Pursuing Operational Excellence with Andy Reith

Want a clearer picture of what’s working in your business—and what needs attention? Take the free 12 Fundamentals Assessment for a personalized score and your clearest next step: 12fundamentals.comRegister for Operationalize Your Business — February 13, 2023In this episode, we share a conversation between Path for Growth COO Zack Estes and Origin Footwear COO Andy Reith about what it means to pursue operational excellence. Andy shares some of the biggest lessons he learned from working at Toyota for ten years, and he explains how he’s grown as a leader since taking on his role at Origin. Andy also shares practical insight about communicating your mission to customers, balancing the tension of serving customers with staying true to your values, and incorporating Lean principles into a service-based business.  Can you tell us about your experience working at Toyota for 10 years? (4:05) What’s the biggest lesson you learned early in your career? (8:18) What inspired you to focus on American manufacturing and join Origin? (13:16) What challenges have you encountered while teaching principle-based thinking? (19:01) Why is it so important to make work/information visible? (23:37)  What’s the difference between value add activity and waste? (26:26) How do you encourage innovation while also determining what’s valuable? (29:00) Is there tension between serving the customer and manufacturing in America? (30:29) How do you communicate your mission to customers? (37:24) What have you learned about communication from working at Origin? (41:43) How do you keep up with maintenance without spreading yourself too thin? (45:49) What sets Origin apart when it comes to your mission? (51:49) How can a service-based business pursue Lean ideas? (55:33) Helpful Links and ResourcesIf you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.Path for Growth Membership If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below. Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it. Sign up for the Worth It Wednesday Email Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.Links Andy Mentioned Get 30% off Andy’s OpEx Course “The Toyota Way” “The Birth of Lean” Follow Andy on Instagram and LinkedIn Not sure where to start? Describe what’s happening in your business or team, then explore 400+ practical resources to help you take the next right step: resources.pathforgrowth.com