Blog

Lean Whiskey Episode 50

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 02-07-25

Episode 50: “The 50th and Final Lean Whiskey, or is it?” Lean Whiskey will transition to a new brand Lean Coffee Talk, so stay tuned for more episodes from Mark and Jamie In their 50th and final episode of Lean Whiskey, hosts Mark and Jamie announce a significant transition, revealing

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Fox Valley Data Exchange’s Jason Schulist: Matching Problem-Solving Tools to Challenges

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 02-06-25

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.

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Managing Tech Through Rapid Growth: Danyel Bischof-Forsyth of 7 Brew Coffee

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 01-23-25

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

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The Importance of Principle-Based Decision Making

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 01-21-25

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

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Pete Ruggiero, CEO of Crayola: Leading with Perpetual Optimism

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 01-09-25

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

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Be Careful Before Standardizing Your Problem Solving

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 12-31-24

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. Read More

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Show Your Work: Making Problem-Solving Visible to Build Better Teams

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 12-12-24

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

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Your Problem Solving is as Unique as Your Fingerprint

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 12-10-24

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

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Lean Whiskey Episode 49

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 11-29-24

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

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Heidi Wachs of Stroz Friedberg: Managing Through Cyber Attacks

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 11-28-24

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

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