My guest for Episode #276 is a Lean consultant (although he might not prefer that term) and an author, A J (Andy) Sheppard.
Andy is the author of The Incredible Transformation of Gregory Todd: A Novel about Leadership and Managing Change. He also contributed a chapter to my Practicing Lean book project. You can download the PDF of his chapter here and I hope you'll consider buying the book (it's for a good cause).
From his bio: “He is a coach for leaders of change. His core expertise is helping workforces to quickly achieve systematic change in practice. A former McKinsey & Company consultant, he has now spent eighteen years working out this art of transformation in diverse industrial environments across the USA, Europe and Asia. He also continues to draw from prior experience of navigating change in corporate environments and experiencing it on shop floors.
Further information about Andy can be found on www.ajsheppard.com. Andy is also happy to take any follow-up questions about leading change on his Goodreads Author Page.” I hope you enjoy the conversation, which touches on Lean, change management, the need to balance empathy and urgency, and more.
Streaming Player (Run Time 42:40)
For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/276.
Topics and Links for this Episode:
- How did you get introduced to Lean?
- What are the three questions a leader needs to ask to transform an operation?
- What are some of the common pitfalls?
- Tell us about your book – The Incredible Transformation of Gregory Todd… why do deliberately not call it a “lean book”?
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Podcast Summary
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Let’s work together to build a culture of continuous improvement and psychological safety. If you're a leader looking to create lasting change—not just projects—I help organizations:
- Engage people at all levels in sustainable improvement
- Shift from fear of mistakes to learning from them
- Apply Lean thinking in practical, people-centered ways
Interested in coaching or a keynote talk? Let’s start a conversation.
