Blog – Total Improvement Solutions

2025 Fresh Start

After a year off, I will be starting my website again. Meanwhile feel free to reach out at bwallner@total-improvements.com Be Well, Bob Wallner

Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most

Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most

by Adam Alter

There's a Japanese proverb I've heard several times which is fall down 9 times get up 10. That is really about what the anatomy of a breakthrough is about. We see so many athletes or musicians or actors who are super successful and our...

Andy & Me and the Hospital: Further Adventures on the Lean Journey

Andy & Me and the Hospital: Further Adventures on the Lean Journey

by Pascal Dennis

Two decades ago I read the original Andy and Me as the first "lean book" I had ever read. Although it was before I began keeping reflections on books, I remember that it was one of those books that helped shape the trajectory of my caree...

The Systems Thinker: Essential Thinking Skills

The Systems Thinker: Essential Thinking Skills

by Albert Rutherford

I thought that this relatively small audiobook, a little bit over 4 hours, was a pretty fair introduction to the world of systems thinking. I thought that the author used decent examples of systems thinking to demonstrate what he was t...

The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation

The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation

by Ikujiro Nonaka

If you want to book deep in philosophy on knowledge creating companies specifically in the east, this book will completely peak your interest! It compares and contrasts Western ideals on knowledge creation to some of the more innovative ...

Winning the Brain Game

by Matthew May

I did like this book however I would not recommend the audiobook. It is read well, however, the author references so many studies and so many sources that it's very hard to follow. I found myself having to stop the audiobook frequently...

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