136: Stop Solving Your Team's Problems with Paul Akers
Most business owners think AI and new technology will fix what's broken in their company. Paul Akers disagrees — and he's been inside factories with 10,000 employees on every continent to back it up.
In Part 2 of this conversation, Paul and Dwayne go deeper into the mechanics of Lean culture, and why the secret to happiness and business success might be the same thing.
In this episode:
- Paul's three-word formula for rolling out Lean in any organization without blowing up the culture: slow, consistent, and self-selection
- The 30-minute challenge: instead of solving an employee's problem on the spot, Paul gives them 30 minutes to come up with three solutions on their own — and why that single shift changes everything about how a team operates
- Why Lean is not a burden — it's pure joy: when every tool is where it belongs, every process flows, and people aren't waiting on you to fix things, the business stops grinding and starts moving
- Paul's take on AI and technology: they are accelerants to a well-run company, not a substitute for one
Episode Highlights:
00:00 - Technology Not The Answer
00:17 - Podcast Intro And Setup
01:20 - Change Only When Ready
01:58 - Burn The Ships Commitment
03:05 - Slow Consistent Self Selection
04:11 - The Bob Conversation
06:17 - Labor Laws And Firing Customers
07:14 - Communicate With Video
09:11 - Lean Should Feel Fun
10:28 - Tools And Process Thinking
13:00 - Progress Equals Happiness
13:33 - Gemba Walkthrough Basics
15:22 - Teach People To Solve Problems
17:30 - Meetings Are Mostly Waste
20:19 - No Departments Just Lean
21:25 - What Gemba Really Means
22:56 - Job Sites And Lean Visits
25:21 - Action This Day - Winston Churchill
28:43 - Capture Lists And Proximity
31:04 - Text Expanders For Flow
32:23 - Instant App Sharing
32:54 - Flow With Text Expanders
34:10 - Avoiding Overproduction
34:32 - What Slow Really Means
36:02 - Lean Health Basics
38:47 Lean Life Happiness Map
40:36 - Filling Knowledge Gaps
42:34 - One Improvement Daily
44:34 - AI As An Accelerant
46:31 - Simple Finance Systems
49:07 - Lean Culture At Home
52:43 - Japan Mission Requirements
54:25 - Hiring For Humility
56:24 - Lean Is Fun Closing
58:23 - Where To Find Paul
59:59 - Podcast Wrap Up
Resources mentioned:
- 2 Second Lean — Paul Akers
- Lean Health, Lean Travel, Lean Life, Banish Sloppiness — Paul Akers
- Toyota Production System (TPS)
- Kaizen foam — referenced tool for visual process organization
- 5 Whys — Japanese problem-solving method referenced
- Training Within Industry (TWI) — referenced framework
- Getting Things Done — book by David Allen
- FastCap YouTube channel — https://www.youtube.com/user/fastcaptv
Quotes:
“ The answer to having a great company is not to focus on technology or focus on AI. Those are tools that are accelerants to a well run company. You still have to have a well run, well organized company with well-trained people.” - Paul Akers
“ I almost don't know what's going on in my company anymore. It's, it's so, they're, they're so far ahead.” - Paul Akers
“ I met a lot of my needs of significance and certainty by solving people's problems for them.” - Dwayne Kerrigan
“ Slow, consistent and self-select. Self-select. The people that don't wanna do this will self-select out.” - Paul Akers
“ People are depressed, because nothing's changing. And matter of fact, they're in decline. This Lean thing, this idea of continuous improvement is like the secret to life.” - Paul Akers
About Paul Akers: Paul Akers is the founder and president of FastCap, a product development company specializing in woodworking tools and hardware for professional builders, started in his garage in 1997. FastCap now has thousands of distributors in over 40 countries and launches 20–30 innovative products per year. Paul is the author of 2 Second Lean — now available in 15 languages and a Shingo Institute award winner — along with many additional books. He has won Seattle Business Magazine's Business Executive of the Year and spoken in over 34 countries.
Connect with Paul Akers: https://paulakers.net/
Connect with Dwayne Kerrigan
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed by guests during The Dwayne Kerrigan Podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Dwayne Kerrigan and his affiliates. Dwayne Kerrigan or The Dwayne Kerrigan Podcast is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. Listeners are advised to consult with a qualified professional or specialist before making any decisions based on the content of this podcast.