Most business improvement efforts fail.
Yours doesn’t have to.
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Podcast Guest
Who is Darren Walsh?
In 2015, Darren founded Making Lean Work Ltd to tackle a problem most leaders would rather ignore:
- Why do so many teams fail to make continuous improvement and problem-solving actually work?
You know the pattern. Maturity models that look great on paper. Belt training that produces certificates but not results. Initiatives that launch with energy then quietly fade. Meanwhile, the same struggles continue - inconsistent delivery, rising costs, improvements that don't stick.
Most improvement activities fail for one reason: leaders focus on tools and activities without building the system to support them.
Darren's approach is different. He helps leaders build the infrastructure that makes improvement actually work - the leadership routines, problem-solving ability, and accountability structures that turn good intentions into lasting results.
What this looks like:
3X Output Increases | 50-90% Lead-Time Reduction | 35-65% Labour Cost Savings |
These aren't one-time wins from a consultant-led push. They're sustainable results that come from building capability into how your organisation actually operates.
Why Audiences Value Darren’s Insight
- 30+ years leading and fixing operations across multiple industries.
- Author & Shingo Prize nominee — A Leader’s Guide to Making Lean & Continuous Improvement Work (Routledge Productivity Press).
- Proven track record for delivering breakthrough results.
- Invited speaker at global organisations:• Lean Global Network • Lean Institute • Lean Enterprise Academy • Academi Wales (Welsh Gov) • Buckingham Lean Enterprise University (BLUE) • Middlesex University • Baker Hughes •
- Podcast guest: Gemba Academy • Lean Blog • Connecting the Dots.
How Leaders Can Drive Continuous Improvement
Without Firefighting, Great Big Improvement Teams, or Fading Results.
I show audiences how to:
- Escape firefighting and chaos.
- Build teams that thrive and deliver profitable growth.
- Unleash their organisation's hidden capacity.
- Transform the work of leadership and management, trebling their value.
Audience Promise: practical routines you can implement in days, not months, to create time, flow, and results that last.
Core Speaking Topics
Building Consistency in Daily Actions and Results
Firefighting is the corporate drug of choice. It gives the illusion of progress but quietly kills growth, fuelling chaos and quick fixes.
Key Takeaway: Learn how to build a management system that creates time instead of consuming it - so you can escape crisis mode, stabilise performance, and greater results.
(And How To Fix Yours)
Most improvement programs die quietly. They generate activity and quick wins, but the organisation fundamentally stays the same.
Takeaway: Discover three strategic approaches that distinguish failing improvement initiatives from organisations that build lasting, high-performing improvement cultures.
From Traditional Management Solution Mode to Legacy Builder
Managers don’t need another Lean tool - they need new habits. The real challenge in continuous improvement isn’t the methodology - it’s leaders defaulting to solution mode.
Key Takeaway: Real leaders don't fix problems—they build systems that do. Discover three leadership routines that help teams tackle the right issues, sustain improvements, and amplify results.
Build Continuous Improvement That Actually Delivers
For most organisations, Kaizen is a cycle of stop-start activity - driven by a few experts and rarely sustained. The result? Busy teams, but little business impact and change.
Key Takeaway: Discover a practical framework that drives continuous improvement on two critical fronts—depth and speed—turning customer pressure into profitable growth, fast.
Getting To Root Cause Isn't Luck Or Genius — It's A Process.
Most teams treat symptoms, not problems. Issues return, frustration builds, and people wait for someone else to fix it.
Takeaway: Discover the hidden pitfalls sabotaging your problem-solving and the framework that eliminates them — empowering every team to solve stubborn problems fast, no specialists required.
From Corporate Offsite to Real Strategic Change
Most strategic planning sessions aren't strategic at all—they're budget meetings with better catering. The result? Ambitious goals without a system to achieve them, and no breakthrough thinking to transform the organisation.
Key Takeaway: Learn the 9-step Hoshin process that turns strategy into action and delivers real results.
Workshops & Breakouts
Daily Lean Management:
Escaping firefighting: From daily drama to delivery confidence
Lean Management System:
How leaders can drive continuous improvement and get big results
Total Kaizen Culture:
How to drive improvement at every level of the organisation.
The Work of leadership and management
In improvement focused organisations
A3 Thinking & 3 Types of Problem Solving
The hidden killers of profit
Problem-solving
Hoshin - Strategy Planning & Deployment
Building managers who sustain results, not just attend meetings.
FORMATS
- Keynotes (20 - 60 min)
- Breakouts (60 - 90 Min)
- Executive Workshops ( 1/2 - 2 Days)
- Private Roundtables.
IDEAL AUDIENCES
- CEO/ COOs
- Ops Directors
- Transformation Leaders
- Site Leaders
- Functional Managers/ PMOs.
OUTCOMES
- Sharper Focus
- Aligned routines
- Measurable progress inside 30-100 days
Darren can also speak on:
Lean Awareness
Daily Lean Management
Total Kaizen
Lean Leadership Routines
Problem Solving
Value Stream Transformation
Hoshin Kanri: Strategy Planning & Execution
Lean Product & Process Development
Lean People Development
Leader Standard Work
Speaking Sample
Watch a clip from a recent talk
Past Clients & Projects
What Others Say
“Darren cuts through the noise and shows leaders exactly why their improvement efforts fail and what to do differently.”
Patrick Leroe
VP Ops, Medical Devices.
“Making Lean and Continuous Improvement Work focuses on the main reason Lean fails to be sustained: leadership routines that support the teams delivering improvement.”
Stuart Lawson
Global Head of Manufacturing, Hanley Energy.
“The most practical, impactful Lean speaker we’ve had in years. Darren connects leadership with results in a way that sticks.
Michael Vellinga
Global Head of Business Improvement, DLL Financial Services.
Podcasts & Media
Gemba Academy Podcast: Making Lean Work with Darren Walsh
Connecting the Dots: Interview with Darren Walsh
Community: makingleanwork.org/group
Book Darren
If you want the same old Lean talk — belts, buzzwords, and pretty slides — book someone else.
If you want your leaders challenged, your assumptions shaken, and your teams fired up to deliver real results that stick, book Darren.
