Coaching: A Core Skill for
Transformational Leadership
John Shook
Chairman & CEO
Lean Enterprise Institute
What
leadership
behavior and
management
system do
we need?
WHAT
is our
PURPOSE?
What situational problem
do we need to address?
How to do
and improve
the work?
How to
develop
capability?
What is our BASIC THINKING??
What
leadership
behavior and
management
system do
we need?
2
"Lean leaders focus less
on providing the right
answers than asking the
right questions to engage
others in exploring them
through investigation to
learn through doing.”
3
Lean Leader Behaviors
The key
capability for
building
problem-solving
skill is…
coaching.
The key
capability to be
built is
“problem-
solving”.
Capability
building is
necessary for
successful lean
transformation.
where you want
to be
where you are
“Problems” are Everywhere
6
Gap = “Problem”
Gap = “Problem”
AKA:
Obstacles,
Challenge,
Opportunity,
Aspiration
Coaching: A Core Skill for
Transformational Leadership
John Shook
Chairman & CEO
Lean Enterprise Institute
2
0
1
5
As for “Coaches” –AKA…
“Developing capability through
the job via purposeful
instruction, targeted
questioning and challenging
counsel to solve problems and
continuously improve
performance.”
8
Lean Coaching
Lean Learning
•Lean Learning is learning through doing
–experiential-based learning.
So, how to facilitate experiential-based
learning?
•It doesn’t mean just “get experience”. Wrong
experience will teach the “wrong” things.
So, we ask “what is right experience and how can
learning be facilitated through it?”
Build structured opportunities for people
to learn the way they learn most naturally.
Build structured opportunities for people to learn
the way they learn most naturally.
From Design of Experimentto Design of Experience
Lean Learning
-Standardized
Work
-A3
-Kata
-TWI
-Kanban
-Kaizen
-Science
-PDCA
-Design the “Setting”
-Physical
Environment
-Social
Environment
Social-Technical Job Design
Work as Design-of-Experience for Learning
•What is “design of experience” and who does
it?
•Design of the physical and social setting or
environment.
•Three roles to facilitate learning of PDCA
(science):
1) Learner
2) Coach
3) Architect
“Design-of-Experience”?
Fostering Deep Thinking Self-Learning
Individual, intentional PDCA Learning Cycles
How do I improve this
situation?
A D
P
C
Try
Reflect
Struggle to do
-Why?!
What is my
target condition?
4 Types of Problem Situations
4 Aspects of Coaching Situations
CP1
Person
CP2
Process
CP 3
Problem
CP 4 Coaching Plan
Two Master Coaches
Architect of the Toyota Production
System
ESPN Coach of the Century
Taiichi Ohno John Wooden
16
Developing Skills To
Become a MasterLean Coach
—
ASSESSMENT of LEARNER
—
Requires assessment of learner’s skill and
openness to being coached …by
YOU
EXPERT
NOVICE
SIMPLE COMPLEX
—ASSESSMENT of CHALLENGE or PROBLEM SITUATION —
Requires deep problem-solving skills and often
deep knowledge of the subject matter
–
COUNSELING
-
-
INSTRUCTING
—
DIRECTIVE
INSTRUCTION
ZONE
OPEN
COUNSELING
ZONE
Developing Skills To
Become a MasterLean Coach
—
ASSESSMENT
of LEARNER
—
Requires assessment of learner’s
skill
and
openness to being coached …by
YOU
EXPERT
NOVICE
SIMPLE COMPLEX
—ASSESSMENT of CHALLENGE or PROBLEM SITUATION —
Requiresdeep problem-solving skills and often
deep knowledge of the subject matter
–
COUNSELING
-
-
INSTRUCTING
—
DIRECTIVE
INSTRUCTION
ZONE
OPEN
COUNSELING
ZONE
EXPERT
NOVICE
SIMPLE COMPLEX
DIRECTIVE
INSTRUCTION
ZONE
OPEN
COUNSELING
ZONE
Coaching skill, per se, but also:
Skill in assessing problems (gaps, challenges)
Problem Solving Skill
Skill in assessing skills
Skill in assessing “openness”
Developing Skills To
Become a MasterLean Coach
OPENNESS TRUST
•“Establish mutual trust”
•“No problem is problem”
•“Lead as if you have no power”
•“Leaders have responsibility to develop
people”
Four lessons
in leadership
from NUMMI:
•“Establish mutual trust”
•“No problem is problem”
•“Lead as if you have no power”
•“Leaders have responsibility to develop
people”
A key lesson from NUMMI
or GM or GE or Starbucks
or basketball or fishing:
Establish “Mutual Trust”
…Let’s explore a bit…
Trust: Two Dimensions
Two dimensions of trust: Intent and Competence
•Trust of intent: Trust that you intend to do
your best.
•Trust of competence: Trust that you can do it
right.
The Four Trusts of Lean Thinking
INTENT
People
Want to do the
right thing
System
The organization
tries to be fair
COMPETENCE
People
Are capable of
doing the right
thing
System
The technical will
work mostly as
intended
GRANTED
MUST BE
EARNED
MUST BE
EARNED
MUST BE
EARNED
Trust –Competence –Confidence
Confidence is trust in one’s self.
Trust from others is
a reflection of their confidence in you.
Competence –Confidence –Coaching
“Confidence is a feeling,
which reflects the
coherence and cognitive
ease of processing
information.” -Daniel
Kahneman
“Confidence comes from
competence.
Competence comes from
coaching.”
-Skip Barber
25