Howdy folks and I'm back for the 3rd installment of the Leadership from the front line. I'd like to take the time to address the action component of what leadership entails as for some of us, the action component can be the make a win or alienate our team due to overzealous action.
This week has been filled with actionable and quantifiable win. Just ask the hardy souls I have out there on the front lines with me. I've listened to my guys and gals, I've observed what the problems were with my eyes and ears and most importantly we are working together to accomplish the short range and mid range visions that I have outlined for my fabrication and assembly areas.
I am teaching my people what KPI's are all about, how to know when the trends are moving in the right direction, what to look for from an elevated position on the org chart and what the suits want to see happen. Yeah buckaroos I'm starting to sound like I've left the ranch and become a high dollar engineer but I haven't. What I am doing is pulling my workforce forward. I set an achievable goal with my leaders within the team. I then describe this goal and if we hit the goal or not. Teaching the short and mid range vision tactic. This is how I've been able to pull the team forward.
Here comes the real world component. You knew it was coming right, as I am not an academic preaching from a desk. We are living Lean everyday on the front line running the PDCA to constantly improve. I sometimes forget that not all my people are zealots and dive into Lean as I do. Yes having Yoda as my soul mate helps, but I personally have to interpret the education I'm receiving coupled with the long conversations she and I have on how to implement. For if I just take things right from the texts and lectures, run to the floor with it half-cocked pulling the trigger without a proper vision. Well, let's just say that I've learned the hard way. More than once have I made mistakes taking what I thought was the right information and implementing based on "gut feel" only to realize that I didn't have all the facts. Makes a guy feel sheepish to have to circle back to his cowhands and tell them "Yup, I was wrong again".
What the admission of being wrong does though is this. It demonstrates to your direct reports that you are not all knowing and will promptly admit mistakes. The humble component of being a leader. Look at some humble cowboys, Baxter Black the cowboy poet and Buck Taylor the actor. These guys have always had time for me when I have spoken with them and didn't outwardly demonstrate the "I'm too busy for you" attitude some leaders have been known to do. I'll openly admit to falling short of that from time to time. Though I have gotten better at it with age. Funny thing about age, with age wisdom doesn't always follow. Time to plug Burke Miller and Sam House once again for the Wisdom Discipline Leadership course. I'd suggest taking this course when available as you will learn about yourself as a Leader and as a coach. As being a good Leader, at times requires us to be a coach as well.
Looking at the content of this installment I've rambled somewhat and painted some really broad strokes. Hopefully you folks who are uber merchants out there on the Taylor Protocol CVI will be able to arc these points together. To those of you who are like myself and are uber builders with banker coming in a strong second. Look at this as a plan for direct action leveraging your innovator to lean how to ask the right question.
In closing I'd like to say this. It takes more than barking orders to be a Leader. It takes leading from the front and putting yourself on the line from time to time when doing the right thing isn't doing the right thing. You have to believe in your people and be willing to take risks with them and not use them as pawns. What it boils down to is the people component. As Leaders, we lead people. Without people we are just solitary individuals who roam the range.
Thanks for stopping by the campfire in this installment and I hope that you have taken something positive and useful away from a cowboys overview on his Lean journey right at the front line. Until we meet up again at Gemba. Happy Trails cowpokes...
Cowboy
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