There is often
a missing link in many Lean organizations - which is, the set of leadership
structures and behaviors that constitute a lean management system. People
frequently equate ‘Lean' with the tools used to standardize processes and
generate efficiencies; and organizations tend to focus more on the
implementation of these tools. However, implementing tools only accounts for,
at most, 20% of the effort needed in lean transformations. The remaining 80%
should be spent on changing leaders' behaviors and practices; and eventually
their mindsets.
Lean leadership
bridges a crucial divide: the gap between lean thinking and lean tools. Lean leaders
have an essential role to play in lean transformations.
I have had the
honor to witness several fine Lean leaders throughout my career, and would like
to share with you my thoughts on the qualities which make them successful.
1. Focused
on the Journey
Lean is a
Journey. It is not a quick fix nor a Program of the Month. Far from being a
mere operational tactic, Lean should be an integral part of the overall
business strategy. Only after identifying ‘True North’ and a strong sense of
purpose can an organization understand how to apply Lean to enhance performance
through the increase of value. All of this requires long-term thinking,
patience and a sustainability mindset.
Another key
leadership behavior related to this quality is the ability to perform Hansei,
Japanese for ‘reflection’, often referring to critical self-reflection. Only
when we deeply reflect on our mistakes and opportunities can we attempt to move
forward in our journey towards perfection.
2.
Relentless Pursuit of Perfection
This quality is
the very essence of Kaizen thinking. The absolute embracement of continuous
improvement and utter rejection of the status quo. The Lean Leader believes
that ‘good enough’ is never enough! Burning inside the heart and soul of every
Lean Leader lies a fundamental belief that everything can be made better and
that we must constantly strive to achieve perfection, knowing full well that
pure perfection can never actually be obtained. A key leadership behavior to
enable this trait is Insatiable Curiosity. In order to improve one must be
curious about possibilities and alternatives, as well as embrace the key
concept of ‘Learning, not Knowing’. The Lean Leader constantly strives to
improve themselves, and thus their organization, and never thinks they know
everything.
3.
Process-Oriented Thinking
Lean leaders
aren’t ones to demand positive results no matter the cost. In their case, the
end doesn’t necessarily justify the means. Instead, lean leaders have the
ability to take a step back and examine the processes that can lead to the
right results.
In their mind,
the right process will lead to the right results.
4. Customer
Focus Obsessed
In Lean, the
Customer is at the beginning and end of everything. Without an intense focus on
the customer and an understanding of what they value, a leader will not know
where to focus their improvement efforts and may actually end up inadvertently
carving out value from the organization.
A key
leadership behavior to support this quality is the ability to create a Problem
Solving Culture – an environment where problems are readily surfaced (note the
Toyota saying of "’No Problem’ is Problem!") and subsequently solved
by the teams closest to where the work is being performed. Without a
near-fanatical priority on customer value, the customer journey and a problem
solving culture, it will be nearly impossible to meet or exceed the customer's
expectations.
5. Tackle
Problems Immediately (Stopping the Line)
When a problem
arises, Lean leaders set the example for immediately tackling the problem
before it grows. This is called “stopping the line,” a practice taken from Lean
manufacturing, in which an assembly line would halt production to resolve an
issue, no matter how small. This practice holds everyone on the assembly line
(or value stream) accountable for delivering a consistently high-quality
product.
Stopping the
line forces every part of the organization to swarm to resolve an issue, learn
why it happened, and prioritize work to ensure that it does not happen again.
Continuous improvement cannot be one executive’s job; it should be the means by
which decisions are made at the personal, team, and organizational levels.
6. Clear
Expectations and Accountability
Communication
is obviously key to this quality. Lean leaders clearly vocalize their needs.
They establish sets of expectations for a particular task or project and don’t
allow ambiguity to creep into their communications. Vague expectations can
cause duplications in work, miscommunications or just generally waste people’s
time while they scratch their heads trying to figure out their leader’s
meaning.
Once lean
leaders set those clear expectations, they then have no issue holding people
accountable. They expect those around them to take ownership of their tasks and
complete them within the allotted amount of time.
7. Going to
the Gemba
Gemba is a
Japanese word that means ‘workplace’, or in practical use ‘where value is
created’. Leaders need to spend less time in the office or conference room and
more time at the real touch points impacting the customer and the employees.
Only then will they truly understand the real situation so that they can take
effective actions to improve performance.
The Lean Leader
manages by Gemba instead of managing by powerpoint by proactively scheduling
‘point of impact’ walks where they can actively engage with the people closest
to the customer, instead of relying on 3rd party reports and only going to the
workplace when there is a problem. Lean Leaders provide continual coaching at
the Gemba versus giving orders from the office, fully exhibiting the critical
behavior of active questioning and listening to constantly develop and
challenge the minds of their people.
8. Knowing
When To Lead and When To Follow
Part of being a
lean leader is an ability to read situations well. If there is a vacuum and
leadership is needed, a lean leader won’t have an issue stepping up and taking
charge.
But then again,
a lean leader also knows when it’s time to step back and allow others to lead.
Putting leadership on a project or task in someone else’s capable hands is a
important act of cultivating leadership qualities in colleagues.
9. Be Free
With Praise But Also Be Honest
Lean leaders
are respectful and dole out praise far more than they criticize. Correcting
issues is obviously important for the learning process, but lean leaders should
aim for a 5-to-1 praise to criticism ratio when addressing colleagues.
That being
said, lean leaders always aim for honesty. Sugarcoating the truth doesn’t help
anyone involved.
10. Practice
What You Preach
The old adage
“practice what you preach” is particularly important for lean leaders. Nobody
is going to buy what you’re selling if you’re not living it yourself, whether
that’s lean principles, continuous improvement or any other concept.
Yes, the Lean
leader should obviously act a role model for others, but they should also teach
leadership and encourage those qualities in those around them.
These 10
qualities are by no means exhaustive, but I believe they do capture many of the
behaviors that we have come to associate with Lean Leadership. They are
generally distinct from the general leadership qualities and should thus be
considered ‘additional’ traits above and beyond the foundational ones. It is
important to cultivate these leadership expectations by institutionalizing them
in your practices for leader development. But most importantly, leaders must
build a lean culture by themselves adhering to the principles of lean
leadership on a daily basis, thus generating the repeatable behaviors in the
organization that will result in a high level of performance.
Just as a Lean
transformation cannot happen overnight, a Lean management transformation is not
something that can be turned on with a switch. For many leaders, this requires
abandoning many of the principles that have gotten them to where they are.
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