framework for categorizing problems into clear, complicated, complex, and chaotic domains. He emphasized that different types of problems require different approaches and tools. For example, while manufacturing problems might have clear cause-and-effect relationships, community issues often fall into the complex domain where patterns shift and traditional solutions may not work.  

Drawing from his experience addressing poverty in his community, Jason shared a compelling case study. His team discovered that earning $18 per hour represented a crucial threshold for stability in their area. They identified three key factors that helped people overcome poverty: some post-secondary education, having or expecting a child, and maintaining consistent employment for six to twelve months. Using this information, they set a goal to double the rate at which people moved out of poverty, from 3.5% to 7%.  

The project involved 27 parallel experiments, demonstrating Jason’s approach to complex adaptive problems. One successful initiative identified eight certification programs – dubbed the “Elite Eight” – that consistently led to stable employment above the target wage. Another successful experiment involved connecting with people who were just a few classes short of completing their certifications, helping them finish their education and secure better-paying jobs.  

He emphasized the importance of collaboration in community problem-solving. He highlighted the success of CI Squared (Continuous Improvement times Community Improvement), a volunteer group of more than 55 continuous improvement professionals who have participated in over 80 interactions with nonprofits. These volunteers apply their professional skills to help community organizations address challenges and develop strategic plans.  

Throughout the conversation, he demonstrated how different problem-solving approaches can be adapted and combined to address complex community challenges. His work shows that while some problems can be solved directly, others – particularly in the complex domain – need to be addressed through iteration, observation, and pattern recognition.  

To learn more about Jason’s work, visit www.fvdex.org or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Danyel Bischof-Forsyth, Chief Technology Officer at 7 Brew Coffee, joined Jamie Flinchbaugh on the People Solve Problems podcast to share her experiences leading technology transformation in a rapidly growing company. With 35 years of technology experience, including 28 years at Hallmark Cards and 5 years at Tyson Foods, Danyel brings extensive expertise to her role at 7 Brew Coffee, a drive-through beverage company experiencing explosive growth.

Danyel explained that 7 Brew Coffee is expanding from 180 locations at the start of 2024 to 330 by year-end, with commitments for 3,000 future locations. Each location generates over $2 million in revenue, creating what Danyel describes as “growth like a rocket ship.” To manage this rapid expansion, she has implemented both technological and human solutions. This includes daily stand-up meetings, monitoring systems for KPIs, ticketing systems, and comprehensive analytics.

The daily stand-ups, led by a certified project manager, use a Kanban board to track progress and surface issues quickly. Danyel noted that while team members were initially skeptical about daily meetings, they’ve embraced the practice over the past year as they’ve seen its value in problem identification and cross-team learning.

When it comes to problem-solving and ideation, Danyel emphasizes the importance of preparation. She actively maintains a network of fellow technologists in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) space to learn from their experiences. Before brainstorming sessions, her team researches industry practices and clearly defines the problem they’re trying to solve.

In balancing speed with thoroughness, Danyel uses the metaphor of “pouring concrete” – distinguishing between decisions that will have long-lasting implications and those that allow for experimentation. She considers factors such as system interconnectedness, organizational impact, and reversibility when determining which decisions require more rigorous analysis.

When building her team from scratch, Danyel prioritized “high learning agility” as a key characteristic, knowing team members would need to handle diverse responsibilities in a fast-paced environment. She also strategically brought in specific expertise in project management, cybersecurity, and full-stack development.

Danyel shared a valuable lesson about coaching less experienced team members, realizing she needed to adjust her questioning approach. Rather than assuming team members had already considered certain angles, she learned to help them develop their own problem-solving framework through more foundational questions.

To learn more about Danyel Bischof-Forsyth’s work and insights, connect with her on LinkedIn

In my January 2025 newsletter, I highlighted the need for improving rapid, principle-based decision making. The reason principle-based decision making is important is that we can’t possibly anticipate, and therefore pre-reason, the decisions that we’ll have to make in the future. Faced with having to work at speed, without a principle-based approach we can often make unsound and regretted, or at the least, inconsistent decisions.

One current example of this is the resistance to DEI initiatives. While this resistance comes from many places, some of the most visible by design are the social media campaigns of Robby Starbuck. I’m not going to get into the meat of the campaigns themselves, but I will use them to highlight the need for principle-based decisions.

Starbuck’s campaigns require speed because they are designed to amplify and agitate while you spend time carefully considering your options. But without the time to do a study, engage employees, explore strategies, etc., what will drive your decisions about DEI participation? Without defined principles, there will be various degrees of panic or frustration, which is hardly a basis for sound decisions.

Ask yourself:
Do you know what’s important to you? Do you know what’s important to your employees? Why have you made the decisions you’ve made so far? Do you know what’s most essential to your policies, practices, or strategies? What are the ‘crown jewels’? 

One company that was subject to a Starbuck’s campaign decided to end their employee affinity groups.  These affinity groups had been in place to support employees for a long time and the decision was met with disappointment. However, if you know what’s important to you from a principle basis instead of an artifact basis, you can keep what’s most important to you and shed more superficial or cosmetic things. Or, you can decide that you’re simply going to stand your ground because you know who you are, what you’re doing, and why. Without principles, you are very likely to simply be a victim.

This is only one example, but it’s easy to project the scenario across a wide array of decisions. Whether involving supply chain disruptions, technology disruptions, employee shifts, regulatory changes, or economic headwinds, one thing is clear: you can’t spend all your time predicting the future. You have to be prepared to make decisions in a future you can’t predict, and principles are an essential foundation for doing so consistently.

Pete Ruggiero, President and Chief Executive Officer of Crayola, joined Jamie Flinchbaugh on the People Solve Problems podcast to share insights about leadership, culture, and the transformation of an iconic brand. With over 27 years at Crayola, Pete has helped evolve the company from a seasonal back-to-school business focused on crayons, markers, and pencils to a year-round enterprise centered on products, content, and experiences.  

Pete emphasized the importance of perpetual optimism in leadership, citing Colin Powell’s observation that “perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” He explained how this mindset has been crucial in driving Crayola’s growth and diversification strategy. The company now aims to inspire creative moments globally, recognizing that 97% of the world’s children live outside North America, representing a significant opportunity for expansion.  

The conversation highlighted Pete’s approach to building a strong culture through five key elements: bias for action, collaboration, celebration of successes, perpetual optimism, and celebrating problems. He shared how making problems visible and addressing them openly has transformed the company’s ability to improve continuously. This shift from hiding issues to celebrating their discovery has become a cornerstone of Crayola’s culture.  

Pete discussed the evolution of Crayola’s business model, including the launch of their “stay creative” campaign, which addresses the fact that while 90% of parents and teachers believe creativity is important, many struggle to incorporate it into children’s daily lives. He also touched on the success of the Crayola Experience locations and the company’s expansion into media through Crayola Studios.  

The discussion revealed Pete’s personal leadership journey, from his beginnings as a CPA at Deloitte to his current role as CEO. He shared valuable advice for aspiring leaders, emphasizing the importance of saying yes to opportunities and being willing to learn continuously. Pete recalled how his transition from finance to operations taught him the value of connecting with employees on the factory floor and implementing their ideas, some of which had been waiting decades to be heard.  

He also highlighted Crayola’s commitment to community service, noting that employees contributed 14,000 hours of volunteerism and $1.5 million to United Way in the previous year. This dedication to community impact aligns with the broader mission of Crayola’s parent company, Hallmark, to improve the communities where they operate.  

To learn more about Pete Ruggiero and Crayola, visit www.crayola.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.

On The Lean Mag: Be Careful Before Standardizing Your Problem Solving

You might be surprised to hear a lean advocate warning against standardization. To be clear, I’m warning against both over-standardization and overly-rigid application of standardization. Standardization within problem solving is tremendously beneficial.

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Jamie Flinchbaugh, Founder of JFlinch, shares his insights in this solo episode of the People Solve Problems podcast. Jamie emphasizes the importance of being tool-agnostic in problem-solving, focusing on approaches that work both within and beyond specific methodologies.  

He addresses a common leadership mistake that affects problem-solving culture: leaders often keep their problem-solving process hidden in their heads rather than making it visible to others. He stresses that “you can’t be a role model if nobody sees you do it.” When leaders don’t show their work, team members only see the final decision without understanding the thought process behind it. This can lead others to believe that problem-solving is purely about insight and intuition rather than rigorous analysis and frameworks.  

Writing things down is crucial for effective problem-solving. The act of writing engages different parts of the brain and can help break through mental blocks. He encourages listeners to start writing down problems they’re stuck on, whether on a whiteboard, paper, or digital notes. This practice has proven effective for centuries through journaling, as writing changes how we think about problems.  

Jamie introduces his “From Stuck to Solved” approach, highlighting that getting stuck while solving problems is not only inevitable but potentially beneficial. These moments of being stuck often lead to breakthroughs and require bringing something new to the table. He shares personal experiences, including his work as an automotive design engineer on the Plymouth Prowler, where perseverance was key to finding solutions.  

Drawing inspiration from historical figures, he points to Albert Einstein’s problem-solving approach, which combined individual work with collaboration. Einstein’s perseverance demonstrated that sometimes staying with a problem long enough allows solutions to emerge through sustained effort and hard work.  

He also discusses the importance of avoiding over-standardization in problem-solving. While organizations should have standard tools, being too rigid can lead to autopilot thinking. He suggests trying different approaches when stuck, comparing it to driving on the opposite side of the road – the discomfort makes you more observant and can lead to new insights.  

For listeners interested in learning more about Jamie’s approach to problem-solving, they can visit his website at jflinch.com or connect with him on LinkedIn 

Additional resources include his Learning Lab, his article in The Lean Mag about standardizing problem-solving, and his YouTube video on leadership visibility.  

People approach solving problems differently, even if they’re using the same tools and methods. It’s one of the reasons for the name of my book, and one of the reasons I’m talking to people on the People Solve Problems podcast. Because problem solving is a collection of applied skills that interact with a person’s mindset and principles, and informed by their experiences, you could say someone’s approach to problem solving is as unique as their fingerprints.

This means that we should seek to better understand and refine our unique problem-solving approach. Why are we tackling problems in the way that we are? What’s good about it? What’s limiting about it?

For example, you might highly value creativity and your ability to find a new solution, but does that sometimes prevent you from choosing the unoriginal but obvious solution right in front of you? Or perhaps you had a string of really bad and judgemental bosses and you tend to overdocument and choose a safe path. Or perhaps you’re built for risk and choose big problems and favor bold solutions. The point is, we bring all of who we are to problem solving. That’s a great thing, and part of what makes us human, but if we don’t understand it, it can limit us as well.

This also means that we can learn a great deal from others. Some obvious examples include the people we solve problems with – bosses, peers, coaches, team members, and so on. But there are other lessons we can learn from people, or characters, that we’ve never met.

I once read a biography of Albert Einstein from which I learned the value of staying with a problem long enough to unlock it. That may seem like stubbornness, but it’s actually an effective technique (which research backs up) and I’ve included it in my course, From Stuck to Solved.  In the book Team of Rivals about Abraham Lincoln, you can study how Lincoln understood the motivations, fears, and capabilities of people involved in either causing, or solving a problem –including the American public.

This can even apply to fictional characters, although it has obvious limits as we can’t resolve our problems with a stick and the word “leviosa!” But how does the detective Benoit Blanc manage to untangle complex mysteries in movies such as Knives Out and Glass Onion? It’s the power of direct observation, of asking yourself why what you’re observing is the way it is. It may be an extreme and even absurd level of observation, but it serves to provide a perfect example of how powerful direct observation can be.

So the next time you’re reading a book (especially a biography), don’t miss the opportunity to learn more about how people solve problems.

Episode 49: “Japan Study Tour, a Lost iPhone, and some Hibiki and Ichiro” 

In Episode 49, Mark Graban shares tales of his holiday / study tour trip to Japan. Since we start with the whisky (like scotch, note the lack of an ‘e’), and Mark’s opportunity to visit bottle shops,his favorite whisky bar, and even a whisky museum, along with the many samples he had a chance to try along the way. He brought one home, a Ichiro’s Malt Wine Wood Reserve which he was able to find for a fair price (and also a ridiculous one), and it was the featured bottle for Mark’s pour. Jamie used Hibiki Japanese Harmony, a good entry-level Japanese blended whisky that is both easy to find and relatively affordable. 

Mark and Jamie then discussed the Japan Study Tour itself, organized by Katie Anderson. This included Isao Yoshino as a co-host and Toyota alum, and another Toyota retiree sharing his story as well. It included trips to Toyota suppliers and Japanese food manufacturers including Ina Foods. There were many themes including providing an environment where employees have the opportunity to speak up, the benefits of a long-term view including a 100-year calendar, and a focus on employee development as a primary goal. Mark also introduced a word he learned about similar to kaizen and kaikaku, and that word is kaiteki which means comfort for the employee. We also discuss the benefit of study tours in general, including Jamie’s long-ago effort to organize one for the continuous improvement team at DTE Energy. 

They finish by talking a bit about Thanksgiving including both how Lehigh University football won the Patriot League and go on to the FCS playoffs, and also lost very heavily to Northwestern in basketball. I guess you can’t win them all. Happy Thanksgiving, and Cheers! 

• Jamie’s pour: Hibiki Japanese Harmony
• Mark’s pour: Ichiro’s Malt Wine Wood Reserve 
• Jiro’s Sushi Restaurant 
• Katie Anderson’s Japan Study Trip
• Podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or jflinch.com/leanwhiskey 

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Heidi Wachs, Managing Director and head of the Washington DC office at Stroz Friedberg, an Aon company, joined Jamie Flinchbaugh on People Solve Problems to discuss managing cybersecurity incidents and problem-solving in crisis situations.

Heidi shared that despite it being 2024 and cybersecurity being constantly in the headlines, many companies are still caught off guard when incidents occur. She explained that cybersecurity incidents create multiple layers of interconnected problems that must be solved simultaneously under intense pressure. The first priority is understanding what’s happening and stopping the immediate threat, whether it’s a foreign nation-state infiltration or a ransomware attack that has encrypted files.

A crucial aspect Heidi emphasized is the importance of clear communication and leadership during an incident. She noted that most response situations involve at least three parties: the affected company, outside counsel, and forensic investigators. Her role often includes translating between technical teams, legal teams, and business stakeholders who may be the most surprised by the situation.

When it comes to managing the emotional aspects of a crisis, Heidi shared a practical tip: find the person in the organization who gets things done – the one with multiple spreadsheets tracking tasks and responsibilities. This person becomes essential in coordinating the response effort, regardless of their official position in the company.

Drawing from her 15+ years of experience, Heidi described how pattern recognition has become a crucial tool in her problem-solving approach. Within the first 30 seconds of a call, she can often identify familiar patterns that help bring the right expertise to the investigation and guide the client’s response.

Heidi highlighted an important challenge many organizations face: the gap between their incident response playbooks and reality. While companies may conduct regular tabletop exercises and feel well-prepared, actual incidents rarely follow the script. She emphasized the need for flexibility and adaptability in response plans, comparing it to how a soccer game never plays out exactly as practiced in drills.

A particularly insightful observation Heidi made was about the often-overlooked middle ground between prevention and response. She noted that many companies have tools to detect early warning signs of cyber incidents but either miss them due to information overload or lack proper monitoring. This can transform what could have been a manageable situation into a full-blown crisis.

The conversation highlighted how successful incident response requires a balance of structured processes and intuitive decision-making, supported by strong team collaboration and clear communication. Heidi credited her success to working with brilliant technical teammates who can clearly explain complex situations, allowing her to bridge the communication gap between technical experts and business leaders.

For those interested in learning more about cybersecurity incident response and preparation, you can find Heidi Wachs at https://www.aon.com/cyber-solutions or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Everyone should define their ideal clients. I have, and here’s those definitions. There are three situations where someone is a good fit for me, and for ACT with Purpose. I recorded this in part for me, as saying it out loud always help refine the thinking, but also for anyone out there who may be a potential client.