Podcast: Leadership Needs an Overhaul
Dr. W. Edwards Deming over the years made clear his dissatisfaction with leadership at many companies, telling IndustryWeek back in 1993: "Management today does not know what its job is.”
The thought leader, credited with transforming the Japanese management style after World War II, widely shared his beliefs about leadership’s role in business success, perhaps most succinctly in his 14 points for the transformation of management. Point 7 reads: Institute leadership. The aim of supervision should be to help people and machines and gadgets to do a better job. Supervision of management is in need of overhaul, as well as supervision of production workers.
In this episode of Behind the Curtain: Adventures in Continuous Improvement, podcast hosts Dr. Mohamed Saleh and John Dyer dive into Deming’s seventh point as they continue their exploration of Deming’s teachings.
Saleh and Dyer reflect on the importance of developing people and removing barriers that take away workers’ pride of workmanship.
The aim of leadership is not to “put out fires or be the hero,” says Dyer. ”It's to help your employees, all the workers do a better job.”
The hosts discuss the management style that Deming said needed an overhaul. That style did not put people first or develop the workforce. They noted that many organizations continue to pursue this management style.
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Saleh critiques the practice of promoting high performers into leadership roles over high potentials. Dyer shares a scenario in which a fire-fighting plant manager gets promoted over another plant manager who is doing all the right things to meet deadlines and avoid the need to fight fires. He then presents an alternative version that improves both the company culture and business success.
The hosts advocate recognizing leaders who are good coaches and say it’s crucial to change the way people are rewarded and recognized.
Saleh raises the importance of leader standard work, including going to the gemba. “Leadership is not a spectator sport,” he says.