The Standard Work Episode: Because "Flying by the Seat of Your Pants" is Not a Strategy

🎙 The Standard Work Episode: Because "Flying by the Seat of Your Pants" is Not a Strategy 🎙

Hosts: Eric Wellman & Jen Shoop
Special Guest: Pete Susi, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt & Process Improvement Extraordinaire

Episode Overview:

Standard work—two words that make people groan louder than a Monday morning meeting invite. But what if we told you that actual rocket scientists and brain surgeons rely on checklists to avoid disaster? (And yet Bob from Accounting still thinks he doesn’t need one to submit an expense report correctly. 🙄)

This week, we sit down with process wizard Pete Susi to unpack the misunderstood world of standard work. Spoiler: it’s not about micromanaging every move—it’s about keeping things running smoothly so you can focus on the real work (instead of digging through 47 emails trying to find out how to do that one thing again).

Oh, and we also take some time to roast the worst corporate buzzwords. “Solutionize,” we’re looking directly at you.

What You’ll Learn:

✅ What standard work actually is—and why it’s not just bureaucratic torture
✅ Why “solutionize” is a crime against the English language
✅ How checklists save lives (literally—ask a surgeon)
✅ Why teams scream “You can’t standardize me!” (but you totally can)
✅ How to convince people to actually use the process (bribery? maybe.)

Resources & Links:

📌 WHO Surgical Checklist: Link

📌 The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande: Link

If this episode made you laugh, cringe, or rethink your refusal to write things down, subscribe, leave a review, and send it to the coworker who insists they don’t need “processes.” (We all know they do.) Let’s uncomplicate work together! 🚀