Leading Up
Results Increase Influence Above
“Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.” ~ Jim Collins
Discipline is a choice.
Self-control is a choice.
Personal development is a choice.
Doing more than required is a choice.
Doing things before they are required is a choice.
Doing things better than required is a choice.
Intentionally developing your character is a choice.
Accepting responsibility for getting results regardless of the situation or circumstance is a choice.
When it comes to building trust and gaining influence with the leaders who are formally responsible for moving the organization forward, the quickest way to do it is to get results as defined by them, not you.
A personal story about getting results…
As a Lean Manufacturing Consultant, I remember starting a new consulting contract with an organization many years ago. They had previously worked with another consultant but had only focused on 5S.
I was glad because I would get to focus on the Lean tools I liked the most Quick ChangeOver (SMED/QCO) for reducing changeover time and Standard Work/Cellular Setup for increasing productivity. We also conducted Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Value Stream Mapping (VSM), Production Preparation Process (3P), and additional 5S events too.
In the beginning, I was brought in for a few days before I officially started leading kaizen events to learn about the operations. On day two, I was asked to meet with the plant manager. He informed me they were in crisis mode with a new product at a facility I hadn’t visited yet.
He wanted to know if I could and would help.
I knew I could help because I unleash people’s potential.
I don’t need to know all the answers.
As long as I have questions, the team will provide the answers.
I make things happen with people who want to make things happen. I knew I had his support. I also knew this was the perfect opportunity to get results, very important results, from the very start by leading my first event in a critical area. I didn’t know anything about the process, but I knew I could help them do it better and more efficiently.
I told him I needed six to eight people on the team: at least one operator from the area, maintenance personnel, supervision, quality personnel, engineering personnel, someone in an administration role from outside the area, and someone from upper management.
He made it happen, and then it was my turn.
We kicked off the event the following Monday morning with the team fully assembled.
They didn’t have any knowledge about Lean beyond 5S. So, they were learning on the job.
I love this kind of challenge! Why? Because it reveals my ability to quickly build trust, build relationships, influence people, and get results. In other words, my leadership ability is revealed for the world to see.
I love to lead, so I was in my zone.
I quickly found out the leader of the work area and a few others were not excited to be participating in the week long kaizen event. They wanted to be working. They were frustrated, had little patience, and didn’t mind letting everyone know it.
They didn’t know me, but they did know I was there to help them do what they seemed unable to do: produce 120 of the new components per day.
I learned they had been working 10-12 hour days, seven days a week for several weeks in an effort to make it happen. They had been unsuccessful, were giving up, and were now looking at outsourcing as an option in order to deliver the product on time. They were producing 35 components per day with seven people working 10 hours.
They didn’t see how a stranger with no knowledge of what they were doing could help.
Fast forward. By Wednesday, the leader of the area came in and said he actually got some sleep because he could see where we were headed. By the end of the day on Friday, the entire area had been redesigned with a new layout. They were producing 120 components with five people in eight hours.
The improvement based on the actual event data reflected a 376% increase in output per person per hour.
The team got results!
I built a lot of trust and gained a lot of influence with the leaders.
If you want to influence those at the top, get the results they want.
Find a way to make it happen.
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