SERVANT LEADERSHIP – The ideal type of leadership for the implementation of an Autonomous Maintenance

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel”. (Carl Frederick Buechner)

The basis of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is the Total Employee Participation: a leader who most of the time is looking to deliver only what is asked of him from above will hardly achieve it, so the best way to engage people is really with a servant approach. The importance of a culture change in which the leaders really are a real agent of change and generator of capabilities in the people, is the reason why SERVANT LEADERSHIP is most recommended. I am really convinced as a coach that this is a great investment in the development of people, and it is what makes the difference when implementing this type of programs.

What is Servant Leadership?

Surely you have heard the expression: “That leader feels lonely at the top.” The reality is that if you feel alone at the top, it means that no one is following you. And, if that’s true, the best thing you can do is come down from the top and go where the people are, and then take them with you. Servant leadership is about always putting others first.

Servant Leadership begins by answering 2 important questions:

  • What do my people/organization need? 
  • How do I help them meet those needs?

This concept helps to increase the participation of the entire organization with a high level of energy, as well as significantly increasing the level of knowledge of the employees.

AUTONOMOUS MAINTENANCE IS THE ENGINE THAT GENERATES CULTURAL CHANGE

Here are a few examples of cultural changes in which Servant Leadership was the main driver:

  • Shared leadership,
  • Taking responsibility,
  • Accountability for the results of the machinery they operate,
  • Increasing leadership by taking horizontal responsibilities.

THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP

  1. Effective communication: Main focus is on active listening. A true servant leader automatically responds to any problem by listening first.
  2. Being the best coach: Providing coaching to people is essential. However, it is important to avoid “controlling” everything that employees do.
  3. People Development: Provide the people the opportunity to grow and find meaningful experiences.
  4. Leverage the skills and ideas of employees: It is about fostering exponential growth of the organization to maximize people’s capabilities to proactively deliver objectives.

KEY SERVANT LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE: Invert the paradigm of hierarchies. Instead of thinking “I have 5 people who report to me”, think “I serve 5 people”.

If you and your organization want to learn how to identify and eliminate losses, we offer the Autonomous Maintenance Leadership Workshop (Backbone of TPM). This is a step-by-step methodology to reinforce the importance of the “people” factor during the operation, building on the key concepts of Servant Leadership.

Interested to learn more about this? Contact us at talentdevelopment@grupoazimuth.com or visit our website www.grupoazimuth.com/azimuthtalentdevelopment.