#321 Anthony Collins Founder at Work Better Studio - Lean Thinking in Hospitality: Fix the System, Not the People

Michael interviews Anthony Collins, founder of Work Better Studio, about applying lean thinking and the service-profit chain in hospitality and service businesses by focusing on processes and resources rather than blaming people.

Collins shares his path from graphic design to founding DirectSki.com, acquiring Ski Beat, and becoming group CEO of Topflight Travel Group, then leaving to advise companies on productivity, quality, and process improvement.

He explains lean’s roots in postwar Japanese quality-first principles and describes using Enterprise Ireland training and Toyota-led practical problem-solving to build capability before crises like COVID.

A key case study shows how small chalet maintenance issues hurt both staff workload and NPS, leading to a preventative maintenance program, revised seasonal hiring, fewer management layers, and improved autonomy.

The conversation covers PDCA, frontline observation, controlled tension, recruitment and training (one-point lessons), and why AI can optimize the wrong work and reinforce silos without system thinking.

Connect with Anthony:

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

https://www.workbetter.studio/

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A big thank you to our episode sponsor Monotree.

They help hospitality operators strengthen operations and scale company culture by creating a "Branded Front Door" for your workforce.

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