Episode 059: Bridging Lean Thinking, Leadership, and the DBA with Stacy Falconer

Most organizations don't suffer from a lack of smart people.They suffer from too many handoffs, too many silos, too much duplication, and too many processes that nobody has stopped to question.In this episode of DBA Chronicles, hosts Dr. Kelly Burich andDr. Valrie Grant sat down with DBA candidate Stacy Falconer, Vice President of Healthcare and Commercial Strategy at Premium Label and Packaging Solutions and Founder & CEO of Jump Strategy. Stacy shares her journey from working inher family’s bakery at age 14 to leading strategy in highly regulated manufacturing environments and pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration. She offers a candid look at what it means to bridge thegap between practitioner expertise and academic research. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in manufacturing, operations, and strategic leadership, she discusses how her doctoral research could help organizations uncover inefficiencies, improve collaboration, and create sustainable operational improvements. The conversation explores the realities of operationalexcellence, the hidden costs of organizational silos, and why successful transformation requires more than bringing in outside consultants, it requires engaging the people who do the work every day. Stacy also reflects on leadership, servant leadership principles, and the role executive teams play inbuilding cultures of continuous improvement. Memorable Quote“The more you know, the better you can show up for others.” — Stacey Falconer Whether you're an executive, entrepreneur, consultant,researcher, or DBA student, this conversation is a powerful reminder that sustainable performance isn't built through mandates, it's built through collaboration, curiosity, and a willingness to listen to the people closest to the work. Connect with UsLinkedIn: DBA ChroniclesWebsite: www.dbachronicles.org Subscribe & ReviewIf this episode resonated with you, share it with your network and leave a review. Your support helps us continue amplifying the voices shaping the global DBA scholar-practitioner community.