Gregory J. Scaven: Curiosity and Discipline in Problem-Solving

From People Solve Problems by Jamie Flinchbaugh

February 18, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

Gregory J. Scaven discusses his evolution in problem-solving from engineering to business leadership.

Gregory J. Scaven, CEO, Board Director, Partner, and currently President at Scaven Enterprises, LLC, brings over 30 years of technical engineering leadership and more than 20 years as a P&L leader to this conversation about problem-solving. With deep expertise in pyrotechnics, explosives, and propellants across automotive, aerospace, and defense industries, Greg shares how his approach to problem-solving evolved from the lab to the boardroom. Greg's introduction to problem-solving came through the lens of high-reliability engineering, where devices that "go boom" must do so only when intended. Working in an industry demanding “six-nines” reliability or better, he learned the discipline of corrective action processes, where finding the true root cause wasn't optional. Greg emphasizes that his early training taught him to demonstrate the ability to turn failure modes on and off, then prove the effectiveness of preventative actions. This rigorous foundation shaped everything that followed. The transition from engineer to business leader brought formal problem solving training through the Danaher Business System. Greg describes how Danaher focused on training leadership teams…

People in this episode

Host: Jamie Flinchbaugh

Guest: Gregory J. Scaven

Topics covered

problem-solving
leadership
engineering
reliability
business management

Keywords

problem-solving
engineering
leadership
reliability
Danaher Business System
corrective action
root cause

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Scaven Enterprises, LLC, Danaher Business System