One of the problems with some of the books and articles on lean leadership is the tendency to oversimplify the concept in terms of a dictator versus coach. It is too easy for people to read about the characteristics of a traditional manager and, because they aren’t that bad, surmise that they are therefore a lean leader. What many do not understand, though, is that the difference between a traditional manager and a lean leader is not … Continue reading
“Why are we here? To learn, to make a difference, and to have fun.” – W. Edwards Deming Many years ago, I was fortunate enough on a couple occasions to attend W. Edward Deming’s 4-day seminar. Early in both seminars, Dr. Deming asked attendees, “Why are we here?” After waiting in silence and repeating the question, he would offer up the notion that we are here “to learn, … Continue reading
“If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.” – Albert Einstein For most people, structured problem-solving is not a natural process. After years of being rewarded for quick answers and telling people what to do, along with the fact that most of us are overloaded, the ability to approach a problem without a preconceived solution is counter to the way people work. Many see structured … Continue reading
One of the reasons often given for eliminating layers of management is that managers get in the way and slow down processes. Although often true, eliminating layers is not necessarily addressing the root cause of the problem. The company can benefit more by understanding why its leadership is ineffective and its processes and systems are slow, rather than assuming it is because of excessive layers. Continue reading
Over the years, I have found many organizations the lack the ability to effectively balance short-term pressures with long-term improvement. The situation causes frustration in people because, in the end, the short-term virtually always wins while the focus on the long-term suffers. There are a number of reasons for a tendency toward short-term thinking. First of all, people tend to be measured and rewarded based on achieving current year targets much more than long-term improvements. Another factor driving a short-term focus is the targets are right … Continue reading
The problems people have related to identifying leading metrics often result from failing to connect the effort to problem-solving. Attempting to determine the proper leading metrics in isolation from problem-solving often leads to frustration and wasted effort in creating and maintaining the measures, and a lack of clarity in understanding how to improve performance of lagging metrics. Continue reading
It has been decades since we first learned about the Toyota Production System and how it contributes to the company’s quality, productivity, and competitive success. And although some companies have done very well with lean, most have struggled. There are many reasons for failed applications of lean, but one that gets very little attention is the … Continue reading
“Nobody gives a hoot about profit. I mean long-term profit. We talk about it, but we don’t do anything about it.” – W. Edwards Deming Why do so many companies seem to be happy with mediocre performance? People generally consider the idea of having it all – perfect safety, high quality, short cycle times, low … Continue reading
Many companies today are jumping on the lean bandwagon and expecting huge cost reductions as a result. Unfortunately, many of these companies will never see the type of improvements they expect from lean, and their leaders will likely become disappointed and frustrated, and eventually abandon the effort. There are a number of reasons companies fail … Continue reading
The performance review process in most organizations targets an individual’s weaknesses. Although strengths are usually identified – although more in terms of results than the fundamental strength that led to the result – the individual is often expected to work on the weaknesses before the next review. There is rarely conversation about how the person can further develop strengths during the coming year. Continue reading
