Leadership

Part Two of the Foundation Thinking Series

According to Ruggero & Haley, Leadership is influencing people by providing purpose, direction and motivation while operating to accomplish the goals and improving the organization.  This means that Leaders are Involved and Active in the Processes.

Let's break this down one piece at a time...

Providing Purpose gives people a reason to get on board with your vision.  The story you are creating has to be compelling enough for the organization to not chase their own self-interests and get on board with you.  People want to feel that they are making a difference.

Providing Direction lets the organization know where they are going.  Not only does the Purpose need to be compelling, the team needs to have confidence that the Leader is leading them down the right path.  This does not mean the easy path and everyone recognizes that change is hard.

We don't feel like going that way.

Providing Motivation keeps the organization moving when the path get bumpy.  Talking about the Vision one time in an all-hands meeting nine months ago is not going to provide sufficient horsepower to carry the organization through the dark parts of the Journey.  Talk to the organization to let them know where they are, what is the status of the opportunities being executed, and the resulting impacts to profit or customer satisfaction.

How do we make this part of our processes and organization?

Operating to Accomplish the Goals is why we are all here.  Is it all about profit?  The simple answer is no, that is not the only reason or the only goal.  In the flow of capital we are either selling the product or service, creating and delivering the product or service, or supporting the capacity to create and deliver the product or service.  Everything else is internal or external suppressive regulation that adds overhead costs without improving capacity or profit.

Improving the Organization is not a duty for only the Belts or the Quality Department, this belongs to the entire organization.  Kaizen is small improvement, getting better each time the task or activity is performed.  This is in line with improving the organization's capacity to Accomplish the Goals.

Leaders are NOT fire-fighters. They are fire-preventers.

Organizational Characteristics

• Climate for Leaders to grow and succeed
• Reward risk taking and innovation

Individual Characteristics

• Guiding and directing; not micro-managing
• Confident in making decisions and acting in accordance with corporate values
• Embraces authority and responsibility
• Chooses the hard right over the easy wrong