Lean leaders effectively exhibit the following behaviors every day. They know how the business serves the customer by
Understanding what customers want, need, and value, or what will thrill them
Knowing how the business satisfies the customer
Improving the effectiveness of how the business satisfies the customer
They build ability in the people through
Guiding problem solving — root cause, right problem, right resources
Leading from gemba; applying 3Gen
Asking open-ended, probing questions
They show a continuous improvement mindset by
Continually challenging the status quo
Knowing that there is always room for improvement
Understanding that the customer changes — what delights today is a necessity tomorrow
They focus on process and results by
Obtaining results
Ensuring that how the results are achieved is the most effective utilization of all resources, in the direction of the ideal state
Improving how the organization accomplishes results
They demonstrate an understanding of the value stream at a macro and micro level through
Knowing what the customer requires and how the value stream satisfies them
Having knowledge of the overall value stream, including tributaries
Asking questions when changes are made at the local level to ensure that the team understands how the change will impact the customer and the rest of the value stream
They create a culture to sustain improvement by
Identifying, modeling, and encouraging Lean behaviors
Finding the lessons in every “failure” — blame does not foster improvement or innovation
Respecting and improving standards — questions when the organization is deviating from the standard
