When processes and people are improved simultaneously, new leaders are developed continuously. Every leader is not only coached but is also expected to be a coach. This system extends from the top executives to the team leaders to all employees. [5].
Standardize and continually improve the processes
Quality work is like an art, finely crafted with no room for error in the final product.
At Toyota things are kept simple and a very few complex statistical tools are used. The key tools used includes four steps [6]:
Companies should have managers who keep quality over hitting the targets or meeting the deadlines. Instead of just looking out for results, they should also dive in to understand how the team is solving the problem to get to the root cause and how they could help them.
Employees should be given a scope to understand a wide-ranging set of options and study them thoroughly before detailing the absolute plan. To ensure quality and timely availability of resources needed, there should be a standardization of the process and to engrave a standardized process and continuous improvements, it is important that the leaders build in their culture, philosophy of slowing down to get things done right the first time to boost efficiency in the long run. They must make sure that the employees feel the sense of accountability towards work and understand that bringing problems to surface is equally, if not more important them solving the problem in the first place.
People
A common phrase heard around Toyota is “Before we build cars, we build people”. The leaders goal at Toyota is to develop people so they are strong contributors who can think and follow The Toyota Way at all levels [7].
Grow leaders from within
A well-formed long-term vision of an organization is a powerful force for a company’s success and longevity.
On the contrary, for most organizations, the solution to a high-up severe problem is to bring in a new CEO, who will take the company in a radically new direction. This twisted path may be the only way out in some cases, but in most cases, this means jerking the core philosophy and vision of the company.
The process of grooming another leader should be an expectation from the current leader. It takes time to allow an individual to mature in any position, and to fully develop an understanding of the system. For somebody who already comprehend the philosophy and beliefs, not only the learning curve is far steeper, but they also keep an insight of helping potential leaders grow for the future. Studies have concluded that it takes no less than three to five years in the same position for a leader to fully learn their position and begin to mould potential successors [8].
Develop exceptional people
The underlying principle lies in outstanding individual work while stimulating effective team work. Toyota combines the TPS thinking with the situational leadership model. The redefined model should adapt to having meetings with action items and actually working as a team in a complex but coordinated system [9]. Now, this type of system requires a stringent management to get it done right, which takes a long time to ripen and the specialists to come out of their comfort zones to work as a team and help others learn and grow.
One such example of a company making sure their employees value and understand the company culture at its core is Zappos. Zappos makes sure they hire people who are culturally fit for them and then nurture their talent and bolster them grow. This promotes the company culture and productivity of employees, which ultimately leads to a good business. [10].
Sachi has worked with several IT companies, many managers and some leaders as she calls them. When she had just joined a company, and was working with a team to create a new line of offerings within the organization, she asked the head of the design studio, what exactly are the expectations from her as they start. That one person, who stands out for her as a leader said to her, there are so many technically competent developers and designers in the team, what he was looking for is a leader, a visionary. This not only motivated her to do her work with full dedication but also brought a sense of belonging and accountability towards the organization.