There's a lot of silly stuff that people post that appears on the LinkedIn main page when I log in, between narcissistic selfies and urban legends like the one about Bill Gates and his daughter that's making the rounds.
But, occasionally there's a real gem… this time an image shared by Shellie McKinney, an H.R. generalist at Kohler Co.
I re-shared her photo on LinkedIn as it appeared here:
The quote is from Andy Stanley, “a pastor, communicator, author, and the founder of North Point Ministries in Alpharetta, Georgia.”
Leaders who refuse to listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing significant to say.
— AndyStanley (@AndyStanley) August 17, 2011
It looks better and more sharable on a whiteboard, eh?
It looks like one of Andy's main projects is a leadership podcast… I'll have to check it out.
This quote has a lot of relevance to the practice of Lean and Kaizen (or continuous improvement). Leaders need to learn how to truly listen to their employees, including their needs and their ideas.
Without listening (to customers, employees, patients, suppliers, etc.), it's not really Lean is it? Listening is a core aspect of what Toyota would call “Respect for People?”
There's far more to respect than just listening… but it's a good start.
I've heard leaders complain that “my employees won't speak up.” Instead of labeling them as bad or uncaring employees, these same leaders should maybe look in the mirror and ask how those people ended up that way.
It makes me think of the old comment by the late Peter Scholtes, paraphrasing:
“If you're firing dead wood, ask yourself if you didn't at one point hire live trees.”
“Listening” image created by Flickr user Ky_Olsen, used under Creative Commons license.
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Mark Graban
Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker who has worked in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. His latest book is Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More. He is author of the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, as well as The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. He also published the anthology Practicing Lean that benefits the Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation, where Mark is a board member. Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.
Good reminder of the need for self awareness as leaders. It’s amazing how often the problems we face are the result of our own actions (or inaction).
And I highly recommend Andy Stanley’s work.
Great quote! It reminds me of Deming’s point about, “Driving Out Fear.” People can be afraid to speak up if they feel that they will be ignored, or worse berated, by their leadership. I highly recommend Andy Stanely’s work as well. I listen to his leadership podcast every month.
Great quote. Listening is one of the most difficult ‘crafts’ for a leader to learn.
Importantly, it is also one of the vital components in a successful Lean organisation. The ideas and suggestions often come from those that do the job day to day. Leaders rarely have all the answers. Listening and working as a team builds respect, trust and success.
Great article