11 “C’s” of Lean Leadership

Acronyms and other mnemonic devices help embed concepts into people’s brains. As it turns out, many of the key concepts of Lean leadership start with “C”, creating a unique way to look at this core tenet of continuous improvement.

Interestingly, this term started as the 4 “C’s” of Lean leadership, but, with the input of many readers, has grown to the current 11 “C’s”.

While this tool is not useful as an acronym in the sense that it can be reached to in times of need (as with TIMWOOD), it does present a look at leadership through a different lens. This can be helpful to new leaders who are just learning who they are going to be as the person in charge.

It can also be helpful for seasoned leaders who are finding that they are losing their way or are getting frustrated with some of the challenges of leading. This list can be a good catalyst for reflecting on ways to improve as a leader.

Watch the 11 C’s of Lean Leadership Video

Lists such as these often have two flaws. The first is that it can take a stretch to make a word fit the theme. Sometimes the word with the right letter is not as effective as a different word. The other problem is that they may be truncated because a word with the proper letter cannot be found.

Fortunately, those flaws have very little impact on this list. The terms on this list, in most cases, are the best words to describe that particular aspect of leadership. The list is also comprehensive, and broad in nature. Most leadership concepts you could come up with will fall into one of these items. For example, one commenter mentioned “trust” which is, in fact, critical to leadership, but falls squarely into “character”.

The 11 C’s of Lean Leadership

• Communication: A leader must be able to clearly convey his or her thoughts and instructions in a way that rallies people behind him or her. The delivery is as important as the message. A well-crafted speech at a stand-up meeting in the morning can mean the difference between a motivated team and one that lacks job satisfaction.
• Commitment: Leaders need the courage to stay the course. That means continuing to trust that Lean principles work, even in the early stages of a transformation where the costs outweigh the benefits. The general consensus of Lean advocates is that it can take 2-3 years for Lean to firmly take root where the risk of abandonment drops. Commitment means not giving up on Lean, or really any process changes, when the pressure rises.
• Connections: Leaders must have relationships with their subordinates, peers, bosses, suppliers, and especially customers. This comes primarily from trust. When those groups trust that the leader will do what he or she promises, and won’t put personal gain first, great things can happen.
• Competence: Leaders must know their jobs well, and to a great degree, the jobs of their teams. That’s not to say they need to be able to swiftly navigate the nuances of every computer system their administrators use or be able to produce parts on every machine in the factory.

But they should be able to talk intelligently about the processes they oversee. Leaders don’t gain that competence sitting at a desk. The get it from going to gemba.

• Challenging: Empowerment comes from being pushed a bit beyond one’s limits. As people realize what they are capable of, and of what their leaders will let them try, they will take more on without direction. And that will make them far more prepared to succeed in future roles.
• Consistency: Leaders need to be predictable. Mood should not play a role in discipline or support. Standards start with confidence that a leader is going to follow those standards uniformly, and that the team is expected to as well.
• Confidence: Wishy-washy leaders introduce waste because they fail to make decisions quickly or seek approval to make every little change. Strong leaders make a decision and stand by it. They adjust when conditions change, but they don’t second guess themselves. If a leader has no confidence in him or herself, a team won’t either. Interestingly, confidence comes as a result of many of the other “C’s”.
• Courage: Good leaders are calculated risk takers. Moving forward requires leaving the familiar and entering the realm of the unknown. Most people won’t go there on their own. They need a leader to guide them. That leader must be brave enough to search for greener pastures or the one they are in will eventually be barren.
• Candor: Candor is the ability of a person to ‘tell it like it is.’ It is a surprisingly rare trait in most people. Most people are very caring, and don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, or they fear confrontations and don’t want to upset anyone. They tiptoe around issues and leave ambiguous streaks in conversations where the message should be crystal clear. In the end, though, sugarcoating creates confusion. Candor doesn’t mean a person should be heartless, or bring up irrelevant things, but when there is a need to be direct, a good leader must do it.
• Creativity: There’s a lot to be said for the results that standardization brings, but developing new standards takes imagination. Even if a leader doesn’t have a creative gene in his or her body, he or she can still create an environment that is conducive to creativity. Creativity is the engine of progress. Without new ideas, a company will inevitably be left in the dust. One caveat about creativity. If a leader is not creative, he or she must be able to compensate by cultivating and harnessing creativity within their team. The important thing is to solve problems creatively. It is not important who comes up with the idea.
• Character: Employees must trust their boss. That means honesty and integrity, but it also means putting the welfare of one’s team first. It means following through on what is said. It means being caring and compassionate. It means taking an honest interest in employees as people and not just as a means to an end.

Of all the leadership traits, this one is by far the most static. All the other “C’s” can be changed and improved, but most people can’t change their character. Senior leaders have to be especially careful about promoting people with poor character, as they will be stuck with whatever they started with.

As a junior member of your organization, you have two ways to look at leadership. The first is to understand it from the survival perspective. Your job satisfaction relies upon your relationship with your boss.

Having a deeper understanding of the leadership challenges she faces, and more importantly, planning on how to handle her shortcomings, will go a long way towards improving your relationship.

The second way to look at leadership is from the advancement perspective. Many frontline employees want to eventually rise into the leadership ranks, or at least be put in charge of projects. Recognizing and emulating good leadership traits will help you develop your own leadership talent.

Look over the Lean leadership items in the list and perform a self-assessment. Ask yourself how well you live up to each of the characteristics mentioned, and more importantly, make an improvement plan to get better.

This exercise is far more difficult than it sounds. People are notoriously poor at evaluating themselves. Enlist help in doing this. Find an HR rep, a trusted associate, or even your boss if you feel comfortable with him or her. Ask them to look over your self-assessment and your improvement plan and get their feedback. Be extremely careful with how you respond. If you react defensively to critiques, they will likely filter the rest of their comments.

Key Lean Leadership Points:

• There are many facets to leadership. Well-rounded leaders tend to be more successful than one-trick ponies.
• Self-assessments are critical to improving one’s leadership talents. The concept of a ‘natural born leader’ is a myth. Becoming a better leadership takes hard work.
• Frontline employees need to understand leadership both for survival, and for future advancement.

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