We have heard much recently about how leadership behaviors consistent with the “Respect for People” principle are necessary if one wishes to become an effective Lean leader. New concepts and methods to improve leadership behaviors have been expressed in works such as: “Lean Behaviors” (1998), “Practical Lean Leadership (2008), and Lead With Respect (2014). But, I as I have said in previous blog posts (here, here, here, and here), behaviors are only the starting point. There is more to do.
If we think of leadership solely in terms of behaviors, then we do not progress in our understanding of leadership. Instead of remaining stuck on leadership behaviors, we must evolve and understand leadership in ways that are complimentary to the required behaviors but which go beyond that. Why? Because times have changed since leadership behaviors emerged in the 1920s as a focal point for improving leadership. We now live in rapidly changing times, and poor leadership has a faster impact and a greater impact today. This calls for a new conceptualization of leadership and practical new methods for improving leadership.
I have re-imagined leadership in terms of processes and information flow. In my new book Speed Leadership, I identify 15 leadership processes and the dozens of errors associated with each process that slow down or block information flow. In total, there are more than 350 distinct errors that each leader, from supervisor to CEO, can make. Think about it. An organization has dozens or hundreds of leaders, each making scores of leadership errors every day, multiplied by 262 or more working days in a year. Leadership is an error-prone activity, not an error-free activity as perceived by most people.
Leaders burden workers – and each other – with millions of errors each year. Can that be good for a business or its customers? Can anyone say the quality of leadership is anything but terrible, even if one’s behaviors are pretty good? The type and quantity of errors cannot be understood solely in a behavioral context; it requires a process context. Knowing the specific errors lead to a scientific, rather than behavioral, approach to improving the quality and effectiveness of leadership. This is how to improve the efficiency of leadership. It is the next step forward.
It has become more common recently for leaders of Lean organizations to do at least some of their daily work according to standard work, expressed in the form of a standard work sheet (SWS). The SWS often connects to certain desired behaviors, which is a good first step. But it is not sufficient. Leader standard work is the “what to do.” Leaders must take the next step: break down “how to do” the work. Standard work for a daily activity can be performed many different ways. Therefore, leaders need to create standard work combination sheets (SWCS). Standard work is comprised of two parts: the standard work sheet and the standard work combination sheet – both “know-what” (SWS) and “know-how” (SWCS) are needed, not just know-what. It is know-how that reduces and eliminates the 350-plus errors that leaders make.
For example: Let’s assume a leader’s standard work sheet for responding to abnormal conditions – a repetitive job (process), by the way – is comprised of six parts (the “know-what”):
- See the andon
- Move to the location where the abnormality has occurred
- Talk to people
- Assess the abnormality
- Identify countermeasures
- Correct the abnormality
What kind of errors could a leader make in this repetitive job of responding to abnormal conditions? Dozens. It is not only the “know-what” (SWS) that matters; the “know-how” (SWCS) is of greater importance because it exposes waste in leadership processes. Of course, leaders will argue against creating SWCS because they think:
- Their work is not repetitive
- They type of work they do is different
- Knowing what to do (standard work) is sufficient
- Variation in the way the work is performed is not significant
Leaders will say SCWS is too difficult to create, too rigid for work that needs to be flexible, and does not apply to leaders’ work. These are the same arguments long used by shop and office associates, which leaders do not accept. People will use any excuse they can to avoid having to destroy their preconceptions. Recall the words of Sakichi Toyoda: “Before you say you can’t do something, try it.” As Chihiro Nakao says: “Don’t start thinking before doing,” “Generate intelligence instead of generating waste,” “Be brave and try it out.”
Work is work, whether it is performed by leaders or employees. Work is a process. Standard work combination sheets are beneficial for leaders’ work for the same reasons as for operators. Quality in each leadership process will vary greatly from one leader to another in the absence of SWCS. Leaders will not understand their work (the process) if they do not break it down in detail, with the aid of a stopwatch.
Learning how to do this yourself will clearly identify waste, and eliminating waste will result in benefits for employees as well leaders; the same type of dramatic process improvement that is achieved in the shop or office. Leaders will generate intelligence by learning more about what they do (their processes), and how to do them better, by creating standard work combination sheets. Lean leaders, especially, should be consistent and do the same things that they ask workers to do. And, they will never understand standard work if they don’t create it themselves.
Times have changed, so methods should change as well. Please read Speed Leadership: A Better Way To Lead In Rapidly Changing Times. It will help you understand that leadership is actually a repetitive job. You will understand what the equation, Leadership = di/dt, means. You will learn the 15 leadership processes and the errors that leaders make in each process. And, you will learn how to eliminate leadership process errors using visual controls, standard work, and standard work combination sheets to improve quality, effectiveness, and information flow. It’s simple to do. It is the next step forward on your journey of ever-better.
from Bob Emiliani http://www.bobemiliani.com/leadership-is-a-repetitive-job/
from American Quality Management https://aqmauditing2014.wordpress.com/2015/08/10/leadership-is-a-repetitive-job/
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