Do you ever feel stuck as a leader? It may seem like no matter how many problems you solve or tools you implement, you're still not seeing progress toward a sustainable organizational culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Maybe you have been leading change the wrong way.

In this episode, Cindy Hinds shares what she’s learned from 25 years of experience about how to lead organizational change the right way. She highlights what she has learned from her journey from being a technical expert to becoming a transformational change leader within a global organization who is equipping leaders at all levels to solve problems and innovating to drive business performance.

Transformational leadership isn’t about knowing all the answers. Connect with your purpose, step away from being the "doer," and empower others so that you – and they – can see better results.

Cindy Hinds is the Global Director of Enterprise Excellence at A.O. Smith, manufacturing company with sites based across North America, Asia and Europe, where she is responsible for architecting A.O. Smith’s journey to create a culture of highly engaged people who are aligned in solving problems and innovating to continuously improve.

[5:13] Leading the right way and asking questions for a continuous improvement culture

[8:12] Finding gaps through Gemba to transform your approach as a leader

[11:18] Franklin Covey’s Speed of Trust Curriculum to connect behaviors to business outcomes
[15:06] Using “Nemawashi” to prepare for future actions or business decisions

[18:30] Focusing on a people-centric culture to avoid conflicting values

[21:16] Real-life examples of implementing sustainable practices for continuous improvement

[24:31] The maturity model to understand your current condition and ideal state

Enter to win a copy of Lisa Bodell's book "Why Simple Wins" ... and Apply for the Nov 2025 Japan Leadership Experience - super early registration rate now through March 31st!