Leadership Excellence

Leadership Excellence Podcast

Leadership Excellence is a weekly podcast for aspiring and established leaders who want to grow beyond tactics and titles—and develop the habits, mindset, and discipline required for sustained excellence.

Hosted by George Trachilis with Dr. Tom Lawless, the podcast explores the human side of leadership—where purpose, identity, self‑development, and performance intersect. Each episode features real conversations, practical insights, and lived experience from leaders, practitioners, and guests who understand that leadership begins from within.

Drawing from Lean leadership, the Harada Method, continuous improvement, mental fitness, and values‑based leadership, Leadership Excellence goes beyond goal‑setting to focus on daily practice, self‑reliance, and building people who can lead themselves—and others—through change.

Whether you’re leading a team, a business, or yourself, this podcast is designed to help you:

Develop disciplined daily habits
Lead with clarity, calm, and purpose
Build resilient, self‑reliant people
Navigate burnout, identity shifts, and growth
Turn personal development into consistent action

🎙️ New episodes are recorded weekly with a live audience.

📅 Join us live every Wednesday at 4:30 PM CST

🌐 Learn more and watch episodes at https://leadershipx.tv

Leadership isn’t about position.

It’s about who you become—and how you show up every day.

Contributors

Co-host

Dr. Tom Lawless

Dr. Tom Lawless is an accomplished Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and operations leader with over 30 years of experience transforming organizations in healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and finance. With advanced degrees in Business Administration (PhD, MBA) and Civil Engineering (MCE), he combines strategic vision with technical expertise to deliver measurable results.

As President of Lean Training and Consulting (LeanTAC), Dr. Lawless has optimized processes, implemented Lean Six Sigma frameworks, and coached organizations to achieve excellence. A retired U.S. Army Major and recipient of the Army Bronze Star, he led critical supply chain improvements during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Dr. Lawless is also an adjunct professor at Nebraska Methodist College and a published author, known for his ability to drive operational excellence, align teams with strategic goals, and deliver sustainable improvements.

https://leantac.com

Co-host

George Trachilis

George Trachilis is an international leadership coach, author, and Shingo Research-award Winner of the book Developing Lean Leaders at All Levels. George helps audiences explore practical ways to lead with humility, respect, and continuous improvement.

A mechanical engineer by training, George’s passion for people led him to study and teach Lean Leadership alongside world‑renowned experts such as Dr. Jeffrey K. Liker and Norman Bodek. He later introduced the Harada Method and developed the Harada App. Just look for "Harada" in your app store.

Through his global coaching practice, bestselling book Developing Lean Leaders at All Levels, and online platform LeadershipX.tv, George equips organizations with the tools to grow purposeful, confident, and improvement‑driven leaders.

🎧 Listen. Reflect. Lead Better.

https://georgeTrachilis.com/

Guests

Guest

Dr. Jeffrey K. Liker

Author | Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan | Lean Leadership Expert

Dr. Jeffrey K. Liker is a globally recognized authority on Lean management and the Toyota Production System (TPS). He is best known as the author of The Toyota Way, the international bestseller that introduced leaders worldwide to Toyota’s principles of continuous improvement and respect for people.

With more than 35 years of research on Toyota and high-performing organizations, Dr. Liker has helped companies across industries build cultures focused on operational excellence and long-term success.

A Professor Emeritus of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan, he has authored numerous books on Lean transformation and leadership. His work translates Toyota’s philosophy into practical systems leaders can apply to develop people, improve performance, and build lasting, customer-focused organizations.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyliker/

Guest appearance on:

S2E3 - From Good to Great: Lean Leadership, Gemba & Building a Culture That Lasts