2019

Lean Whiskey Episode #10

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 12-20-19

In Episode 10 of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh do their best to work through technology issues, as the Grinch clearly didn’t want us to record. We apologize if this affected the final product, but the show must go on. The two whiskey enthusiasts select some whiskey they

Read More

Lean Whiskey Episode #9

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 11-07-19

In Episode 9 of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh link up on Halloween night to share a drink and ideas about lean. We discuss air travel, which we both experience in volume, and taste affordable whiskeys under $35.  We both agree handing out whiskey for Halloween would be

Read More

National Association of Corporate Directors Annual Conference – a few highlights

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 10-07-19

I recently attended the National Association of Corporate Directors. I was an early Leadership Fellow through NACD when they launched the program, as I believe in continued learning and personal improvement. It’s been a few years since I’ve attended the conference (it conflicts with my fall soccer coaching schedule), and

Read More

Lean Whiskey Episode #7

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 09-13-19

In Episode 7 of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh share whiskey samples from each other’s collection and talk about some recent projects. They explore whether you should bring lean home, and apply it with (or to???) your spouse or family. Is lean about efficiency when it comes to

Read More

Lean Whiskey Episode #6

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 08-15-19

In Episode 6 of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh explore two icons as leaders and the impact they’ve had. Lee Iacocca and Ross Perot passed away recently, and we explore their impact on their companies and most importantly, on people. We also enjoy a couple of Speyside single

Read More

Final Lessons from the Road: Know Thyself, Improve Thyself [Lessons from the Road]

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 08-14-19

While I intend to continue contributing online occasionally, this is my final Lessons from the Road column for IndustryWeek’s print edition. I have written this column for eight years. I have enjoyed interacting with readers, and I hope the column has provided value for you. Writing this column has helped

Read More

Lean Whiskey Episode #4

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 07-17-19

In Episode 4 of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh (and a cameo from his cat Rocco), longtime friends, lean thinkers, and whiskey enthusiasts, join forces to enjoy a casual conversation — mostly about lean and a little bit about whiskey. We recap Mark’s recent trip to Louisville, including

Read More

Leadership with a Capital ‘Lee’

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 07-09-19

As my ties to Lee Iacocca include Chrysler and Lehigh University, when he passed away this week at the age of 94, I was honored when IndustryWeek asked me to write a tribute to him. Many tributes will focus on facts and events, but I wanted to focus more on

Read More

Observe with Purpose [[From the Archives]]

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 06-06-19

Originally Posted: by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 10/22/2009 Direct observation has been an under-appreciated aspect of lean for most of its life. It has gotten a lot more attention in recent years, unfortunately, this is thanks in part to the use of jargon, such as gemba and genchi genbutsu. For those

Read More

Delegating Improvement

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 05-28-19

Have you ever delegated a task and the team or person you delegated the task to goes down the wrong path? This often happens when management delegates a problem-solving task but have already determined what they want the answer to that problem to be. There is a time for delegation

Read More