Lean Coffee Talk (formerly known as Lean Whiskey) on Steno.fm

Lean Coffee Talk (formerly known as Lean Whiskey)

Formerly known as ”Lean Whiskey.” Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh share more than just their MIT degrees: they’re authors, speakers, and trusted voices in the Lean community... plus they’re both serious about their coffee. They bring expertise without the complexity – because Lean doesn’t have to be rocket science. Their takes are bold and their insights are fresh. welcome to Lean Coffee Talk... Where Lean wisdom is brewed and served. Each episode offers insightful discussions on essential topics like operational excellence, leadership effectiveness, organizational culture, problem-solving strategies, innovation, and building a thriving Lean culture. Whether you’re an experienced ex...

S2 E1 · Fri, March 14, 2025
Starbucks, Honeywell, Tariffs, and Toyota
We would have called this Episode 51 of the Lean Whiskey podcast with Jamie Flinchbaugh and Mark Graban . Episode page with video and more Lean Whiskey is transitioning to a new brand, Lean Coffee Talk , so stay tuned for more episodes from Mark and Jamie . We're also calling this Episode #1 of Season 2 of the podcast series. If you're subscribed, the podcast logo will change but the feed will continue as is. We are just as passionate about their coffee beverages as the whiskey. We’ll still talk about lean stuff, ranging from in-the-news to our own topics of choice. In this first installment, Mark and Jamie each have an espresso. Mark from an automated home machine and Jamie’s from a more manual process. In future episodes, we’ll likely get more into the process. In this episode, we begin exploring the challenges of supply chain risk and dealing with the disruptions of tariffs. Uncertainty is having a huge impact on the economy. We discuss the impact on coffee from Columbia, the Risk Index from the Center for Supply Chain Research at Lehigh, and even Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. We move on to discuss the changes being made at Starbucks. What allowed them to grow may not allow them to stay strong, but then again, there may be some subtle magic in those changes from free refills in store to having your name on your cup. We explore the deliberate breakup of Honeywell, following in the footsteps of GE. This helps make an organization more focused on customers, value delivery, and the needed operations to make it all work. Is this a trend? If so, there are several reasons we believe it's a favorable one. We close out the topics with Mark’s Toyota experience during a recent tour seeing examples of " raku ", or devices that provide comfort or ease for team members. SNL 50th feature of Coffee Talk The threat of tariffs drives up coffee prices Ben Stein on tariffs from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Center for Supply Chain Research at Lehigh’s <a href='https://business.lehigh.edu/centers/center-for-supply-chain-research-at-lehigh/research/lehigh-business-supply-chain-risk-management-
S1 E50 · Fri, February 07, 2025
The Final Episode... or Is It?
Episode page It's Episode 50 of the Lean Whiskey podcast with Jamie Flinchbaugh and Mark Graban ! tl;dr: 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 that while this marks the end of “Lean Whiskey,” the podcast will continue under a new title called “Lean Coffee Talk.” The change is partially influenced by Jamie's lifestyle choices, which is reflected in their drink selections for this episode – both hosts opt for non-alcoholic spirit alternatives, with Jamie choosing Almave (co-founded by F1 legend Lewis Hamilton). Mark made a non-alcoholic Manhattan (with Bourbon alternative and a Sweet Vermouth substitute), but as he found it undrinkable, we'll spare you the brand name. The bulk of the episode focuses on the current state of the whiskey industry, which is experiencing its first significant downturn since 2002. Drawing from multiple sources, they discuss how the bourbon boom appears to be over, with distilleries facing waning demand and a supply glut. The situation is particularly stark in Kentucky, where 14.3 million barrels are aging at the start of 2024, representing approximately 2 billion bottles of whiskey. The hosts explore how this oversupply mirrors historical patterns, referencing the 1980s when 22 Scotch distilleries closed between 1980 and 1986 and bourbon sales plummeted 50 percent in the US. They also discuss how this situation exemplifies principles from The Beer Game, a famous MIT supply chain management simulation that Jamie has facilitated many times over 20 years (and Mark has played a few times). The episode concludes with details about the podcast's rebranding to “Lean Coffee Talk,” which will maintain the casual, conversational format while using a loose version of the Lean Coffee structure that has been part of many Lean Whiskey episodes. The new format pays homage to both the Lean Coffee methodology and the classic radio program “ Car Talk ,” with the hosts emphasizing that while the name and logo will change, the podcast will continue in the same feed, ensuring continuity for their listeners. Cheers! Links From the Show: Jamie's choice, Almave from Lewis Hamilton Bourbon sales a dropping, as reported by the Wall Street Journal and New Wine Review </li
S1 E49 · Wed, November 27, 2024
Japan Study Tour, a Lost iPhone, and Some Hibiki and Ichiro's Malt
It's Episode 49 of the Lean Whiskey podcast with Jamie Flinchbaugh and Mark Graban ! Episode page with video and more Mark 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, an 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 how Lehigh University football won the Patriot League and went 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! Links From the Show: Jamie’s pour: Hibiki Japanese Harmony Mark’s pour: Ichiro’s Malt Wine Wood Reserve Jiro’s Sushi Restaurant (Sukiyabashi Jiro) Katie Anderson’s Japan Study Trip Podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or j
S1 E48 · Fri, October 18, 2024
Oops! Lockout Tagout Your Equipment, but Not My Whiskey
In Episode 48 of the Lean Whiskey podcast, Jamie Flinchbaugh and Mark Graban begin by comparing two whiskeys from the same distillery. OOPS! We recorded this in October... and I released it via YouTube and my blog. But it somehow ended up stuck in "Draft" unreleased status on the podcast. That's why we had two episodes released in the same week... Episode page with video and more Mark selected Woodford Reserve, and had a pour of both the Double Oaked (which we both agree is underrated) and their Historic Barrel Entry, a nod to production methods in the past. Jamie selected Southern Distilling after a recent visit to North Carolina. He poured their heated bourbon, the Paragon Bottled-in-Bond, and their Double Rye, a surprisingly smooth drink at 95% rye. Mark and Jamie repeat their “lean coffee modified for whiskey-sipping speed” approach of covering multiple topics. All three topics were prompted by Wall Street Journal articles. The first was whether AI was overhyped. The article focused on the return on investment, but we spend more time on both the organizational and individual approach of experimentation and learning. We then explored the trend (although more anecdotal than a large data trend) of “unbossing”, which hopefully doesn’t become a new term. Individuals further into their career are wanting to give up managing people due to the burden and stress of the role. We explored a bit of “what is the problem we are trying to solve?” with exploration of spans and layers, too much bureaucracy, and just needing more focus on growing people. Finally, we tackled an increase in fatalities and injuries from failure to use proper lockout tagout procedures. These should be fundamental, habitually focused processes. Lack of training and lack of enforcement are some of the causes, and increased turnover throughout and past the pandemic is a contributing factor, as is a cultural focus on output over safety. We explore a bit of the history, importance, and some possible steps forward. We end by sharing what books we’ve been reading. A book and a glass of whiskey aren’t a bad combination. Cheers! Links From the Show: Jamie’s whiskeys, both from Southern Distilling Company, are their Paragon Bottled-in-Bond and their Double Rye Mark’s whiskeys are both from Woodford Reserve, featuring the Double Oaked and the Hi
S1 E47 · Fri, July 12, 2024
From Decriminalizing Medical Errors, Mouse Jiggling, and New Bourbons
In Episode 47 , Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh attempt another experiment in format, covering a range of quick-hit topics in the news rather than a single deep dive. As always, we welcome feedback. Before we got to that, however, our whiskey theme was also new, or new to us: we each picked a whiskey we hadn’t tried before. Jamie’s pick was Four Walls Irish American Whiskey, a celebrity whiskey from a group of stars from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, including Rob McElhenney, who famously co-owns Wrexham AFC, a 3rd tier football club in the UK, along with Ryan Reynolds. Mark’s pick was inspired by his My Favorite Mistake podcast with the founder of Jeptha Creed with their Bloody Butcher’s Creed 4 Grain Bourbon Whiskey, made from Bloody Butcher red heirloom corn grown on their own farm. In the news, we covered four topics. First was Kentucky’s decision to decriminalize medical errors, which allows healthcare providers to focus on providing care the best method possible and not going to jail just for a mistake, lessons from the RaDonda Vaught case in Tennessee. Next, while not really news, we discussed Jamie’s Forbes article about Hanlon’s Razor, including what a razor is, what it has to do with the lean principle of Respect for People, and how it can help choose a more productive path of action. Third we explore the Labor Notes’ article declaring the end of lean production. Of course, we disagree, although both motivation and validly bad lean practices both contribute to their perspectives. Finally, we cover a Wall Street Journal article titled The Jiggle Is Up, about how companies are defeating attempts to manipulate work with mouse jigglers. There is so much wrong here, from culture to process to metrics, that we start to unpack. We finally end, with July being so hot seemingly everywhere, with our favorite summer refreshing non-whiskey cocktails. But, you’ll have to either listen to or skip to the end of hear our choices. Jamie’s pick: Four Walls Irish American Whiskey Mark’s pick: Jeptha Creed Bloody Butcher’s Creed 4 Grain Bourbon Whiskey My Favorite Mistake podcast featuring Jeptha Creed founder Kentucky decriminalizes medical errors More misunderstanding of lean <li style="
S1 E46 · Fri, May 17, 2024
AI (ChatGPT) Takes Over Lean Whiskey, Including the Role of Bartender
In Episode 46, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh spend a lot of time talking about AI, but that still, as always, begins with the whiskey. Episode page We both asked ChatGPT to consider all our ingredients for making a whiskey-based cocktail, and to invent an original recipe. Jamie's is called The Bourbon Harmony, although there was a lot in there to try to reach harmony, and Mark's was called the Spiced Cherry Rye Cocktail. The verdict for both drinks was that they were good, but probably wouldn't be made a second time. We had slightly different tactics in prompting ChatGPT to generate our recipes, which we discussed. We then spent a little time recognizing the passing of Don Petersen, former CEO of Ford in the late 1980s. Peterson was very different from an automotive CEO at the time, disrupting many practices whose time had come. Most notably, he brought in Dr. Deming to help influence the transformation. The discussion then turned into a deeper dive into how a lean thinker might look at artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more. This explored governance of AI, having good standard work and workflow design around AI usage, lessons of effective delegation while treating AI like an employee, when to use it, and even a few tips and tricks along the way. We saved the discussion of whether AI will be the end of humanity for when we might have a stronger cocktail. Have AI design your new cocktail, make it yourself since AI can't do that, and sit down for this interesting discussion. Cheers, or in binary... 01100011 01101000 01100101 01100101 01110010 01110011 Links and Info From the Show: Jamie's Bourbon Harmony recipe: 2 oz Bourbon (used Elijah Craig Small Batch), 0.5 oz Lillet Blanc, 0.5 oz Aperol, 0.25 oz Drambuie, 2 dashes Orange Bitters, 1 dash Angostura Bitters, Orange peel (for garnish) Mark's Spiced Cherry Rye Cocktail recipe: 2 oz Rye Whiskey, 0.5 oz Tart Cherry Liqueur, 0.5 oz Italicus, 0.25 oz Green Chartreuse, 0.25 oz Aperol, 0.5 oz Lemon Juice, Garnish: Lemon twist or a few cherries News of former Ford CEO Don Petersen passing away and Mark's blog pos t adding much context, including Dr. Deming GrantThornton's report on AI risks Jamie's YouTube video</a
S1 E45 · Fri, April 05, 2024
Crossover Episode: Just-in-Time Cafe and Lean Whiskey: Flinchbaugh, Graban, Swan, O'Rourke
Episode page In Episode 45, Jamie Flinchbaugh and Mark Graban join the Just-in-Time Cafe team of Elisabeth Swan and Tracy O’Rourke as a special nod to their 100th Episode, while also having a chance to toast Mark’s accomplishment of 250 episodes of My Favorite Mistake podcast and 500 episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast. This episode blended the two formats a bit, but you can be sure whiskey was one of those elements that we retained. We each selected a cocktail to make. Jamie made his original recipe, the Black Forest Kiss. Since you can’t Google it, the recipe is 2 oz bourbon, ½ oz sweet vermouth, 1 oz Cherry Herring, 5 dashes chocolate bitters, and garnished with cherries. Mark made a Perfect Manhattan with walnut bitters. Elisabeth made Remember the Maine. Tracy was stuck with wine, but you’ll have to listen for the story as to why that was. We also checked in about the various books we’ve written, including Mark’s The Mistakes That Make Us, Jamie’s People Solve Problems, Elisabeth’s Picture Yourself a Leader, and the forthcoming 2nd edition from Tracy and Elisabeth of the Problem Solver’s Toolkit. We shared our Hot Apps personal choices, which included Trello, Kainexus, Asana, and the combination of Evernote and Scannable. In the episode you’ll hear how we utilize these apps. We then turned our attention to podcasting, sharing our origin stories, what we love about it, and some mistakes that we’ve learned from through the process. Just in Time Cafe podcast My Favorite Mistakes podcast Lean Blog podcast People Solve Problems podcast Picture Yourself a Leader book The Mistakes That Make Us book People Solve Problems book Podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or jflinch.com/leanwhiskey Please review us and follow! Notes for everyone on what’s below. Please add links for preferred website and books for the show notes (going both directions): Jamie <li style="fon
S1 E44 · Fri, January 19, 2024
New Year’s Resolutions, But not Dry January; Boeing Makes One
Episode page with video and more In Episode 44, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh get back together for this first episode of 2024. Since we’re not doing Dry January, we go right into the whiskey first by talking about old bottles, including one very old one found at auction. We then did our own comparison tasting, with Jamie trying two different age statements of Knob Creek bourbon and Mark trying two different expressions of Glen Scotia scotch from Campbeltown. Dry January is like a New Year’s Resolution that you don’t intend to keep past a month. We discuss New Year’s Resolutions and their reasons for failure. We relate all this to goals, hoshin kanri, SMART goals, systems, and small steps. So, if you’re still working on clarifying your goals or resolutions for the year, take a listen. Boeing’s recent troubles with an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX-9 door plug falling out mid-flight was also discussed, including Boeing’s resolution / commitment to add more inspectors to the process. Will more inspectors and more inspections make a difference? If not, what will make a difference? We may not know the final answer, but we break it all down for you in this discussion. We wrap things up with a little football talk, both the NFL and College. Cheers! Vintage bottle sold at auction , from York, PA Jamie’s selection: Knob Creek Mark’s selection: Glen Scotia NPR on abandoned New Year’s resolutions Jamie’s 2010 blogpost on goals Jamie’s 2021 short video on working with goals Boeing’s own updates on the 737-9 On Senator Cantwell’s letter to the FAA Yup, University of Michigan wins the National Championship Podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or leanblog.
S1 E43 · Fri, December 08, 2023
Safety at SpaceX Under Elon Musk; 100 Years of Suntory Whiskey
Episode page with video and more In Episode 43 of the “Lean Whiskey” podcast, Jamie Flinchbaugh and Mark Graban begin by talking about each of our interviews regarding the new book by Steve Spear and Gene Kim, Wiring the Winning Organization . Mark interviewed Steve and Gene for the Lean Blog Interviews podcast , and Jamie interviewed Steve for a forthcoming episode of the People Solve Problems podcast . We then shifted our attention to celebrating 100 years of Suntory Distilling by each pouring different expressions from the Japanese side of the company, Hibiki and Yamazaki. We also discussed the Jim Beam side, its progression and integration into the Suntory ownership. We eventually jumped into our primary In the News segment discussing a detailed investigative journalism report from Reuters on the objectively poor safety record at SpaceX . The data is compelling, from a fatality to a coma, and eight amputations. But the safety rate is six times the industry average, coming in at 4.8 per 100 workers. Yes, space travel and doing anything breakthrough is inherently dangerous, but there's two arguments with this. First, the injuries are things like falling out of trucks and not related to launching a rocket. Second, there are numerous examples of doing inherently dangerous work with a great safety record. Alcoa, under the leadership of Paul O'Neill, is a great example of this, where not only is the work done safely, but with increasing profits along the way. We explore the importance of leadership — through policy to system to culture — in the outcomes of safety. Elon Musk, as the leader of SpaceX, has signaled in many ways that safety is secondary. This includes a distaste for safety yellow on aesthetic grounds to statements that workers are responsible for protecting themselves. Both SpaceX and Tesla have a tendency to withhold reporting required data to OSHA, which might not be visible to employees, but it likely is to management. We make clear that safety practice and culture is the responsibility of management. We wrap up this episode sharing fun facts about our hometowns, wishing everyone a happy holidays, and a final cheers to 2023! Links From the Show: Mark interviewed Steve Spear and Gene Kim in episode 493 of the LeanBlog Podcast , and Jamie interviewed Steve for a forthcoming episode of <a href='https://www.jflinch.com/category/peop
S1 E42 · Fri, October 20, 2023
Reflecting on the GE Lean Mindset Event, Including Ford, Uber, and PG&E
Episode page In Episode 42, Jamie Flinchbaugh visits Mark Graban in northern Kentucky and they get to record an episode in person. This was the origin of the podcast series — getting together in person, enjoying whiskey, and talking about Lean stuff. In the last episode, we did an experiment that was inconclusive — sometimes that's how it goes. We had moved the whiskey talk to the end of the episode, but since we had no firm evidence that it was better, we moved it back to the beginning. Since we were together, Jamie selected something from Mark's shelf, the Boone County Amburana Wood, as it isn't something you'd regularly find on the shelf. Mark had received a special package in the mail from the Jim Beam distillery — two different expressions of Little Book — and so he did a side-by-side comparison. They then discussed the GE Lean Mindset Event , held for employees, customers, and suppliers. The bulk of the speakers are available on a YouTube playlist. We primarily discussed the discussion between Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, and Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. We also discussed the conversation with Patti Poppe, CEO of PG&E (the primary power utility in California if you don't recognize the name). We explored the key nuggets from those speakers. After the recording stopped, the conversation continued at the outstanding Prohibition Bourbon Bar in Newport, Kentucky, ranked as one of America's Best Bourbon Bars by The Bourbon Review (that's where the photo was taken… and yes, they allowed us behind the bar). Links From the Show: Jamie's selection, Amburana Wood finished Bourbon from Boone County Little Book , the experimental expressions from Freddie Noe of Jim Beam The playlist for the GE Lean Mindset Event Mark's podcast episode recorded on-site with Jim Womack, Katie Anderson, and Jamie Parker California Burning , the book about PG&E mentioned by Patti Prohibition Bar in Newport, Kentucky, featured in The Bourbon Review Podcast
S1 E41 · Fri, August 25, 2023
Should Lean be Forced? Running & Evaluating Experiments with the Podcast and Beyond, Inexpensive Sip
Episode link with video and more In Episode 41, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh try a couple experiments, in the spirit of continuous improvement. You’ll first notice that we moved the whiskey talk to the end. The hypothesis here is that some people don’t want to hear the whiskey talk, so they can just exit the podcast when we finish the lean talk. We also used a different platform for recording, so it may affect your listening or viewing experience. We would really appreciate any feedback at all on these experiments. In lean talk, we explore the question of whether lean can and should be forced. We examine this from different angles, including terms like accountability and quotas. We even evoke the words of Dr. Deming in the process. We quote Toyota’s Jamie Bonini who said “if the employees are upset by it, it’s not really TPS.” We explore 5S, audits, incentives, and more. We finally get around to talking about the whiskey that we were sipping on during the episode. After all, this is kinda the point. For this episode’s theme, we are pulling the bottle off our shelf that is the least expensive, but still worth sipping on its own. Mark is drinking Benchmark, and Jamie went with Rebel. Cheers! Mark’s audiobook of The Mistakes That Make Us is now available Tennis’ Western and Southern Open The Michigan Lean Consortium , where Mark recently presented Mark’s famous Office 5S video Jamie’s whiskey… Rebel Bourbon 80 proof at $19 Mark’s whiskey… Benchmark Bourbon 100 proof between $17-19 Podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or jflinch.com/leanwhiskey Please review us and follow!
S1 E40 · Fri, July 14, 2023
If Burbn Didn’t Pivot to Instagram, We Might Not Have Threads
Episode page with video and more In Episode 40, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh get back together after their in-person visit where they enjoyed the origins of this podcast: talking about lean stuff while enjoying some whiskey. We get to celebrate the launch of Mark’s new book, The Mistakes That Make Us, as well as Jamie’s new podcast titled People Solve Problems. We recap our in-person visit and some of the great whiskey we were able to try. And we taste one of the expressions we were able to try at the distillery, New Riff’s Straight Bottled-in-Bond Malted Rye. We then pivoted to talking about pivots, starting with the example of how Instagram originally started as Burbn check-in app to share your drinking experiences with others. It then pivoted to photo sharing, and the rest is history. We compare and contrast other pivots, including Play-Doh, the pacemaker, Slack and Twitter, 3M Post-its, and a purple dye found when trying to cure malaria. We share some lessons from each of our books about how to enable and / or embrace the pivot when the opportunity presents itself. We wrap up talking a bit about the book writing process, and the joys and pains that accompany it. Cheers! Mark’s book, The Mistakes That Make Us , is now available for purchase Jamie launched a new podcast, People Solve Problems , interviews based on his book Mark and Jamie’s analog in-person Lean Whiskey We visited Revival Vintage Bottle Shop , Prohibition Bourbon Bar , and New Riff Distilling Mark and Jamie both pouring the New Riff Kentucky Straight Bottled-in-Bond Malted Rye Whiskey Instagram pivoted from Burbn Instagram, or Meta, also recently launched Threads. You can find Mark here and Jamie here Making purple dye from a failed malaria drug Hold on Loosely by 38 Special on Spotify Podcast
S1 E39 · Fri, May 05, 2023
Does Starbucks’ CEO Serving Coffee and Uber’s CEO Driving Passengers Do Any Good? Tasting Sourced Whiskeys
Episode page with links, video, and more In Episode 39, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh toast the completion of Mark's new book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation (coming soon!). We also acknowledge Jamie's forthcoming podcast based on the book People Solve Problems . That's already plenty to cover before we even get into our whiskey. Our whiskey theme was sourced juice, or essentially whiskey producers that buy whiskey from other distillers. This practice takes many different forms. Jamie is drinking Holla Bourbon Whiskey, a 4 year wheated bourbon, while Mark is drinking The Senator Straight Rye Whiskey sourced from MGP. Holla Spirits is primarily a vodka company with an incredibly wide range of infused vodkas, from jalapeno to pickle to cotton candy. They use higher grade ethanol from either corn or cane. Our lean topic was CEOs who “go to the gemba,” specifically referencing recent Wall Street Journal articles featuring Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi driving an Uber and Starbucks brand-new CEO Laxman Narasimhan being trained and working as a barista. While there is a lot these articles don't tell you, we have to draw some conclusions about whether these efforts are well-intentioned or not. We didn't like the barista with gold cufflinks or the Uber driver ignoring important calls from his General Counsel. We did conclude that there are three dimensions to this practice to get right, and all three must be right for this practice to be worth the effort. First, you have to get the intention correct. Second, you must execute it with the right spirit and curiosity. Third, you have to do the right things with what you learn, not just fixing specific problems but challenging business model assumptions or improving major systems of how the company works. Links From the Show: Mark's book page to find out more when The Mistakes That Make Us will be released Jamie's blog, where you can find the People Solve Problems podcast release Mark's recent blog post about Glenns Creek Distillery and creativity-before-capital kaizen NBC News covering sourced whiskey Whiskey Advocate covering sourced whiskey Jamie's whiskey from Holla Spirits , a 4-year Wheated Bourbon, distilled by <a href='https://www.s
S1 E38 · Fri, January 20, 2023
Toasting the U.S. Micro Whiskey of the Year (Glenns Creek OCD #5), and the Need to Recommit to Patient Safety
Episode page with video and more What do you do when you are chosen as Jim Murray’s US Micro Whiskey of the Year? You pop in to join Mark and Jamie on Lean Whiskey to talk about it. At least that’s what our friend David Meier of Glenns Creek Distilling did in Episode 38. While we were able to drink, and celebrate, the success of OCD #5, we also explored David’s continued learning, problem solving, and improvement of whiskey production. We also learned that he was featured on an episode of Moonshiners: American Spirit, more of a documentary exploring the production of American spirits than the original show. After David departs, Mark and Jamie discuss a recent report featured on NBC outlining that 1 in 4 hospital visits result in adverse events. This comes from a recent study on patient safety published in the New England Journal of Medicine. We break down the statistics, explore the real meaning behind those numbers, and discuss the causes and contributing factors. Throughout the dialogue we cover process improvement, problem solving, near misses, organizational learning, and psychological safety. We also spend time looking at Dr. Don Berwick’s editorial about the study, and at least try to summarize his contributions to patient safety. Mark and Jamie wrap up the first episode of 2023 talking about books. We hope everyone has a wonderful 2023. Happy New Year, and Cheers! Glenns Creek Distilling’s OCD #5 selected US Micro Whiskey of the Year Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible website Moonshiners: American Spirit Glenn’s Creek Distilling NBC’s reporting that 1 in 4 patients experience adverse effects, and the New England Journal of Medicine published study behind the statistic Patient safety advocate Don Berwick’s Commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine Upcoming webinar hosted by Mark on the proposed National Patient Safety Board <a href='https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/01/15/why-health-care-services-are-
S1 E37 · Thu, December 22, 2022
Starbucks’ Gemba, Toyota’s Tour, Product Innovation & Lean Process Improvements
Mark Graban & Jamie Flinchbaugh Alternative title: “I’ll have a half-caff no-whip soy-milk chestnut praline latte… to-go” Episode page with video and links In Episode 37, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays with some new (to us) holiday cocktails. Mark tries the Bourbon Flip, and Jamie makes a Hot Buttered Bourbon. Neither will likely be in our regular rotation of cocktails, but they suit the “spirit” of the holiday season and might be a nice treat to make for guests. Your hosts explore the possible reinvention of Starbucks, which began with the return of CEO Howard Schultz. The stores have faced numerous pressures…increasing volume, increasing complexity, and growing barista dissatisfaction. Can these challenges be overcome by lean applied at the store level, or are more structural changes and innovations needed to get the job done? We explore a recent Wall Street Journal article about Starbucks' transformation and walk back to the beginnings of their lean journey over 10 years ago. Some of the problem statements examined: SKU proliferation, new blenders, and store layouts. We may start seeing a brand new layout for Starbucks stores, although the promised improves do not appear to be imminent. The hosts finish by exploring gift giving in the whiskey, and wine, genre, including a book recommendation from Mark on the history of the prohibition era in the US. Links From the Show: Ted Stiles from Stiles Associates David Meier's Glenn's Creek Distilling Toyota's Georgetown, Kentucky plant Four Roses' hot buttered bourbon recipe Used Mellow Corn Bottled in Bond for hot buttered bourbon Bourbon Flip recipe Made with Benchmark Bonded bourbon Mark's 2nd pour, a Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 Heavily Peated WSJ article Starbucks is Rethinking Almost Everything WSJ wrote about lean at Starbucks in 2009, and the same year, John Shook wrote about it for LEI Starbucks' <a href='https://www.marketwatch.com/story/starbucks-workers-begin-three-day-strike-as-part-of-union-e
S1 E36 · Fri, December 09, 2022
Jamie Flinchbaugh & Chris Kauzmann on Design Thinking’s Relationship to Lean Thinking
In Episode 36, Jamie Flinchbaugh is joined by Chris Kauzmann , an Adjunct Faculty and Innovator in Residence at Lehigh University. Chris, a self-described “bottom shelf” whiskey drinker, joins Jamie to sample some Nikka Coffee Malt Whiskey and Blue Run High Rye Bourbon. We explore design thinking, which is both distinct from lean but also inherently consistent. The terminology is often quite different, but the essence of the work is very similar. Removing our biases and gaining insight through genuine exploration, whether to develop a business idea or improve a process or anything else, is one such example. Along the way, we cover many aspects of our shared experiences…the student entrepreneurs of Lehigh University that Chris supports and teaches full time and Jamie occasionally shows up to make a contribution. We close by deciding which building on Lehigh University's beautiful campus we would most want to convert into a whiskey bar, although we are quite certain that no one will allow us to do this. Links From the Show: Chris Kauzmann on LinkedIn Old Crow , a typical selection for Chris Nikka Coffey Malt Whiskey Blue Run High Rye Bourbon Lehigh University's Baker Institute Giana Jarrah's With Meraki Co , a student-founded startup Sam Benchaghib's Make A Change World and Sungai Watch Practicing Lean by Mark Graban Podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or jflinch.com/leanwhiskey
S1 E35 · Fri, October 14, 2022
Going to ”Gemba” at Scotch Whisky Distilleries; Work Retreats
In Episode 35, Mark is recently back from his Scotland gemba visit. He isn't tired from jet lag, or from whiskey, but nevertheless, Mark and Jamie both end up complaining about being tired. Maybe we're just…old (gasp). We also didn't plan our color coordination (for those on video). Episode page with video and more "We’re tired, but not tired of whisky. A gemba walk will pick us up..." We focus this episode on going to the gemba in the making of scotch whisky, from Mark's recent trip. We talk about what is learned by going to the gemba, both in general and specific to whisky. You can hear more about peat, malting, distilling, and maturing, including is maturing inventory or a value-adding step? Of course, we also select scotch as our whisky of choice, opting for more obscure selections that you may not have heard of. Both were excellent. We also spend a little time talking about work retreats, whether it be for writing a book as both Mark and Jamie do, strategic thinking as Bill Gates would do, or just simply reflection and planning. We conclude by discussing what job at a distiller we would most like to do, although neither of us likely has the requisite skills. Slainte! Links From the Show: Jamie at the National Association of Corporate Directors Summit Mark heading soon to the Association of Manufacturing Excellence and the Iowa Lean Consortium conferences. Look for him! GE's Larry Culp's message . Former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, Admiral Stavridis at NACD Jamie's whisky selection Kilchoman Mark's whisky selection Glen Scotia Where are Islay, Jura, Campeltown ? Ron Swanson's visit to Lagavullin Journeyman in western Michigan, Two James in Detroit, and Traverse City Whiskey up north The Multnomah Whisk
S1 E34 · Fri, July 29, 2022
Crazy Ideas, From Shipping Flowers to Crab Whiskey
Episode page: https://leanblog.org/whiskey34 In Episode 34, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh begin by belatedly celebrating the 3rd birthday of Lean Whiskey. No, this wasn’t a pandemic-launched podcast, although if we hadn’t started it yet it probably would have become one. We also learn of Mark’s pending trip to Islay, where an awful lot of good whisky is produced. Apparently, Jamie wasn’t invited to record an “on location” episode. Most of the episode we explore the challenges, benefits, and approaches to developing and seeing through the crazy ideas. This conversation builds from an episode of Mark’s My Favorite Mistake podcast in which he interviews 1-800-FLOWERS founder Jim McCann. FedEx founder Fred Smith told McCann that shipping flowers via FedEx wouldn’t work. Not only did Jim not fold in the face of Fred’s advice, he eventually partnered with FedEx to bring this program to life. But bringing big ideas to life is about more than just ignoring the doubters, but adjusting or trimming the idea, learning through rapid testing, and having the courage to move forward through adversity as our explanation of the Netflix story examines. We wrap up exploring another crazy idea, whiskey made from crabs. Well, that’s not technically true, but it is distilled crab stock added to a bourbon base, and specifically to raise awareness about the invasive green crabs that destroy the mussel population. Tamworth Distilling from New Hampshire are the brains behind this particular project. Thanks to our friend Dan Markovitz introduced us to this idea. Maybe Mark will detour his trip to Scotland towards New Hampshire instead. Happy 3rd birthday to Lean Whiskey, so here’s Episode 1 Mark heading to the Isle of Islay with their classic distilleries Jamie working with Lehigh University on building an accelerator (back of Jamie’s head in the photo while leading the design team) Mark and Jamie both engaged with KaiNexus Mark’s Moscatel Finished Straight Bourbon Whiskey from Woodinville near Seattle Jamie’s Four Roses Private Selection Single Barrel, see their bourbons and recipes Our discussion builds on <a href='https://www.markgraban.com/jim-mccanns-favorite-mistake-buying-1-800-flowers-phone-nu
S1 E33 · Fri, May 20, 2022
On the Road Again and In Person for the First Time
Episode page: https://leanblog.org/whiskey33 In Episode 33, we recognize some of the back to normal which includes Mark heading out on the road to do consulting again. That brings Mark close enough to Jamie for a new first: an in-person recording of Lean Whiskey. Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh meet up in Philadelphia to drink some Garrison Brothers special barrel selection from Mark as well talk about Lean 101 training. In many ways, this is an origin story for Lean Whiskey . Mark and Jamie would be opportunistic about their travels, end up in the same city, find a good whiskey bar, and talk shop. “We should record this” became almost a joke, until it became reality and Lean Whiskey was born. Now, 33 episodes in, we return to an in-person visit. Philadelphia becomes our destination, and after recording Mark and Jamie get to go sample some of the great food the city has to offer. We also get to share a bottle (ok, not the whole bottle, but the same bottle), compare hotel glasses to tasting glasses, and set up a different recording approach which unfortunately resulted in there being no video. However, the discussion was as rich as ever, so give Episode 33 a listen. Links From the Show: Our whiskey of choice is Garrison Brothers, and Mark's “One Off” — Episode 29 is where we talked about the story of this barrel and Mark's blog post about Garrison Brothers Jamie's blog post “ Skip the Intro to Lean Training “ Any Toyota / lean geek who wants to understand the history should be reading Michael Cusumano's The Japanese Automobile Industry: Technology and Management at Nissan and Toyota How NOT to do Lean 101: Big Bang's Sheldon teaches physics to Penny (via YouTube) In Philly, the Liberty Bell , Independence Hall , and the Franklin Institute Double Knot and Morimoto restaurants, and Pat's and Geno's cheesesteaks
S1 E32 · Fri, February 04, 2022
Employee Engagement Beyond Buying Them Pizza (or Bourbon)
Episode page: https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey32 In Episode 32 of “ Lean Whiskey ,” Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh have a first… comparing two similar whiskeys from the same distiller. In this case, family-owned Willett and their Willett Pot Still Reserve bourbon and the Johnny Drum bourbon. We definitely both have our favorite of the two, but you'll have to listen to find out which. We also spend a little time exploring the history of this old brand, their departure, and their recent return to the spirits world. This all happens between NFL conference championship games where neither of our teams are playing. We discuss The Great Resignation and all of the many facets… the underlying long-term trends, the short-term adjustments, the data, the causes, and the solutions. Breaking the problem down is important, as there is neither one cause nor one solution. We need to move beyond “jerk bosses” such as seen at Better.com, underappreciation as seemingly demonstrated at former-lean-role-model Thedacare, and bad cultures found in many places. 2022 may finally be the year to truly make employee engagement a real strategic imperative. We finish talking about industrial-based movies and shows, such as the new NBC series “American Auto” or the movie “Gung Ho.” Please tell us your favorites… we'd love to hear from you! Links From the Show Willett Pot Still Reserve Johnny Drum Private Stock Insights by Jamie January 2022 newsletter Thedacare's employee issues, how it started and how it finished Mark interviews the Lean dentist Dr. Sami Bahri in Lean Blog Podcast Episodes 29 , 69 , and 82 Some articles may require signup or subscription… New York Times No More Working for Jerks The Economist How to Manage The Great Resignation </li
S1 E31 · Thu, December 09, 2021
End a Year, End a Bottle; Start a Year, Start a Bottle
Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey31 In Episode 31 of “ Lean Whiskey ,” Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh discuss the routines and practices of wrapping up a year, and kicking off a new year. In that spirit, we either finish a bottle of whiskey, or start a new one. We also invite three guests to share their thoughts. Past Lean Whiskey guests Jim Benson , Deondra Wardelle , and Chris Burnham join and share their thoughts on finishing up a year and starting a new one. Routines, habits, practices that help you transition the year and set up for success in the new year. Lean thinkers know the fallacy of just having good intentions, such as New Year's Resolutions, and tend to focus more on purpose, reflection, structure, and systems. We put that hypothesis to the test by asking three lean thinkers how they approach this time period, and didn't know in advance what they would share. Jim Benson talked about their discussions within his company , which take place during huddles which allow the conversation to emerge. This is much different than the once-and-done offsite approach. They are exploring how to increase collaboration, as that is certainly the central theme of their work with clients. Deondra Wardelle celebrates, which she often models for all of us. She also shared how she develops a theme for each year, which drives her plans and actions. The theme for 2022 is “laser focus” which was very intriguing. Chris Burnham, who is Senior Lean Strategy Director, KaiNexus , shared his evolution of daily practices which includes reflection, prioritization, and planning. His methods include journals and digital tools and of course, having important conversations about the right topics with the right people. Mark and Jamie also share a bit of their perspective on the challenge, including the fact that the turning of a calendar is relatively arbitrary when it comes to performance management and continuous improvement, and Mark notes how often he sees people zero-out their measurements to start the new year (please don't do this). Jamie observes that the open space often (but not always) created between your last and first meeting gives you more room to mentally breathe (inbox = zero helps too) which allows deep work, whether that is reflection or planning. Links From the Show We record this episode just after <a href='http://www.repealday.or
S1 E30 · Fri, October 22, 2021
Celebrating 30 Episodes, Writing Books, and Great Whiskey
Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey30 In Episode 30 of “ Lean Whiskey “, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh find things to celebrate, starting with the fact that we have hit 30 episodes. In that time, we've had 14 guests or co-hosts, and tasted 56 different whiskeys (not counting the gin and coffee detours) covering 5 countries and 7 states. We've also had over 10,000 downloads which is a celebration of its own right, and while we do not record this show just to get lots of listeners, we are extremely grateful for all of you who have tuned in. Having both just returned from our alma maters, Lehigh University (Jamie) and Northwestern (Mark), we share our whiskeys under the theme of the bottle you would pull off the shelf when you are in the mood to celebrate. Jamie had a 21 year old Glenfarclas and Mark finished off his bottle of the 6th release of the WhistlePig Boss Hog titled “The Samurai Scientist.” We are also celebrating the pending (October 26th) release of Jamie's latest book, People Solve Problems: The Power of Every Person, Every Day, Every Problem . Instead of In the News, we cover On the Bookshelf, and talk about why we write a book, how to pick a title, how to publish, and more. Mark has written several books, including Lean Hospitals , Healthcare Kaizen , The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen , Practicing Lean (as editor and publisher — and Jamie was a contributor), and most recently Measures of Success . Jamie has published two books now, starting with The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean and now People Solve Problems . Links From the Show Jamie's whiskey, a 21 year old Glenfarclas Mark's whiskey, the WhistlePig Boss Hog Samurai Scientist Mark's various books Jamie's various books Book The Complete Whiskey Course Book resources such as editor and publisher Rob Worth , Bethany Brown of The Cadence Group , and coach <a href='https://www.cat
S1 E29 · Fri, August 20, 2021
Yellow Cards, Coffee Cocktails, and a Smashed Barrel
Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey29 In Episode 29, it's been a little while since Mark and Jamie got together for Lean Whiskey . We catch up on what's new, which includes Mark's new certification with distinction with the WSET Level 2 Spirits certification, and Jamie's new side-hustle as a soccer referee. We return to making cocktails, this time building on our coffee theme from the pour-over edition of Episode 27. We both make coffee cocktails. Jamie's is a whiskey espresso martini, equal parts bourbon, Kahlua, and freshly pulled espresso, shaken and served in a martini glass. Mark worked his way towards his own concoction, based on the Revolver cocktail, using bourbon and coffee liqueur, but he used a couple Texas-based brands and named it the Texas Revolver. We both follow our cocktails with some Glenn's Creek Cafe Ole and discuss Mark's lost barrel of bourbon. We did "In the News" with a twist, building on our coffee theme we used something close to the Lean Coffee format and covered many news stories for 5 minutes each. These stories covered Starbucks as a talent pool, CEO pay and diversity, wage inflation, what work really needs to be in-person, people leaving the restaurant industry, and using lean to help get jabs in arms. There was no theme here, just two guys sitting around talking about the news from a lean thinker's perspective. Scroll down for links galore. After covering a lot of ground, Mark and Jamie look forward to the fall, including football. We hope you enjoy this episode. Please send Mark or Jamie questions, suggestions, or comments for our future discussions. Until next time, cheers! Links From the Show Mark's WSET Level 2 Spirits certification Jamie's retirement from coaching announcement and kickoff of a referee side-hustle Lean Coffee episode of Lean Whiskey, Episode #27 Jamie's new ECM Casa V espresso machine Jamie's Town Branch bourbon used for the espresso martini Jamie's Buzzopolis espresso blend from Whole Latte Love The base <a href='htt
Fri, June 18, 2021
Mistakes Make us Better (and Sometimes Make Whiskey Necessary?)
Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey28 In Episode 28, Mark and Jamie begin by having our spouses pour mystery whiskeys for us. We don’t know what they are when we start drinking them. Mark’s wife at least joins him occasionally in a dram, but Jamie’s wife is truly pouring without experience, but he’s safe since it is from his own shelf. Mark and Jamie give their best guess, so listen and see if they get it right (or at least partially correct). Jamie and Mark then build on Mark’s highly successful, and prolific, podcast My Favorite Mistake. We talk about the podcast, its neat origin story, and then we dive into a couple of our own favorite mistakes, although without the systematic breakdown he includes in his podcast. We explore the whole point of examining our favorite mistakes. Along the way we cover old label designs and baseball and sushi. Links: Mark celebrated his 10 year anniversary as part of the KaiNexus team Mark’s mystery pour, Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Duncansby Head Lighthouse and his 2nd pour from Teeling Jamie’s mystery pour from 10 year old Whistle Pig rye and his second pour, a 10-year-old Jura scotch Mark’s My Favorite Mistake podcast Episodes that were lean-related, including Karyn Ross , Billy Taylor , and Karen Martin Whiskey-related episode about Garrison Brothers The favorite mistake story behind Angostura bitters’ label Redemption Whiskey and <a href='https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/american-whiskey/new-redemption-whiskey-born-mistake/#:~:text=The%2
Fri, May 21, 2021
Lean Coffee: Pour Over Edition With Inventory / Supply Chain Talk
https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey27 In Episode 27, Mark and Jamie switch things up a bit with a morning recording of the show. While we could have just started our whiskey early, instead we decided to switch to a beverage that shares much of the same culture, craft, and appreciation as whiskey, and that is coffee. Although a bit of throwback in terms of usages, the trend towards pour over coffee embraces the culture of single origin coffee, much like the shift from whiskey blends towards more single casks. The pour over method is meant to extract more of the “good stuff” and less of the “bad stuff” from freshly ground coffee beans. So Mark and I poured our coffee and got into our topics of the day. You can see our coffee selections and equipment setups in the links below. We didn't want to lose the whiskey theme, so we used an article exploring whether 10 million barrels of whiskey resting, or aging, in Kentucky is a good thing or a bad thing. This became a launchpad to talk about whether just-in-time is dead (as the Wall Street Journal likes to claim) or just misunderstood. We explore MIT's The Beer Game, system dynamics, supply chain design, decision making, and the glut of face masks and hand sanitizer. We could have likely talked about this topic for a very long time, and had we been into a glass of whiskey, perhaps we would have. In addition to a little detour into Mark's many hats, including the reason he wears two different hats in one episode, we close on a personal note of how we both like to start our day: with coffee, reading news, and a view. Jamie's coffee, Death Wish , and Mark's coffee, Yellow Caturra Jamie's KitchenAid grinder , Chemex pour over , and kettle Mark's different KitchenAid grinder , Bodum pour over , and electric kettle 10 Million bourbon barrels resting – too much or not enough? The Wall Street Journey's misinformed piece on JIT, Jeff Liker on JIT , Dr. Jonathan Byrnes on <a href='https://chiefexecutive.net/
Fri, March 26, 2021
The Accidental St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, and Discussing New CEOs Carol Tomé, Rosalind Brewer, and Jane Fraser
Show notes and links: https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey26 In Episode 26, we accidentally celebrate St. Patrick's Day with some Irish whiskey, lightly mourn some NCAA March Madness losses (or absences, and Jamie Flinchbaugh and Mark Graban welcome guest co-host Adam Zak . We selected Irish whiskey as a category because we hadn't used it yet, but after changing the date of the scheduled recording, we ended up quite close to St. Patrick's Day (which was officially a dry holiday until 1970, but that pendulum certainly swung the other way). In the spirit of Adam Zak's career as an executive recruiter with a Lean lens, we discuss many of the new CEO appointments, in particular, Carol Tomé at UPS, Rosalind Brewer at Walgreens, and Jane Fraser at Citigroup. These appointments are historic in one sense, but also highlight the fact that only 41 of the Fortune 500 are run by women (and Brewer is the only Black woman of the group). We explore what matters when selecting a new CEO, how that fits the strategic needs of the company, and how Lean thinking might influence or be leveraged by some of these leaders. We explore a common listener question: Do you think it's possible for a Lean organization to do well with quality and safety? As we certainly don't feel this question takes much nuance to answer, we make our way through this fairly quickly and on to our closing question about what books we are reading these days, with a slight detour into our reading habits. Adam Zak's website , his book Simple Excellence with Bill Waddell, and 2008 guest appearance on Mark's Lean Blog podcast #105 Adam's whiskey selection, 18 YO Tullamore D.E.W. Jamie's selection, Green Spot aged in zinfandel barrels from Chateau Montelena Mark's selection, a special bottle of Teeling that he filled at the Dublin distillery, along with an honorable mention of Writers' Tears (since we're all published authors) A little about new UPS CEO Carol Tomé on Wikipedia and an interview A little something about new Walgreens CEO Rosalind Brewer on Wikipedia and Financial Times Stuff about new Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser on Wikipedia and NYT Our
Fri, February 26, 2021
Peaty Scotch, Working from Home, and Misunderstood Lean Phrases with Jim Benson
In Episode 25, Jamie Flinchbaugh and Mark Graban welcome a guest to our show, with Jim Benson joining us. Jim has been a long-time collaborator of Mark's, and certainly enjoys a dram or two of whiskey. We begin by getting the backstory on Jim's Twitter handle @OurFounder , complete with artwork. Show notes: https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey25 Since it's still winter, and Jamie continues to spend more time driving his snowblower than his car, we thought “something peaty” felt fitting. We all selected something peaty from our scotch collection, from Highland Park to Samaroli to Lagavulin, and we learned about Jim's favorite whisky shop in the UK. We discuss the continued extension of work-from-home practices, and both the need and opportunity to make it effective for each individual. This includes everything from ergonomics to managing your attention span, with a little detour into the Pomodoro technique. We explored lean phrases that are commonly used but often misunderstood, including “lean project”, “kaizen”, and “respect for people.” The three of us fall dangerously close to “cranky old lean guy” territory, but pull ourselves out just in time for our fun closing question of something we watched recently that was disappointing, ranging from Wonder Woman 1984 to The Muppet Show to baking shows. May you enjoy your whiskey, and your work, in peace and health. Cheers! Show Notes and Links Jim's Twitter handle OurFounder , along with Mark and Jamie on Twitter Mark and Jim's upcoming webinar on 3/2 on humane management and their previous podcast episode on the topic We selected “something peaty” so here's a bit about the peat scale Jamie's go-to selection, Lagavulin 16 year old Mark's Samaroli Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Jim's 21 year old from Highland Park Jim's favorite UK-based whisky shop Milroy's <l
Fri, February 05, 2021
Homemade Whiskey Cream and Vaccination (Not to be Mixed Up)
Mark Graban & Jamie Flinchbaugh https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey24 In Episode 24, Mark and Jamie return to a familiar format, just the two of them chatting over some whiskey. In this episode, they decide to make homemade whiskey cream (more popularly known as Irish cream or just Bailey's). Mark's recipe is keto-friendly and Jamie's utilizes rye whiskey. Check out the links below for their recipes and a history of the creation of Bailey's Irish Cream. After celebrating Jamie's completion of his next book's manuscript and Mark's immersion into the world of spirits with WSET Level 2 Spirits certification, they dive into their topic: lean thinking applied to the rollout of the covid vaccine. We begin with framing the topic with Dwight Eisenhower's quote: “Farming looks mighty easy if your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field .” We acknowledge the difficulty of the challenge and try to avoid blame, but still focus on how continuous improvement thinking can and should be applied at all levels of the challenge, from national distribution to localized application. We remain hopeful that learning and best practice sharing (and adoption) will win the day, even if we're off to a slow start. We wrap up talking about our favorite board games. Enjoy the episode!
Thu, December 17, 2020
Finishing 2020 with Kentucky Bourbon, Eggnog, and Kata Talk
Mark Graban, Jamie Flinchbaugh, and Deondra Wardelle https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey23 for show notes and links In Episode 23, Mark and Jamie return to finish out 2020, this time joined by Kentucky native Deondra Wardelle, so naturally Kentucky bourbon is our whiskey category of choice. Bourbons selected include Brough Brothers, Willett, and Barton 1792. After introducing Deondra to our listeners, we take a moment to toast the life of Norman Bodek, who passed away last week at the age of 88. After briefly debating whether peppermint should ever be added to beer, even if it is the holidays, we get on with our bourbon selections. We return at the end of the episode to talk about other drinks such as Irish (or whiskey) cream, wine, cocktails, and eggnog. A tempting challenge was put forth for Mark and Jamie to make their own whiskey cream at home - perhaps a future episode event. The bulk of the episode we get into Deondra's favorite topic, Toyota Kata, teed up by a Lean Enterprise Institute article. The article prompts us to talk about the underlying nature of learning in lean, problem solving, kata, and coaching. We aren't convinced that you need a new kata to add to the improvement and coaching kata, but instead propose coaching and behavior adjustments to make sure we don't lose sight of the purpose, which is to learn. So, give us a listen, and let us know what you think, about learning, or about whiskey. We wish everyone a safe, healthy, and happy holidays to wrap up 2020, and we will see you again in 2021. Cheers! Links: Our guest Deondra Wardelle Deondra's kata presentation for Lean Frontiers Deondra's upcoming Lean Frontiers webinar : Strategic Planning Workshop 2021: Planning Through a Continuous Improvement Lens, Thursday, 1/21, 12 noon EST #RootCauseRacism and www.rootcauseracism.com Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Webinar, "The Lean Journey to Equity for All" Thursday, 1/28 @ 1pm EST Mark's tribute to Norm Bodek who recently passed away Lexington Brewing's Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Peppermint Porter Deondra's Brough Brothers bourbon from Louisville, KY Jamie's Willett P
Fri, October 30, 2020
Catching Up with Honsha Friends Over Whisky, Sake, and an Old Fashioned
Mark Graban, Darril Wilburn, and Sammy Obara https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey22 For Episode 22, Mark Graban is joined by Darril Wilburn and Sammy Obara, two former Toyota employees who are colleagues at the firm Honsha . They are two of the authors of the excellent book Toyota by Toyota . The three talk about how they met (via LEI and other Lean events) and how Mark was invited by Darril and Honsha to go to Japan with them two years ago ( see posts about that trip ). They talk about the "conveyor belt sushi incident" that Mark blogged about . They also discuss many lessons from Toyota, including the idea that "it's the responsibility of leaders to create a system in which people can be successful." They also chat a bit about how work and life has changed during the pandemic. Oh, and the whiskey theme was "drink what you like." Mark enjoyed a neat pour of Ichiro's Malt & Grain whisky from Japan. Darril made a very fancy Old Fashioned using a smoked glass and Woodford Reserve Double Oaked bourbon (since he's from Kentucky originally). Sammy enjoyed sake from Japan. We all enjoyed the chance to catch up and talk.
Fri, October 23, 2020
Highland Park Scotch, What is the Point of Lean During a Rare Pandemic?
Mark Graban, Jamie Flinchbaugh, and Tom Ehrenfeld https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey21 In Episode 21, Mark and Jamie return to our regular casual format of open discussion over a drink, this time joined by Tom Ehrenfeld, well known to the lean community for his writing and editorial work with the Lean Enterprise Institute. We all enjoyed tasting some Highland Park scotch, with Tom trying it for the first time, Mark opening a new bottle, and Jamie getting towards the end of a bottle. We talk about what new things we’ve been up to, with Mark winning with some California-based parasailing. We finish the discussion by talking about our favorite things about fall, with pumpkin spice lattes (or pumpkin-flavored whiskey) being a disqualified answer. We spent the bulk of the discussion exploring how companies can and should use lean during the pandemic, and even whether lean is valid under such conditions. We begin by talking about businesses such as United and Delta and how they can deal with such a black swan event in the COVID-19 pandemic. Delta had revenues last quarter of $3B, but lost $5.4B. But what are they going to do, sell their planes? To whom? Movie theaters can’t pay their rents, but what will landlords do, rent their space to another movie theater? There are major challenges that many industries face that will struggle with either long-lasting or even permanent shifts in their markets. Can lean help? Is lean enough? This is what we wrestle with on a Sunday night over a glass, or two, of scotch. Our guest Tom Ehrenfeld The discussed LEI podcast with Dan Heath Jamie’s yoga app, Down Dog Yoga Tom’s viewing of The Criterion Channel Highland Park - Scotch whisky from the Orkney Islands (less known region -- remote islands) Tom and Jamie drink the 12-year-old Viking Honour while Mark cracks open a bottle of Valknut Article on how United Airlines is dealing with the pandemic <li style="font-wei
Fri, September 18, 2020
Live from the Colorado Lean Network Summit, Affordable Whiskeys
Mark, Jamie, Katie Benik, and Jen House http://www.leanblog.org/whiskey20 In Episode 20, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh join the Colorado Lean Summit live and host a virtual happy hour while discussing the first couple days of the events proceedings. Joining us as co-hosts are CLN members Jen House (also a board member) and Katie Benik. We took some questions, shared what people were drinking in the chat, and had our own chat about what we’ve learned from the Summit. We started by sharing our whiskey selections in the “budget-friendly” category. We certainly had some variation, ranging from Buffalo Trace to Skrewball. Those watching weren’t forced into our theme, so we had more adventurous and elaborate selections from our audience. The first takeaway that we discussed was from Deondra Wardelle’s talk, and the challenge of shifting from micromanaging controlling manager to a leader who encourages people to experiment, take action, and learn. We then talked about the theme of respect for people, a key lean tenant, and how hard people find it to be specific about how it is applied. We then turned to Renee Smith’s point of replacing fear with love and providing psychological safety. We concluded talking about Dan Markovitz’s points about framing problem statements. In wrapping up, we shared information about CLN’s charity project, Community College of Aurora’s Unity Scholarship to open more opportunities for future Black leaders to reach their highest potential. CLN matched the first $500 donated, and Jamie and Mark are matching the next $500 in donations. The donation channel is open through October 16th. And finally, our fun question: what’s your favorite lean-related word, but for a silly reason? The answers included muda, poka-yoke, verschlimmbesserung, and queuing. So get this podcast out of your queue and give it a listen! Colorado Lean Network’s 2020 Virtual Lean Summit Co-hosts Jen House and Katie Benik Mark’s ZERO hat giveaway for World Patient Safety Day Our whiskeys included Buffalo Trace , Elijah Craig Small Batch , Kirkland Blended , and Skrewball Peanut Butter whiskey Jamie’s
Thu, August 27, 2020
Mark Graban & Cliff Hazell: Amrut, Uncle Nearest, and Some Tweets
Mark Graban and Cliff Hazel http://www.leanblog.org/whiskey19 For Episode #19, Mark Graban is joined by a new guest host, Cliff Hazell. Mark and Cliff first met years ago in Austin at the Lean Coaching Summit, where they shared some Garrison Brothers whiskey and talked about Lean, Deming, coaching, and such. So today, Mark and Cliff share a drink — Amrut whiskey from India for Cliff and Uncle Nearest 1856 Tennessee whiskey for Mark. “Uncle Nearest” is a new brand that's named after Nearest Green, the slave who taught Jack Daniels how to make whiskey ( read more about that here ). Watch the video version of the episode You can check out our YouTube channels, Mark's here and Cliff's here (Flight Levels Academy) Amrut Whisky Uncle Nearest Whiskey Cliff on Twitter Cliff on LinkedIn Flight Levels Academy
Thu, August 06, 2020
Just the Two of Us (Mark Graban & Jamie Flinchbaugh), Islay Scotch & More
Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey18 In Episode 18, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh return to our tried and true format of “just the two of us”, although that won’t last long as Mark will soon have a guest co-host and then we will record an episode live as part of the Colorado Lean Network Summit. Jamie decides to move to the porch, a “proper” whiskey drinking spot in contrast to his office, which might be a new standard (at least until winter). In this episode, we begin by remembering the life of Bill Hanson, who is a co-founder of MIT’s Leaders for Manufacturing program, now called Leaders for Global Operations. Mark and Jamie are both graduates. As we toast Bill’s contributions, we begin sipping our whiskey selection, each choosing a scotch from Islay. Mark is drinking Ardbeg Ultimate 10 Year and Jamie is drinking 16 year old Lagavulin. In the News, we start by talking about Mark’s blog takeover by Deondra Wardelle, who has collected a series of authors to write under the hashtag #rootcauseracism. We continue further to explore articles about asynchronous work. The pandemic has forced many to change their work, leading some to just work harder with less effective and efficient work structures, while others are redesigning how they work leveraging asynchronous work as the pivot. We also explore the frequent questions that Mark and Jamie receive asking for how companies solve problems, and explore both the proper mindset and framing of benchmarking. We invoke a little Jeff Goldblum from Jurassic Park on the value of earning knowledge for yourself. We finish with a discussion of the books we are currently reading. Until next time, cheers! Remembering MIT’s Bill Hanson Colorado Lean Network’s 2020 Virtual Lean Summit Ardbeg Ardbeg’s Space Whisky Lagavulin 16 Year Old Ron Swanson makes a brief visit to Lagavulin Leanblog.org’s #rootcauseracism www.leanblog.org/RCR Randall Pinkett’s 7 Myths of Racial
Thu, July 09, 2020
Show Firsts: 3 People (Jim Huntzinger), 2 Pours, 3 Keynotes
Mark Graban, Jamie Flinchbaugh, Jim Huntzinger http://www.leanblog.org/whiskey17 In Episode 17, after not doing an episode of Lean Whiskey in almost two months, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh try all sorts of firsts. We had three people, with Jim Huntzinger of Lean Frontiers joining us. We all drank the same whiskey. We used two different whiskies. We talked about 3 different keynotes. OK, so they aren’t groundbreaking firsts, but it was new for our show. Jim Huntzinger joined us after an aborted attempt in March for Jamie to do an in-person episode during a planned visit to Lean Frontiers headquarters. We had planned on sampling some of David Meier’s whiskey. Since that didn’t happen, we decided to invite Jim to join Mark and Jamie and sample the same whiskey. Fortunately, Mark and Jamie had the same bottles at home. We all shared and enjoyed Glenns Creek Distillery’s Cuervito Vivo and Cafe Ole. We talked about a range of lean topics. TWI, or Training Within Industry, came up in a discussion about Delta’s approach to asking passengers to wear masks. We talked about Lean Frontier’s upcoming virtual workshops and some featured keynotes. Lean Coaching Summit features Deondra Wardelle who has coached others in professional groups ranging from schools to churches using kata and helped them to success. Watch for Deondra to take over Mark’s blog for a week in August. We explored Jim’s own mini-keynote on Advanced Lean, and how the arc of lean learning often brings you back to the fundamentals, just applied in a more rigorous way. And we finally return to David Meier and his forthcoming work on applying standardization where there appear to be none. We finish the episode sharing a bit of our different office experiences and improvements while working from home. We hope you enjoy the episode, and we toast all of you on your lean learning journey. Cheers! Episode #17 Show Links: Here are some links from the show: About our guest Jim Huntzinger and his organization Lean Frontiers Mark’s first podcast with Jim Huntzinger in Episode #8 , but Jamie beat him to it with Episode #5 Mark’s post about how Delta asks people to wear masks and its relation to TWI Patrick Graupp’s handwashing video via TWI Our two whiskey pours were both from Glenns Creek Distillery, starting with Cuervito Vivo and finishing with <a href='https://www
S1 E16 · Thu, May 14, 2020
Relocating Coast to Coast, Making Cocktails, and Covid
Episode page: http://www.leanblog.org/whiskey16 In Episode 16, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh take a little longer than usual to get to the lean talk. Our whiskey topic was cocktails, which takes longer to make (and apparently talk about) than pouring neat whiskey into a tumbler. Mark made a Boulevardier and Jamie made an Old Fashioned. We discuss bar tools and stirring versus shaking (sorry Mr. Bond, see the links below). See, we talked about process. We also explore Mark’s experience in traveling coast to coast in his move from Orlando to LA, and share a little more on what we’ve both been up to. For our In the News article, we explore the grand experiment of working from home, and what it means for businesses, technology, culture, and jobs. We even explore how Kainexus is dealing with it as a company. It may possibly be that the grand experiment leaves a greater lasting impression than the virus itself. We spend a little time exploring a listener's question on how lean thinking can help us deal with larger complex problems, such as reopening the economy. And we close by answering a question more about gratitude, which is what surprising good thing has come from our shelter-in-place time? Cheers! Jamie has been working on launching a new program, the JFlinch Learning Lab. You can see the announcement in his newsletter here and you can sign up for his newsletter here . Mark is launching a new podcast with Value Capture honoring the legacy of the firm’s founder, Paul O’Neill. The podcast is called Habitual Excellence, which you can find here . Jamie’s cocktail was an Old Fashioned with Glenn’s Creek Distillery’s Cuervito Vivo and homemade maple simple syrup Mark’s cocktail was a Boulevardier with Michter’s Straight Rye , Campari, and Cocchi sweet vermouth Mark and Jamie debate (well, we actually agree) on whether we should shake or stir , but the right bar equipment is important, such as Mark’s jigger . Shaken
S1 E15 · Wed, April 01, 2020
Shelter-in-Place & Drink Local; Proper Handwashing Instructions
View the episode at http://www.leanblog.org/whiskey15 In a special live-to-YouTube Episode 15 of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh begin their week by catching up, drinking whiskey, and talking shop. This episode was an experiment both in video recording the episode and in streaming it live to get viewer participation and questions. We didn't have a large audience, but those who showed up shared what they were drinking and asked some great questions. We used shelter-in-place as our whiskey selections, with Mark in Florida and Jamie in Pennsylvania, we chose local to drink tonight and enjoyed them both. Both selections prove that not all good American whiskey comes from Kentucky. We discussed questions ranging from whether we are looking at the right metrics during coronavirus, to what lean resources should be doing right now, and more. And if you stay around until the end, you get to hear about LEGO Masters competitions and attacking garbage cans! Episode #15 Show Links: Here are some links from the show: Watch the video version of the episode You can check out our YouTube channels, Mark's here and Jamie's here Jamie's whiskey selection: Dad's Hat Bottled in Bond Straight Rye Whiskey Mark's whiskey selection: St. Augustine Distillery Florida Port Finished Bourbon Patrick Graupp's video on using TWI (Training Within Industry) on washing hands
Bonus · Fri, March 27, 2020
Monday! "Lean Whiskey Live"
Learn more: http://www.leanblog.org/liveswhiskey The first 14 episodes of “ Lean Whiskey ” have been traditional audio podcasts. Jamie Flinchbaugh and I record them through Zoom and we usually use the video call option even though we have just published audio. For our next episode, we're going to experiment with our first video podcast. We're also adding another new variable — we'll broadcast the Zoom meeting live through YouTube! We will start broadcasting at 8 pm ET on Monday, March 30th . The live stream will also be available for on-demand viewing through YouTube if you can't attend live. The recorded audio will also be published in the usual way if you don't want to see our faces or if you have enough screen time and video chat time these days, as it is. We hope this will add value to our small, but loyal audience. :-) How to View it Live Here is the best process that I've come up with: Go to my YouTube channel page Click the “Subscribe” button Click the “bell” to be notified about “all” You should then get an email about the live broadcast starting up through the Gmail account that's associated with your YouTube or Google account. You will also get a notification on your phone if you have the YouTube app (and notifications turned on for it). You can also go to my channel just before 8 PM ET on Monday. If I come up with a better process, I'll update this page. You'll be able to ask questions through the YouTube Chat functionality and we'll monitor that so we can address them. You can also submit questions in advance here . I've searched and there doesn't appear to be a single URL that I can share for the webstream, as each broadcast seems to generate a unique URL. I've tested the technology and feel 95% confident that this will work, tech-wise. My evening internet bandwidth is the biggest risk when everybody in the building is watching streaming video of various sorts. Future Experiments? We might also experiment in the future where we'll add additional guests to be with us in the conversation. Or, we might open up the Zoom meeting to allow people to watch there and to ask questions through video or the chat window. We want to strike a balance between getting input and participation from people without it becoming an unmanageable group chat.
S1 E14 · Fri, March 13, 2020
Coronavirus, Supply Chains, and Just-in-Time; Adding Water to Whiskey
Episode page In Episode 14 of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh finish off another weekend by catching up, drinking whiskey, and talking shop. In whiskey, we explore the idea of adding water to your whiskey. Rather than take the tradition as fact, the lean thinker must seek an understanding of cause and effect. We find some of the research, and perform our experiments to validate that it actually works. We move on to a more serious topic, coronavirus or Covid-19, and its impact on your supply chain. We avoid any exploration in the medical advice category, but focus on a key question that comes up any time there is a massive supply chain impact: does Lean just-in-time approach strip out too much inventory? In addition to exploring this question, we expand on it by examining how companies deal with the less predictable risks such as this health crisis. We move on to explore a nearly timeless question from a listener: "We've led a grass roots lean initiative at my company for the past couple of years. It has been successful, but we are struggling to take it to the next level and get buy in from upper management. Upper management is slow to change and set in their ways. Any advice on how to 'sell' this internally?" Mark and Jamie break this problem down for how you can examine it in your organization. We finish by talking about our different approaches to presentations, with Mark reducing word count and using pictures to tell the story, and Jamie dropping slides altogether. We equally agree, however, that you must know your stuff if you're going to get in front of an audience. Episode #14 Show Links: Here are some links from the show: Why adding water to whiskey matters (Forbes ) NPR's take on adding water to whiskey Angels' Share water dropper we both used (thanks to Jamie for the gift!) Mark's first selection, Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon Mark's second selection, Longrow Cabernet Cask 11 Years Peated Campeltown Single Malt Scotch Jamie's selection, Glenfarclas 21 year old Marketplace's article about just-in-time and the effect of coronavirus Mark's blog post about this article: <a href='h
S1 E13 · Fri, February 14, 2020
Don’t Drink Pacific Northwest Whiskeys While Standing in Ohno’s Circle?
Episode page: http://www.leanblog.org/whiskey13 In Episode 13 of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh reconnect in their first joint episode this year, after a couple weeks of guest hosts. Our last episode together was filled with Grinches, gremlins, and glitches, so it was nice to both be in a proper recording location and be able to focus on the conversation and the whiskey. Our whiskey selections were on the theme of the Pacific Northwest, a growing region for whiskey. Mark's Westland American Single Malt Whiskey really specializes in using Oregon ingredients, including 5 different malts. Jamie's McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Pot Distilled Whiskey seeks a more Scotch-like style, with importing both barley and peat from Scotland. Our "In the News" segment was more like "From the Archives," as we pulled out an article from 2002 from AME Target Magazine titled Ohno’s Method: Creating a survival work culture by Jinichiro Nakane and Robert W. ("Doc") Hall . This article is filled with nuggets that deserves a thorough read, as it explores the work of Taiichi Ohno, often referred to as the father of the Toyota Production System. We explore lean as a culture, whether a survival culture is necessary, how much lean depends (or not) on the country’s culture, and how fundamentally Ohno created a coaching environment to bring both empowerment and enthusiasm to the workplace. We take a listener question on how to organize front-line supervision, as this topic connects quite directly to the issues discussed in the Ohno article. We close the episode with another fun question in the “get to know us” category, where we explore career paths not taken. Episode #13 Show Links: Here are some links from the show: Jamie's selection, McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt Pot Distilled Whiskey from Oregon Mark's selection, <a href='https://www.westlanddistillery.com/whiskey/ame
Fri, January 24, 2020
Canadian Whiskey, the Ups & Downs of Healthcare, and a CEO Thrown Under the Bus
http://www.leanblog.org/whiskey12 In Episode 12 of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban is back and he's joined by a friend from the Lean healthcare world, Ryan McCormack . Jamie will be with Mark for our next episode. You might know Ryan as the creator of the awesome " Operational Excellence Mixtapes " that he sends out via email and he also allows to be posted here on the blog. Ryan, like Mark, started his career in manufacturing and then transitioned to healthcare. After working for a hospital in Winnipeg, Ryan is now OpEx manager for an insurance company. The guys first met through Mark's visits to Winnipeg through the Catalysis Healthcare Value Network and they've shared many a conversation, a whiskey, and laughs at the Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit and other events. In the episode, they share and chat about Canadian whiskey. They discuss two news articles -- one about E.D. waiting times (and the need for Process Behavior Charts) and another about an Ontario hospital CEO's "gemba time" that ended up getting her criticized by employees and in the press. They also share some "Lean pet peeves" and a funny story or two from Ryan's career.
S1 E11 · Fri, January 10, 2020
Lean Goals, a King is Saved, and a 4-Day Work Week at Microsoft
Episode page In Episode 11 of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban gets a rest, and Jamie Flinchbaugh co-hosts along with long-time friend and colleague Susan Pleasant, who was first a client and later a partner. Susan brings 30 years of operations experience, and has consulted for 12 years, first at the Lean Learning Center and now with SPleasant Consulting. Jamie and Susan met for dinner last year at the IndustryWeek conference in Pittsburgh at a whiskey bar and restaurant, where Susan was introduced to Dalmore, which became our theme for the whiskey for the episode. We discuss an experiment at Microsoft in Japan with a 4-day work week, which actually had the effect of increasing productivity. We explore the value of the experiment, the relationship between a person and their work, and how to measure output for a range of different types of work. We also explore a listener question about how a lean organization sets goals, as many individuals and organizations are still in the mode of setting goals for the year. We finish the discussion by returning to whiskey and discussing why it's the drink of choice for both of us. Episode #11 Show Links: Here are some links from the show: Susan's whisky, the Dalmore 15 Jamie's selection, the Dalmore 18 The Butcher and Rye in Pittsburgh where Jamie and Susan met for dinner Jamie's glass from Norlan , and water dropper from Angels Share Microsoft's experiment with the 4-day work week
S1 E10 · Fri, December 20, 2019
The Grinch Stole our Tech, Holiday Whiskey, Lean in Japan, and Getting Ready for 2020
Episode page http://www.leanblog.org/whiskey10 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 just a little bit, but the show must go on. The two whiskey enthusiasts select something to drink that they think goes well with the holidays, as we both prepare to share this time with others. Unfortunately, neither of our selections are easily acquired, so these selections might have been more for our tasting enjoyment more than good consumer advice (although Mark suggests that any bottling of Booker's is worth trying). Mark also shares his experience of visit the gemba at Kirin Distillery near Mount Fuji during a Lean healthcare visit to Japan. We share our thoughts on what makes a good indicator of a successful lean journey, prompted by Jon Miller’s belief that the existence of a good andon practice is such an indicator. We also talk about our year-end routines as we prepare to close out 2019 and head into 2019. We also answer some fun holiday questions, and Mark admits to never having seen " It’s a Wonderful Life " or " White Christmas ." Please tell him what he’s missing! Episode #10 Show Links: Here are some links from the show: Mark visited Kirin Distillery (see photos below) Jamie's whiskey selection, the Kavalan Sherry Cast Single Cask Mark's whiskey selection, Booker's Bluegill Creek small batch Jon Miller's piece “The Best Indicator of Lean Success,” found in The Lean Mag through this link , or found at the Gemba Academy Blog You can download the goal setting template that Jamie uses as an Excel file here The movies White Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life in one set Check out the podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or at leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or at jflinch.com/leanwhiskey
S1 E9 · Tue, November 05, 2019
Affordable Bourbon, Halloween, Air Travel, Six Sigma, and Lean as a 2nd Job
Episode page 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 a bad idea. In the news, we discuss an article exploring the rise and fall of Six Sigma, and its relationship to GE. This is a topic that could keep us going for a few episodes, but we focus on how too much focus on the superficial can be an equal detriment to lean and Six Sigma. We also explore the difference between a set of tools and a management system. Our reader question is quite interesting, exploring the challenge of integrating lean into your “day job” instead of treating it like a side job. And we close out with a little more under “get to know us” as we discuss our first jobs. Jamie’s selection, Legent . Expertly distilled by 7th Generation Master Distiller Fred Noe and then refined by world-renowned Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo (of Suntory). Suntory bought Jim Beam. Using Jim Beam bourbon, some is aged in sherry or red wine casks, and then blended with Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Jamie purchased it for $34.95. Mark’s selection, coming in at a respectable $21, is Larceny Wheated Bourbon . This 92 proof product from Heaven Hill Distillery has a mash bill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. This is considered an ingredient in the “Poorer Man’s Pappy” from the book Hacking Whiskey , with 67% Maker’s Mark Cask Strength and 33% Larceny. For more on wheated bourbon, check out this article . Jamie’s preferred airline program on Delta . Mark’s required airline program, American Airlines, since he lives in Dallas. The article we discuss, What happened to Six Sigma?, from Quartz. ASQ’s stated connection between Six Sigma and cost savings. Podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or at leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or at <a href='http://jflinch.com
S1 E8 · Fri, October 04, 2019
Lean Gin! And ”Chummy Lean Chat” About PDCA; More Pet Peeves; The Funniest Thing...
Episode page: http://leanblog.org/whiskey8 We have a new guest host for Episode #8 of Lean Whiskey. I'm joined by my friend and colleague Cristal Totterman and we're drinking gin today on her recommendation... so this is "Lean Gin." We're also enjoying what Cristal calls "chummy Lean chat" -- something we've enjoyed at conferences and when working together at her hospital a few years back. Other than chatting about gin and tonic, we discuss two articles -- one about PDCA and one about robotic tails. Yes, we manage to connect that latter article to Lean. We share some Lean pet peeves, even though the issues are more significant than peeves. Oh, and we share the funniest thing that's happened to us in the course of process improvement, although you can be the judge about how funny those stories are. Episode #8 Show Links: Here are some links from the show: Our libations Cristal: Hendrick's Gin with Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water (and simple syrup and lemon) Mark: Old St. Pete Tropical Gin with Fever Tree Refreshingly Light Indian tonic water Article #1: “ ISN'T PDCA ENOUGH? WHY DO WE ALWAYS NEED TO COMPLICATE THINGS?” – By Michael Ballé Lean Pet Peeves? Mark: A3 problem solving with poor root cause analysis (two whys, five random whys) See this cartoon Cristal: Wasting time improving that which should not exist (robotic tails??) and creating standardized just for the sake of having standardized work Article #2: “ Robotic tail for humans was inspired by seahorses ” – CNN What's the funniest thing that's happened to you in process improvement? Cristal: “Hit me baby one more time” Mark: “You're the time study man!” Not mentioned in the podcast: a blog post that Cristal wrote for LeanBlog.org Check out the podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or at leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or at jflinch.com/leanwhiskey Please review us and subscribe in
S1 E7 · Fri, September 13, 2019
The Current State of Lean; Sharing Whiskey Samples; Bringing Lean Home
Episode page http://www.leanblog.org/whiskey7 Today, Jamie and Mark share whiskey samples from each other's collections and talk about some recent work projects. They explore whether you should bring Lean home, and apply it "with" (not "to"???) your spouse or family. Is Lean about efficiency when it comes to your home, or your marriage? What is the purpose? We also question whether the author was really doing any Lean, or just having fun with spreadsheets. We then explore Josh Howell's (newly minted President of the Lean Enterprise Institute) open question to the community about the current state of the lean management movement. To some degree, Mark and I reject the premise of the question, and we explain why, and we also do our best to answer it. We finish this episode sharing our recent favorite non-Lean, non-fiction books. Episode #7 Show Links: Here are some links from the show: Pendleton's Director's Reserve 20 Year Blended Canadian Whisky from Bounty Hunter that Jamie shared with Mark Garrison Brothers Balmorhea Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey that Mark shared with Jamie The NY Times article on auditing your life, apparently influenced by Lean Email us a reader mail question at leanpodcast@gmail.com LEI's question on the current state of Lean management Book recommendations: House of Morgan , Titan , Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup , Moneyball , The Big Short Check out the podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or at leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or at jflinch.com/leanwhiskey
S1 E6 · Thu, August 15, 2019
Remembering Lee Iacocca, and Ross Perot; Speyside Scotch
Episode page -- http://www.leanblog.org/whiskey6 After the last episode with guest host Paul Critchley, I'm once again joined by Jamie Flinchbaugh for another "Lean Whiskey" podcast. 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 malt whiskeys, Jamie’s from Glenrothes and Mark’s from Balvenie. These are two different scotches but between both being from Speyside and both having sherry-cask maturing, they share some similarities. Our listener question asked us to discuss the need for true humility in leadership that really values the people at the Gemba and how this naturally adds more value to the whole enterprise. After discussing this, we close by talking about our favorite non-lean podcasts. Visit http://www.leanblog.org/whiskey6 for links and more. Here are some links from the show: Jamie's Glenrothes Whisky Maker's Cut from Bounty Hunter Mark's Balvenie Triple Cask 16 Jamie's tribute to Lee Iacocca in IndustryWeek Mark's blog post on both Iacocca and Perot Article where Perot said GM was like a blanket of fog Perot's contributions to the Dallas area Email us a reader mail question at leanpodcast@gmail.com No Bull podcast about legendary Silicon Valley coach Bill Campbell Up First podcast by NPR Find the podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or at leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or at jflinch.com/leanwhiskey
S1 E5 · Mon, August 05, 2019
Lean Transformation, Automation, and Pet Peeves; Old Smokey & Rabbit Hole,
http://www.leanblog.org/whiskey5 Joining me today is a guest host, my friend Paul Critchley . Paul has been a guest blogger here on LeanBlog.org. A few months back, we also collaborated to host a "Measures of Success" workshop in Massachusetts. We had some whiskey together after the workshop so we're doing the same here in the podcast. In today's episode, we talk about whiskeys from places we visited recently. We'll get into meatier issues related to Lean transformation, automation, leadership, and the future of jobs. Then, we whine about a few pet peeves (actually, Paul's was far more substantive). Whiskeys — Theme: A place you've visited recently Paul: Ole Smoky Straight Bourbon Whiskey from Gatlinburg, TN Aged 4 years in white oak barrels Mark: Rabbit Hole Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in PX Sherry Casks Mark can't help talking about layout, flow, and the value stream… In the news: Mark introduces this article — not really news, but a good piece from The Lean Post (Lean Enterprise Institute) “ How Are You Supporting Your Own Lean Transformation? ” by Dr. Lisa Yerien of Cleveland Clinic Lean Pet Peeves The airing of the Lean grievances… it's Lean Festivus, LOL Mark: Jamie and I have both talked about “LEAN” in all caps before… I'll add articles that say “lean Six Sigma” where Six Sigma is capitalized like a proper noun, but lean is not. I asked the editor of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers about this inconsistency and he pointed to the AP Style Guide or something. So, that's a form of “standard work” but does the publication really have to follow it? Paul — a more substantive issue Lean failure rates Paul's blog post about this Back to the news Paul introduces this article from IndustryWeek “ No, Automation Is Not Causing a Decline in Workers' Income “ Fun question – what's a non-Lean podcast you really like? Paul — The Crime Junkie Podcast Mark — <a href='https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-d
S1 E4 · Wed, July 17, 2019
Nikka Whisky, Performance Reviews, KPIs, More Lean Pet Peeves
Show notes: http://leanblog.org/whiskey4 In Episode 4 of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh (and a cameo from his cat Rocco), 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 our friends at Glenns Creek Distillery, before tipping our glasses with Japanese whiskey, both from Nikka. Jamie is tasting the Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt, named after the father of Japanese whiskey, Masataka Taketsuru. Mark is tasting the Nikka Coffey Malt, named after the Coffey Still . While also covering topics like our “lean pet peeves” and binge-watching shows, we talked about benchmark data and its purpose for driving improvement. In our Lean in the News segment, we look at benchmarking data both from IndustryWeek's Best Plants competition, as well as national healthcare safety data. We explore that there are no standards for these metrics, and ask whether it really matters. In our Reader Mail segment, we explore Dr. Deming's Point 12: “abolishment of the annual or merit rating and of management by objective.” Is this lean? Can reviews be lean? What would make them fit better in a lean environment? Here are some links from the show: We once again talked about our friend David Meier of Glenns Creek Distillery We both sampled whisky from Nikka Jamie tried the Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt Mark had the Nikka Coffey Malt IndustryWeek's article on the Best Plant's performance KPIs The Boston Globe's article on Getting an accurate count on medical errors Dr. Deming's 14 Points for Management Email us a reader mail question at leanpodcast@gmail.com Check out the podcast feed at LeanWhiskey.com or at leanblog.org/leanwhiskey or at jflinch.com/leanwhiskey
S1 E3 · Mon, July 01, 2019
Kentucky Ryes, Surgical Behavior, Lean & Robots, Pet Peeves
https://www.leanblog.org/whiskey3 The first guest host joining me is my friend Chris Burnham. Chris is also an experienced Lean practitioner and leader, and we've talked about Lean over whiskey in person (at last year's KaiNexus User Conference). We chat about what we're sipping (Kentucky rye whiskeys), discuss two articles from the news, and we answer a listener question. We also added a short segment called “Lean Pet Peeves.” Jamie will be back next episode. Chris Burnham and Mark Graban start Episode 3 by telling listeners how they met and a little bit about the experience Chris has with Lean in multiple settings. We chat about the very different Kentucky Rye Whiskeys they are drinking and they move on to topics in the news, covering surgeon behavior and patient outcomes, along with robots and workers in a Lean context. We also answered a listener question about “communities of practice.” Here are links to what we discussed: Chris's Lean Leadership Podcast Whiskeys Chris: Basil Hayden's Caribbean Reserve Rye Mark: Michter's Single Barrel Rye News: “ When Surgeons Are Abrasive To Co-Workers, Patients' Health May Suffer “ Journal article from JAMA “ Lean and Robots: Dynamic Duo or Disruptive Disaster? “ Listener question: “Discuss the value of having a network or community of practice in and outside your current organization.” Ask us a question for future blog posts. Send an email to leanpodcast@gmail.com
S1 E2 · Thu, May 23, 2019
Glenns Creek Distilling, GE, Boeing, Danaher, and More
Episode page: http://www.leanblog.org/whiskey2 In Episode 2 of Lean Whiskey, we're exploring the one true “lean thinking” driven whiskey of Glenns Creek Distillery, by The Toyota Way Fieldbook author David Meier. We also explore lean news covering GE, Danaher, and Boeing, before answering our listener question about production quotas and standards. We end with a final fun question about our favorite lesser-known lean thinkers. We start by thanking the listeners of Episode 1 who shared their response to hearing the program. We continue by exploring the one true “lean thinking” driven whiskey of Glenns Creek Distillery, by The Toyota Way Fieldbook author David Meier. We also explore lean news covering GE, Danaher, and Boeing, before answering our listener question about production quotas and standards. We end with a final fun question about our favorite lesser-known lean thinkers. Here are links to what we discussed: Glenns Creek Distillery Founder David Meier's book, The Toyota Way Fieldbook Larry Culp goes to GE “ Claims of Shoddy Production Draw Scrutiny to a Second Boeing Jet ,” and Mark's blog post about the article Kaplan and Johnson's R elevance Lost H. Thomas Johnson's Profit Beyond Measure Don Wheeler's Understanding Variation Ask us a question for future blog posts. Send an email to leanpodcast@gmail.com
S1 E1 · Thu, April 25, 2019
Our Lean Whiskey Debut; Fiat Chrysler Plan; Getting Started with Lean
Recorded April 14, 2019 -- Mark and Jamie chat out their hopes for the podcast, “lean coffee,” a news story about a Fiat Chrysler plant, a reader question about getting started with lean, and more. In the very first episode of Lean Whiskey, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh, longtime friends, lean thinkers, and whiskey enthusiasts, join forces to enjoy a casual conversation — mostly about lean and a little bit about whiskey. In Episode 1, which we labeled as a “wet run” instead of a “dry run”, we share some of our joint interests, explore our whiskey choices, react to an article about lean in the news, and take a listener question. What follows are some topics and relevant links: Mark and Jamie both attended MIT's Leaders for Manufacturing program, now rebranded as Leaders for Global Operations Mark shared his selection for non-Kentucky American whiskey as Garrison Brothers — the award-winning Balmorhea release Jamie shared his Wyoming Whiskey Outryder Mark and Jamie discussed this article about the Toledo Jeep factory Ask us a question for future blog posts. Send an email to leanpodcast@gmail.com

Lean Coffee Talk (formerly known as Lean Whiskey)

Starbucks, Honeywell, Tariffs, and Toyota

The Final Episode... or Is It?

Japan Study Tour, a Lost iPhone, and Some Hibiki and Ichiro's Malt

Oops! Lockout Tagout Your Equipment, but Not My Whiskey

From Decriminalizing Medical Errors, Mouse Jiggling, and New Bourbons

AI (ChatGPT) Takes Over Lean Whiskey, Including the Role of Bartender

Crossover Episode: Just-in-Time Cafe and Lean Whiskey: Flinchbaugh, Graban, Swan, O'Rourke

New Year’s Resolutions, But not Dry January; Boeing Makes One

Safety at SpaceX Under Elon Musk; 100 Years of Suntory Whiskey

Reflecting on the GE Lean Mindset Event, Including Ford, Uber, and PG&E

Should Lean be Forced? Running & Evaluating Experiments with the Podcast and Beyond, Inexpensive Sip

If Burbn Didn’t Pivot to Instagram, We Might Not Have Threads

Does Starbucks’ CEO Serving Coffee and Uber’s CEO Driving Passengers Do Any Good? Tasting Sourced Whiskeys

Toasting the U.S. Micro Whiskey of the Year (Glenns Creek OCD #5), and the Need to Recommit to Patient Safety

Starbucks’ Gemba, Toyota’s Tour, Product Innovation & Lean Process Improvements

Jamie Flinchbaugh & Chris Kauzmann on Design Thinking’s Relationship to Lean Thinking

Going to ”Gemba” at Scotch Whisky Distilleries; Work Retreats

Crazy Ideas, From Shipping Flowers to Crab Whiskey

On the Road Again and In Person for the First Time

Employee Engagement Beyond Buying Them Pizza (or Bourbon)

End a Year, End a Bottle; Start a Year, Start a Bottle

Celebrating 30 Episodes, Writing Books, and Great Whiskey

Yellow Cards, Coffee Cocktails, and a Smashed Barrel

Mistakes Make us Better (and Sometimes Make Whiskey Necessary?)

Lean Coffee: Pour Over Edition With Inventory / Supply Chain Talk

The Accidental St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, and Discussing New CEOs Carol Tomé, Rosalind Brewer, and Jane Fraser

Peaty Scotch, Working from Home, and Misunderstood Lean Phrases with Jim Benson

Homemade Whiskey Cream and Vaccination (Not to be Mixed Up)

Finishing 2020 with Kentucky Bourbon, Eggnog, and Kata Talk

Catching Up with Honsha Friends Over Whisky, Sake, and an Old Fashioned

Highland Park Scotch, What is the Point of Lean During a Rare Pandemic?

Live from the Colorado Lean Network Summit, Affordable Whiskeys

Mark Graban & Cliff Hazell: Amrut, Uncle Nearest, and Some Tweets

Just the Two of Us (Mark Graban & Jamie Flinchbaugh), Islay Scotch & More

Show Firsts: 3 People (Jim Huntzinger), 2 Pours, 3 Keynotes

Relocating Coast to Coast, Making Cocktails, and Covid

Shelter-in-Place & Drink Local; Proper Handwashing Instructions

Monday! "Lean Whiskey Live"

Coronavirus, Supply Chains, and Just-in-Time; Adding Water to Whiskey

Don’t Drink Pacific Northwest Whiskeys While Standing in Ohno’s Circle?

Canadian Whiskey, the Ups & Downs of Healthcare, and a CEO Thrown Under the Bus

Lean Goals, a King is Saved, and a 4-Day Work Week at Microsoft

The Grinch Stole our Tech, Holiday Whiskey, Lean in Japan, and Getting Ready for 2020

Affordable Bourbon, Halloween, Air Travel, Six Sigma, and Lean as a 2nd Job

Lean Gin! And ”Chummy Lean Chat” About PDCA; More Pet Peeves; The Funniest Thing...

The Current State of Lean; Sharing Whiskey Samples; Bringing Lean Home

Remembering Lee Iacocca, and Ross Perot; Speyside Scotch

Lean Transformation, Automation, and Pet Peeves; Old Smokey & Rabbit Hole,

Nikka Whisky, Performance Reviews, KPIs, More Lean Pet Peeves

Kentucky Ryes, Surgical Behavior, Lean & Robots, Pet Peeves

Glenns Creek Distilling, GE, Boeing, Danaher, and More

Our Lean Whiskey Debut; Fiat Chrysler Plan; Getting Started with Lean