Tech Unicorn Builders

Hands-on Growth Studio for Scaleups: automations, AI MVPs, product analytics, and insights, CPTO coaching. Short-term high-impact projects that help you grow your revenues and minimize chaos. Build faster, automate smarter, and grow with data. We help you scale product, team, and market with AI, analytics, and hands-on execution.

Co-Founder

EffizienzAgent

Automation specialist helping German SMEs eliminate manual processes. GDPR-compliant solutions delivering ROI within 1-2 months. Remote-first approach for cost-effective implementation across DACH region.

Automating what annoys you. 🤖

Founder, CEO, Consultant

Diving Nomads

Bridging the gap between deep focus and deep dives. I’m co-building a community for certified divers who work remotely — curating remote-work friendly dive spots, organizing colivings and pop-up divecations, and creating spaces for meaningful connection both online and in real life.

We're building a platform where freedom meets flow — for freelancers, founders, and creatives who live and dive differently.

🌍 divingnomads.club

unblocked.engineering by INOCEA Consulting Ltd.

Technical Leadership, Technical Advisory, and Lean Software Development for SaaS Startups from Seed to Series B.

Founder, Fractional / Interim Tech Lead, Tech Advisor, Trainer & Mentor

Seed-Stage Startup

Introducing Product Discovery and Sync processes, enabling the team to work on the most important things. Running product strategy workshops with the team to enable better decision-making on all levels. Product management for a mobile app. Technical coaching for dev teams, introduction and facilitation of retrospectives and continuous improvement of ways of working. Introducing infrastructure as code and increasing automation of the deploy process.

Interim/Fractional Senior Product Manager & Technical Agile Coach

The Mentoring Club

Helping young software professionals from around the world with their next step. Mentoring on topics like leadership, software engineering and architecture, agile & lean, remote work, SaaS/Cloud, developer experience and organizational design and culture.

https://www.mentoring-club.com/the-mentors/tobias-mende

Mentor

Stealth Startup

Technical Advisor and Technical Agile Coach

Supporting the founding team in technical and cultural questions and decisions to ensure quality, scalability and development speed. Coaching and mentoring the team in development (technologies: JavaScript, TypeScript, Node, Vue, Go, GCP, Mongo, Elastic). Architecture and code reviews and recommendations for action. Coaching of junior developers. Development of prototypes and proofs of concept. Increasing testability and reducing the complexity of architecture and code. Development of tech vision and strategy.

Fractional CTO and Technical Advisor

BRYTER

Founded and led a cross-functional platform team to improve developer experience and productivity, implementing continuous delivery, reducing the development lead time by 75%, and driving cultural and technical changes toward engineering excellence.

Developer Experience Engineer and Technical Lead

PAYONE

Development of payment connectors and fraud prevention systems. Refactoring of monolithic applications into independent services. Reduction of development lead time by 50%.

Senior Software Developer / Architect

Dräger

Application development for distributed gas detection systems. Teaching Git, Git workflows and TDD. Promoting awareness of software craft and introducing Continuous Integration in multiple teams and projects.

Software Engineer, Technical Lead, Coach and Trainer

I help SaaS companies with up to 250 employees build a high-performing engineering organization by utilizing my expertise in (technical) leadership and developer productivity.

🚀 Helping Founders Build Businesses That Run Smoothly — Without Becoming the Bottleneck

You started your business with passion and vision. But as it grows, new challenges emerge:

⚡ More and more decisions demand your input.
⚡ Your team hesitates to take full ownership.
⚡ Delegation feels impossible — things still land back on your plate.
⚡ The quality isn’t where you want it to be, and stepping away seems risky.

This is a natural stage of growth, but it doesn’t have to stay this way.

I help founders break free from being the bottleneck by building self-sustaining businesses — where teams take ownership, make smart decisions, and keep things running smoothly without constant oversight. The goal? A business that thrives, even when you step away.

👥 What I Do

I work as a sparring partner, advisor, and trainer for founders of growing startups and SMBs, helping them:

🔍 Uncover blind spots – Identify what’s slowing down decision-making and execution.
🛠 Enable smart leadership – Build structures that empower your team to take real responsibility.
📈 Streamline operations – Reduce complexity, eliminate bottlenecks, and free up your time for what truly matters.

The result? Less stress, fewer roadblocks, and a company that works — with or without you.

🌍 Who I Am

I’m Tobi — entrepreneur, leadership advisor, and sparring partner for founders who want high-performing businesses without unnecessary stress.

As a digital nomad, I’ve worked with founders worldwide and seen firsthand how different cultures approach leadership, decision-making, and collaboration. I know that “right and wrong” are often contextual, that true resilience comes from adaptability, and that great companies are built on trust and autonomy.

🌊 Home is wherever the ocean is. As a rebreather diver, I know that true freedom comes when you trust your system, stay calm under pressure, and let things run smoothly — just like in a well-functioning business.

Tobias Mende

Katie Anderson

Katie Anderson Consulting / Integrand LLC

As a consultant, coach, facilitator and speaker, I work with change leaders, and their teams, to build thriving learning cultures that promote continuous improvement, innovation, and engagement.

By working together, we can achieve the following outcomes:

●	Enhance your change leadership skills, bolstering your confidence and influence.
●	Develop effective strategies to bring about large-scale culture change.
●	Empower your internal team of change leaders to become exceptional coaches across all levels of your organization.
●	Embed continuous improvement and scientific thinking as a way of life within your team and organization.

Through our collaboration, you'll benefit from:

●	Personalized guidance and unwavering support tailored to your specific needs.
●	Strategic thought partnership and mentorship, providing you with valuable insights and perspectives.
●	Custom training and workshops designed to optimize your learning and growth.
●	Actionable inspiration that translates into tangible results.
●	Engaging and targeted keynote presentations that inspire a culture of continuous learning.

My services are ideal for: 
●	Operational excellence and performance improvement change leaders
●	Visionaries seeking to embed a people-centered learning culture
●	Seasoned leaders looking to transcend the problem-solving "expert" trap,
●	Heart-centered learning enthusiasts hungry for growth and change. 
●	Those ready to accelerate their impact with a trusted advisor and guide

DARUMA DOLLS ARE MY MASCOT

In my pursuit of excellence, I draw inspiration from Daruma dolls, symbolic of the perseverance and tenacity required to achieve our goals. They embody the Japanese proverb, "Fall down seven times, get up eight." I give Daruma dolls as gifts, and incorporate them into my talks as a reminder that success is not only about accomplishments but also about lessons learned along the way.

Connect with me today to learn more or schedule a consultation. 
https://calendly.com/kbjanderson

Founder and Principal Consultant

With a passion for fostering a culture of continuous learning, I specialize in delivering dynamic and customized keynotes that inspire audiences to embrace intentional, people-centered leadership. 

No matter the format or scale of your event, with my experience keynoting in-person events from intimate audiences to large-scale events with 1500+ attendees, virtual and hybrid events, your audience will walk away inspired, energized, and ready to take action!

Inspire your audience with my signature messages, including:

●	Break the Telling Habit®
●	Grow your Chain of Learning®
●	Leading to Learn®
●	Lead with Purpose: Intention = Heart + Direction®

My engaging keynote presentations will energize and captivate your audience, tailored to fit your group's dynamic and specific needs. Together, we will bring the concept of intentional, people-centered leadership to life, fostering a culture of continuous learning.

Keynote talks can be customized to varying lengths, from concise 30 to 60-minute keynote presentations, with optional immersive half or full-day workshops to enhance the learning for your audience. 

Keynote enhancement: in interactive breakout sessions or pre/post event workshops, your participants will delve deeper into the principles and practices highlighted in the keynote. Through thought-provoking discussions and activities, your attendees will gain practical insights and actionable steps to embed continuous improvement and scientific thinking as a way of life in their teams and organizations.

When you choose me as your speaker, you can expect outside credibility, actionable inspiration, and an infusion of positive energy. Let's collaborate to craft a targeted and inspirational keynote that sparks transformative change in your organization.

Ready to ignite a culture of continuous learning? Contact me today to discuss your event and create a keynote that empowers your audience to lead with purpose and create impact.

https://calendly.com/kbjanderson

Keynote Speaker

Chain of Learning

Are you a purpose-driven leader who believes that the heart of exceptional organizational culture lies with its people? If you’re committed to continuous learning and improvement, the Chain of Learning podcast is for you!

Welcome to ‘Chain of Learning’, where the links of leadership and learning unite.

Join your host, Katie Anderson, an internationally recognized leadership consultant, the award-winning author of Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn, and a fellow learning enthusiast for a journey that will transform your organization from a traditional ‘doing’ culture into a vibrant, people-centered hub of continuous learning. You’ll gain the insights and tools you need to fully step into your role as an influential change leader who accelerates the rate of learning and drives impact within your organization.

For continuous improvement and process improvement leaders, lean management enthusiasts, and agile transformation professionals, and executives and managers committed to operational excellence, ’Chain of Learning’ is your trusted source for actionable strategies and practices. Tune into each episode so you can lead sustainable change, develop a thriving people-centered learning culture, achieve needed business results while nurturing your team...and leave a lasting legacy.

Subscribe and follow ‘Chain of Learning’ today so you never miss an episode! Please share this podcast with your friends, fellow leaders, and colleagues, and let’s strengthen our Chain of Learning – together.

Learn more at KBJAnderson.com and ChainOfLearning.com

Podcast Host

IndustryWeek

Contributing writer to IndustryWeek on the topics of leadership, continuous improvement, and lean.

Contributing Writer

Forbes Coaches Council

Contributing writer to Forbes and member of the Forbes Coaches Council.

Official Member and Contributing Writer

Integrand Press

Integrand Press is the independent publisher that has published the bestselling and award winning book "Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons from Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning" and the companion "Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn Workbook."

President

Lean Enterprise Institute

Inspire and create capability for executives, leaders, and continuous improvement practitioners through learning experiences such as workshops and customs presentations on topics including coaching, problem-solving, personal development, leadership development, and more.

Faculty

Catalysis Inc.

Provide leadership and coaching learning experiences for healthcare executives, providers, and continuous improvement practitioners on topics including problem solving, strategy, coaching, asking effective questions, A3 thinking, and more.

The Association for Manufacturing Excellence

The AME Consortia program connects those on the lean and continuous improvement journey in local peer networks facilitated by highly qualified lean practitioners. Consortia members meet regularly with fellow members for networking and best-practice sharing. Each consortium offers events throughout the year. AME Consortia members share their journeys and mentor other members along the path of continuous improvement—how they started, the obstacles, the wins, the everyday increments of progress and the lessons learned.

AME San Francisco Bay Area Consortium Director

Fisher College of Business

Leadership coach to executive graduate students in the Masters of Business Operational Excellence (MBOE) program at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business.

Executive Coach for Masters of Business Operational Excellence Program

Temple University Japan

Teaching classes on effective leadership and coaching, including asking effective questions, Lean leadership behaviors, listening skills.

Faculty, Continuing Education

I empower change leaders and executives to become a Katalyst™ who accelerates their impact by activating an organizational culture of learning and continuous improvement.

As an internationally recognized leadership consultant, bestselling author, speaker, and learning enthusiast, my intention is to you connect purpose and align your actions, so that you, your people, your company, and your customers thrive.

LEARNING IS THE FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS

I believe that with a commitment to continuous learning, we can achieve extraordinary outcomes.

Success is not just about what we achieve, but also about our attitude towards learning and our connection to our shared humanity. By fostering curiosity, caring, and courage, we can unlock untapped potential and drive transformative change.

HOW YOU BENEFIT FROM WORKING WITH ME

My positive energy will inspire you to take action, instill you with confidence, and fuel you with enthusiasm. By combining proven continuous improvement practices with an understanding of human dynamics, you will be empowered to create a transformational learning culture and step into your leadership superpowers.

With me as your trusted partner, you will get customized and personalized support tailored to your unique needs. You will learn actionable principles and practice that will give you confidence without overwhelming you with complex theories. You will be supported, challenged, and equipped to achieve your goals and accelerate your impact. 

CORE CONCEPTS

Through my keynote talks, coaching, consulting, and books I cover a range of topics designed to empower change leaders and organizations, including my cornerstone concepts such as:

●	𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 = 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 + 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻®: Discover your purpose and align your actions to achieve positive impact and leave behind a meaningful legacy.
●	𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻®:  Cultivate an attitude of continuous learning, developing yourself as an effective leader through intention, reflection, and practice.
●	𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁®: Build the courage to navigate between advocacy and inquiry, effectively challenging and supporting others as a leader or coach.
●	𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴®: Foster a lasting legacy by developing the capabilities and confidence of others, clarifying crucial problems, and nurturing creativity.

LET'S CONNECT

Are you ready to accelerate learning and ignite positive change in your organization? Let's connect and schedule a conversation to explore how we can work together.

https://calendly.com/kbjanderson

“Remove the muda (waste) to reveal the inner Buddha”. 

Wise words from the head zen priest during a discussion session with the participants of my Japan Leadership Experience in Japan last week. 

(And a fitting counterpoint to the discussion on a LI post of mine about #waste in TPS and #lean that sparked 60+ reshares — see link in comments). 

Clear the mind of waste (muda) to allow the mind to be open and reveal the transcendence, innate wisdom, and greatness in all of us. 

If an experience from your past isn’t serving your present — helping you learn or become better — then it is time to let it go. It is waste as it is not serving you now. 

The priest took to the chalkboard to impart some further words of wisdom to us when asked by Nicholas Kemp to share some Zen knowledge (thanks to Nick for the translation of the kanji). 

This is what the zen master wrote:  

不立文字
教外別伝
直指人心
見性成佛

🔵Not relying on written words.
🔵A special transmission outside the teachings.
🔵Directly pointing to the human mind/heart.
🔵Seeing one’s true nature and becoming Buddha 

To me this gets back to the essence the underlies the heart and soul of #lean was intended to be…and much of we missed in translation and a focus on process and tools. 

⚫️Don’t fixate on the words and tools. 
⚫️It’s about the learning not just the teaching 
⚫️Focus on people and wisdom. (Heart and mind)
⚫️Hold precious what it means to be human — find the essence 

———

Zen meditation is an integral part of Japanese culture. And now experiencing a zen meditation session sessioned by a senior monk is part of my Japan Leadership Experience program. 

And what more fitting place to practice “zazen” than at the Daruma temple — daruma dolls representing the founder of Zen Buddhism. 

Along with 81-year old Toyota leader, we sat and practiced. 

It can be hard, but so rewarding, to take the space to get grounded and clear of mind. 

We then open ourselves to #kaizen and greater intention, wisdom, and connectedness. 

Daruma dolls have no legs — they are just a head — as the Bodhidharma sat for so long in meditation that he transcended his legs!

They also represent the Japanese proverb “fall down seven times, get up eight” — reminding us of the patience and persistence it takes to achieve e a goal. 

Fill in the daruma’s left eye when you have a goal, and it’s a visual reminder until you reach your goal. When achieved you can fill in the right eye. 

Many Japanese individuals and companies bring completed daruma dolls to the temple — and in January they light a huge bonfire of all the completed darumas. 

————

🇯🇵 Experience the roots of #lean in Japan with me in May 2026 on 9th cohort of my  Japan Leadership Experience. 

Limited spaces remain - apply today! 
🎌KBJAnderson.com/JapanTrip

#JapanLeadershipExperience Tim Wolput #ChainOfLearningJapan #kaizen #zen #daruma

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The Battle

Tobias Mende

Katie Anderson

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taplio

The Battle

Tobias Mende

Katie Anderson

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Katie Anderson's LinkedIn Performance

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