The Lean Solutions Podcast

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, hosts Patrick Adams, Andy Olrich, and guest Steve Riley discuss the importance of leadership behaviors in maintaining Lean initiatives. They highlight how unintentional actions, such as not picking up trash or not following standard work, can undermine Lean efforts. Steve Riley, a manufacturing operations leader with over 30 years of experience, emphasizes the need for consistent leadership presence, protecting standards under pressure, and fostering team-led improvements. They also explore the significance of measuring both leading and lagging indicators to ensure continuous improvement. Additionally, Riley introduces his company's digital shadow board service, which simplifies the creation of tool organization systems.

Key Takeaways:
Leadership behavior matters more than Lean tools
What leaders do in the moment defines credibility
Lean breaks when standards are optional
Improvement must be part of daily work

Links:
Lean Solutions 2026 Summit
Lean Solutions Website
Click Here for Steve Riley's LinkedIn
[email protected]
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What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
In this second part episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, Patrick Adams and Shane Daughenbaugh discuss the initial steps for a new leader implementing Lean principles. They emphasize understanding the current state through one-on-one interviews and Jeff Liker's leadership development model, which includes personal development, coaching others, daily Kaizen, and establishing a vision. Patrick advises starting with a model area to experiment with Lean concepts on a smaller scale. Shayne shares his experience of finding a champion and creating a safe space for experimentation. They both stress the importance of learning from failures, building team capability, and gradually introducing Lean practices to achieve organizational goals.

Key Takeaways:
Start Lean by Understanding the Current State—Not by Teaching Tools
Your First 90 Days Should Focus on Leadership Development, Not Control
Create a “Sandbox” or Model Area to Learn Fast and Safely
Failure Is a Win When Learning Is the Goal
Links:
Lean Solutions 2026 Summit
Lean Solutions Website
⁠⁠Click Here For Shayne Daughenbaugh’s LinkedIn⁠
⁠⁠⁠Click Here For Patrick Adams’ LinkedIn⁠⁠

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, Patrick Adams and Shane Daughenbaugh explore what the first 90 days should look like after discovering Lean or stepping into a new organization. Once someone understands the principles of continuous improvement, what should they actually do first? They discuss how your approach must shift depending on your level of influence. Whether you’re an executive, middle manager, or individual contributor, rushing into tools and events can create resistance instead of momentum.
They advise spending time in direct reports' roles, having one-on-one conversations, and documenting feedback to identify common issues and improve processes. They also highlight the value of using emotions as flags and leveraging AI to analyze data for better decision-making. They agree on the importance of empathy and trust-building in leadership.
Key Takeaways
Your Role Determines Your Strategy
Start with Listening, Not Implementing
Culture Before Tools
Perspective Changes Everything
Links: 
Lean Solutions 2026 Summit
Lean Solutions Website
⁠⁠Click Here For Shayne Daughenbaugh’s LinkedIn⁠
⁠⁠⁠Click Here For Patrick Adams’ LinkedIn⁠⁠

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
In this episode of the Lean Solutions Podcast, Andy Olrich and Catherine McDonald explore what happens after the strategy day is over. Once goals are set, how do organizations move from planning to real execution? They highlight the challenges of managing too many goals and the necessity of engaging teams in the strategy process. 
They unpack why teams often struggle—not because they lack ideas—but because they have too many priorities and not enough clarity on where to start. The discussion focuses on practical frameworks for filtering, prioritizing, and executing goals in a way that aligns strategy with daily work.
Key Takeaways:
Teams don’t struggle from a lack of ideas—they struggle from too many priorities.
Don’t start where it’s exciting—start where it’s expensive.
Use structure to remove subjectivity.
Links:
Lean Solutions 2026 Summit
Lean Solutions Website
⁠⁠Click Here For Catherine McDonald’s LinkedIn⁠⁠
⁠⁠Click Here For Andy Olrich’s LinkedIn⁠⁠

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
In this episode, hosts Catherine McDonald and Shayne Daughenbaugh discuss what coaching in the workplace really means. Why it’s far more than a buzzword. The conversation breaks down the difference between coaching, training, and mentoring, and explains how coaching serves as a powerful leadership approach for developing people, building trust, and sustaining continuous improvement.
They emphasize how coaching shows up in day-to-day work through huddles, Gemba walks, and one-on-ones, and how lean tools like PDCA naturally support a coaching mindset.
Key Takeaways
Coaching is a leadership approach, not an event.
Coaching is different from training and mentoring.
Every day work creates coaching opportunities.
Links
Lean Solutions 2026 Summit
Lean Solutions Website
⁠⁠Click Here For Shayne Daughenbaugh’s LinkedIn⁠
⁠Click Here For Catherine McDonald’s LinkedIn⁠⁠