Chapter 2- People Need Leadership, Not Management: Five Leadership Moves for Lean (eChapter)

There are five leadership moves — five essential actions a leader can perform to help provide leadership on the lean journey. In a lean organization, learning is critical. It is not a task for human resources to perform with skills assessments and in-company universities. It is line management’s direct responsibility. A lean leader must provide the source of energy that will compel the organization toward action. Leaders need to eliminate the fear associated with such activities and likewise the comfort that exists in maintaining the status quo. The leader must be pulling the organization through the change process, not pushing it through. Leaders should build on standardization with learning, or the scientific method. They need to make decisions, solve problems, and deliver improvements with a more deliberate sense of what they hope to accomplish. In summary, the five leadership actions are:
1. Leaders must be teachers
2. Build tension, not stress
3. Eliminate fear and comfort
4. Lead through visible participation, not proclamation
5. Build lean into personal practice