KPI Fireside: A Continuous Improvement Podcast
By KPI Fire
Hosted by KPI Fire, this podcast dives deep into Lean Six Sigma, Strategy Execution, KPI Management, and Operational Excellence—helping you overcome obstacles and drive real impact in your organization.
Dr. Alan Barnard on Finding Your AI Bottleneck
If AI is so powerful, why are most companies not getting results from it? The answer has everything to do with whether you are solving the right problem.
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Dr. Alan Barnard, CEO of Goldratt Research Labs, decision scientist, and one of the world's leading experts in theory of constraints. Alan co-founded Goldratt Research Labs with Dr. Eli Goldratt, the creator of theory of constraints, and has spent decades helping organizations apply systems thinking to everything from supply chains to healthcare to AI adoption.
🔻 Why AI applied to the wrong bottleneck produces zero improvement no matter how powerful it is
🔻 How to tell in one question whether you have a doing bottleneck or a waiting bottleneck
🔻 Why intentionally creating a bottleneck can actually increase the overall output of your system
🔻 How to go from assembler to architect in the way you use AI so you stop being the constraint
🔻 Why outcome prompting beats method prompting and what context and constraints you have to give AI to get useful answers
🔻 How our emotions evolved as a decision making hack and why AI may need to develop something similar
🔻 How theory of constraints applies to your own health, energy, and the way your mitochondria functions
🔗 Connect with Dr. Alan Barnard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralanbarnard/
🌐 Books, white papers, and resources: https://www.standontheirshoulders.com/
🌐 Eternity Health: https://www.eternityhealth.ai/
🌐 Goldratt Research Labs: https://www.goldrattresearchlabs.com/
🌐 Harmony Apps: https://www.harmonyapps.com/
🌐 Dr. Alan Barnard: https://www.dralanbarnard.com/
🌐 Coaching with Dr. Alan: https://coaching.dralanbarnard.com/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
David Norris on Building a Culture of Improvement
Most organizations treat continuous improvement like a project. The ones that actually get results treat it like a culture.
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with David Norris. David Norris is the founder of Elevated Strategic Solutions, a consulting firm focused on helping organizations unlock capacity, improve performance, and align strategy with execution through operational excellence, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision-making.
🔻 Why improvement that skips the people always reverts the moment something goes wrong
🔻 How to use new employee onboarding to plant a CI mindset before old habits take hold
🔻 Why "we don't have time for this" is the single best signal that improvement is overdue
🔻 How to turn a budget request into a CI conversation before a single dollar gets approved
🔻 Why tracking both direct and indirect costs is where the real savings are hiding
🔻 Why CI and finance need to be working together if you want leadership to actually buy in
🔗 Connect with David Norris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-norris-17016b146/
🌐 Learn more at Elevated Strategic Solutions: http://elevatedmtnsolutions.com/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
John Hetherington on Why a 2x Growth Target Breaks Most Operations
Most companies chasing a big growth target are solving the wrong problem. And the real constraint is usually hiding in plain sight.
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with John Hetherington, founder of We Deliver Your Vision and a process optimization consultant with more than 25 years of experience helping CFOs and COOs turn ambitious boardroom targets into measurable operational results. John started his career at Deloitte and Ernst and Young, leading large-scale finance transformation programs before building his own firm around one simple idea: find the single constraint holding your operation back, remove it, and prove the business result actually improved.
🔻 Why the first thing a company thinks is broken almost never is the real constraint
🔻 Why automating a bad process with AI just helps you fail faster at larger scale
🔻 How to use three metrics instead of ten to actually hit your growth target
🔻 How to apply the three R's to decide whether a process is actually ready for AI
🔻 Why asking "how are you feeling about this?" is one of the most powerful questions in operations
🔻 How to manage AI like a new hire instead of handing it the keys to everything at once
💬 Comment "flow" on this episode to receive John's free five-step production flow framework for assessing your constraint and growth targets.
🔗 Connect with John Hetherington on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhetherington1/
🌐 Learn more at We Deliver Your Vision: https://www.wedeliveryourvision.com/
🎥 Watch John on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JohnHetherington.channel
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Marc Levinson on Shipping Containers & Lessons for AI
What can a steel shipping container teach us about artificial intelligence? More than you would think.
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Marc Levinson, historian, economist, and author of The Box, the definitive history of the shipping container. Marc formerly served as finance and economics editor at The Economist, an economist at JP Morgan Chase, and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
🔻 Why standardization is the hardest problem in any major innovation and how the container finally solved it
🔻 How a single change in how goods move can hollow out entire cities and create entirely new industries in places nobody expected
🔻 What Malcolm McLean's biggest wins and biggest losses teach us about betting on new technology
🔻 How to think about the jobs AI will displace before assuming everyone will simply adjust
🔻 Why the countries that handled the shift best had one thing in common that the US largely did not
🔻 What individuals working in disrupted industries can do right now to stay ahead of the wave
🔗 Learn more about Marc Levinson and his books: https://www.marclevinson.net/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Jhana Li on Founder Chaos to Scalable Systems
The fires showing up in your business every week are not bad luck. They are a signal that something in your operations is broken underneath the surface.
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Jhana Li, founder of Spyglass Ops, a firm that has pioneered the operator placement model, embedding a fractional COO directly into a business while the search for a permanent hire is underway. Jhana has been a COO for two startups, an operations coach for hundreds of founders, and has built one of the most practical and no-nonsense frameworks for how growing companies should think about the operations function, from the first ops hire all the way through to a fully scaled team.
🔻 Why every recurring fire in your business is data, not a crisis, and what it is actually telling you
🔻 How to know whether an operations problem is a systems issue or a people issue
🔻 Why managing to outcomes instead of inputs is what unlocks real team autonomy and AI adoption
🔻 How to build a job scorecard that works for hiring, onboarding, and performance all at once
🔻 Why really good operations looks like nothing and how to advocate for it anyway
🔻 How to tell the difference between an ops manager, a director of ops, and a COO so you hire the right level
🔻 Why AI layered onto broken systems just helps you sprint faster in the wrong direction
🔻 How to democratize SOP ownership so documentation never falls behind again
🔗 Connect with Jhana Li on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jhana-li/
🎥 Follow Jhana on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theJhanaLi
📱 Follow Jhana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejhanali/
🔗 Learn more about Spyglass Ops: https://bit.ly/4ftmOFR
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Matt Yearsley on Why Bad Systems Beat Good Employees
Most leaders blame the person. The real problem is almost always the system.
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Matt Yearsley, founder of Operational Excellence Advisors and a manufacturing and operations leader with more than 25 years of experience. Matt helps growing companies move beyond firefighting by building the systems, standards, and people development practices that let good employees actually succeed.
🔻 Why "hold them accountable" is meaningless without a documented standard to point to
🔻 How to know in three questions whether a failure belongs to the employee or to you as a leader
🔻 How to use a one-on-one to keep standards alive instead of letting them collect dust on a shelf
🔻 How to turn a chronic complainer or a troublemaker into your best problem solver
🔻 Why busy is not the same as productive, and how to tell the difference
🔻 How to define what winning looks like for jobs where success is hard to measure
🔗 Connect with Matt Yearsley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-yearsley-0317b0/
🔗 Learn more about Operational Excellence Advisors: https://www.opex-advisors.com/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Darril Wilburn on Courage, Humility, and Kaizen
What does it actually look like inside Toyota, and why do so many companies get lean so wrong when they try to follow it?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Darril Wilburn, senior partner at Honsha and a respected teacher, coach, and thought leader in lean leadership and the Toyota Way. He is co-author of the upcoming book Courage, Humility, Kaizen: The Leadership DNA of The Toyota Way.
🔻 Why 5S without connecting it to the work almost always fades within a year
🔻 What Western leaders get wrong when they try to adopt the Toyota Way
🔻 How Nemawashi is about preparing the soil, not just getting buy-in
🔻 How to tell the story of your CI function
🔻 Why great organizations put work to people instead of people to work
🔗 Connect with Darril Wilburn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrilwilburn/
🔗 Learn more at Darril's website: https://www.darrilwilburn.com/
🔗 Learn more about Hancha: https://honsha.org/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Lee Campe on Continuous Improvement and The Art Of Storytelling
What if the biggest obstacle to fixing your business isn't the problem itself, but the way you're talking about it?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Lee Campe, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, consultant, educator, and U.S. Army Ranger School graduate. With over 10,000 people trained across industries, Lee makes the case that Lean Six Sigma is not a quality program or a variation reduction tool. It is structured problem solving, and everyone from machine operators to senior executives can use it.
🔻 Why Lean Six Sigma is problem solving first and process improvement second
🔻 Why executives jump to solutions and root causes before they even define the problem
🔻 The difference between hard and soft savings and why it matters for project credibility
🔻 How to tell if your X's actually predict your Y's before spending millions on the wrong fix
🔻 Why the art of storytelling is the most underrated skill in continuous improvement
🔻 How to use the define, measure, analyze, improve, and control phases to build a narrative that moves leadership to act
🔗 Connect with Lee Campe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leecampe/
📘 Buy Lee's Book: 'Lean Six Sigma: Defined correctly': https://a.co/d/0fuTv7cB
🔗 Visit Lee's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@leecampe1407
🔗 Visit Lee's Website: www.leecampe.com
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Tom Foster on How Accountability Starts With Structure
What if most of your communication breakdowns and personality conflicts aren't people problems at all?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Tom Foster, author, speaker, and longtime business coach to CEOs and senior leaders. Drawing on more than two decades of work with executive peer groups and 800+ deliveries of his organizational structure workshop, Tom makes the case that accountability starts with structure.
🔻 Why communication breakdowns and personality conflicts are almost always structural problems in disguise
🔻 The five organizational life cycle stages and the strategic focus that belongs to each one
🔻 Why delegation is not a time management tool but your most powerful mechanism for growing an organization
🔻 How levels of work and time span help you match the right people to the right decisions
🔻 Why breaking down silos is the wrong goal and what to do instead
🔻 Why hierarchy exists not for reporting but to bring value to problem solving and decision making
📘 Order Tom's Book, "Premeditated Culture": https://a.co/d/01ioDINF
🔗 Connect with Tom Foster: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fosterlearning/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Tina Agustiady and Jennifer Ralston on What Happens When AI Meets Continuous Improvement
Lean has always been about working smarter. AI might be its most powerful tool yet.
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Jennifer Ralston and Tina Agustiady for a practical conversation on where AI and continuous improvement intersect. Jennifer is the CEO and Founder of HKPO and the HKPO Veterans Academy. Tina is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt, author, educator, and respected continuous improvement leader. Together, they make the case that structured problem-solving skills are more relevant than ever in an AI-driven world.
🔻 Why AI makes belt programs more powerful, not less relevant
🔻 How AI helps practitioners break through analysis paralysis in DMAIC projects
🔻 Real-world AI use cases across healthcare, finance, and manufacturing
🔻 Why you need domain expertise to prompt AI effectively
🔻 How to build AI adoption into organizational strategy and policy
🔻 What Dr. Deming's "knowledge of knowledge" tells us about AI transparency
🔻 How Lean Six Sigma certifications are impacting hiring and career advancement
🔗 Connect with Tina Agustiady on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-agustiady/
🔗 Connect with Jennifer Ralston on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeralston/
📘 Sign up for free Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Training for Veterans: https://gohkpo.com/training/
🎟️ Register now for the online Webinar "AI & Lean" on August 19th, 2026: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ai-lean-tickets-1990425638666
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
John Garrett on Building a Culture People Stay For
What if your company expected every single employee to submit improvement ideas within their first six months on the job?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with John Garrett, who has spent the last 20 years as a Product Owner and Client Success Executive at 3M Health Information Systems, where he specializes in helping healthcare organizations and their customers get more value.
🔻 How 3M made CI part of every employee's job from day one
🔻 Why owning your forecast matters more than hitting it
🔻 How to build trust and drive change without direct authority
🔻 Why going on site beats every survey you'll ever send
🔻 The art of asking questions that get honest answers
🔗 Connect with John Garrett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-garrett-b8767047/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Darren Dolcemascolo on Turning Improvement Into Sustained Execution
What separates organizations where continuous improvement fades after a leadership change from those where it becomes part of the company's DNA?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris welcomes back Darren Dolcemascolo, founder of EMS Consulting Group, for his second appearance on the show (first heard in Episode 31). With more than two decades of experience helping organizations improve operational performance through Lean Six Sigma, leadership development, and execution-focused consulting, Darren shares what it really takes to move beyond tools and improvement activity to build the operating discipline needed for measurable, sustainable results.
🔻 Why the terminology debate in Lean Six Sigma misses the point—and what actually matters
🔻 How leadership engagement (not lip service) determines whether improvement programs succeed or quietly die
🔻 Why CI teams are set up to fail when they own improvement instead of leadership owning it
🔻 How to structure a Green Belt program so it drives real ROI, not just completed coursework
🔻 What leader standard work is, why leaders should develop it themselves, and how to make it stick
🔻 Why Gemba walks matter—and what happens when leaders actually show up to where the work gets done
🔗 Connect with Darren Dolcemascolo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrendolcemascolo/
🔗 Visit EMS Consulting Group: https://www.emsstrategies.com/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Karen Martin on Clarity First: Flow, Metrics, and Leading Improvement
What does it take to design an organization where work actually flows and improvement never stops?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Karen Martin, president of TKMG and internationally recognized thought leader in operational excellence, Lean management, and business performance. Karen shares how organizations can achieve clarity, eliminate the obstacles that slow work down, and build the conditions where every leader takes ownership of improvement.
🔻 How to know the difference between a value stream and a process and why it matters
🔻 How to choose the relevant few metrics instead of drowning in data you never act on
🔻 Why the Belt program created a dangerous gap between improvement specialists and the leaders who should own it
🔻 How to build an improvement culture when your organization was never designed that way
🔻 Why continuous improvement belongs to leadership, not a dedicated team
🔗 Learn more about Karen Martin and TKMG: https://www.tkmg.com
🔗 Connect with Karen Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenmartinopex/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Danny Toney on Data Driven Leadership
Most leadership teams are flying blind. They have plenty of data but no clarity on what actually matters, who owns it, or what to do when things go off track.
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Danny Toney, Certified EOS Implementer and business improvement consultant, who helps leadership teams cut through the noise and drive measurable traction.
🔻 Why your weekly meetings feel like a four out of ten and how to fix that
🔻 How to spot a problem three months before a customer calls to complain
🔻 Why treating symptoms keeps the same issues coming back every single quarter
🔻 How 90 day priorities keep your whole leadership team pulling in the same direction
🔻 Why the most successful leaders have more clarity than everyone else and how to get it
🔻 How to use EOS as a tool that makes every person's work life better, not just the bottom line
🔗 Connect with Danny Toney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannytoney/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Katie Anderson on Building Teams That Think, Learn, and Improve
What separates organizations that improve occasionally from those that build improvement into their DNA?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Katie Anderson, internationally recognized leadership consultant, speaker, and author of the Shingo Award-winning book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn. Katie shares how leaders can create learning-driven cultures, develop people through problem solving, and avoid the trap of becoming the hero with all the answers.
🔻 Why great leaders “own the thinking process, not the thinking”
🔻 The difference between solving problems and developing problem solvers
🔻 The danger of focusing on templates instead of thinking frameworks
🔻 Why caring about people doesn’t mean carrying all the responsibility
🔻 How AI can accelerate learning without replacing human thinking
🔗 Connect with Katie Anderson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson/
🔗 Help shape Katie's next book by taking this survey (open til' May 22nd): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjlCi-Y3rfzihImMRahEfxMuPr4uqZ4TVqy7h5iRyEQ_uadQ/viewform
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Jeff Gray on Building a Career in Continuous Improvement
Every company has problems. The difference is whether those problems become expensive failures or opportunities for innovation.
In this episode of KPI Fireside, Keith Norris sits down with Jeff Gray to explore how Continuous Improvement principles can help organizations reduce waste, engage employees, improve quality, and create sustainable operational systems. Jeff shares stories and lessons from decades of experience helping companies solve real-world process challenges.
🔻 Why every organization, regardless of industry, runs on processes
🔻 The importance of reducing variation before improving flow
🔻 Why employee ideas often create the biggest innovation breakthroughs
🔻 The power of visual management and Obeya rooms in operational excellence
🔻 Why Continuous Improvement is about removing work, not adding more work
🔗 Connect with Jeff Gray on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-gray-123b0ab/
🔗 Learn more about Lean Revisions, LLC: https://leanrevisions.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/LEAN-REVISIONS-Capability-Statement-April-2026.pdf
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Duane Deason on Smarter Cost Management
What separates companies that control costs from those constantly reacting to them?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Duane Deason to unpack what smarter cost management really looks like in practice. This isn’t about cutting budgets or tightening spending. It’s about understanding where cost is created, where value is lost, and how organizations can make better decisions with clearer data.
🔻 Cost problems are usually system problems
🔻 You can’t manage what you can’t clearly see
🔻 Cost reduction vs. cost understanding
🔻 Data needs to be usable, not just available
🔗 Connect with Duane Deason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duanedeason/
🔗 Learn more about the Efficacy Group Cost Management Services: https://efficacygroup.com/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Chris Keahey on The Value of Tracking ROI in CI
What happens when continuous improvement teams can clearly prove their impact?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Chris Keahey to break down why tracking ROI is one of the most critical and overlooked aspects of any CI program.
Chris shares how his journey from firefighting into Lean Six Sigma shaped his approach to discipline, standard work, and decision-making under pressure. But the core of the conversation focuses on a bigger challenge: making CI measurable, defensible, and valuable in the eyes of leadership.
🔻 If you can’t prove ROI, CI becomes vulnerable.
🔻 Validated data beats projected savings.
🔻 Finance alignment is non-negotiable.
🔻 Standard definitions create consistency.
🔻 Your program should speak the language of leadership.
🔗 Connect with Chris Keahey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckeahey18/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Cheryl Jekiel on Letting Go To Lead
What if the biggest mistake leaders make… is trying to be the answer?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Cheryl Jekiel, founder of the Lean Leadership Center, to unpack one of the hardest shifts in leadership: letting go.
🔻 Why most leaders are underprepared to lead—and how that shows up in real organizations
🔻 How letting go actually creates stronger, more capable teams
🔻 The difference between directing, training, mentoring, and coaching
🔻 How to handle team ideas without shutting people down
🔻 What great leaders do differently to build independence instead of reliance
🔗 Connect with Cheryl Jekiel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryljekiel/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Jess Orr on What Leaders Get Wrong About Transformation
Why do so many continuous improvement programs fail to deliver lasting impact?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Jess Orr, a business transformation leader with deep experience in Lean and continuous improvement, including time working directly at Toyota. Jess shares why many organizations limit their results by concentrating improvement efforts in a small group of specialists instead of building a system that engages everyone.
🔻 Why limiting CI to specialists restricts impact and scalability
🔻 Why sustainable improvement requires systems—not just short-term wins
🔻 How to justify CI investment using data and performance metrics
🔻 The role of leaders in building problem-solving capability across teams
🔗 Connect with Jess Orr on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessorr/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Francine Bejarano on The Execution Gaps Leaders Don't See
What happens when teams deliver everything they were asked for—but still miss what the customer actually wanted?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Francine Bejarano, a program and product delivery leader who has led major technology and transformation initiatives at companies like T-Mobile, IBM, and Verizon.
🔻 The difference between output metrics and outcome-driven success
🔻 Why success must be defined upfront—not measured at the end
🔻 How “voice of the customer” changes alignment and priorities
🔻 The danger of “watermelon metrics” (green on the outside, red on the inside)
🔻 Why understanding the “why” drives better execution and buy-in
🔻 How visibility and structured prioritization improve decision-making
🔗 Connect with Francine Bejarano on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francine-bejarano-173725149/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Stan Bryant on Translating Vision Into Action
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Stan Bryant, a senior project management professional and principal of Strategic Initiative Solutions. With a career spanning large-scale technology integration, operations leadership, and PMO development, Stan shares what it takes to lead complex projects, build PMOs that prove their value, and help organizations connect project execution to measurable business results.
🔻Why projects are often born from pain points leaders no longer want to tolerate, from mandates to cost pressures to operational inefficiencies.
🔻How project leaders can better communicate with sponsors by matching updates to stakeholder influence and interest.
🔻Why discipline in planning, stakeholder management, communication, and risk mitigation is essential for project success.
🔻Why change management and formal authorization plans are often the missing link between project delivery and real operational adoption.
🔗 Connect with Stan Bryant through email: sbryant@sis-pm.com
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Lyndsay MacLeod on Leadership That Sustains Change
What does real continuous improvement look like in technology organizations, and how do you sustain it in environments that test resilience and leadership?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Lyndsay MacLeod, an award-winning continuous improvement professional with more than 20 years of experience leading transformational change across engineering, manufacturing, and financial services. With a background spanning Lean Six Sigma, process improvement, Agile, and operational excellence, Lyndsay shares how Lean principles can strengthen technology teams, why visibility matters in software delivery, and how leaders can build cultures of learning instead of fear.
🔻 Why Lean thinking is especially valuable in technology organizations with complexity, legacy systems, and technical debt.
🔻 How value stream mapping helps software teams understand flow, expose bottlenecks, and improve feature delivery.
🔻 How control charts create better conversations than red-amber-green dashboards by separating normal variation from true signals.
🔻 How leadership mindset and behavior play a major role in creating high-performing teams and sustainable transformation.
🔻 Why Lyndsay’s perspective on applying Lean in male-dominated environments highlights the resilience, credibility, and adaptability needed to make improvement work.
🔗 Connect with Lyndsay MacLeod on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndsay-macleod-7b12215/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Christoph Roser on Why Improvement Fails Without Standard Work
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Chris Roser, a worldwide renowned expert for lean production; Toyota, McKinsey, and Bosch Alumni, and professor for Production Management at the Karlsruhe University of applied sciences.. Drawing on decades of experience in manufacturing, supply chain management, bottleneck detection, and Lean research, Chris explains why improvement fails without standard work.
🔻 Why Toyota and BMW get dramatically more improvement ideas from frontline workers than most Western companies.
🔻 How supervisors use regular checklists to make improvement part of daily work instead of an extra task
🔻 Why the smallest improvement ideas often create the biggest long-term advantage when companies actually pick them up
🔻 The critical difference between work standards, standard work, SOPs, and leader standard work
🔻 Why copying Toyota tool-for-tool usually fails, and what companies should do instead
🔻 Why improvement disappears when it is not captured and sustained through work standards
🔗 Connect with Chris Roser on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christoph-roser-allaboutlean/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Nick Belcher on Creating a People-First Lean Culture
What separates short-term Lean initiatives from lasting Lean cultures?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Nick Belcher, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Lean Culture Architect who has spent decades helping organizations move beyond Lean tools and build people-first improvement cultures. Nick shares why lasting transformation happens when leaders focus on developing people, reinforcing behaviors, and embedding continuous improvement into everyday work rather than treating it as a separate initiative.
🔻 Why Lean tools alone cannot sustain improvement without cultural change
🔻 What a people-first Lean culture actually looks like in practice
🔻 Why leadership behaviors determine whether Lean succeeds or fails
🔻 Why continuous improvement must become part of daily work
🔻 The role of engagement and trust in sustaining Lean transformations
🔻 How organizations move from isolated improvements to enterprise-wide learning
🔻 Why developing people is the foundation of operational excellence
🔗 Connect with Nick Belcher on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickbelchermba/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Marcial Portillo on Building Systems and Behaviors That Make Improvement Stick
Why do Lean tools fade away in so many organizations? And what actually makes improvement stick?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Marcial Portillo, a global operations and continuous improvement leader with more than 30 years of experience improving manufacturing and supply chain performance across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Marcial currently leads deployment of Spirax’s operational excellence framework across its global supply network.
🔻 Why Lean tools without cultural foundation eventually fade away
🔻 Blending Shingo principles with a global operational excellence framework
🔻 Defining expected behaviors for every pillar and element of deployment
🔻 Leadership standard work and the importance of going to the Gemba
🔻 Structuring tiered meetings (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3) to drive engagement
🔻 Measuring behaviors alongside SQDCP metrics
🔻 How daily management improves communication and problem escalation
🔻 Using KPIs and KBIs to reinforce systems and culture
🔻 The role of presence, authenticity, and consistency in sustaining change
🔻 Building dashboards that track maturity, financial impact, and culture
🔗 Connect with Marcial Portillo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcial-portillo-54388188/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Jennifer Ralston on Aligning Strategy and Culture
What separates organizations that struggle from those that truly win?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Jennifer Ralston. As CEO & Founder of HKPO and the HKPO Veterans Academy, she empowers organizations to innovate, execute, and sustain excellence. From Lean Six Sigma transformations at the American Red Cross to global strategic planning and culture assessments, Jennifer shares practical insights on cascading strategy, measuring what truly matters, and building trust-driven organizations.
🔻 Why strategic alignment is the foundation of strong culture
🔻 How to cascade strategy so every employee knows their role
🔻 The difference between SOPs and true standard work
🔻 Trust and respect as core cultural principles
🔻 How to run an effective strategy refresh session
🔻 Why organizations measure too much—and how to measure what truly matters
🔻 How leadership behaviors shape accountability
🔻 Why variation is the enemy—and how to eliminate it
🔻 Empowering transitioning service members through the HKPO Veterans Academy
🔗 Connect with Jennifer Ralston on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeralston/
📘 Sign up for free Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Training for Veterans: https://gohkpo.com/training/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Reed Shell on Combining AI, Agile, and Lean for Real Execution
Is AI coming for your job—or just the parts of it you never liked doing in the first place?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Reed Shell, a project management leader with more than 30 years of experience in enterprise delivery and transformation. Reed teaches project management and artificial intelligence at the University of Utah and advises organizations on applying AI responsibly without losing human accountability.
🔻 Why quality must be integrated throughout a project—not inspected in at the end
🔻 How focusing on value instead of plans accelerated delivery before Agile was formalized
🔻 Lessons from Nike’s culture and why culture drives execution speed
🔻 Why respect for people is foundational to Lean and transformation
🔻 The real risk of AI: automating broken processes
🔻 Why value stream mapping and Lean thinking will be even more critical in an AI-driven world
🔻 AI as an “overly ambitious intern” that removes low-value work
🔻 Why change management is the missing ingredient in most AI rollouts
🔻 The autopilot analogy: AI handles the instruments, humans still fly the plane
🔻 How leaders can help teams embrace technology instead of fearing it
🔗 Connect with Reed Shell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reedshell/
📘 Learn more about Reed's Work: https://www.bluehippoconsulting.com
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Dean Kynaston on Leadership Gaps That Kill Agile
Why does Agile fail even when teams are trained and processes are in place? In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris talks with Dean Kynaston, co-author of Agile Project Management for Dummies and Scrum for Dummies, about the leadership gaps that quietly derail Agile.
🔻 Why Agile is about adaptability, not process compliance
🔻 The difference between Agile values and the Scrum framework
🔻 What actually happens in an effective daily standup
🔻 The real role of Product Owners, Scrum Masters, and team members
🔻 Why story points are not a measure of productivity
🔻 How transparency and accountability emerge naturally on strong teams
🔻 Why leadership behavior determines whether Agile succeeds or fails
🔗 Connect with Dean Kynaston on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deankynaston/
📘 Buy "Agile Project Management For Dummies" on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0gcZEJBG
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Chris Gunderson on Putting Your Money Where Your Powerpoint Is
Why do large organizations invest heavily in technology and still fail to deliver real value? In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Chris Gunderson, a former oceanographic officer who spent decades working inside U.S. defense programs.
🔻 Why “technology without value is worthless” and how organizations confuse output with impact
🔻 How Porter’s value chain connects upstream activity to downstream customer value
🔻 Why incentives, not strategy decks, determine behavior
🔻 The danger of rewarding PowerPoint instead of results
🔻 What effective executives consistently do differently when allocating people, money, and attention
🔻 How fear, hierarchy, and compliance quietly undermine execution
This episode connects strategy, value, metrics, and culture through hard-earned lessons from some of the most complex systems in the world.
🔗 Connect with Chris Gunderson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgunderson/
📘Buy "Founders Fear" on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0UsaCfb
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Michael Stevens on Culture as a Leadership Tool
How do leaders unknowingly create cultures of compliance instead of commitment? In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Michael Stevens, Presidential Professor of Leadership Studies and a global expert on the people side of performance, to explore what truly separates management from leadership and why respect, not authority, is the real driver of execution.
🔻 Why leadership is less about directing work and more about influencing how people choose to show up
🔻 The critical difference between managing processes and leading people
🔻 Michael’s two-axis leadership model: assertive vs passive and respectful vs disrespectful
🔻 Why intent does not matter nearly as much as how leadership behavior lands with employees
🔻 The concept of “intelligent disobedience” and why leaders must create space for employees to challenge decisions
🔻 Why asking questions before giving answers dramatically increases ownership and execution
🔻 How emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and empathy enable better leadership conversations
🔻 The four barriers that prevent managers from becoming leaders: knowing, doing, feeling, and being
🔻 Why “clear is kind” even when feedback stings and how respectful candor builds trust
This conversation is a masterclass in why leadership development is not about learning more techniques, but about rethinking how power, respect, and influence actually work inside organizations.
🔗 Connect with Michael Stevens on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelstevensphd/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Evan Unger on Transforming Meeting Culture
How do bad meetings quietly destroy culture, morale, and execution? In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Evan Unger, a leadership and culture expert with more than 30 years of experience helping organizations improve how decisions actually get made.
🔻 Why meetings are where leadership actually shows up—and why people judge leaders based on how meetings feel
🔻 The real cost of 50% effective meetings on culture, morale, and execution
🔻 Evan’s POPRA model for effective meetings: Purpose, Objectives, Process, Roles, and Agreements
🔻 The difference between informational meetings, status updates, and true collaborative decision-making sessions
🔻 Why the “highest paid person’s opinion” (HPPO) often derails better decisions
🔻 How collaborative facilitation leads to stronger buy-in and faster execution
🔻 Practical techniques for running better virtual meetings, including timeboxing and simultaneous chat
🔻 Why leaders must “go slow to go fast” when designing meetings that actually stick
🔻 How improving meetings becomes one of the fastest ways to change organizational culture
🔗 Connect with Evan Unger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-unger-6553597/
🔗 Learn more about the Collaborative Leadership Virtual Facilitation Skills Program:: https://www.terischwartzassociates.com/virtual/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
Bryan Schmidt on Building Systems That Win
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Bryan Schmidt, a CPA, author, and finance transformation leader who spent more than two decades turning manual, paper-heavy finance processes into streamlined, automated systems.
🔻 Why ERP systems are the foundation of any successful finance transformation
🔻 The simple ROI math executives expect and how to frame improvement ideas for approval
🔻 Why quick wins matter more than big projects early on
🔻 How automation can improve morale, not just efficiency
🔻 Why honesty and trust are essential when leading change
🔻 Practical advice for CI leaders on prioritization, governance, and learning from every project
🔗 Connect with Bryan Schmidt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-schmidt99/
🔗 Learn more about Bryan's book: https://www.financeautomationblueprint.com/my-book
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Claire Quigley on Fixing Failing Transformations
How do you make innovation and transformation actually stick instead of stalling out in planning decks and dashboards? In this episode, Keith Norris talks with Claire Quigley, founder of Tech Team Whisperer. With more than 20 years of experience spanning strategy, innovation, digital transformation, and people leadership across startups and global organizations, Claire explains why most transformations fail and what leaders must do to become truly transformation-ready.
🔻 Why transformation success rates have barely changed in the last decade and what leaders overlook.
🔻 What it really means to be “transformation ready” before launching major initiatives.
🔻 Why purpose, not technology, is the anchor for successful innovation and change.
🔻 How leadership assumptions quietly derail improvement efforts.
🔻 The difference between tracking green dashboards and recognizing real progress on the floor.
🔻 Why adoption and utilization matter more than rolling out new digital tools.
🔻 How AI anxiety and “AI shame” show up inside organizations and what leaders can do about it.
🔻 Why visual thinking, value stream mapping, and simple CI tools still matter in digital teams.
🔻 How storytelling and better questions help leaders drive alignment and engagement.
🔗 Connect with Claire Quigley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-quigley-innovation-change-strategy-culture-consultant/
🔗 Learn more about Tech Team Whisperer: https://www.techteamwhisperer.com/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Keshawn Cupid on Mindset, Metrics, and Momentum
How do you build a continuous improvement system that works across industries, scales with growth, and actually changes how people think and act? In this episode, Keith Norris talks with Keshawn Cupid, CEO of Modern Kaizen. Drawing on his journey from the U.S. Navy to consulting across manufacturing, healthcare, food service, government contracting, and more, Keshawn shares why mindset comes before tools and how organizations can move from good intentions to real, repeatable results.
🔻 How mindset shifts unlock better problem solving, ownership, and engagement.
🔻 Why standard work is essential for consistency, learning, and sustainable improvement.
🔻 The difference between solving the current state and solving the gap.
🔻 Why over-motivated employees can unintentionally create risk without clear structure.
🔻 How CI managers act as translators between leadership goals and frontline execution.
🔻 Real-world examples of how chasing the wrong metric drives the wrong behavior.
🔻 Why Lean works in any industry where work is repeatable, from manufacturing to hospitals to food service.
🔻 How AI can turn complexity into clarity when paired with sound improvement thinking.
🔗 Connect with Keshawn Cupid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keshawn-cupid-2ba86855/
🔗 Learn more about Modern Kaizen: https://modernkaizen.com/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Bob Emiliani on The Discipline of Lean Leadership
How often do organizations say they are “doing Lean” while quietly undermining it through everyday leadership behaviors?
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Bob Emiliani, a respected author, researcher, and longtime critic of superficial Lean implementations. Bob shares candid insights on why most Lean transformations fail, the difference between tools and true Lean thinking, and how leadership behavior either enables or destroys continuous improvement.
🔻 Why most Lean transformations fail even when the right tools are in place.
🔻 How leadership behavior shapes culture more than any CI methodology.
🔻 Why “respect for people” is often misunderstood or ignored in practice.
🔻 The hidden ways classical management destroys improvement.
🔻 How organizations unintentionally create resistance to change.
🔻 What leaders must unlearn before Lean can truly take hold.
🔻 Why real improvement requires changing management thinking, not just processes.
🔗 Connect with Bob Emiliani on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-emiliani-660a72170/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Dan Barata on The Leadership Discipline Missing In Most Transformations
How do you build a continuous improvement culture that actually sticks, especially across large, complex organizations? In this episode, Keith Norris talks with Dan Barata, Corporate Director of Continuous Improvement at East Penn Manufacturing. With decades of experience across manufacturing, healthcare, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals, Dan shares why CI must start with people, not tools, and how leaders can create the space, safety, and opportunity for real improvement to happen.
🔻 How Dan’s early path in industrial engineering shaped his people-first approach to continuous improvement.
🔻 Why training alone does not equal empowerment and what leaders must do next.
🔻 The importance of building human connection before introducing process improvement.
🔻 How failing forward is different from simply failing and why not all failures are created equal.
🔻 Why standard work is the foundation for improvement and not the enemy of creativity.
🔻 How leaders can create psychological safety so people feel comfortable trying new ideas.
🔻 Why engagement and alignment matter as much as cost savings when measuring CI impact.
🔻 Dan’s guidance on utilization, capacity, and creating time for both improvement and people development.
🔻 Why coaching and mentoring matter more than running a few isolated improvement projects.
🔗 Connect with Dan Barata on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-j-barata-pe-mba/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Janine LeaBarrett on Building Resilient Teams That Deliver
How do you build resilience and continuous improvement into your life and work, no matter the challenge? In this episode, Keith Norris talks with Janine LeaBarrett, a governance and engineering leader whose career spans mining, construction, local government, and five seasons in Antarctica. From surviving a life-changing accident to leading teams in some of the harshest conditions on earth, Janine shares practical lessons on clarity, safety, and why continuous improvement matters everywhere.
🔻 How Janine became an electrician in a male-dominated field and developed a mindset for continuous improvement.
🔻 What five seasons in Antarctica taught her about teamwork, safety, and engineering in extreme conditions.
🔻 How surviving a major accident shaped her resilience and philosophy of “get on with it.”
🔻 Why she believes continuous improvement is essential in every industry.
🔻 Her leadership advice for new supervisors: seek input from everyone and ensure clarity.
🔻 Why the Five Whys remains her go-to problem-solving tool.
🔻 Why resilience matters: “If you can’t bounce back, you can’t get stronger.”
🔗 Connect with Janine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janineleabarrett0427244234/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
📘 Buy the book Impact: https://thatimpactbook.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Chris Hayes on How to Wire Your Organization for Excellence
What if the key to sustaining improvement has less to do with tools and more to do with the brain itself? In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Chris Hayes, CEO of Impact Performance Solutions, Shingo Licensed Affiliate, ASQ Fellow, and author of Wired for Excellence: Harnessing Brain Science for Organizational Success.
🔻 Why improvement wins fade and how the Shingo Model strengthens sustainment
🔻 The brain science of change and how the amygdala triggers threat responses
🔻 Why logic alone never drives change and why people need safety and clarity
🔻 The five domains of the B.R.A.I.N. Model and how they shape culture
🔻 How leaders can reduce threat, spark reward responses, and boost engagement
🔻 How clarity, communication rhythms, and small wins support sustainment
🔗 Connect with Chris Hayes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiannahayes/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🔗 Visit Impact Performance Solutions: https://impactperformancesolutions.com/
📘 Buy "Wired For Excellence: Harnessing Brain Science For Organizational Success" on Amazon: https://a.co/d/e4mslDn
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Adriana Girdler on Habits of Great Project Managers
What actually makes projects succeed — and why do so many fail before they even begin?
In this episode, Keith sits down with Adriana Girdler, President & Chief Efficiency Officer at CornerStone Dynamics, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, PMP, productivity expert, and one of the top project management voices in North America. With over 260K YouTube subscribers and 20+ years leading organizational transformation, Adriana breaks down what organizations get wrong about project work and why clarity, alignment, and methodology matter more than any tool.
🔻 Adriana’s unexpected start in productivity and PM (thanks, Franklin Planner)
🔻 Why “accidental project managers” are everywhere — and why they struggle
🔻 The real definition of a project: start date, end date, deliverable
🔻 Why technology is just a tool — not the solution to productivity
🔻 What every charter must include (and why it’s your navigation system)
🔻 The three levels of project roles: sponsors, steering committees & SMEs
🔻 How project managers must shift into strategic leadership roles
🔻 The danger of siloed work and why PMs must be the connective tissue
🔻 Why organizations unintentionally set teams up for failure
🔻 Project management in the age of AI — what changes, what doesn’t
🔗 Connect with Adriana Girdler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianagirdler/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🔗 Visit CornerStone Dynamics:https://www.cornerstonedynamics.com/
🔗 Explore the SLAY Project Management Course:https://adrianagirdler.thinkific.com/pages/slaypm
🔗 Learn about the SLAY Corporate Program:https://www.cornerstonedynamics.com/project-management-corporate-program/
🔗 Watch Adriana’s YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@AdrianaGirdler
🔗 Follow CornerStone Dynamics on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/cornerstone-dynamics-inc/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Tina Agustiady on What It Really Takes to Build a Culture of Excellence
What does it really take to build a culture of excellence? In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Tina Agustiady, award-winning continuous improvement leader, author, and Vice President at J.P. Morgan Chase. With decades of experience leading Lean and Six Sigma transformations across major organizations, Tina shares what it means to create lasting improvement by putting people first.
🔻 Why culture, not tools, is the true foundation of Lean and Six Sigma success
🔻 How to make training programs hands-on, relevant, and results-driven
🔻 The role of emotional intelligence and humility in effective leadership
🔻 What companies get wrong about continuous improvement and how to fix it
🔻 How change management and empowerment fuel the next generation of leaders
🔻 Why continuous improvement is like breathing, if you stop, you will not last
🔗 Connect with Tina Agustiady on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-agustiady/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Lorenzo Long on Making Sustainability Everyone's Job
How can sustainability become more than a buzzword and drive real improvement? In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Lorenzo Long, Sustainability Coordinator for Ogden City, to explore how cities can turn environmental goals into practical, measurable change. From energy efficiency to policy design, Lorenzo shares how small wins and smart framing create lasting impact.
🔻 How Ogden City is embedding sustainability into its long-term planning and daily operations
🔻 Why "framing" matters and how changing the language from sustainability to resilience builds buy-in
🔻 How to measure what matters with the KPIs behind Ogden’s Energy Wise Strategic Plan
🔻 Lessons from Weber State’s revolving sustainability fund that pays for itself
🔻 How small-scale tests like an electric vehicle pilot program can spark large-scale change
🔻 Why every organization, big or small, should start with one sustainability champion
🔗 Connect with Lorenzo Long on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenzolong/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Pete Gough on What Great Leaders Do Differently
What does it take to build a culture where improvement sticks? In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Pete Gough, retired transformation leader and former head of Business Improvement at major mining organizations including Rio Tinto, Newcrest, and Goldfields. Over his decades-long career, Pete helped shape hundreds of improvement projects, mentored future leaders, and proved that true transformation starts with people, not tools.
🔻 Turning Lean, Six Sigma, and change leadership into one practical “MMA-style” approach to improvement
🔻 Why executive visibility and genuine engagement are the foundation for lasting cultural change
🔻 How to design training programs that grow future leaders, not just project managers
🔻 The role of business improvement teams in connecting strategy, operations, and people
🔻 How to quantify hard versus soft savings and set realistic, stretch targets for improvement
🔻 Lessons from leading CI across global mining sites and cultures
🔗 Connect with Pete Gough on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-gough-86b03617/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Steve Burkle on What Makes Improvement Efforts Succeed (or Fail)
What makes improvement efforts succeed or fail? In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Steve Burkle, Global Director of Operational Excellence, to explore the real factors that determine whether continuous improvement takes root or fades away. With more than 30 years leading OpEx transformations, Steve shares lessons learned from the front lines, what it takes to sustain change, develop problem solvers, and create a culture where improvement never stops.
🔺 Why listening, not lecturing, is the most underrated leadership skill in continuous improvement
🔺 How to turn daily management systems and tiered huddles into the backbone of a thriving CI culture
🔺 The difference between doing improvement to people and doing it with them
🔺 What separates quick-win projects from true operational excellence
🔺 How to measure what really matters, so data drives behavior, not just dashboards
🔗 Connect with Steve Burkle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-burkle-lssbb-11a08a78/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Darren Dolcemascolo on Coaching Leaders to Build Problem Solvers
What separates companies that try Lean from those that live it? In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Darren Dolcemascolo, co-founder and managing partner of EMS Consulting Group, to talk about what it really takes to create sustainable improvement. From his early career in operations to helping hundreds of organizations transform through Lean, Darren shares hard-earned lessons on leadership, engagement, and how to keep the momentum going when improvement fatigue sets in.
🔺 Why culture—not tools—determines the success of Lean initiatives
🔺 How to teach problem-solving as a daily practice, not a one-time project
🔺 Why humility and curiosity are the real superpowers of Lean leadership
🔺 How to balance structure and flexibility in CI programs
🔺 What to look for when assessing whether your organization is ready for Lean transformation
🔗 Connect with Darren Dolcemascolo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrendolcemascolo/
🔗 Explore EMS Consulting Group: https://emsstrategies.com/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Keith Norris on Lessons In Continuous Improvement
In this special 30th episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris looks back on the most powerful lessons shared across thirty conversations with leaders, thinkers, and change-makers in the world of continuous improvement.
From the shop floor to the boardroom, these stories reveal a simple truth — improvement isn’t about tools or projects, but about people, culture, leadership, and daily habits that make progress sustainable.
🔻 Improvement starts with people
🔻 Culture is the real competitive advantage
🔻 Improvement is a team sport — and leaders create the conditions for change
🔻 Improvement is a habit, not a project
Whether you’re a CI professional, a people leader, or someone looking to reignite their own improvement journey, this episode is a reflection on what makes continuous improvement stick — and why it always begins with the human side of change.
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire – https://www.kpifire.com/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Jared Thatcher on Cost Improvement That Doesn't Burn People Out
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Jared Thatcher, Lean Business Consultant, founder of the Global Lean Summit, and author of Parenting the Lean Way, to explore how companies can drive continuous cost improvement without draining their people.
🔺 Why Lean should never stand for "less employees are needed"
🔺 How to use Lean to build morale, not fear
🔺 The role of leadership in protecting improvement culture
🔺 Practical examples of cost savings that boost engagement
🔺 How to apply Lean thinking to every part of life, from the office to parenting
Jared shares real-world stories from his time at Daimler Trucks, Alaska Airlines, and more, showing how respect for people and smart systems thinking lead to sustainable results.
🔗 Connect with Jared Thatcher on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredthatcher/
🔗 Explore the Global Lean Summit: https://globalleansummit.com
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Luca Guadagnuolo on Leading Lean Across Cultures
In this episode of KPI Fireside, Keith Norris sits down with Luca Giovanni Guadagnuolo, a seasoned consultant and Lean transformation leader with decades of experience driving operational excellence across Europe. Luca shares how his journey began at Whirlpool, why he was drawn to Lean from the start, and what it takes to align people across cultures, industries, and leadership levels.
🔻 How to engage frontline teams with A3 thinking and problem-solving
🔻 Why leadership’s role is to support, not control
🔻 Lessons from rolling out Lean across nine European plants
🔻 How to sustain cultural change long after the consultant leaves
🔻 Why continuous improvement is as natural as drinking water
Whether you’re leading a factory, managing a team, or guiding strategy at the executive level, Luca’s insights will help you see Lean as more than tools—it’s about respect, delegation, and unlocking human potential.
🔗 Connect with Luca Guadagnuolo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucaguadagnuolo/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Bruce Hamilton on Toast Kaizen and the Power of Teaching Lean Through Story
In this episode of KPI Fireside, Keith Norris sits down with Bruce Hamilton, the legendary “Toast Kaizen” teacher, to explore how storytelling can unlock a culture of continuous improvement. Bruce shares lessons from decades of Lean leadership, why respect for people is the true foundation of TPS, and how even small, inch wide and mile deep improvements can transform an organization. From poka yoke to AI, he shows why the future of Lean is still rooted in everyday learning and respect.
🔻 The story behind Toast Kaizen and why it still resonates today
🔻 The four Lean philosophies that never change: customer first, people as the most valuable resource, go see, and kaizen every day
🔻 Why inch wide, mile deep is the smartest way to build momentum
🔻 How poka yoke turns mistakes into smarter systems
🔻 Where AI fits in and why it should be AI plus people
👉 Listen now and take one small improvement idea from this episode to put into action today.
🔗 Connect with Bruce Hamilton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-hamilton-a09a4616/
🔗 Explore GBMP: https://www.gbmp.org/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Cindy Deekitwong on How to Inspire Teams and Connect With Customers
In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Cindy Deekitwong, a global sales and marketing executive with over 20 years of experience across specialty chemicals, semiconductors, healthcare, and packaging.
Cindy explains why Lean is more than cost cutting. It is a culture of problem solving and continuous improvement. She highlights the importance of asking the right questions, listening to understand, and motivating teams by starting with “why.” Along the way, she offers powerful examples from manufacturing, medical devices, and packaging that show how small changes can create outsized impact.
🔻 Why value added vs. non value added thinking applies everywhere from gas stations to global supply chains
🔻 How “small is the new big” when it comes to culture change and quick wins
🔻 The leadership shift from telling to empowering and why listening is the first step
🔻 Why continuous improvement must expand beyond the shop floor into sales, marketing, and innovation
Whether you are an executive balancing growth and culture, a CI leader coaching teams, or simply curious about how to empower people for lasting improvement, Cindy’s insights will inspire you to look at your work through a new lens.
🔗 Connect with Cindy Deekitwong on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-deekitwong/
🔗 Explore Aperia Corporation: https://aperia.com/
🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/
🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.