Lean Tips Edition #316 (#3766 - #3780)

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Lean Tip #3766 – Stand Up for What’s Right

People respect honesty.

While some bosses may like “yes” people who agree with everything they say, the best leaders value insights and opinions. Don’t sacrifice your values and what you believe just to appease your manager or try to get ahead. This will decrease trust with others.

Lean Tip #3767 – Don’t Keep Secrets, Be Transparent

As long as you can explain what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, most people will be able to understand.

Don’t keep secrets or hoard information for yourself. The people you’re building trust with are usually people on your team that you should be working collaboratively with. Share the information with them that they need to succeed too.

Lean Tip #3768 – Trust Comes When Can Admit When You’re Wrong

People don’t like to hear excuses. If you do something wrong, it’s best to just be upfront about it. If you realize you were incorrect about something, own up to it.

Being vulnerable enough to admit fault can humanize you and make you appear more trustworthy. Admitting mistakes is also part of being honest.

Lean Tip #3769 – Consistently Model Trustworthy Behavior

Consistently doing what you say you’ll do builds trust over time. Your team needs to see that you hold to your commitments to them personally and to the team overall.

They also want to see that you’re taking the time to regularly listen and work on employee relationships as a daily practice. The leader’s trustworthiness needs to shine through – not just once a quarter during a Town Hall, but in the overall approach to the business day-to-day.

For instance, if you say teamwork is a critical value for you personally and for the company, reinforce the point by regularly collaborating across teams and functions as a leader. Further, give credit when people do great collaborative work, setting the stage for a team-first mentality and an appreciative culture.

Lean Tip #3770 – Be Ready to Earn Trust

As the old saying goes, talk is cheap. Trust must be earned. It comes from a conscious effort to walk your talk, keep your promises, and align your behavior with your purpose and values. Today, employees are putting company leaders at all levels on notice that when it comes to earning trust, they better work harder.

Employees who truly trust their leaders will move mountains for them and will be more engaged in the business. That means your efforts to build trust are among the most important things you do as a leader.

Lean Tip #3771 – Getting Buy-in: Create an Image of Change

Create an image of the benefits of change and show your audience why taking action is necessary. You can do this through a scenario planning framework. Drawing the best-case scenario, worst-case scenario and realistic scenario can allow your team to react and buy into your vision. You may also use case studies to help your audience visualize what you are working to achieve.

Lean Tip #3772 – Getting Buy-in: Show the Benefits of Your Plan

Showing how the plan is going to help the organization can allow your team to make mental calculations of whether the idea is worth buying into. Sometimes, the perceived loss of current benefits can make some people slow to accept change. If you show them the positives of the change, they may be more likely to be accepting of your plan.

Lean Tip #3773 – Getting Buy-in: Be Prepared to Compromise

Sometimes an original idea isn't quite workable for a company or organization and may need some change to move forward. Be prepared to accept a compromise if your audience doesn't agree with your entire vision or even part of it. You may need to work with others to find a workable solution that still fulfills your desired goals.

Lean Tip #3774 – Getting Buy-in: Lead Your Team by Example

It can be easier to get buy-in from a team if you lead by example. If an idea requires changes of staff, first make the changes yourself to show team members you are prepared to do what you're asking them to do. This can give them an idea of what you're asking of them as well as encourage them to trust you.

Lean Tip #3775 – Getting Buy-in: Leverage Feedback

Use the team's feedback to improve the original idea. People may be more likely to commit to action if they feel their ideas are part of the plan. Not all feedback may become part of the plan, but it is vital to acknowledge everyone who contributed by saying "our plan." The way you communicate can help show others that the vision is not from an individual but is the product of a team effort.

Lean Tip #3776 – Managers Should Delegate to Develop

Delegating to take drudge work off your plate is often shortsighted and misses an opportunity to strengthen and empower your team. Instead, delegate with the intent to grow and develop the capabilities and responsibilities of your employees.

Lean Tip #3777 – Give Employees Autonomy Over Their Work

It’s okay if an employee doesn’t get from point A to point B using the same means you’d use. When you delegate, accept that this may mean your employee may complete the task differently than you would. Relinquish control, refrain from micromanaging, and accept that your way may not be the only (or best) way to complete a project.

Lean Tip #3778 – Leaders Need to Provide the Necessary Resources

Many leaders complain that when they first start implementing employee empowerment practices in their organizations, they still get employees coming to their offices and expecting their problems to be magically resolved for them. Instead, offer tools, resources, and to be a sounding board for ideas.

Lean Tip #3779 – Communicate the Vision of the Organization

It’s becoming more and more important for employees to feel like they are contributing to building something as opposed to just another cog in the wheel. By clearly communicating the vision of the organization and how a team and its individuals contribute to that vision, you are empowering your employees with the knowledge that their contribution is making a difference.

Lean Tip #3780 – Accept Ideas and Input

When possible, include your employees in decision-making and goal-setting. If they can’t be involved in these preliminary processes, be open to hearing their ideas and input. Not only can being receptive to new ideas help empower your employees, it can also open up your organization to great new ideas.

 

Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership: What’s the Difference?

Transactional vs. transformational leadership is not a question of a good vs. bad, right vs. wrong approach to leadership. While they are in fact opposite approaches to leadership, both offer advantages and are important styles of leadership to understand and apply in certain types of situations.   

Transactional leadership is a task-oriented style of leadership based on a system of reward and punishment (i.e. extrinsic motivation). A transactional leader will clearly specify their expectations for performance and hold their employees accountable for meeting those expectations; good performance is recognized and rewarded, poor performance is reprimanded. 

While transactional leadership has been shown to be effective, the big downside to it is that it doesn't drive extra role behavior (i.e. going above and beyond the basic requirements of the role). Under this style employees will do their jobs but you're unlikely to get any extra effort. 

Transformational leadership is a relationship-oriented style of leadership. Transformational leaders motivate and inspire their employees to move in the right direction by creating a compelling vision for the future, helping them to see the purpose in their work, and helping them to learn and grow. 

Studies have shown that employees of transformational leaders are more likely to engage in extra role behavior - that is, put in effort above and beyond what is required for their role. 

Both transactional and transformational leadership are effective in achieving intended results. 

Transactional leaders focus on organizational performance and employee supervision. These leaders are not looking much toward innovating for the future, but rather maximizing productivity in the present. They focus on making the day-to-day business of an organization flow smoothly. 

Transformational leaders focus on organizational change and employee development. These leaders devote more time to developing a strategy for the future of their team or organization, then motivating and inspiring employees to buy into that vision. This leadership is most effective in organizations or teams that need a leader to guide them towards positive change. 

The transformational leadership style has clear advantages when it comes to promoting growth, innovation and creativity within individuals, teams and an organization as a whole. 

A study in Frontiers in Psychology found that transactional leadership led employees “to perceive the culture as more goal, than innovation, oriented,” whereas transformational leadership led employees to see the organizational culture as more innovative. Employees feel they are encouraged to develop as professionals, growing their base of skills and knowledge. 

A key part of the overall strategy of a transformational leader is to encourage innovation and creativity in the workplace. The focus on employee development is important to cultivating the future leaders an organization needs, as employees grow into the shoes of their leaders and emulate their style. 

In developing, adapting and applying these two styles of leadership, it’s important to consider both the advantages and disadvantages of each, along with the current work situation your team and organization may be functioning in. 

Transactional Leadership: While it’s the best approach for maximizing operational efficiency, transactional leadership can fall short in the areas of innovation, long-term strategy creation and employee development. 

Transformational Leadership: While best for creating strategy and fostering organizational change, transformational leadership sometimes lacks the attention to detail, as these leaders are less concerned about daily workflow and processes. It also relies on having the type of leader who can sustain both a great deal of motivation and passion for a long period of time. 

If there is anything that organizational leaders have learned, it is that change is happening faster than ever, and those efficient processes and goals need constant evaluation. 

You can help motivate your team and successfully lead them through transformation, confidently driving your organization toward positive change with transformational leadership.

Lean Quote: The Employer Generally Gets the Employees He Deserves

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"The employer generally gets the employees he deserves."   —  J. Paul Getty   

As a leader, what you tolerate in the business is what eventually becomes the culture and ultimately dictates the performance of your business or unit. If you tolerate under performance, then under performance becomes the new norm. if you tolerate missed targets, then missed targets become the new norm. if you tolerate excuses, then excuses become the new norm.

And he that is good for excuses is seldom good for anything else!

And by tolerating, I mean the conscious decision you take on a daily basis to accept that level of performance. The conscious decision to allow the excuses that surround you to infiltrate your plans or offset the underperformance.

If you do not tolerate underperformance and excuses, they will disappear from the culture. If you constantly practice the way to do things, prioritize and execute on the most important things and generally do more of the right things more often, then success will become a habit.  The consequence of not doing this is that underperformance becomes the culture.

Leaders need to be first grounded in their own values and hold fast to that line – then holding others accountable to it as well. No exceptions except in very extreme circumstances and only if it would not change the goalposts for the organization itself. As the leader, you are the first line of defense for your own and the company’s values – don’t let anyone change those. You become what you tolerate.

Lean Roundup #192 – May 2025

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of May 2025.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.  

 

Psychological Safety: You get your say, not always your way. – Mark Graban explains that psychological safety doesn't mean consensus. It doesn't mean you'll get your way every time.

 

The Improvement Kata and DMAIC – Mark Rosenthal talks about the connection between the improvement kata and DMAIC principles.

 

Failure to Identify Risks - Alen Ganic explores three common categories of risk—technical, people, and timing—through examples that illustrate the importance of proactive risk management.

 

The 3 Levels of Lean Mistake-Proofing (Poka-Yoke): How to Prevent Defects and Boost Quality (Boston Edition) - Paul Critchley explores the three levels Lean mistake-proofing and how you can apply them to optimize your operations with a New England style example.

 

The Importance of Act in the PDCA – Christoph Roser says despite its apparent simplicity, there are many struggles involved with PDCA’s proper use and it seems that the Act part is especially challenging so he digs deeper into why and how to Act in the PDCA.

 

Stop Reacting to Red Light Metrics: Why ‘Two Reds in a Row’ Is a Misleading Rule of Thumb – Mark Graban writes about how people react to “red” data points in their workplace metrics, misleading rules of thumb, and why process behavior charts are more valid.

 

The Hardest Thing - Seeing What Is - Pascal Dennis talks about the cognitive biases that afflict human beings and hinder our ability to see.

 

The Control Tower – Learning to See What Is – Pascal Dennis talk about perhaps the most useful management system: the Control Tower (aka Big Room, Cockpit or ‘Obeya’).

 

Yokoten: Capturing and Sharing Best Practices - José R. Ferro explains that to accelerate learning and change, don’t copy blindly—observe, adapt, and apply with purpose and that’s where yokoten drives real transformation.

 

Executing Strategy through Daily Management  - Robson Gouveia and José R. Ferro explain how daily management closes the gap between strategy and execution by aligning daily work with strategic objectives, enabling real-time performance tracking, and fostering a culture of problem-solving.

 

Perspectives on People-Centric Improvement - Mark Reich highlights the essential role of people in driving lasting improvement. Drawing from Toyota’s principle of respect for people, contributors explore how activating, developing, and engaging employees unlocks true productivity and sustainable transformation across organizations.

 

A Free Resource for Leaders: The Mistake-Smart Leader’s Checklist – Mark Graban created a simple new resource from Singo Prize winning book The Mistakes That Make Us, that you can use as a team conversation prompt, a coaching framework, or a reminder on your office wall.

Memorial Day – Leadership Lessons

Memorial Day is the day we remember those who paid the greatest price for our freedom. It is honoring to pause and reflect on those who gave what they could never take back. These are the heroes whose sacrifices we cannot fully comprehend for most of us will never be called upon to give so much. Yet, if we are to truly honor their bravery we would do well as leaders to imitate in our own small way the manner in which they gave.

Let’s take a moment to honor our fallen heroes by examining some of the lessons they left behind …

1. The Power of Sacrifice

The essence of Memorial Day is the recognition of sacrifice. The men and women who serve in our armed forces put their lives on the line for the greater good, often at great personal cost. This spirit of sacrifice is a cornerstone of effective leadership. Their selflessness in putting the needs of others above their own teaches us a vital leadership lesson – the importance of leading with selflessness. Influential leaders prioritize the well-being and success of their team members, demonstrating a willingness to make personal sacrifices for the greater good. By embracing a servant leadership mindset, leaders can inspire trust, loyalty, and dedication within their teams.

2. Commitment to a Greater Cause

Memorial Day reminds us of the unwavering commitment of our military personnel to a cause greater than themselves. Their dedication and sense of duty are inspiring examples of what it means to be fully committed to a mission. This is a reminder of the enduring legacy left by those who have served. Leaders, too, have the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on their teams and organizations. Leaders have the ability to inspire greatness and create positive change by setting a positive example, nurturing talent, and empowering others. This creates a ripple effect that spreads positivity and encourages growth. Leaders who prioritize mentorship and invest in the development of their team members ensure that their influence continues long after they have moved on.

3. The Importance of Resilience and Perseverance

The stories we hear on Memorial Day are often filled with incredible acts of bravery and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds. These stories highlight the resilience that is essential for both military and leadership success. The brave individuals who have faced adversity on the battlefield display unwavering courage and resilience. Leaders must draw inspiration from their example and embrace adversity as an opportunity for growth. Great leaders do not shy away from challenges but confront them head-on, rallying their teams and instilling confidence. By leading with courage and resilience, leaders create an environment that encourages innovation, risk taking, and the pursuit of excellence.

4. The Power of Teamwork and Unity

Memorial Day reminds us of the power of teamwork and unity. Military units operate as cohesive teams built on trust, communication, and a shared sense of purpose. Leaders should strive to foster a similar environment of collaboration in their organizations. By promoting open dialogue, active listening, and a sense of belonging, leaders can create high-performing teams capable of achieving remarkable results.

5. The Importance of Gratitude

This weekend, we make it a priority to thank the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country. We should also remember that our gratitude for them shouldn’t stop at a single day or occasion. The same is true with regard to business. Expressing gratitude to our team members and partners isn’t just for special occasions or when celebrating wins. Practicing and sharing gratitude leads to stronger relationships, increased collaboration, and a more positive organizational culture.

As you remember those who lost their lives in faraway lands, consider bringing their sacrifice home in how you lead your team. When you do, you’ll raise the value of their gift for everyone you serve.