Many people may don’t like this headline but I think as it may be unpleasant it is true; because when Toyota applied its system “Toyota Production System” which transformed later to “Lean Manufacturing System” it was all about culture ;it was all about people and changing their way of thinking and attitudes.
And even if some topics in today’s lean courses talk about leadership and establish the concept of cultural change; the main focus is always on the technicalities (which of course are very important) but don’t guarantee your success in the lean journey ; i.e. being a certified lean black belt doesn’t mean that you CAN apply lean in your workplace.
You have to gain other skills beside lean knowledge to be able to apply Lean.
Here are 3 skills you should acquire to be able to implement Lean
1.Leadership skills.
The important characteristic of leaders is there ability to get followers , and this is the most important thing you need to implement a change , people who believe in you and your vision and follow you to achieve it.
To do so, you have to have a clear vision and to communicate this vision transparently , you should also listen to your team motivate and coach them whenever needed.
The most engaging thing that you should do , is to show them “what is in it for them”, they must win as you win ,in that way they will be always motivated and work on the success of your vision.
2.Patience.
Change takes time and if you rushed it, you will not be able to achieve what you want , you will be like a person who gained some weight and went on a diet so he starved to loose a lot of weight in a short time and of course he couldn’t continue like this and he gained weight again and all his efforts are gone.
If you rushed it , your team will be stressed and confused and will prefer their comfort zone.
3.Perseverance.
If patience is about your people , perseverance is about you , you have to bare in mind that you are making a change which is a very hard mission , so you have to accept failure – temporary failure – but keep your goals in your mind and work on it slow but steady
You should also expect resistance, sometimes it is depressing but you should put depression aside ,focus on your goals and deal with that resistant.
Keep yourself motivated and celebrate your small achievements, you can also create a network of support of people who believe in what you are doing and will give you the guidance and the support whenever you feel that you can’t continue.
“Begin with the End in Mind” this is the second habit of the ” 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” the great book for Steven Covey. This habit will keep you focused and motivated and keep doing what you do no matter the obstacles.