Lean leadership is a style of management that embraces the principles of lean manufacturing, such as eliminating waste, improving quality, and delivering value to customers. But how do you implement respect and customer focus in lean leadership? Here are some tips to help you foster a culture of continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.
One of the core values of lean leadership is respect for people, which means treating your employees, suppliers, and partners with dignity, trust, and empathy. Respect your people by listening to their ideas, involving them in problem-solving, and empowering them to make decisions. Recognize their contributions, provide feedback, and support their development. Respect also means challenging your people to grow and learn from their mistakes, without blaming or punishing them.
Lean leadership for me starts from the top down management at least knowing your name ,acknowledging you with a smile & quick chat as they walk by the factory floor , feeling part of a team , your shift manager /team leader praising and complementing you on achieving results rather than it’s your job anyway ! ( half full as opposed to half empty) asking for your input on potential issues sharing knowledge building up a mutual trust being a friend more than a boss but knowing where the lines cross , just a few to mention It’s nice to be important but it’s also important to be nice ??
Respect is most important thing in any relationships . Customer is purpose for any organisation.for customer focus you need to have focus on your people. Because the way employees get treated in the same way they will treat your customers.treatment means feeling valued.
Another core value of lean leadership is respect for customers, which means understanding their needs, expectations, and preferences. Respect your customers by engaging them in dialogue, soliciting their feedback, and responding to their complaints. Deliver value to your customers by providing quality products and services that solve their problems, meet their requirements, and exceed their expectations. Respect also means anticipating your customers' future needs and innovating to create new value for them.
While it may be respectful, in my experiences this concept is more about defining value from the customer’s perspective. Aligning values with customers values, eliminating wastes or non-value added activity. One Simple question is usually enough to decide, “If we itemized this process do you think our customer would be willing to pay for this specific action?” If we think yes, it’s not waste, if not, ask, “Is it necessary for our businesses purposes?” If yes, perhaps there’s a better way to accomplish the goal. If not, why are we doing it? The idea is simple, align your understanding of value with your customers definition of value then continuously seek ways to provide more value to your customers. Win-Win.
A value stream is the sequence of activities that transforms inputs into outputs for a specific customer or market segment. Lean leadership requires focusing on value streams, rather than functions or departments, to optimize the flow of value to customers. Focus on value streams by mapping the current state, identifying the sources of waste and variation, and designing the future state. Implement and monitor the changes, and continuously look for opportunities to eliminate waste, improve quality, and increase speed.
This is where it’s most important to be respectful of people, go to the gemba, ask the people that add value, and observe. VSM is all about cycle time reduction and improving material flow. If you’re company is new to lean manufacturing you may need to stabilize processes, set standards, and or determine performance monitoring measures and make these visible. Likely on a huddle board designed by the gemba employees to meet their needs. Bottom line: The people doing the work must be empowered to make improvements and enabled to implement them. A VSM is a great tool, but you might not be ready for it and its not the be all end all of tools.
Lean leadership also requires focusing on customer outcomes, rather than internal processes or outputs. Customer outcomes are the benefits that customers receive from using your products or services, such as increased productivity, reduced costs, or enhanced satisfaction. Focus on customer outcomes by defining the value proposition, measuring the customer satisfaction, and aligning the organization's goals and incentives. Improve customer outcomes by understanding the root causes of dissatisfaction, finding solutions, and validating the results.
Lean leadership is not only about what you say, but also about what you do. Lean leaders must lead by example, by demonstrating the behaviors and attitudes that they expect from their teams. Lead by example by following the standard work, adhering to the policies and procedures, and using the tools and methods of lean. Show respect and customer focus by visiting the gemba, where the value is created, and talking to the people and customers who are involved. Share your vision and values, and inspire your teams to pursue excellence.
Lean leadership is not about being the smartest or the most powerful person in the room. Lean leaders must lead with humility, by acknowledging their limitations, admitting their mistakes, and learning from others. Lead with humility by asking questions, listening actively, and seeking feedback. Involve your teams in decision-making, and delegate authority and responsibility. Appreciate the diversity and perspectives of your people and customers, and respect their opinions and suggestions.
Leadership is never about being the smartest or most powerful person in the room. After reading the first sentence its clear AI doesn’t understand leadership, something that many people don’t understand even after having it explained to them..
Managers from all levels know all of the above. Most of us are familiar with the theory. To overlap the theory-practice gaps, I strongly suggest to conduct regular scheduled GEMBA walks with a GEMBA mentor. 1. make a list of the employees and workstations you want to visit. 2. Make a list of all rellevant managers which we want to enhance 3. Schedule all GEMBA walks ahead, commit to those time slots and inform the employees ahead 4. Do the walks 5. Put ALL of your atention on the action items and suggestions. It's simple and the results are super quick