Leaders in organizations often say they want one thing, but do something else. By this I mean leadership will declare their desire, and support, for continuous improvement, operational excellence, an ownership culture, or some other broad concept they see trending in the articles they read. However, after coming out of their offices, literally or metaphorically speaking, and making their grand declarations, they go back to their strongholds and continue to do the same things they’ve always done, and do it in the same way they’ve always done them.

Among those of us even moderately knowledgeable on Continuous Improvement (CI) methodologies, it is a well known fact that most improvement efforts fail, and they fail because of the very actions I described in the paragraph above. We know this behavior is absurd, but it is the reality we face on a regular basis. These actions taken by top management can kill Continuous Improvement efforts before they ever really get off the ground, or even later on as the rank and file are witnesses to successful early efforts at implementation of whatever CI methodology is being adopted.

I’ve participated in a number of CI implementations where there were wins, big and small, and people were getting excited, only to have the “big dogs” come along and suck the air right out of everyone. How? By continuing to do the same old things they’ve always done. The actions of senior leadership are counter to the new way of doing things; the new ways that were the very things they said they wanted. It’s like watching someone who complains about getting fat, but they never go to the gym, or for a run, or even a walk. Instead they sit and complain as they stuff cookies in their mouths. And they don’t get the connection!

To get what they say they want is actually simple. Not easy, but simple. Management, from the top down, must engage their people, and participate in the learning and implementing of the methodology of choice along side of their people. Lead by example! Failure in this area is common, and reminds me of a famous quote:

“What you do speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

A well known definition of insanity is doing the same thing you’ve always done and expecting a different result. Leaders need to understand that you can’t just announce Lean or Six Sigma as a new initiative in their organization and leave it at that. And it doesn’t help if they start throwing around buzz words like “Ownership,” “Empowerment,” or “Accountability” without true context. Quite frankly, to do so only declares to their people their ignorance. For as management insists their people become knowledgeable about CI, and as they do, their employees will begin to see the “Emperor” wears no clothes. People see their leaders aren’t leading, meaning the leaders themselves haven’t bought into the new way of doing things.

That’s not only embarrassing for the leaders (whether they know it or not), but it causes people to lose faith in their leadership, and the initiative slowly drifts off, as employees move back towards focusing on the same old measurements they are held accountable for. Measurements that aren’t connected to the CI initiative in any real way.

Once an organization declares the intention to implement a CI initiative, the commitment starts at the top, and that commitment means taking part in the learning and doing of things. And this learning and doing by management must be visible to their people so everyone can see their actions and know this is for real. Leaders, you can’t ask everyone else to get in shape and make things happen while you continue to sit there stuffing your face with cookies. Lead by example.

Jeff Adams is the author of “7 Essential Skills of Leadership, How to Lead Your Organization to Operational Excellence,” which can be purchased here. Jeff holds multiple certifications in continuous improvement methodologies, including Lean, Six Sigma, and QRM. More information about Jeff and services offered can be found at www.continuousleadership.com. Online training is available here.