- “How committed are you to introducing Lean to the plant?” – the question came at the end of a job interview for the position of a Lean Leader for a factory.
- “100 percent !”
- “Thank you. This is in fact the only good answer to this question.”!
Funnily enough, it was the interviewee and not the interviewer who asked the question, at the habitual closure of the job interview where the interviewer closes with “Do you have any questions about the job?”. He got hired, and the factory where he worked became a showcase of successful Lean implementation. His reaction – saying that his future boss gave the only good answer to his question could have come across as arrogant but in fact it showed a trait that is essential for good Lean leaders. He was passionate about Lean, looking for an opportunity to live his ideal and for leadership support that would enable him to do what he dreamt to do. He also knew that anything less than 100% support will undermine his efforts and it will result in frustration and failure. His future boss immediately recognized the value of this attitude and so a great Lean implementation started.
Picking the right person for the job of a Lean leader is probably the most difficult step in starting to implement Lean. When asked by a country level manager to talk about the factors that can produce the failure of a Lean implementation, I immediately answered that the single most important failure point is to pick the wrong personality for the job. Of course, there is nothing wrong with people who have the wrong profile for a Lean leader, it’s just that the personality is way more important in this job than in many others in an organization. No one ever said that the personality of a programmer can ruin a project (except in extreme cases) but the personality of a Lean leader can easily wreck an expensive initiative.
So, what are we looking for?
Helmuth Scmidt famously said that people who have visions should go see a doctor, but for a Lean leader having a vision is essential. Toyota calls this having a polar star to follow. The vision can give correct guidance in any moment about how to react to the everyday issues in a plant, how to decide what has a priority and what can be let to evolve by themselves. It is an attitude where not only the results matter but just as importantly, the way the results were achieved. This enables the leader to praise failures if the right methods and attitudes were followed or to be unhappy with success if they weren’t. Obviously , it is hard to expect from a junior employee to have developed his/her own vision, so, having a vision also supposes a certain level of experience.
But having a vision is not enough. I have seen people fail at the job who had a strong vision of where they wanted to go, it just was not the vision of the Lean Management Team. So, the second element to look for will be the capacity to follow THE standard , or A standard that is the Lean vision at the organization where the leader will work. We know that standards are there to be changed, but a Lean leader has to be capable to reconcile his vision with the vision of the organization by accepting some parts even though he/she has a different opinion and by pushing hard to change some parts where he/she thinks this to be important.
And lastly, I would look for flexibility. We expect a Lean leader to be like water (and check out a great quote from Sun Tzu about that). Following the polar star does not mean that we have our course pre-determined. As long as it leads in the right direction, many variations on the way are possible. This attitude may lead to frustration in organizations that have a tradition of a “strong” leader telling them what exactly to do and how. A good lean Leader, asking questions and changing his/her recommendations according to the situation will be seen as undecided and weak. However, it is easy to see the difference to real weakness: a good lean leader accepts no compromises that concern the vision but any number of them concerning the way to get to the goal.
Obviously, these traits are quite contradictory – having a strict vision but accepting standards but at the same time striving to change some standards and also accepting the team’s way of implementing Lean is no easy mental gymnastics. Getting such a mature person to become the Lean leader is the major contribution of top management to the success of the initiative.
A good Lean leader is not the easiest person to manage in a leadership team, it will take a certain investment of time and above all trust, to integrate him/her into the organization. But anyone who saw the difference between an organization with a well – working Lean initiative one without will agree that it is well worth the effort.
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I really remember that point in the Interview as i asked this question the faces like "what"? Did he really asked the Managing Director that question? Well yes i did and i will try to share my vision and the why. It's clear that successful implementation of Lean practices hinges on full commitment from management. I can share an example from my previous company to illustrate this point. The Managing Director was not only eager to implement Kaizen-Lean, but also demonstrated an unwavering commitment that was palpable. This enthusiasm turned our plant into the showcase of the group. He ensured we received comprehensive Lean training, including visits to other companies with successful Lean implementations. One such visit was to a company manufacturing water filters for ships, where we saw impressive Lean Shopfloor boards, 5S, and Kanban systems in place. During a break, I expressed my admiration, and the response I received was enlightening. The plant had seen three different Managing Directors in four years. The first and third were fully committed to Lean, while the second was not, leading to a regression in their Lean efforts. This was a significant 'aha' moment for me.
Later, I was tasked with implementing Lean at another plant within the group. The Managing Director approached me, assuming that simply marking the floors would suffice. When I questioned his understanding and commitment to Lean, he admitted to being only 70%-80% committed. I knew then that our efforts would not succeed. True to my prediction, the implementation stalled because he lacked the necessary commitment. This experience reinforced my belief that Lean requires a mindset, a culture, and dedicated tools. It's akin to a plane taking off with 100% thrust, regardless of its load. Anything less than full commitment hinders success.
During an interview, if someone had mentioned an 80%, 90%, or even 99% commitment to Lean, I would have declined to work with them. Success demands unyielding dedication. I agree that managing a Lean leader within a leadership team isn't easy. Our role is to challenge the status quo and push for continuous improvement. Implementing Lean is challenging, as it involves pushing people out of their comfort zones and maintaining a vision. The journey to the vision is the goal, and flexibility is crucial. The path may not be straightforward, but with the right approach and adaptability, success is achievable.