The Master Chisel Unlocking Potential
One of the biggest misconceptions companies have is thinking they provide "development" by spending their training budgets to pack people into a classroom and making them watch Powerpoint presentations. Real development happens in the middle of crises on the floor, in those ocean-deep moments when the master asks the apprentice, "What should we do in this situation?"
In lean thinking, the leader is not the person who solves problems; they are the person who develops the people who will solve problems (Problem Solvers).
Giving the Answers vs Asking the Questions
Managers tend to immediately cut to the chase and say "Do this" (Giving instructions) to an employee who comes to them with a problem. While this strokes the manager's ego, it deactivates the employee's brain. The employee enters the "Learned Helplessness" syndrome, thinking, "I shouldn't think, the boss knows the answer anyway."
Coaching is taking the employee through the analytical process of catching a fish, instead of handing them a ready-made fish. The leader stays silent even if they know the answer and asks Socratic questions:- "What do you think could be the root cause of this error?"
- "If we close that valve, what kind of risk will occur at the other end of the system?"
- "If I asked you to think of 3 different alternatives to solve this problem, what would they be?"
Coaching is the manager taking off their "Hero" cape and transforming into a trainer who exercises the mental capacity (Kaizen muscles) of the employee.
Mentoring: Cloning the Leaders of the Future
Mentoring is one step beyond coaching. While coaching focuses on solving a specific task or problem, mentoring focuses on the employee's career and vision.
When you walk into a great Toyota or GE (General Electric) factory, you will see that the managers' greatest source of pride is not the "products they produce," but the "other leaders they have developed." A leader's success is not measured by the void they leave behind when they retire or quit; it is measured by how many equipped people they have developed who can take their place (succession).
Leadership is not about making people dependent on you, but about giving them the wings with which they can be independent (Autonomous).