KPI Fireside: A Continuous Improvement Podcast

How do leaders unknowingly create cultures of compliance instead of commitment? In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Michael Stevens, Presidential Professor of Leadership Studies and a global expert on the people side of performance, to explore what truly separates management from leadership and why respect, not authority, is the real driver of execution.

🔻 Why leadership is less about directing work an...

How do bad meetings quietly destroy culture, morale, and execution? In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Evan Unger, a leadership and culture expert with more than 30 years of experience helping organizations improve how decisions actually get made.

🔻 Why meetings are where leadership actually shows up—and why people judge leaders based on how meetings feel

🔻 The real cost of 50% effective meetings on c...

In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Bryan Schmidt, a CPA, author, and finance transformation leader who spent more than two decades turning manual, paper-heavy finance processes into streamlined, automated systems.

🔻 Why ERP systems are the foundation of any successful finance transformation

🔻 The simple ROI math executives expect and how to frame improvement ideas for approval

🔻 Why quick wins matter ...

How do you make innovation and transformation actually stick instead of stalling out in planning decks and dashboards? In this episode, Keith Norris talks with Claire Quigley, founder of Tech Team Whisperer. With more than 20 years of experience spanning strategy, innovation, digital transformation, and people leadership across startups and global organizations, Claire explains why most transformations fail and what leaders must do...

How do you build a continuous improvement system that works across industries, scales with growth, and actually changes how people think and act? In this episode, Keith Norris talks with Keshawn Cupid, CEO of Modern Kaizen. Drawing on his journey from the U.S. Navy to consulting across manufacturing, healthcare, food service, government contracting, and more, Keshawn shares why mindset comes before tools and how organizations can m...

How often do organizations say they are “doing Lean” while quietly undermining it through everyday leadership behaviors?

In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Bob Emiliani, a respected author, researcher, and longtime critic of superficial Lean implementations. Bob shares candid insights on why most Lean transformations fail, the difference between tools and true Lean thinking, and how leadership behavior...

How do you build a continuous improvement culture that actually sticks, especially across large, complex organizations? In this episode, Keith Norris talks with Dan Barata, Corporate Director of Continuous Improvement at East Penn Manufacturing. With decades of experience across manufacturing, healthcare, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals, Dan shares why CI must start with people, not tools, and how leaders can create the space,...

How do you build resilience and continuous improvement into your life and work, no matter the challenge? In this episode, Keith Norris talks with Janine LeaBarrett, a governance and engineering leader whose career spans mining, construction, local government, and five seasons in Antarctica. From surviving a life-changing accident to leading teams in some of the harshest conditions on earth, Janine shares practical lessons on clarit...

What if the key to sustaining improvement has less to do with tools and more to do with the brain itself? In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Chris Hayes, CEO of Impact Performance Solutions, Shingo Licensed Affiliate, ASQ Fellow, and author of Wired for Excellence: Harnessing Brain Science for Organizational Success.

🔻 Why improvement wins fade and how the Shingo Model strengthens sustainment

🔻 The brain science of change...

What actually makes projects succeed — and why do so many fail before they even begin?

In this episode, Keith sits down with Adriana Girdler, President & Chief Efficiency Officer at CornerStone Dynamics, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, PMP, productivity expert, and one of the top project management voices in North America. With over 260K YouTube subscribers and 20+ years leading organizational transformation, Adriana breaks do...

What does it really take to build a culture of excellence? In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Tina Agustiady, award-winning continuous improvement leader, author, and Vice President at J.P. Morgan Chase. With decades of experience leading Lean and Six Sigma transformations across major organizations, Tina shares what it means to create lasting improvement by putting people first.

🔻 Why culture, not tools, is the true foun...

How can sustainability become more than a buzzword and drive real improvement? In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Lorenzo Long, Sustainability Coordinator for Ogden City, to explore how cities can turn environmental goals into practical, measurable change. From energy efficiency to policy design, Lorenzo shares how small wins and smart framing create lasting impact.

🔻 How Ogden City is embedding sustainability into its lo...

What does it take to build a culture where improvement sticks? In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Pete Gough, retired transformation leader and former head of Business Improvement at major mining organizations including Rio Tinto, Newcrest, and Goldfields. Over his decades-long career, Pete helped shape hundreds of improvement projects, mentored future leaders, and proved that true transformation starts with people, not t...

What makes improvement efforts succeed or fail? In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Steve Burkle, Global Director of Operational Excellence, to explore the real factors that determine whether continuous improvement takes root or fades away. With more than 30 years leading OpEx transformations, Steve shares lessons learned from the front lines, what it takes to sustain change, develop problem solvers, and create a culture w...

What separates companies that try Lean from those that live it? In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Darren Dolcemascolo, co-founder and managing partner of EMS Consulting Group, to talk about what it really takes to create sustainable improvement. From his early career in operations to helping hundreds of organizations transform through Lean, Darren shares hard-earned lessons on leadership, engagement, and how to keep the ...

In this special 30th episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris looks back on the most powerful lessons shared across thirty conversations with leaders, thinkers, and change-makers in the world of continuous improvement.

From the shop floor to the boardroom, these stories reveal a simple truth — improvement isn’t about tools or projects, but about people, culture, leadership, and daily habits that make progress sustainable.

🔻 Improv...

In this episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Jared Thatcher, Lean Business Consultant, founder of the Global Lean Summit, and author of Parenting the Lean Way, to explore how companies can drive continuous cost improvement without draining their people.

🔺 Why Lean should never stand for "less employees are needed"

🔺 How to use Lean to build morale, not fear

🔺 The role of leadership in protecting improvement c...

In this episode of KPI Fireside, Keith Norris sits down with Luca Giovanni Guadagnuolo, a seasoned consultant and Lean transformation leader with decades of experience driving operational excellence across Europe. Luca shares how his journey began at Whirlpool, why he was drawn to Lean from the start, and what it takes to align people across cultures, industries, and leadership levels.

🔻 How to engage frontline teams with A3 thinki...

In this episode of KPI Fireside, Keith Norris sits down with Bruce Hamilton, the legendary “Toast Kaizen” teacher, to explore how storytelling can unlock a culture of continuous improvement. Bruce shares lessons from decades of Lean leadership, why respect for people is the true foundation of TPS, and how even small, inch wide and mile deep improvements can transform an organization. From poka yoke to AI, he shows why the future of...