Page 109 - How To Implement Lean Manufacturing

88 Cha pte r S i x

aspects of who he is. But the critical factor is that they are willing to follow him,
they are willing to act, and many times they are willing to undergo severe hardship
and sacrifice for this leader. If he/she says to do something, they do it. They need
nothing more.
How does this leader get his following to do these things? There is a great deal in
the literature on leadership, and some of it is outstanding—Robert Greenleaf’s being
some of the best. Some of the literature puts the topic
of leadership completely out of context, yet others
touch on all the major points but do not emphasize
Point of Clarity One can
the very critical few necessary characteristics. I do
lead through:
not intend to fully explore leadership. That is not
• Competence necessary right now, but what we will discuss is the
• Character critical few characteristics that all leaders must have.
• Position They are also the skills that the leader of this Lean
• Personality initiative must have. Depending upon the type of
cultural change undertaken, or maybe where or
Our Lean leader must lead pri-
when it happens, the leaders of those efforts may
marily through competence.
need other skills as well, but these are the critical few
skills that are absolutely necessary for ANY leader. If
he/she is lacking in any of these characteristics, the effort—be it a Lean initiative or the
overtaking of a nation—will almost surely fail.
Think of a leader, any leader. It could be a political great like Churchill, Martin
Luther King, or even John F. Kennedy. It could be a sports leader like Vince Lombardi
or maybe a spiritual leader like Gandhi or Christ. All these people were great leaders.
Their individual fields of endeavor were different, yet they shared some common abili-
ties that led to their success. That said, what are the common characteristics shared by
these leaders? By all leaders?
First, all leaders have a plan. Martin Luther King’s plan was immortalized by his
“I have a dream” speech. Even today, some 40 years later, many people quote his
words, “…one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their
skin, but by the content of their character.” What about Gandhi’s plan of passive resis-
tance? Maybe the grandest of all was the plan of
Christ. Even having died over 2000 years ago, his
Point of Clarity It is not pos- following still grows. They all had a plan.
sible to lead without a plan. Your Lean initiative leader must also have a
plan. Lacking this person or his plan, my advice is
strong and clear. Don’t even start. If you attempt to
undertake this initiative without strong leadership and a strong plan, you will fail.
Furthermore, you will have raised the expectations of your employees, and their
expectations will be crushed. This only makes the next effort more difficult. Cer-
tainly, do not rush into this effort. Find a good leader and develop a solid plan before
you start.
The second necessary characteristic these men all shared was the ability to articu-
late their plan so people could understand and buy into it. They have the ability to get
people engaged. It is not coincidental that all these examples were also great orators.
I’m not so sure about Gandhi, but the others could mesmerize a group with their
speeches. About Vince Lombardi, his great middle linebacker Ray Nietzsche once said,