Sam Morgan on Being a ”Confident Learner” and a ”Light” for Others in Continuous Improvement

Kata geek and coach

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

Joining me for Episode #457 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Sam Morgan.

Sam is a self-proclaimed “confident learner” and earlier this year after 5 years of practice in the continuous improvement space he landed at KataCon, a conference for continuous improvement professionals who practice the Toyota Kata.  

At KataCon, he had a powerful moment realizing where his true passion lies: transforming people through coaching. I'll ask Sam more about that. Sam finds joy in seeing his clients move from fearful to fearless; from insecure to confident. 

I know Sam as the host of the YouTube series “C.I. in 5” and he's been part of a learning and collaboration group called “The Lean Communicators.“

His newly launched coaching website is www.illuminatecoach.com. You can also find him on LinkedIn.

Today, we discuss topics and questions including:

• How, when, and where did you first get introduced to continuous improvement concepts and methods?
• How did you get introduced to Toyota Kata?
• What does it mean to be a “confident learner”?
• Adam Grant's book Think Again
• Why “Sam Loves Lean” as an email account and account name?
• We turn the tables on Sam to ask him his “C.I. in 5”
• What is your C.I. in 5? – “confident learning for all”
• Tell me about your t-shirt… and for those who are listening via podcast instead of watching via YouTube
• Respect for people
• Intentionally focusing on inviting guests who are women of color? And people of color more broadly…
• “There's not that many Black faces in attendance at Lean conferences, yet alone up on stage,… in what way does systemic racism cause that? What can we, what should we do about that?”
• Being welcoming vs. expanding the pool?
• Company representation in CI roles?
• What is your “Illuminate U” program?

The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.

This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network.