Amazon

Continuous Improvement Manager

Area Manager

Site Manager

Junior Site Manager

Syddansk Universitet - University of Southern Denmark

Junior Research Assistant

Kverneland Group Kerteminde A/S

Master Thesis Project

ForeFlight

Data Consultant

Odense University Hospital

Semester Project

Follow for daily posts about Lean, CI & Innovation | Continuous Improvement Manager @ Amazon

Hi!👋 Ivan here

I'm an industrial engineer with 7+ years of experience in Operations Management and Continuous Improvement.

I serve two main groups of people:

	• Business owners and executives who want to turn their broken processes into brilliant ones (and save so much damn money) through Kaizen and Innovation

	• Founders and consulting firm owners within CI, Lean or Innovation who want to promote their businesses and make LinkedIn a legit revenue channel

(DM me for the details) 


I started writing on LinkedIn in October 2023. 

Since then, I have been sharing actionable, educational, and entertaining content to support LinkedIn community members in their continuous improvement journey. This helped me grow my audience from 9,000 to 100,000 followers in a year.

Join my newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/ddQncJM5

Ivan Carillo

26 Kaizen Leadership Mantras

Here are the 4 principles that I believe are most powerful (and why):

1/ Gemba never lies; go and see for yourself.

I've seen leaders make terrible decisions because they trusted Excel sheets over their own eyes. The problems that cost us millions are often visible on the shopfloor, but nobody bother to look. Reports tell you what people want you to know. Gemba tells you what's actually happening. I think the moment you stop walking the floor is the moment you lose touch with reality. Your operators won't lie to you if you show up regularly, ask good questions, and actually listen to their answers.

2/ Without psychological safety, Kaizen dies.

I've watched brilliant Kaizen programs collapse because people were terrified to speak up. Companies that blame individuals for systemic problems get exactly what they deserve. Silence. Workers hide defects, skip reporting near-misses, and watch waste happen rather than risk looking stupid or getting punished. I think this is why most Kaizen initiatives fail within a year. You can't improve what people won't talk about, and people won't talk about problems in a culture of fear.

3/ The person doing the work knows it best.

I learned this the hard way early in my career when I implemented a Kaizen idea. The operators supported it, then immediately went back to their old method the moment I left. Every time I've ignored frontline expertise, I've wasted time and money solving the wrong problem. I think we underestimate how much knowledge lives in the hands and muscle memory of people who do the same task hundreds of times daily.

4/ Kaizen culture doesn't support strategy. Kaizen culture is strategy.

I spent years thinking CI was something that helped execute our "real" strategy. I was wrong. Companies with a strong Kaizen culture adapt faster, survive disruptions better, and outperform competitors with superior strategic plans. I think this is the principle most executives miss. Your competitors can copy your products in months, but they can't copy a culture where thousands of people solve problems every single day.

P.S. What's your fav one in the list?

Founder of Gemba Walk AI — I help executives cut waste and fix the broken processes costing them millions

Brutal truth: most Kaizen implementations fail within 6 months.

Here's why (and how to fix it):

Common failure pattern..

↓ Launch with great enthusiasm 
↓ Form improvement teams 
↓ Run some workshops 
↓ See initial results 
↓ Get distracted by other priorities 
 ↳ Kaizen activities fade away

The missing ingredient? 
Systems thinking.

Successful Kaizen requires these systems working together:

1/ Total Quality Management

+Customer focus throughout organization
+Process-oriented improvement mindset

2/ Just-In-Time Production

+Elimination of waste in all forms
+Flow-based operations

3/ Total Productive Maintenance

+Equipment reliability and efficiency
+Operator involvement in maintenance

4/ Policy Deployment

+Clear targets cascading from top to bottom
+Aligned improvement efforts

5/ Suggestion Systems

+Employee engagement in daily improvement
+Recognition of participation

6/ Small Group Activities

+Quality circles and improvement teams
+Collaborative problem-solving
 
Most companies try to implement Kaizen 
…without these foundations. 

Remember:

Success requires patience.

+Start with one system
+Build it thoroughly
+Connect it to others gradually

…and never stop improving!

Founder of Gemba Walk AI • I help executives cut waste and fix the broken processes costing them millions

Most companies create fantastic value stream maps.

Then file them away. (I've seen it dozens of times) 

Video credit to Krish Sengottaiyan. Give him a follow

Teams spend weeks mapping their current state. 

They identify waste. 
They draft the future state

Then ...nothing changes.

You know why?

No one is responsible for the customer experience.

Traditional organizations are function-based.

→ Finance reports to CFO 
→ Operations reports to COO 
→ Sales reports to CRO

Each leader knows their department.
But nobody understands how value flows end-to-end.

No single leader owns value stream performance.

"Everyone" is responsible = No one is responsible

VSM needs an owner with authority. 
One leader who can make decisions across silos.

CEO could, but they operate too high to manage CI.

So it's key to assign executive-level VSM ownership. 

Before you map your next value stream, answer this:

Who owns the complete customer journey?

If you can't name them...
save yourself the effort.

P.S. Does anyone in your organization have E2E accountability for value delivery?

Eche Awa

At EcheAwa, we specialize in empowering business owners and executives to achieve their goals with efficiency and ease. 

With a background that spans executive and administrative assistance, human resource management, admin management, recruiting, and career development coaching, we bring a wealth of experience and a passion for excellence to every project.

Our services include:
Administrative Assistance
Content Creation 
Email Marketing 
Digital Marketing 
Research and Data Analysis 
Telemarketing and Appointment Setting
Customer Service

Founder and Chief Virtual Assistant

Optivity Now

•	Leads strategic executive initiatives and internal communications
	•	Oversees execution of high-priority projects across departments
	•	Partners with leadership on messaging, presentations, and stakeholder alignment
	•	Ensures follow-through, reporting, and accountability across core ops functions

Manager, Executive Projects & Communications

•	Handled high-level recruiting outreach and screening for strategic roles
	•	Began managing executive-led projects, reports, and team coordination
	•	Supported internal communications and built structured documentation systems

Executive Recruiter & Project Coordinator

•	Supported C-level executives in calendar, meeting, and communication management
	•	Coordinated cross-functional tasks and managed confidential initiatives
	•	Initiated and streamlined workflows for executive operations and recruiting

Executive Assistant

As a seasoned freelance Executive and Administrative Assistant, I specialize in providing comprehensive support to business owners and executives, facilitating their professional endeavors and enhancing operational efficiency. 

With a wealth of experience, I excel in an array of key areas essential to organizational success.

These include:

Administrative support
Calendar management
Content Creation
Lead generation
Social Media Management
Email Management
Email Marketing
Data entry
Research
Online customer service

I offer a comprehensive skill set and unwavering dedication to supporting business owners and executives in achieving their professional objectives.

 With a focus on excellence, efficiency, reliability, and innovation, I am committed to delivering exceptional results and driving success in every endeavor.

Virtual Assistant

Awa's Thoughts Room

SavofNs

We are a consulting firm dedicated to service to humanity and excellence 

We are out to helping build and developing groups and individuals in business, career, finance and health

I use my HR, People Management and Team Building skills to

•	Manage employee relations 
• Create and Plan for learning and development programs
• Effectively manage benefits and compensation 
•	Ensure good work ethics and relationship
• Build and develop team members
•	Organize internal trainings
• Recruit new team members

Human Resources Manager

Web Content Writer

Youth Up 

As the head of Human resources, I
ensure and maintain a constant smooth and profitable operation of YouthUp human resources department. I also supervise and provide consultation to the Executive body on strategic staffing plans, compensation, benefits, training and development, budget, and labor relation.

Head Of Human Resources

National Youth Service Corps

• Administrative support 
•Collection and management of data
• Typing, sorting and distribution of letters and articles

NYSC Administrative assistant 

Mount Zion hospital LTD. 

*Registering new patients 
*Managing patients data
*Complaint resolution
*Administrative support
*Customer Support

Customer Service Representative

Expert Administrative/Executive Assistant ~ Proactive Support for Your Success. Here to help you:🔸Streamline Your Schedule and🔸Maximize Your Impact

Great execution starts with clear thinking, proactive action, and people who care. I bring all three!

With experience as an executive assistant, recruiter, and operations partner, I’ve grown into a role where I now lead key projects and communication streams - helping fast-paced teams stay structured, supported, and sharp.

I thrive on bringing calm to chaos, asking the right questions, and keeping leaders free to lead while I handle what needs to get done.

From managing executive workflows to coordinating cross-functional initiatives and communicating across the org, I work behind the scenes so everything runs out front.

Because real support goes beyond tasks; it’s about trust, clarity, and follow-through.


taplio

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Ivan Carillo

Echezonachi Awa

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taplio

The Battle

Ivan Carillo

Echezonachi Awa

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ivan Carillo's LinkedIn Performance

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