If you listened to Episode 40, in which Mary Andrawis and I explore the topic, and nerd out a bit about Leadership Speech Acts, you probably sensed that we had a lot more that we wanted to talk about. And you'd be right.   In this bonus episode Mary and I revisit Leadership Speech Acts and dive a bit deeper sprinkling in a few complimentary topics such as "Yes, and...", "Loose/Tight", "Power of Choice", and "Assuming Positive Intent".   As Mary puts it, "our words can help shape the future...

In Episode 40, Mary Andrawis and I explore the topic, and nerd out a bit about Leadership Speech Acts. As Mary puts it, "our words can help shape the future if we use them intentionally." In this Episode we explore the four common speech acts of... declarations attestations and assessments requests and offers acknowledgments This is an episode you will want to listen to again in again. Mary A. Andrawis, Pharm.D., M.P.H. is Founder and President of Serafina Health Strategy. She has more than...

In Episode 39, I have the great privilege of nerding out with the bestselling author, Jodi Brandstetter as we discuss how the improvement method, Design Thinking can be applied to HR -  helping to identify, recruit, onboard, and retain top talent. Jodi Brandstetter, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is passionate about being an entrepreneur that focuses on providing talent acquisition strategies to businesses, career guidance, and training and development.  With 20 years of Human Resources, Recruiting, and...

In Episode 38, AJ Hobbs and I discuss the multiple ways an belt can add value to an organization. During our conversation we discuss the advantages of becoming a generalist when it comes to improvement. We can appreciate that there are two sides to this coin, generalizing vs. specializing. We do tip our hats to the specialists, but we don't necessarily nerd out about that. Instead we dive deep on becoming an Improvement Nerd Generalist, while discussing what it is like to go to grad school...

In Episode 37, I nerd out with Craig Willis of Skore (www.getskore.com) about the importance of process mapping. Per Craig, organization's need to make mapping processes as simple as having a conversation. In fact, that is Craig's personal mission, to help organizations map at the speed of conversation. Craig's goal is to make process mapping and analysis easy and accessible so that anyone can do it. Providing insights and process maps to your process improvement team so they can focus on...

In Episode 36, guest Minid Epstein gives the Improvement Nerds audience permission to be their authentic selves. To embrace their imperfections and to go forward even when you don't have it all figured out.By practicing Wabi Sabi, you learn to see the beauty in imperfection, no longer allowing perfection to get in your way of becoming who you were meant to be.Through her work as a successful business owner, nonprofit leader and passionate archeologist, Mindi Epstein has inspired women around...

Have you found yourself at a career crossroads and not known what to do? In Episode 35, Marla Holdread shares that the best thing to do when at a career crossroad, is to think like a designer. Her advice is to stay curious, to be willing to experiment, to reframe the problem, and to collaborate.Marla Holdread is an executive coach, career strategist, and founder of Shift Leadership. Her passion is to help senior leaders and professionals shift into the next level of career success. Marla...

In Episode 34 I have the chance to nerd out with Angie Redmon about some of the strategies that an organization can employ to help improve their work culture, while embarking on a journey to become one of the Best Places to Work. Angie works with companies who aspire to have an award-winning workplace distinction. You’ve heard of these, I’m sure—Best Workplaces, Top Workplaces, Best Banks, etc. She has 15 best workplaces awards under her belt, and now she guides companies through the process...

Episode 33 is timely for two reasons. One is that the episode is about servant leadership, an important topic considering the current amount of uncertainty in our world. And the other reason is that the episode airs shortly after Veterans Day. Our guest Tom Crea, joins us and nerds out with us about his years of service and the lessons he learned about serving others.  A key concept from this episode is that serving others through love and purpose leads to superb outcomes. On Tom's website he...

Episode 32 is so streaking awesome. Join me, Jami Downs, and Jeffrey Downs as we nerd out about streaking - not the streaking you're thinking.  This streaking includes creating a "be statement", setting a goal, and then streaking your way toward improvement. This episode celebrates the idea of becoming who you want to be through consistent conscious actions done daily, weekly, or monthly or through Streaking. Jami Downs is a mother, leader, teacher, and passionate volunteer. Her love of...

How many creative types do you know that can nerd out about Design Thinking and Agile Project Management?Yeah, not many. My guest for Episode 31, Sheena Birt, does that and opens the door for how combining the best of left-braining thinking and right-brain thinking can lead to awesome design in an organized, repeatable way.Sheena Birt is the owner of Color Story Studio. She partners with businesses to improve their in-person guest experience through visual displays, custom lighting, and...

How many creative types do you know that can nerd out about Design Thinking and Agile Project Management?Yeah, not many. My guest for Episode 31, Sheena Birt, does that and opens the door for how combining the best of left-braining thinking and right-brain thinking can lead to awesome design in an organized, repeatable way.

In Episode 30, Mike Bensi and I nerd out about the importance of culture in the workplace. As we dive deep on the topic we talk about the importance of routinely assessing culture and studying what the key drivers of culture might be. In Mike's experience there are many things that impact culture, but the big ones are:trust in leadershipcommunicationclarity of goalopportunity to contribute and make an impacthaving the resources you need to do your jobopportunities for growth and...

In this Bonus Episode with Laura Pullen McMichael we nerd out about journey of becoming a Certified Black Belt through ASQ. As we reflect on our individual journeys to certify we talk about study strategy, preparing for the exam, passing the exam, and applying our new knowledge to help drive improvement. If you have ever asked yourself, any of these questions..."What is a Black Belt?""Should I get my Black Belt?""What type of value does a Black Belt bring?" Then this episode is for you.

In Episode 29, I nerd out with Amy Woodall about the idea of Extreme Ownership. In Amy's words, "Extreme Ownership is about owning your 50. It is about accepting that in any situation you are 50% of the problem and 50% of the solution." In this episode we dive deep on Extreme Ownership, but we also nerd out about The Dreaded Drama Triangle, leadership, parenting, and self-awareness. Amy has spent the last 15 years in the world of customer service and sales. She works with companies globally...

In this episode, Sarah brings her global health experience, travel nursing experience, and passion for caring for the caregiver to the table as we envision how much better healthcare could be if we provided healthcare professionals the space they need to practice self-care. I struggle to summarize this episode because we touch on so much. We talk a bit about the struggles and excitement of starting a business. The heartache of watching people wrestle with burnout. The importance of morning...

 In Episode 27 I nerd out with Lindsay Tjepkema about the importance of making authentic connections as a leader, as a business, and as a brand. In this episode Lindsay shares strategies on how leaders and organization's can establish trust while building a strong relationships that will drive engagement and loyalty.Lindsay Tjepkema is the CEO and co-founder of Casted, the first and only marketing platform built around branded podcasts. With more than 15 years of experience in B2B marketing,...

Episode 26 dives deep on the concept that you have to be well before you can have the energy to enact lasting change in your career, your family, your health, in others, etc. In Erica's words, for a person to have whole wellness they need to focus on 6 key things: what they eat, how much they sleep, how they move, what is their purpose, what is their community, and spirituality. Erica is the founder of Erica Ballard Health – a wellness company that optimizes individuals’ energy through food....

In Episode 25 Jeff Veyera and I nerd out about the importance of addressing culture as part of any change or improvement initiative. In this episode we dive deep on culture, engagement, process improvement, and Quality 4.0. Jeff Veyera is a 25 year quality professional, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Senior Member of the American Society for Quality with multi-industry experience.  Air Force Academy graduate and former Air Force logistics officer.  Author of "Culture Is Everything". To...

In Episode 24 I nerd out with Lori Lovens about people's natural instincts to innovate or to stay the same. Lori is a dynamic innovator who delivered hundreds of millions of dollars of product innovation growth for Gatorade and other global brands. Her deep understanding of innovation, from ideation through commercialization, was developed over the past 25 years via immersion in hundreds of cross-functional projects as team member, project leader, marketing director, innovation coach,...

In Episode 23, Stephanie Norling and I connect to discuss the ins and outs of the Communities of Excellence program sponsored by Baldrige. The Communities of Excellence program is a framework that is used by self-defined communities to help them define their approach to leadership, establish a strategy for their community, and implement their plan while tracking results.Stephanie Norling has been Director of Communities of Excellence 2026 since 2014. In her roles as Director, Stephanie...

In Episode 22, Gerald Bush, and I get down and dirty about Emotional Intelligence. Specifically, what is it, why its important, and how individuals can strengthen their EQ.Per Gerald, Emotional Intelligence in leaders, and environments that are psychologically safe to take risks go hand in hand. We hope you enjoy the episode.As Chief EQ Officer and founder of GBKB Consulting, Gerald provides HR support, leadership development and coaching to diverse organizations. Gerald is an influential and...

In episode 21, Jeanette Renshaw, from Smart Scale Consulting, and I nerd out hard core about the importance of standardizing first, then scaling second. Some of the other things we nerd out about include systems thinking, the Goal, pizza trackers, and inspection.Jeanette is true improvement nerd, she is a problem solver with a passion to help companies achieve repeatable, predictable, and profitable results in order to scale revenue and optimize their business - specifically focusing on the...

In Episode 20, Jason Barnaby and I nerd out hardcore about helping people to address self-doubt and to take the first steps toward doing what they are passionate about. As Jason puts it, he wants to "Torch Fear and Ignite Hope." Which is the mission of the company he founded, Fire Starters, Inc.These days, achieving his mission of #IgniteHope and #TorchFear means working with executive teams to accelerate THRU the firestorm of the New Now and navigate TO the New Normal. To create a better and...