Lean Leadership Development

Autonomy is often wrongly confused with independence. This mistake negatively affects accountability. People sometimes mistakenly think that giving people autonomy means leaving them completely to their own devices (this is independence). In the organizational sense, autonomy is not the opposite of structure—it’s the freedom to operate WITHIN a structure that supports continuous improvement and accountability. A Lean mindset and approach helps leaders to understand how to foster BOTH accountability and autonomy. Lean leaders do this by intentionally moving away from making people feel like they are "being held accountable" (which feels imposed) and inspiring them to "take accountability" (a sense of ownership that naturally fosters autonomy). Here’s how you can adopt this approach in YOUR team: 🟢 Be clear about goals, roles, and responsibilities: Use tools like RACI charts or visual management boards to clarify who does what. 🔴 Define success together: Involve the team in setting performance standards or KPIs so they have a say in what they’re working toward. 🟣 Encourage regular 1:1 check-ins and team huddles: create spaces for discussing challenges without fear. 🟡 Engage people in problem-solving: Use structured techniques and Kaizen to involve the team in addressing inefficiencies. 🔵 Ask for their ideas first: Instead of directing what needs to change, coach them with powerful questions like, “What do you think is the best next step?” 🟤 Use visual management: Team dashboards or Kanban boards make progress visible, reduce micromanagement and highlight areas needing attention. 🟠 Review metrics as a team: Make this part of regular meetings, so progress and accountability are a collective effort. ⚫ Own your commitments: If you make a mistake or miss a deadline, acknowledge it openly. ⚪ Model humility: Admit when you don’t have all the answers and seek input from the team. (This makes people feel valued!!) 🤔Reflection time for leaders... Are you balancing structure and flexibility in your team? Which of the above could you act on to shape a culture of autonomy?

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝘁? Most leaders see the "tools" of continuous improvement. But the real work lies beneath the surface. When you think of Lean or Continuous Improvement, what comes to mind? 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑚𝑎𝑝𝑠. 𝐴3. 5𝑆. 𝐾𝑎𝑛𝑏𝑎𝑛. These are powerful tools, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg. Without further context, it is difficult to explain why some organisations get fantastic results (e.g. Toyota or Danaher) while others struggle 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀. What’s beneath the waterline? Coaching. People development. Behavior change. When I first started leading large-scale continuous improvement transformations, I faced 3 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀: 1️⃣ Tool addiction — Leaders wanted quick wins, not sustainable change. 2️⃣ Misalignment — Senior leaders talked about "culture change" but measured only short-term metrics. 3️⃣ Invisible work — The coaching, listening, and development required to shift mindsets didn’t show up on dashboards. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱: ✅ Tools can help solve a specific problem once the problem is defined and prioritised. ✅ Leaders need to personally role model and coach to change a culture. Teams look at what leaders do, not what they say. Culture doesn't shift with a workshop — it shifts when leaders model new behaviors daily. ✅ So, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀? - I stopped "doing Lean" to people and started coaching leaders. - Instead of focusing on tools, I helped leaders focus on their own behaviors first. This often included a good definition on the most important problem to be solved now. - We moved from “get the result” to “become the kind of leader who drives sustainable results.” 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂: If you’re a senior leader, you might be chasing visible wins. But the real competitive advantage lies below the surface. It's the leadership shift that moves the whole system. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆: ⚠ 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀. 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 (start with yourself 😉). Your success is measured not just by the results you achieve — but by the leaders you create. Gemma Jones has created a wonderful image to illustrate my points above. 👉  Please follow me for insights on #ContinuousImprovement and #ExecutiveCoaching based on my 25+ years in Danaher and Procter & Gamble.

#Lean is a learning system: a system of interconnected tools that all use the same learning cycle: plan, do, check, act. The purpose is to help people at every level of the organization learn from real work and improve it step by step. 1️⃣ At the workplace level, learning starts by making work visible and structured. Visual management tools such as kanban, andon, and 5S help teams see the flow of work, notice problems quickly, and keep standards clear. By making normal and abnormal conditions obvious, the workplace itself becomes a learning environment where people can understand what is happening and why. 2️⃣ Teams, led by team leaders, learn to improve their daily work habits through standardized work, daily problem solving, and suggestion activities. Standardized work provides a clear starting point for learning, not a rigid rulebook. Daily problem solving helps teams reflect on what did not go as planned and try small improvements. Suggestions allow everyone to participate in learning from experience and improving how the work is done. 3️⃣ Managers learn by focusing on improving processes rather than blaming results. They do this by supporting team leaders in leading kaizen, or continuous improvement activities. Through kaizen, managers practice understanding problems at their source, testing changes, and checking whether those changes really improve performance. This builds managerial skill in learning from facts instead of opinions. 4️⃣ Executives learn to make better decisions by using structured thinking tools such as A3s, ringis, and MIFAs. These tools slow down thinking just enough to clarify the problem, understand causes, consider options, and learn from outcomes. Instead of relying on intuition alone, executives practice disciplined learning from evidence and shared understanding. 4️⃣ Department heads learn to establish better policies and coordinate across functions through obeya rooms. Obeyas make plans, problems, and trade-offs visible across departments. They help leaders learn how their decisions affect others and how to align actions across organizational boundaries. 5️⃣ At the highest level, leaders challenge business models, priorities, and long-term goals through hoshin kanri. Hoshin kanri applies the same learning cycle to strategy. Leaders set direction, test it through deployment, learn from results, and adjust based on what actually happens in the business and in the market. Each of these tools applies the plan–do–check–act cycle at a specific organizational level. Together, they form continuous and connected learning loops throughout the company. These overlapping cycles of learning are what make an organization more customer focused and more productive over time. Lean delivers superior results because it turns everyday work into a system for learning and improvement. #LeanIsAwesome

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝟠𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥 - 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐈𝐭 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐊𝐏𝐈𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 - 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. You can deploy Lean across every function - and still fail to make it stick. That’s because Lean collapses when it becomes a project instead of a leadership behavior. I’ve seen this pattern repeat in global operations again and again: ✓ Workshops are run. ✓ KPIs turn green. ✓ Posters go up. The real failure point isn’t on the shop floor - it’s in leadership routines. When leaders stop coaching problem solving, when daily meetings become reporting sessions, when Kaizens are driven by a calendar instead of purpose - Lean becomes noise. So what actually makes it last? 👉 A Daily Management System that connects strategy to gemba. 👉 Leader Standard Work that makes coaching and observation part of every day. 👉 Tiered accountability - not control, but transparency and learning. 👉 And above all - a culture where asking “why” is safer than giving excuses. Lean doesn’t fail because tools don’t work. It fails because behaviors don’t change. 💡 True sustainability comes when leaders stop doing Lean and start leading Lean. How do you sustain transformation once the initial momentum fades? #OperationalExcellence #Lean #Leadership #ManufacturingExcellence

Is your leadership development built to last or built to fizzle? Despite over $60B invested globally each year in leadership development, some studies suggest as few as 5% of leaders apply what they learn in sustained, meaningful ways. Some programs even show a negative ROI. The problem? We treat leadership development like an event when it needs to be a system. In this paper, Jaason Geerts, PhD outlines a set of enabling factors to maximise the outcomes and ROI of leadership development programs. Here’s where the magic (and missed opportunities) often lie: 1. Pre-program Prime the conditions before the learning starts: ⚙️ Involve stakeholders in co-design so the learning addresses real-world problems, not abstract concepts ⚙️ Have leaders create a development plan before the program begins with goals linked to their role, team needs, and the organisation’s strategy ⚙️ Ensure line managers are briefed and bought in. Better yet, include them in onboarding or launch activities ⚙️ And here’s one often skipped: run a barriers analysis. What might stop leaders from applying what they learn and how can you remove those roadblocks now? 2. During the program. Design for use, not just insight: ⚙️ Build in experiential and peer-based learning. Real development requires practice, not passive consumption ⚙️ Create space for in-the-moment reflection and real-time feedback ⚙️ Use "culminating activities" (like project presentations or commitments shared with peers or execs) to raise the stakes on application. 3. After the program. Don't let learning and the intent to use it fade: ⚙️ Remind participants and their managers that follow-up assessments are coming and offer support to prepare for them ⚙️ Build in public sharing of results whether through showcases, storytelling, or impact reports ⚙️ Keep the community alive. Invite alumni back as mentors, facilitators, or contributors. It signals development is an ongoing expectation, not a one-time event. 4. At the system level. Think beyond the program, as this is where the biggest return often is, and the biggest gaps are: ⚙️ Integrate leadership development with talent processes - performance reviews, promotion criteria, succession planning ⚙️ Make leadership a shared expectation across the organisation, not just for those with direct reports. Embed it in your culture, systems, and symbols ⚙️ Develop a leadership development blueprint that visualises how different programs and development experiences connect across the employee lifecycle. In other words, great content isn't enough. If you want behaviour change, build a system around the learning. 💬 Over to you: What’s one thing you've done (or stopped doing) that made a real difference to your organisation's leadership development outcomes? 👇Let's swap notes in the comments. #leadershipdevelopment #leadershipdevelopmentsystem #behaviourchange #organisationaldevelopment

The primary task of a leadership programme isn’t to build skills. It’s to build the capability of your organisation to deliver on its strategy. Too many programmes focus narrowly on skills. Essential, yes – but without connection to the organisation’s requirements and unique context, those skills rarely shift how the organisation actually works. The research is clear: 🔸 McKinsey’s global survey found that only 11% of executives strongly agreed their leadership programmes achieved sustained results (What’s Missing in Leadership Development, 2017). 🔸 Harvard Business Review showed that training fails when organisational design and culture remain unchanged – people are pulled back into old habits (Beer, Finnström & Schrader, 2016). That’s why leadership development must be designed around: 🔹 Understanding and navigating your structure, processes, and informal power networks – so leaders can enable strategy execution rather than be blocked by it 🔹 Bringing the outside in – connecting the programme directly to the needs of customers, service users, funders, and stakeholders 🔹 Equipping leaders to shape culture – through the thousands of daily interactions that reinforce or shift how work gets done 🔹 Holding multiple time horizons – developing the capacity to deliver in the now, steer for the coming months, and invest for the long term 🔹 Designing platforms that enable coordination, collaboration, and knowledge sharing across the organisation 🔹 Acting into complexity – experimenting, adapting and learning in uncertain environments 🔹 Decisions and problem-solving that draw on the collective intelligence of their people Otherwise, leadership development is just more classroom confidence, with little shift in behaviour, culture, or strategic delivery. This is where we work differently. We combine extensive research into your strategy, culture and ways of working with engagement of key stakeholders – creating the supportive environment leaders need to try new approaches. That way, development is anchored in your system and shaped by the realities leaders face every day. If you’d like to explore how leadership development can build your organisation’s capability to deliver strategy, drop Dani and me a line.

Some leaders still see Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt training as “nice to have.” I see it as leadership development in disguise. Yes, it teaches people how to solve problems, remove waste, and improve processes. But the real value in my opinion is that it changes how people think. It gives them confidence to challenge the status quo. It builds the skills to lead—without waiting for a title. When employees understand the “why” behind problems and have the tools to fix them, they stop being passive participants in the business and start becoming active drivers of improvement. I’ve seen it happen time and again: someone attends a Yellow Belt course, learns to map a process, use the 5 Whys, and gather real data. Then they go back to their team… and they’re different. They’re more curious, more influential and more willing to speak up and take ownership. Continuous improvement training isn’t just about better processes, it’s about better leaders—at every level of the organization. f you want to future-proof your business, start by upskilling your people. Sometimes the most powerful leadership pipeline starts with a simple Yellow Belt or entry level continuous improvement training.

Ready to level up as a Lean leader? Discover the must-have playbook. To lead with impact, you need structure, habits, and a growth mindset. Let’s break down the essential playbook for every Lean leader: 1️⃣ 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀 - Start your day by heading to the Gemba. - Listen more than you talk. Aim to coach, not command. - Make issues visible—it’s the first step to fixing them. - Celebrate even small victories—momentum is everything. 2️⃣ 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 - Think long-term and see the big picture. - Every problem? An opportunity for growth. - People development isn’t optional; it’s essential. 3️⃣ 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 - Master Leader Standard Work to stay consistent. - Use Visual Management Boards to communicate clearly. - A3 Problem-Solving gets everyone aligned. - Coaching Kata builds problem-solving into your culture. 4️⃣ 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 - Avoid giving solutions too fast. - Never blame—own the process, not the fault. - Skipping Gemba disconnects you from reality. - Rushing implementation rarely ends well. 5️⃣ 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 - Look at team engagement—it tells you a lot. - Problem-solving should be everyone’s strength. - Standard work adherence keeps improvement steady. - Check for sustained improvement—not quick fixes. Lean leadership is a journey, not a sprint. Start with one practice, and watch your team thrive. Like this? Share ♻️ to help others and follow me, Sergio D’Amico for more insights on continuous improvement and organizational excellence. 📌 P.S. Is there a critical practice missing in this playbook? Share in the comments.

A few days ago, I had the privilege of speaking with Prof. Jeffrey K. Liker. For decades, Jeffrey Liker's work has shaped how organizations around the world ... understand Lean Management, the Toyota Production System, and what it takes to build a culture of continuous improvement. One sentence from our conversation has stayed with me: "You can't change a system that doesn't want to be changed." At first, this sounds almost contradictory to the idea of continuous improvement. But what became clear is this: Change cannot be imposed through tools or methods. It requires commitment and developing people. Two principles he emphasized stand at the core of this thinking: 1. #Respect for people. Not as a value statement, but as a daily practice. It means taking people seriously in how they think, how they work, and how they improve their own processes. In practice, this means: -Listening before deciding -Going to the place where work happens -Creating space for people to improve their own work 2. #Develop people in problem-solving. This is where Lean becomes tangible. Problem solving is not a talent – it is a capability that can be learned. Through routines. Through coaching. Through daily practice. In practice, this means: -Not solving problems for others -Asking better questions instead of giving answers -Practicing small, iterative improvements every day At Toyota, leaders are teachers. Their role is not to give answers, but to develop others' ability to observe, think, and improve step by step. Sustainable improvement does not start with solutions. It starts with people who are able – and enabled – to solve problems, and to find simple, practical ways forward. So the question becomes: Where in our organizations are we still solving problems for people – instead of developing their ability to solve them? Thank you, Mike Rother, for connecting me with Jeffrey. #LeanManagement #Kaizen #ContinuousImprovement #HR

Why Toyota doesn’t manage from the boardroom. 🚗💨 Most companies try to solve problems with reports, slide decks, and "alignment meetings." Toyota solves them at the Gemba the "actual place" where the work happens. The "Toyota Way" isn't just a manufacturing framework; it’s a masterclass in leadership. If you want to build a culture of high performance, here are 3 lessons every leader should steal: 1. Go and See (Genchi Genbutsu) 👁️ You can’t lead what you don’t truly understand. Toyota leaders spend time on the floor to see the reality of the work firsthand. If you aren't talking to the people doing the job, you aren't leading; you’re just guessing. 2. Respect for People (The "Andon" Cord) 🤝 In many cultures, a "problem" is a failure. At Toyota, a "problem" is an opportunity. When a worker pulls the cord to stop the line, leadership doesn't look for someone to blame they look for a way to help. Leadership is about removing obstacles, not giving orders. 3. Long-term over Short-term (Hakari) They are famous for making decisions that might hurt today’s margins but secure the next 20 years of growth. True leadership requires the courage to prioritize the "Value Mission" over the quarterly report. The takeaway? Great leadership isn't about having all the answers. It’s about being curious enough to ask the right questions at the source. #Leadership #Lean #ToyotaWay #ContinuousImprovement #Management #Kaizen #GenchiGenbutsu #OperationalExcellence #Strategy #BusinessGrowth #CultureFirst #Agile #LeanManufacturing #Innovation #Teamwork #ProblemSolving #Efficiency #TPS #GrowthMindset #LeadershipDevelopment