“Beat Down on Them”: The Opposite of Lean Leadership
Reading this post about a Northwest Airlines employee feeling beaten down reminded me of my time at GM, circa 1996, and a superintendent whose approach contradicted the Lean leadership we were trying to develop.
While we were in the midst of trying to implement Toyota methods, with the leadership of a new plant manager who was trained at NUMMI, we had a superintendent (the #2 in charge of the plant) who didn't have the same mindset.
I'll never forget him saying this when complaining about a manager (and by extension, the employees):
“You have to beat down on them, beat down on them, BEAT DOWN ON THEM, until they do… exactly… what… they're… told.”
What a horrible philosophy of management. And he meant it to (try to picture the fist-pounding gesture he made as saying that). Attitudes like that, as opposed to a lack of technical Lean competence, are what slowed GM's plant progress, to be sure.
Lean leaders don't want employees who only do exactly what they're told. The contrast to Toyota is so clear and obvious.
New book coming early 2027: The Silence Tax
Most of the posts I write about fear, futility, and psychological safety come back to one question: what happens after somebody speaks up? When the answer is nothing, people stop. That silence has a cost, and leaders pay it without ever seeing the invoice.
The Silence Tax: How Lean Leaders Drive Out Fear and Futility -- it's a practical guide to what leaders do differently, starting this week.
This is very sad, Mark. I feel badly for the employees.
Hard to believe such a thing existed. Yet, this man had twin counterparts at the aerospace company I worked at for 22 1/2 years. When thinking of the shortage of skilled workers within the manufacturing environment, maybe we should view the impact of not showing dignity and respect for multiple years upon industries. I’ve seen way to many companies only use the “tools” side of TPS, while leaving off the respect for employees.
We are starting to understand some of the old emotional scars you have now, Mark! What a sad example.