Leadership

In short, leadership is the act of one person uniting and motivating others toward a common goal.

Leadership is part natural (as in “natural-born”), but is greatly refined through training, practice, and constant learning. Confidence in oneself is a key component of leadership.

While leadership is generally considered a positive trait, it can be dangerous when a leader lacks ethics. The goal that leaders point others toward is not always a positive one.

Leadership and management are closely related skills. A common differentiator is that leadership relates to people and management relates to processes.

One important thing to realize about leadership is that it is learned. Sure, many of the individual traits of leadership are things that you are born with, but leaders can be created. It is certainly easier if you have been blessed with an assortment of natural attributes, but being a leader is not predetermined.

Another important point to remember is that leadership is not always a good thing. It must be combined with a vision and a sense of what is right. Gang leaders are arguably strong leaders, but their objectives and morals do not mesh well with mainstream culture. In a company, strong leadership combined with poor decision making and questionable morals is extremely dangerous.

Leadership also does not need authority to exist. I have seen time and time again where the true leader on a kaizen team is not the team leader, but rather someone who steps up and takes charge of the team.

Big Picture Leadership

While the little things make a leader stronger, it is the big factors that really make a leader stand out. (Note: These items below augment the term “11 C’s of Lean Leadership”.)

• Character: A leader must have a well-developed sense of right and wrong to maintain the respective of his or her team. Their moral compass must guide their behaviors at all times, as they are constantly being watched. Apart from being wrong, deviating from one’s ethics sets a poor example.
• Course Charting (Vision). A leader must be able to look into the future and see what the world should look like.
• Confidence: If a leader does not believe in him or herself is unlikely the team will. People do not like to follow those who are unsure of their decisions.
• Consistency: A leader has to be predictable in how he or she reacts to things. People should not feel like they have to walk on eggshells around their boss. They should know if I do “A”, then “B” will happen.
• Charging (Empowerment): The best leaders don’t do things for themselves. They coach and teach their team, but most importantly, they give their team the opportunity to try things. People only learn and get better when they are allowed to make their own decisions.
• Creativity: A boss can have an average career by playing it safe. But if he wants to be outstanding leader, he will have to think a little differently than others. Trying new things can be risky, but the rewards are greater.