Lean Focus Podcast
Lean Focus Podcast
Podcast Description
The Lean Focus Podcast brings you inspiring stories of Lean transformation, hosted by Damon Baker, CEO of Lean Focus and renowned "Lean Catalyst." In each episode, Damon sits down with one of the world’s top business leaders to recount the true story behind an extraordinary business transformation. Based on an entertaining, storytelling approach, this podcast empowers business leaders at every level to embark on their own Hero’s Journey on a path that will lead to legendary impact on their organizations.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on Lean transformation, business turnarounds, and leadership insights, featuring episodes like the premiere where CEO Fawaz Khalil discusses the successful revival of ModusLink, highlighting strategies like cultural change through lean principles and the challenges faced during global transformations.
The Lean Focus Podcast brings you inspiring stories of Lean transformation, hosted by Damon Baker, CEO of Lean Focus and renowned “Lean Catalyst.” In each episode, Damon sits down with one of the world’s top business leaders to recount the true story behind an extraordinary business transformation. Based on an entertaining, storytelling approach, this podcast empowers business leaders at every level to embark on their own Hero’s Journey on a path that will lead to legendary impact on their organizations.
What happens when Human Resources — not Operations — leads the Lean transformation?
In this episode of the Lean Focus Podcast, host Damon Baker sits down with Rich Trojan, Chief Human Resources Officer at Holland LP, to explore how a people-first function became the driving force behind one of the most successful lean turnarounds in recent years.
When Rich joined Holland, the company wasn’t broken — it was busy. Hundreds of competing priorities, strong personalities, and no common operating rhythm. HR wasn’t supposed to fix that. But Rich saw something others missed: without alignment, accountability, and a unifying system, even great people can’t deliver great results.
What followed was a total cultural shift by the entire Leadership Team:
- Implementing Policy Deployment and the Holland Business System across 800+ employees,
- Rebuilding trust between leadership and frontline teams through hands-on learning
- Creating a cadence of accountability that drove 25% sales growth and 60% profit improvement in two years,
- Transforming HR into a strategic partner that drives clarity, focus, and measurable business results,
- Building a self-sustaining lean culture — one that thrives even after leadership changes.
Rich’s story proves that Lean isn’t just about processes and plants — it’s about people, discipline, and belief. And sometimes, the most transformative change starts in the least expected place.
If you’re an HR leader, CEO, or anyone trying to align culture with execution, this episode will change how you see your role.
🎧 Listen now to hear how Rich Trojan turned HR into the engine of transformation at Holland LP — and how you can do the same in your organization.
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See the full transcript here: https://leanfocus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Lean-Focus-Podcast_Episode-04_Rich-Trojan_.txt
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