Ep80 The hidden power of a tidy, intentional workplace

True efficiency isn’t about adding more bells and whistles; it’s about ditching the clutter that’s slowing you down. The big idea is simple: when your workspace and processes aren’t a scavenger hunt, everything runs smoother. Enter the 5S approach—sort, set in order, shine, standardise and sustain—…

Ep79 The lean origin story: how greatness gets built

Continuous improvement didn’t appear out of nowhere; it evolved over more than a century of problem-solving and innovation. The story begins in the early 1900s with Henry Ford, who reshaped manufacturing through the moving assembly line, standardised work and the relentless removal of waste.  Afte…

Ep78 Unlocking excellence by seeing what others overlook

A casual fruit-picking weekend proves that powerful lessons in business excellence often come from the simplest places. Today, Ishan turns that moment into three principles that drive meaningful improvement: seeing familiar processes with fresh eyes, pursuing opportunities others overlook, and appl…

Ep77 How KAIs, not KPIs, unlock daily excellence

Standards on paper mean little when teams model what they see, not what they’re told. Many organisations remain stuck in “third gear,” weighed down by disengagement, reactive leadership and KPIs (key performance indicators) that only surface issues after the fact. Ishan unpacks how KAIs (key activi…

Ep76 ASCLA Awards: Gratitude, greatness & recognition

Australia’s premier celebration of supply chain and logistics excellence – ASCLA Awards – delivered one of its most memorable nights yet. Hosted at Melbourne’s grand Town Hall with more than 500 guests, the evening blended breathtaking performance, heartfelt cultural acknowledgment, and well-earned…

Ep75 Green light, red light: how to keep your business moving at the right pace

During peak hour, traffic lights on highway on-ramps allow just a few cars through at a time. It seems like a delay, but it’s a clever way to maintain steady flow and prevent gridlock. Businesses work much the same way. When too much work enters the system at once, it overwhelms capacity and slows …

Ep74 How small shifts create big performance gains

Small experiences often reveal powerful lessons about improvement and perspective. In business, progress rarely comes from one grand move but from recognising when to act quickly and when to think long term. Balancing short-term fixes with strategic shifts is what separates teams that continually i…

Ep73 When the familiar road leads you astray

Have you ever been driving on a familiar road when suddenly the way ahead is blocked — roadworks, flashing lights, detours everywhere? You know this route, you’ve taken it dozens of times, but now you’re forced to stop, re-route, and find another way forward.  In that moment, it’s easy to feel fru…

Ep70 Make progress visible: The secret to unlocking excellence

We often race toward the next goal, chasing the next KPI, project, or deadline – so fast, we rarely pause to ask: what did we just accomplish, and who helped make it happen? In the noise of day-to-day operations, progress becomes invisible. Wins blur into routine. Morale dips. Excellence suffers. B…

Ep72 What got you here …won’t get you there

Every successful business eventually hits a ceiling — that moment when the systems, habits, and thinking that once drove growth start holding it back. Some leaders of large, thriving companies have realised exactly that. They’re not failing — far from it — but they know instinctively that what got …