Lean Quote: The Quality of a Leader is Reflected in the Standards They Set for Themselves

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves."  —  Ray Kroc

As a leader, what you tolerate in the business is what eventually becomes the culture and ultimately dictates the performance of your business or unit. If you tolerate under performance, then under performance becomes the new norm. if you tolerate missed targets, then missed targets become the new norm. if you tolerate excuses, then excuses become the new norm.

And by tolerating, I mean the conscious decision you take on a daily basis to accept that level of performance. The conscious decision to allow the excuses that surround you to infiltrate your plans or offset the underperformance.

If you do not tolerate underperformance and excuses, they will disappear from the culture. If you constantly practice the way to do things, prioritize and execute on the most important things and generally do more of the right things more often, then success will become a habit. The consequence of not doing this is that underperformance becomes the culture.

Leaders need to be first grounded in their own values and hold fast to that line – then hold others accountable to it as well. No exceptions except in very extreme circumstances and only if it would not change the goalposts for the organization itself. As the leader, you are the first line of defense for your own and the company’s values – don’t let anyone change those. You become what you tolerate. Set the standard you want for them.