The Role of a Lean Leader

Understanding the True Role of a Lean Leader

The key role of a lean leader is to develop others, not to manage people or their tasks. To develop team members, the lean leader must have a deep understanding of the work their team does. They cannot rely on secondhand information; they must gain firsthand knowledge of the work. A lean leader embraces the lean philosophy in their daily actions, not just in their words. They lead by example. If they do not live the philosophy, they cannot teach it to others.

Toyota Way, Principle Number 9

Grow leaders who thoughtfully understand the work, live the philosophy, and teach it to others.

Delivering Results While Developing People

Lean leaders are expected to deliver results. To be a lean leader, you must get things done while at the same time developing the people around you. Your job is to create a system where every person on the team is able to contribute and is actively contributing.

Why Traditional Leadership Falls Short

Many traditional leaders are skilled at achieving results, but sustaining those results requires building a culture where others can contribute, solve problems, and support the work. To do that, we must learn how to develop people and help them become future leaders.

A Key Difference Between Traditional and Lean Leaders

This is one of the biggest differences between a traditional leader and a lean leader. Traditional leaders may get things done themselves, but they often fail to reproduce more leaders. Lean leaders focus most of their time and energy on developing others. When they develop their people, they begin to get the best from the entire team. A developed, engaged, and involved team helps the leader achieve results, and they sustain those results over time.

Benchmarking Without Copying

Lean leaders should regularly benchmark with other organizations. Benchmarking provides fresh ideas and perspectives, but it is not a copy-and-paste exercise. Each organization must create its own path and gain its own experience. What works for one company may not work for another, because every organization faces different problems and operates in a different environment.

Building Systems That Sustain Lean Culture

To sustain a lean culture, the lean leader is responsible for building a system that helps the team succeed day after day. Without a system, lean efforts fade, people lose interest, and they begin to believe that lean does not work for their environment. In reality, it is the lack of systems and leadership discipline that causes lean to fail.

Lean Leadership Is Earned Through Practice

Lean leadership is not about a title. People who lack discipline, who do not care about others, and who do not know how to develop people cannot be lean leaders. To be a lean leader, you must show it in practice every day, not rely on a title someone gave you.

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