"You got to coordinate ..." I am rereading "The Machine That Changed The World" at the recommendation of a friend. The book, for those of you that haven't read it, is the story of the rise of Lean Production. It was published in 1990 which for me doesn't seem like a long time ago - but it was - 23 years and change to be exact. As a Consultant turned Contractor, Advisor turned Project Manager, I've been having a hard time making the adjustment to each role. In the book, where it talks about the four basic differences in design methods employed by mass and lean producers, it says this about leadership, "In Western teams, the leader is more properly called a coordinator, whose job it is to convince team members to cooperate. It's a frustrating role, because the leader really has limited authority, so few team leaders report enjoying it." I wasn't sure what was worse. That this problem existed 23 years ago and hasn...
Management | Consulting | Leadership | Strategy