# Finding the Root Causes of Success Rather Than Failure w/ George Pesansky

- Show: [The Manufacturing Executive](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive)
- Published: 2025-07-15
- Episode: 266
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-07-15-finding-the-root-causes-of-success-rather-than-failure-w-george-pesansky
- Listen: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-manufacturing-executive#episode-99035d12-40af-495e-92ec-d376acd7ddb0

## Summary

George Pesansky, founder of My Blended Learning and co-founder of Capacity to Care, discusses his approach to operational excellence in his upcoming book, 'Super Performance'. He argues that manufacturers should focus on the root causes of success by improving 'C' and 'B' performers to 'A' status, rather than just fixing failures. Pesansky critiques the blind copying of Toyota Production System methodologies and emphasizes the importance of leading indicators over lagging KPIs to drive sustainable improvement.

## Chapters

- [0:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-07-15-finding-the-root-causes-of-success-rather-than-failure-w-george-pesansky#t=4) Introduction and Guest Background
- [6:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-07-15-finding-the-root-causes-of-success-rather-than-failure-w-george-pesansky#t=394) The Root Cause of Success vs. Failure
- [9:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-07-15-finding-the-root-causes-of-success-rather-than-failure-w-george-pesansky#t=572) Critique of Toyota Production System Copying
- [12:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-07-15-finding-the-root-causes-of-success-rather-than-failure-w-george-pesansky#t=745) The Leaky Bucket Analogy
- [19:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-07-15-finding-the-root-causes-of-success-rather-than-failure-w-george-pesansky#t=1199) Consulting for Operators vs. C-Suite
- [23:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-07-15-finding-the-root-causes-of-success-rather-than-failure-w-george-pesansky#t=1410) Community Engagement and Talent Retention
- [26:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-07-15-finding-the-root-causes-of-success-rather-than-failure-w-george-pesansky#t=1606) Leading vs. Lagging Metrics

## Topics

- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Factory operations & automation](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/factory-operations)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- My Blended Learning (company)
- Capacity to Care (company)
- Toyota (company)
- GE (company)
- Honeywell (company)
- Guerrilla 76 (company)
- Super Performance (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [DeepDive 1-on-1 Series: THE METAPHOR - Guest Rob Carl, Founder & CEO of Global NPI Solvers (14m32s)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/npi-sherpa/2026-02-03-deepdive-1-on-1-series-the-metaphor-guest-rob-carl-founder-ceo-of-global-npi-sol) (NPI Sherpa)
- [Daniel Servansky | Electromechanical Engineering, Root Cause Analysis, & Engineering Ethics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-03-10-daniel-servansky-electromechanical-engineering-root-cause-analysis-engineering-e) (Being an Engineer)
- [052 - “All Work is Process” with Larry Mager](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-09-28-052-all-work-is-process-with-larry-mager) (Let's Combinate)
- [Does Your CAPA Process Need a CAPA?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2022-08-24-does-your-capa-process-need-a-capa) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [#172 - Ops Talk: 5 Things Brands Get Wrong](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-12-03-172-ops-talk-5-things-brands-get-wrong) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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