I am finding good resonance with my management training sessions. Rather than doing an overview of the “tools of lean” I go in depth into the fundamental things that the leaders need to
- Learn to do, and do.
- Ensure are done.
in order to build this on a solid foundation.
But “resonance” seems to mean “in a hurry to get to the good stuff” and a temptation to skip some of the foundational work.
We need to start off in learning mode, working to build a foundation of stability and consistent execution.
Without consistent execution, all of the great plans are nothing but ideas. The first hoshin to work on is establishing a stable process of daily improvement. Once you have that, your improvement management process becomes an exercise in priorities and direction setting.
Without consistent execution, your improvement plan is application of brute force against the momentum of business as usual.
That isn’t “resistance to change” at work. It is “we barely have time to survive down here, so we’ll get to your improvements when we have time.”
You have to create that headroom first. Honestly, it is mostly about instilling confidence, both in themselves, and in you. They have to believe they can carry out the plan. They have to trust you to be consistent with your purpose and not cut their legs out by asking them to change course in the middle.
All of this takes practice. With the right kind of practice comes teambuilding. (That shouldn’t be a separate activity.)
Step by step. You can move quickly, but only if you embrace “smooth is fast.”
Mark,
I agree the tools have their place, but the foundation is more important. But few try to understand what it takes to build this foundation.
Commitment to the vision and consistency is important, but how often do you see people are made to change course, priorities shifted and leaders not being able to clearly articulate the vision. Is there a hope for these guys?
That leader vision is what Toyota would call “True North” and what Deming would call “consistency of purpose.”
Usually what happens is that leaders dramatically underestimate the turning radius of the organization. They pretend that they can change things faster than the organization can absorb it.
“Usually what happens is that leaders dramatically underestimate the turning radius of the organization. They pretend that they can change things faster than the organization can absorb it.”
Like the Titanic.
You okay Mark?
Almost a full month without anything new. I’m going through Rosenthal Withdrawals (which sounds like a very serious condition…).