240 THETOYOTAWAYFIELDBOOK
TIP
Sometimes It Helps to Put the Shoe on the Other Foot
One advantage of developing people for leadership positions is
that they have an opportunity to see what it’s like being the leader.
They are likely to discover that it’s much more challenging than
they imagined, and they may gain a greater appreciation for what
you do. In addition, you may gain allies who help others under-
stand your challenges, so when someone complains that “they
[management] never listen to me,” they’ll know there’s more to it
than meets the eye. People who understand the challenges are also
more forgiving when mistakes are made. Don’t be afraid to devel-
op some of your “troublemakers.” You may end up gaining a
strong ally in the process.
Reflect and Learn from the Process
The ability to grow and develop leaders from within your organ-
ization is critical to the development of a lean culture. Toyota
invests a tremendous amount of time and effort in the develop-
ment of leaders because leaders support the system. The following
questions will help you evaluate your commitment to developing
the talent within your leaders.
- Reflect on the capability of leadership within your company.
Evaluate the methods used to grow and develop leaders.
Identify and list three things you’ll need to do within the
next year to improve your leadership development process.
- Develop a measurable performance expectation for your
leaders that is based on:
a. Effectiveness in developing people (how many people,
what skills, by when)
b. Ability to solve problems and make process improvement
(results based on process measures)
c. Ability to lead change
d. Leadership and promotion of the company culture
e. Ability to grow other leaders
- Evaluate the depth of your leadership bench. How many
people are ready to step into eachleadership role in your
organization?
