Five Leadership Lesson From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebrates the life and contributions of America’s greatest champion of racial justice and equality, the leader who not only dreamed of a color-blind society, but who also lead a movement that achieved historic reforms to help make it a reality. We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us through his example — the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. left us with so many words and lessons that we can apply to evolve into a transformational leader.

1) Articulate a Powerful Vision

Leaders communicate a concrete vision of the future with a clear call to action to inspire others to get there. People want to follow someone who they know is going somewhere. People do not follow leaders who don't care about their values, their wants and needs, or the hopes and aspirations of those in the organization.

2) Challenge the Status Quo

Excellent leaders simply are not passive; they are active. They will challenge the status quo and not settle for business as usual. When there's a major challenge facing your organization, you must step forward to initiate new methods of getting things done to solve problems and ignite innovation.

3) Be Courageous

Being courageous does not mean you're not afraid. It just means you care more about something else greater than what you fear. Don't be reluctant to take on new initiatives even if they may not pan out. Those who raise their hands climb the ladder faster. Courageous leaders do what's right, not what's easiest, and focus on the good of the many over the good of one.

4) Walk the Talk

Actions speak louder than words. If your actions do not back up your messages, your lack of focus can become detrimental to your team and your career. People will respect and follow leaders who do what they advise others to do.

5) Demonstrate Faith in People

Wholeheartedly showing someone you believe in him is the simplest, most powerful thing you can do to bring out his best. Leaders have faith in not only in themselves but others. The authentic leader readily acknowledges the commitment and hard work of her followers. When times are tough, people need to know that their work matters. An excellent leader listens to the ideas of the followers and responds.

Excellence and leadership should be the signature traits of all of us, street sweeper or president. To be an authentic leader, you simply have to act — to "lead by example."

Lean Quote: All Progress Is Precarious

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.

"All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem." — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Indeed, I think that this great man was right about the notion of progress which culminating in a solution leads us to another problem. Thus, the progress is so ephemeral and therefore has no end.

Lean is a journey that never ends. There will always be a gap between where you are (current state) and where you would like to be (True North). Since there will always be a gap, there will always be an opportunity to improve. The road to continual improvement can be a rocky one with many ups and downs. 

Change requires taking risks by embarking into the unknown. Those risks can sometimes be simple, while other times taking risks can be extremely costly – as civil rights movement leaders like Dr. King.

Improvement won’t happen if we are refusing to change. Improvement necessitates change for the better – changing our expectations, changing our worldviews, changing the way we do things, changing our plans and priorities.

And change necessitates ideas, plans, investments/sacrifices, and the courage to move from what is currently deemed comfortable. Leaders of change are often ridiculed because of their courage to challenge the status quo, but that’s where historical legacies are forged.

Thank you, Dr. King, for having the courage to make the world a better place.

The Strategic Planning Tool to Achieve Excellence

Traditional planning methodologies focus on steering an organization in the direction desired by top management. Often referred to as management by objective (MBO) since top management establish the objectives, targets, evaluate whether employees meet these targets. Unfortunately, as we know, you can’t achieve the desired results by just dictating individual targets.

Companies must determine ahead of time what the vision and direction will be. A proper strategy must assign clear responsibilities and show what resources are to be committed. Metrics and timelines must be defined. Management must decide what core elements are to be deployed and the order of deployment.

In Lean Thinking “Hoshin Kanri” is the process to select those annual objectives that will give the organization the greatest possible advantage. The word hoshin is formed from two Chinese characters: ho stands for “method,” shin means “shiny metal showing direction.” Kanri stands for “planning.” Together, hoshin kanri is used to communicate a “methodology for setting strategic direction,” in other words, a management “compass.”

Hoshin kanri translates the strategic intent into the required day-to-day behavior. It is not another attempt to improve MBO. While hoshin kanri and MBO both aim to deploy company goals and encourage employees to achieve them, there are several radical points of departure. Specifically,

• Hoshin kanri deploys the voice of the customer, not just profit goals. More than the traditional MBO description of projected market share, profit goals, and revenues, hoshin kanri maps and controls the path to a new design based on customer priorities. It describes the behaviors needed to achieve the policies that support the strategic vision.
• Hoshin kanri deploys breakthrough strategies. It concentrates resources on strategic priorities and chronic problems by going after root cause(s) of obstacles to achieve dramatic improvements in performance.
• Hoshin kanri controls the means and methods, not just the results. It manages cause and effect linkage of supporting strategies, measures, and targets to ensure that employee efforts are realistic, synergistic, and add up to the total effort required to meet corporate objectives.
• Hoshin kanri is a continuous improvement management process, not calendar-driven system. MBO typically establishes a set of quarterly and annual goals. In contrast, hoshin kanri identifies a few critical breakthrough objectives that require coordinated and focused effort over an extended period of three to five years. Annual objectives are established within the context of these longer term objectives.
• Hoshin kanri emphasizes frequent reviews up and down the organization. In MBO, the performance review, often an annual event, does not capture or communicate valuable feedback to inform future rounds of planning. Hoshin kanri uses an explicit inter-level communication system to continually distill local lessons and channel them upward to the leaders of the organization. It routinely tracks performance, reviews the capability of the entire planning system, and modifies it accordingly.
• Hoshin kanri is not tied to performance appraisals. Authentic hoshin kanri separates the evaluation of personnel from the evaluation of the strategy. It focuses not on personnel, but on the quality of the strategic assumptions and the discipline of the planning system.

Hoshin kanri is not a strategic planning tool, it is an execution tool. It is a system to deploy an existing strategic plan throughout the organization. In other words, hoshin management is an idea handler, not an idea generator. It depends on a preexisting statement of direction typically generated by an augmented strategic planning process.


The hoshin kanri process identifies and concentrates resources on the vital few stretch achievements that support the vision. It separates those performance issues that require dramatic improvement from the many incremental improvements that can achieved at the local level. All the changes that the leadership believes to be incremental are skimmed out of the strategic plan and addressed through quality in daily work. The remaining category of contribution – the vital few breakthrough achievements – becomes the core of the hoshin kanri process.

Hoshin Kanri is the system for setting management’s compass toward True North. It is a tool to align people, activities, and performance metrics with strategic priorities. It can be used to communicate direction, coordinate activity, and monitor progress. It enables members of the organization to work together in the most creative way to define and achieve the strategic intent.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

I recently read a book called “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni. Five Dysfunctions of a Team should be required reading for anyone who is part of a team, especially at the leadership level.

Lencioni’s central theory is that there are 5 key elements to a cohesive team. In order of importance they are:

Trust – they trust one another

Healthy conflict – they engage in unfiltered conflict around ideas.

Commitment – they commit to decisions and plans of action.

Accountability – they hold one another accountable for delivering against those plans

Results focus – they focus on the achievement of collective results

Trust is the foundation element because it is only with trust that team conflict can be possible. Teams become dysfunctional when they are unable to productively deal with conflict and all meaningful relationships require productive conflict for them to grow.

When teams engage in productive conflict they can confidently commit to decisions. This is where real commitment to team goals happens.

Without team commitment you cannot have accountability. If the team is to be accountable, everyone must have a clear understanding of what is expected of them.

When teams are not held accountable they tend to look out for their own interests, rather than the interests of the team. A healthy team places team results as the most important goal of all. When all team members place the team’s results first the team becomes results orientated.

Dysfunctional teams are common in business; however, if you believe you’re a member of a dysfunctional team, all is not lost. By understanding the key concepts of a dysfunctional team, you can start to work toward more functional behaviors, such as improving communication between team members, asking your manager for clear direction, holding yourself and other team members accountable when you make a mistake, etc. It may not be the most enjoyable process, but it will result in a more cohesive team—and that will result in better business results.

Lean Quote: Start the New Year Off Right

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.

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves." — Bill Vaughn

The New Year is upon us and it’s the perfect time to make a change. Good intentions tend to fade out after a month or two, so let’s approach the New Year properly, with a manageable plan that’s focused, realistic and achievable. To start off the New Year on the right foot let’s review three ways to do it properly. 

1) Do a Yearly Review
Take stock of where you’ve been and appreciate all of the accomplishments you’ve made in the last year.  In a typical yearly review, you should answer these types of questions:

• What went well for me last year?
• What accomplishments did I have?
• How did I improve my life?
• How did I improve my relationships?
• What did I remove from my life that is now making me happier?
• What do I wish I had taken more time for?

Ask these types of questions about all the important areas of your life, such as family, relationships, financial, career, home, etc. These  questions will help you appreciate all you’ve accomplished in the previous year, and you can use this information to start the new year off right, and set better goals for the next year.

2) Finish What You Started
Which projects, errands, and general list of to-do items do you have left over from the previous year that you can complete in 2 hours or less? Do them now to clear your mind of the old items.

Keeping projects around like pets doesn’t do us any good—they just weigh on our minds, and people will spend hours thinking about something that will only take 10 minutes to take care of. Cross those things off your list and give yourself a fresh start.

3) Focus on What You Really Want
Dreaming is fabulous and highly recommended, but if you want to accomplish some improvements in your life, you need to be realistic. As much as you may want something, it’s very likely you don’t really believe you can have it. (If you did you would already have achieved it.) We have to turn a dream into something we can picture accomplishing before it can become a reality.

Take your dream and start breaking it down into milestones. Break those steps down further so you can create a game-plan and start working towards accomplishing that dream.

A new year inspires renewed energy and excitement for what could happen. It’s a fresh start and the perfect time to reflect on the past and plan for the future–to set goals and figure out how to meet them.

Lean Tips Edition #118 (1771 -1785)

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #1771 - Encourage Gratitude Sharing Within Your Team

Kick off your monthly meeting by going around and sharing something at work that each member feels thankful for. Or do what Plasticity Labs did, and ask your employees to devote time to writing down the things about their job that make them thankful. Researchers saw immediate improvements in morale and lower turnover in the group that did the exercise regularly.

Lean Tip #1772 - Be Grateful Yourself.

If you want to have grateful employees, you’d better be saying them too. Half of employees said they would switch jobs for one with more recognition. Thanking your employees will make them more satisfied with their jobs. Plus, when you say “thank you” people view you as a warmer person and want to engage with you socially.

Lean Tip #1773 - Provide Many Opportunities for Gratitude

When people are thanked for their work, they are more likely to increase their helping behavior and to provide help to others. But not everyone likes to be thanked—or likes to say “thank you”—in public. They may be shy or genuinely modest. The key is to create many different kinds of opportunities for gratitude.

Lean Tip #1774 - Catch Your Co-Workers Doing Something Right

We’re pretty good at catching people doing things wrong, but don’t always put the same energy into “catching” people doing something right. Be on the lookout for your co-workers doing great things, and then point them out in a very clear, specific way. With this positive feedback, your co-worker knows that you are being sincere and can then go on to share their own gratitude.

Lean Tip #1775 - Provide Training Opportunities for Employee.

People want chances for training and cross-training. They want to participate on a special committee where their talents are noticed. They like to attend professional association meetings and represent your organization at civic and philanthropic events. Do you currently have only your executives attending these events? Spread the wealth of opportunity to all employees. They will genuinely appreciate the opportunities.

Lean Tip #1776 – Remind People Why Their Work is Important.

Especially in lines of work when the impact of the work is less obvious, team leaders should continuous remind their members on why their work is important. People are more likely to stay focused on tasks when they are convinced that the results matter. Under the pressure of time and expectations, it is easy to lose faith, confidence and focus. Constantly assuring them about the importance of their work, as well as their skills and contributions to the big overarching goal will keep them motivated.

Lean Tip #1777 – Recognize Accomplishments.

Not only do you celebrate little successes along the way, but even if the final product falls into the “can be improved” category, don’t forget to still recognize the accomplishments. Recognizing the little things that your teammates have done well encourages them to stay focused and continue to do better next time.

Lean Tip #1778 – Maintain Good Relationships.

A good team needs great bonding to work well together. Good relationships need to be maintained, so trust is increased. This is especially important when deadlines get nearer and the stress level of the team increases. It eventually leads to complete reliance on trust of each team member to deliver their respective work, so each team member can focus on just completing their own jobs.

Lean Tip #1779 – Keep Up the Positive attitude.

It takes a strong source of positivity to influence the attitude of the entire team. Good team leaders always keep a positive attitude. Always. They need to maintain the positive attitude to motivate the rest of the team to stay confident. Do your work by anticipating problems and planning ahead, instead of discovering problems only when they come and having to respond to them. Keep your team well informed of such potential situations, so they can be well prepared. This can help to keep problems small, so teams can continuously stay focused on working on the main project without getting too flustered along the way.

Lean Tip #1780 – Enjoy the Success.

It is easy to focus on the problems and the negatives along the way, before the final goal is achieved. However, do remember to smell the roses as your move along, no matter how small the patch and how tiny the roses are. Celebrate these small successes along the way, so team members get to enjoy the adrenaline rush that comes with achievements. Boosting the adrenaline levels with these little successes will go a long way in keeping team members excited and focused on the final goal.

Lean Tip #1781 – It’s OK to Dream, But it Takes Motivation to Accomplish Your Goals

It's OK to dream and have big goals. But if you're actually going to accomplish them, you have to DO something about them, and that takes motivation.

The very first thing you need to achieve a goal is a reason and deep desire to achieve it. The path to achieving goals is fraught with boredom, excuses and difficulty. You will have a lot of opportunities to talk yourself out of the goal. But if you can keep going back to the reason and your desire for the goal, those will help you stay on track.

Lean Tip #1782 - Devise a Plan to Meet Your Goals. 

This is vital in making the goal a reality. Without a plan, your goal has little chance of success. Write an overall summary of the goal, including details such as timing, cost and location to make it authentic. Decide where to begin, and then make a detailed step-by-step plan of the major tasks needed to achieve the goal. If in doubt, work backward in stages from the final result. Make deadlines if you like, but keep them realistic to avoid disappointment.

Lean Tip #1783 - Do Something Daily Toward Your Goals

Nothing replaces repetition and creating momentum like doing something to get you closer to your goal every day. You will naturally take some time off, but if you don't take seriously the first 30 days of work on the goal and use them to create momentum, it's almost guaranteed you won't get there.

The first 30 days are critical to convincing your B.S. monitor that you're serious. Organizationally, it convinces colleagues you're serious.

Lean Tip #1784 - Adapt and Adjust Your Goal

As you work on your daily mini goals and toward the bigger goal, be willing to adapt. Make the mini goals more difficult if they seem too easy. Make them easier if they become too taxing.

The main thing is that if your brain deems the mini goal to be too difficult, you'll quit. If it's too easy, you're running in place. Find the middle so you have advancement each day.

Lean Tip #1785 - Regularly Reassess Goals.

Frequently re-examine the goal to ensure it’s still what you really want. Recognize and celebrate each small success along the way. Adapt it if necessary, but keep to your main objective. Work hard and stay focused on the result.

Lean Roundup #103 – December, 2017

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of December, 2017.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.

The Objective of Problem-Solving is Not Solving the Problem – Gregg Stocker says emphasizing learning rather than results takes patience and a belief that it will eventually lead to far greater and sustainable results.

A Powerful Message from Toyota’s President, Akio Toyoda: No Best, Only Better - Mark Graban discusses the core message of Kaizen and continuous improvement, the way Toyota states it.

Does Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) Improve Manufacturing Processes? – Michael Sinocchi probes the answer to this question with Ross Kennedy, author of the subject of OEE.

Lean Leadership – Are You Winning the War on Culture? - Pete Abilla shares a few points for leaders to consider when implementing a culture change in an organization.

Overproduction vs. Fast Improvement Cycles - Mark Rosenthal talks about the size and speed of your continuous improvement cycle.

Preparing for Reflection - Kevin Meyer discusses the process of personal reflection as this year comes to an end.

How to Avoid the Hazards of Habituation with Standard Work and Kaizen - Jon Miller talks about human nature to form habits and the downside of this when focused on improvement.

ASK ART: “Why do you say lean is all about people?” - Art Bryne says Lean is all about people and explains why.

Learning to Discern – Quality & Quantity - Bill Bellows talks about how Toyota discerned the difference between quantity and quality, between counting parts and using parts.

Lean Leadership: Take a Deep Breath and Let It Go - Pete Abilla shares advice and tips for effective Lean leadership.

How to optimize your production planning and scheduling to save time and money – Megan Nichols discusses five of the most important elements of production planning.

Applying the 6 Laws of Tech to Lean - Jon Miller discusses how the six laws which explain society’s unease with technology’s growing power and presence in our lives applies to Lean.

Why Lean Fails – Gregg Stocker shares several reasons for failure in order to help move toward fundamentally changing the culture to enable Lean to increase and sustain the rate of improvement.