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.

136: Stop Solving Your Team's Problems with Paul Akers