Send a text

We look back at season three and connect some of the big lessons we took away: people-first leadership, leading hybrid teams and flow states, better strategy deployment, trust-centered training, clear communication, and culture as the engine of operational excellence. We share what surprised us, what resonated with us, and what we’re building for our next season.

Here are some of the Season-3 highlights we discuss:

• lifelong learning as a leadership anchor

• team over individual talent as a performance driver

• hybrid leadership, flow state, timing and environment

• strategic alignment via Hoshin Kanri conversations not tools

• fewer strategic priorities for clearer focus and faster learning

• training that starts with trust and inclusion and neurodiversity-aware design

• communication skills that convert expertise into action

• servant leadership paired with the Shingo Model. Culture, systems and behaviors as the path to excellence

Please continue to share with others you think would enjoy the podcast, and then also again, feedback if there are things very specific you would like us to look at and share.

Follow us on Instagram or on Threads @LEADERSHIPEXCHANGEPODCAST. We'd love to hear from you! What topics you'd like us to explore with you? What questions on our topics do you have? Say hello and start the dialogue!

Send us a text

Think leadership is about having the answers? We take a different path with GBMP president Dan Fleming, unpacking how the Shingo Model helps leaders turn values into daily behaviors that actually move results. Dan shares a relatable early-career story—being “the title” in the room while the people closest to the work were sidelined—and how respect every individual and lead with humility transformed how he built teams, solved problems, and measured success.

We break down the Shingo Model in practical terms: principles should drive systems, systems should guide tools, and all of it should connect to results with people at the center. That means less obsession with events and templates, and more attention to the behaviors that make tools work. Dan offers hands-on tactics for psychological safety, from protecting idea time to treating moments of truth as culture-shaping. You’ll hear how to prevent the three Ds in brainstorming—discussing, debating, dismissing—and why reframing “solutions” as “countermeasures” keeps learning alive.

For new leaders, we map a focused first 90 days: go to the Gemba, study both the object of work and the subject of work, and assess not only how work is done but how improvement is done. Then act—balance empathy with decisions that remove friction and enable contribution. One powerful shift: when someone brings you a problem, ask “What do you need from me?” This single question returns ownership to the expert at the source and clarifies the support only you can provide. The big takeaway is simple and demanding: change your own behavior first. When humility and respect move from ideas to habits, culture follows—and results compound.

If this conversation sparked ideas, share it with a teammate, subscribe for more leadership deep dives, and leave a quick review with your favorite takeaway. What’s the one behavior you’ll practice this week?

Home - Shingo Institute - Home of the Shingo Prize

GBMP Consulting Group - Lean Manufacturing & Six Sigma Training & Education

Dan Fleming | LinkedIn

Follow us on Instagram or on Threads @LEADERSHIPEXCHANGEPODCAST. We'd love to hear from you! What topics you'd like us to explore with you? What questions on our topics do you have? Say hello and start the dialogue!

Send us a text

Ever feel like your team is playing whack-a-mole with issues that keep coming back? We dive into a practical, leader-ready system for turning chaos into continuous improvement by defining problems clearly, separating facts from opinions, and focusing on prevention instead of blame or endless reminders. Along the way, we unpack Taiichi Ohno’s challenge, “Having no problems is the biggest problem” and show how that mindset shift fuels better safety, quality, and performance.

We walk through Toyota’s seven-step approach, a simple five-question problem matrix that aligns stakeholders fast, and the essentials of Five Whys without getting lost in analysis. You’ll learn why containment is only a first step, how to design the right cross-functional team with a clear champion, and how to keep scope creep at bay with a disciplined parking lot. One story brings it home: daily inspections felt responsible, but a small preventive change delivered a real fix—proof that the right problem statement can reveal an elegant solution.

If you lead people, run projects, or care about operational excellence, this conversation is a playbook for smarter decisions and fewer repeat failures. You’ll leave with tools to clarify the problem, find the true point of cause, test countermeasures, and standardize what works—so improvements stick and your team stops fighting the same fires. Subscribe for more leadership tactics, share this with a teammate who loves root cause work, and leave a review telling us your best Five Whys win.

Follow us on Instagram or on Threads @LEADERSHIPEXCHANGEPODCAST. We'd love to hear from you! What topics you'd like us to explore with you? What questions on our topics do you have? Say hello and start the dialogue!