Why do some Continuous Improvement initiatives thrive while others struggle to deliver lasting results?
The answer is rarely found in the tools alone.
After more than 20 years of leadership coaching, helping organizations improve performance across manufacturing, transportation, government, service, healthcare, and office environments, I have learned that sustainable improvement happens when leaders create an environment where people are engaged, empowered, and committed to making things better every day.
In Cultivating Champions of CI, you'll follow the journey of Sherry, a leader facing real-world challenges while learning that Continuous Improvement is about much more than process maps, metrics, and projects. Through practical lessons, relatable situations, memorable characters, and reflective learning exercises, readers discover how leadership influences culture and how culture ultimately determines success.
The book is organized into two unique sections. In The Tale, readers follow Sherry's journey as she develops leaders and tackles the challenges of building a Continuous Improvement culture. Reflection questions at the end of each chapter encourage readers to draw lessons from the story and apply them to their own organizations. In Beyond the Pages, Gary shares personal experiences, practical tools, lessons learned, and key takeaways gathered from more than two decades leading Continuous Improvement initiatives and coaching leaders across multiple industries. Even the original Cox-Box cartoons make an appearance.
Industry leaders have described Cultivating Champions of CI as "essential reading," "a must-have tool for transformational leaders," and "a clear roadmap to developing a CI mindset.
Unlike traditional Continuous Improvement books that focus primarily on tools, frameworks and methodologies, this book explores the human side of improvement. Through storytelling, reflection, coaching questions, and practical application exercises, readers learn how to:
• Build a culture of Continuous Improvement
• Engage employees in meaningful change
• Develop future leaders
• Sustain momentum long after improvement projects end
• Align people around a shared vision
• Create accountability while maintaining trust
• Transform Continuous Improvement from a program into a way of thinking
Each chapter includes reflection questions and activities designed to help readers immediately apply the concepts within their own teams and organizations.
Whether you are a supervisor, manager, executive, Continuous Improvement practitioner, Lean Six Sigma professional, or an aspiring leader, Cultivating Champions of CI will help you develop the leadership skills needed to create meaningful, sustainable change.
Because successful improvement isn't just about improving processes.
It's about cultivating champions.
