Bruce Hamilton on Toast Kaizen and the Power of Teaching Lean Through Story

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 Lean is still rooted in everyday learning and respect. 🔻 The story behind Toast Kaizen and why it still resonates today 🔻 The four Lean philosophies that never change: customer first, people as the most valuable resource, go see, and kaizen every day 🔻 Why inch wide, mile deep is the smartest way to build momentum 🔻 How poka yoke turns mistakes into smarter systems 🔻 Where AI fits in and why it should be AI plus people 👉 Listen now and take one small improvement idea from this episode to put into action today. 🔗 Connect with Bruce Hamilton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-hamilton-a09a4616/ 🔗 Explore GBMP: https://www.gbmp.org/ 🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/ 🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/ 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.