Seth Godin, This is strategy, 2024
I’m a fan of Seth and his writing style. He has a strong eye, strong observation and a kind voice to say things that ought to be said.
In his book about Strategy, he has a small chapter that has the quote as above. Seth talks about responsibility. About how one’s short term objective bears responsibility to outcomes for others and/or at a later moment.
While this is very much true, it’s also true for lean leaders. Lean leaders understand that they also have a responsibility. When it comes to problem solving, leaders need to be humble enough to understand they are not distant, they are not only a coach, mentor, sensei or review team.
A true leader stands with the team at genba, and in a humble way, accepts to be part of the solution but foremost also to be part of the problem. Only then can real root causes be addressed, only then will teams have trust and confidence to say what needs to be said and point out what needs to be pointed out.
We’re all in it together. Act like it. Your teams deserve it.
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