Lean Leadership Lessons

Have you ever thought of taking lean leadership lessons from man’s best friend? An article by Mark R. Hamel details what he has learned from training his German shepherd. Known for being highly-intelligent dogs often used for police and military work, this breed still needs to be provided with the proper training in order to fully utilize their innate abilities.

Hamel details in his article the top five lessons about lean leadership that he has learned from his dog-obedience sensei (teacher):

1. Lean leaders must learn proper behaviors and techniques from the external sensei so that they in turn can coach others within the organization.
2. Lean leaders cannot abdicate their responsibility for transformation to the external sensei.
3. The followers in the organization can only absorb so much from the external sensei during the sensei’s relatively short time at their gemba (place). The long-term effect (or lack thereof) is purely up to the lean leaders.
4. Lean leaders must be absolutely (and pragmatically) consistent in message, principles, systems, and tools; otherwise, the workforce will become confused and frustrated.
5. Even though lean leaders often know what to do, how to do it, and why they should do it, they often don’t do it. A good external sensei will keep them honest.

To read Hamel’s complete article, click here.

To go along with lean leadership, it’s also important to use manufacturing tools that support lean principles. Portable CMMs are tools that help you meet six sigma and lean manufacturing standards. They create efficiencies in environments where you are forced to do more with fewer resources.

Learn More about Tools that Help You Achieve Lean Manufacturing