Our Lean Product and Process Development (LPPD) principle “Put people first” advocates to make people, not process or technology the center of your business system. Whether it is your customer (the reason your organization exists), your team (the people you count on to create value), or your community (suppliers, neighbors, and stakeholders), they are the ones who will ultimately determine your success in creating new value. In this post, I want to share how you as a leader can put the people on your teams first.
Is it money and stock options? Absolutely. You must compensate competitively, end of story. But this is just table stakes. Multiple studies have shown that increases in comp wear off over time. I’ve also read about the power of pizza parties, cappuccino machines, and creative workspaces. Hey, I love pizza and caffeine, and who doesn’t want to work in a refurbished shipping container? But none of that is what I am talking about.
It’s helpful to start this discussion by envisioning the kind of people we want on our team. When I was helping to build out teams at Troy Design and Manufacturing and later at Rivian, I always looked for a specific type of person. I wanted people who fit, had grit, and knew their sh*t. And a good sense of humor doesn’t hurt.
People who fit
This does not mean a bunch of clones or “yes men.” Nor does it mean people whose personal journeys and experiences are identical. That is the opposite of what I want. What I mean are people:
- who are passionate about the mission,
- who consider the work important,
- who care deeply about achieving mastery in what they do,
- who want to be part of the team, and
- who value and respect their teammates
People with grit
These are people who persevere through difficulty, who won’t give up the first time stuff goes wrong (and stuff always goes wrong). This is where the sense of humor comes in. These are people who have the resilience and creativity to overcome obstacles in their lives and careers.
People who know their sh*t
This one is a bit nuanced. Does it mean only hire experts? No. In fact, spare me from a team of geniuses. What I mean are people who know what they know and know what they don’t know. They are doers, not talkers. They take their work seriously and respect their discipline. They are always learning, getting better, pursuing mastery. They are not pretenders or frauds. They are competent and driven to excel in their work.
Putting your team first
How do you put people like this first? Start by acknowledging that they are both precious and rare. Treat them accordingly and make it a priority. Here are some suggestions for putting that into action.
Inspiration
They joined because they want to be part of the mission—let them. All of them. Make sure they know how their work contributes to the goal, how it fits in, and why it matters. Remember the stone cutter and cathedral analogy? At Ford, CEO Alan Mulally inspired us to do more and be more than we thought possible by making this connection wherever he went.
Pursuit of mastery
Create an environment where your people can flourish professionally. Challenging assignments, a thoughtful technical career pathway, and colleagues who continually raise the bar all contribute to a culture of delivering excellence.
Promote leaders who know their sh*t, set high expectations for themselves and their teams, and provide the necessary technical guidance and support so the teams meet expectations. Leaders must also supply the right tools, technology, and the training to use them.
Make sure they know how their work contributes to the goal, how it fits in, and why it matters.
Finally, manage the workload so people don’t burn out. I’m not suggesting creating a country club, but occasionally you need to stop whipping the horses and take some stuff out of the wagon.
Eliminate the bullsh*t
Work to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and fear, remove impediments to doing a good job, and aim to maximize the time your team members spend on their crafts. Root out process requirements that create no value and rules that no longer make sense. Shut down organizational drama and fear by creating transparency; mean what you say and say what you mean. Most importantly, be courageous enough to remove leaders who rely on intimidation, no matter how “important” they are.
Teamwork
Make collaboration the norm, starting with leaders. Knock down silos, reward teamwork, and employ tools and methods that make collaboration easier. Think: “One team, one plan, one goal.”
Ever better leaders
Talented people want to work for managers they respect. Leaders should have a strong understanding of the discipline they are leading. They can’t mentor and teach what they do not understand. Where they do have knowledge gaps, they should be honest about it and work to close them. But more than that, they should see leadership as a craft, one that they can hone and improve through their diligence and hard work. Your people deserve to work for someone they respect and who respects them.
What kind of team do you want?
These are just a few thoughts on putting “people first” into action. They are not right for everyone and not meant to be. Back when we were both working at Ford, I asked Mulally what “people first” meant to him. He said, “It means I love them as people.” Amazing. Maybe I should have led with that. In any case, the purpose of this post is to get you thinking. How do you put people first? How might you improve? Perhaps the starting point is to think about what kind of team you want? It’s something we can all reflect on during our downtime over the holidays.
Designing the Future Using Lean Product and Process Development
Learn how to reduce time to market, improve quality, and drive innovation in a hands-on, coach-led experience that applies Lean Product and Process Development across your value stream.
