Leaders Eat Last

Leaders Eat Last...
Why some teams pull together and others don't

| Author: Simon Sinek in 2014 |

What’s it all about?
You’ve probably heard the term ‘Servant Leadership’. There are many versions on it and books written. When one of my clients asked my recommendation for a good read on this topic, this one came to my mind immediately! No questions in my mind, it really is ‘why some teams pull together, and others don’t.’
In his book, ‘Leaders Eat Last’, Simon Sinek tells some great stories to get you thinking differently about how to build a team or run an organization. With a great balance of examples and some neuroscience to back up why these situations were, or were not successful, in my opinion he really pulls it together. If you get the environment right, it will lead to motivation and a desire to change behaviours on how you are leading your people.
Being a fan of Simon, this report may be a bit biased. How I run my business and my life, pretty much lines up with Leaders Eat Last, which is why I have read it multiple times on audio and with the old school book in my hand. I use Simon’s phrase ‘People come to be led, not to be managed’ on a regular basis. One would think this is a common practice in manufacturing, but it is not. Tight deadlines and targets drive short term thinking, and often out the window goes the higher-level thinking of allowing those experts in the organization to do their job. Based on field experience, these concepts really work, if you can stick to them.
I found this book to be an easy read, smooth flow, with different stories along the way to keep you engaged. I have read some criticism on a lack of actionable items, or not enough new information. I read a lot, and personally I learned a ton from this book, going back to it over and over.

Favorite Quote
‘Leadership in is not about being in charge, it is about taking care of those in your charge.’
It is one thing to say this, but another to do something that demonstrates it. If you want to build trust, involving people before any important decisions are made in their area will do that. And before you rebut that statement, are you about to make an excuse?? To earn trust you must extend trust, that’s the only way it works.

Biggest takeaway
If inspiring stories and proven theories on this topic are not enough for you, then maybe your biggest takeaway will be the same as mine. The way he explains the chemicals in our brains, good and bad, and simplifies this was life changing for me. This accelerated my drive in the Emotional Intelligence field. It allowed me to see the big picture in manufacturing and how our leadership skills, or lack of, are driving all the wrong behaviours. Do you want to make more parts or improve your productivity?

Have a read, and you may never see things the same way again.

Reviewed by: Trevor Blondeel

Mindfulness Manufacturing

Our show is about providing listeners with real stories that come from a place of experience, transparency, and authenticity. Most importantly it’s about what we learn from these stories and applying Mindfulness in our everyday work and personal lives.
Our intention is to create an environment where people can learn through open honest discussions on how we apply Mindfulness. Although our experiences and stories come from time in a manufacturing environment hence the title “Mindfulness Manufacturing”, we still see our discussions and topics relatable to any organization or profession.

When a mistake occurs on the plant floor, your mind might jump to one question: who caused this issue, and should I write them up for their mistake? But there’s a more productive approach you could be taking—and in this episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing, guest Dr. Jake Mazulewicz breaks it all down!

With a background as a firefighter, EMT, and military paratrooper, Jake knows the challenges of high-hazard industries, and works with organizations to reduce errors and create safer, more reliable workplace environments. In this episode, Jake shares why you can’t procedularize everything, including the way you handle errors and accidents, and offers great insights and stories about how to use connection and curiosity to improve safety, address errors, and strengthen your organization.

3:35 – Procedures and policies are the work that is imagined, and on the floor is how the work actually gets done

4:19 – The work as-done is almost always radically different than the work as-imagined

5:20 – Even when you have standards and people show up wanting to do a good job, you can still see issues that need to be addressed

6:44 – There will always be areas that absolutely need to have procedures in place

8:02 – There are also adaptive jobs, which leans less into procedures and more intro troubleshooting and tacit human knowledge

10:56 – In an ideal environment, both mechanistic and adaptive models are used and respected and needed

12:11 – There are four levels, ranging from strict procedurals to looser guidelines that show what to do, but not how to do it

15:36 – Tacit knowledge gets shared through conversations

16:22 – A way to share important information is to have frontline experts record videos sharing their insights to problems, especially those that are not covered in procedures

19:44 – Through conversation and connection, more knowledge is shared

21:58 – Debriefing also plays a central role

23:45 – If you have strong discipline, you’ll find more freedom

25:31 – In most situations, errors are signals, not defects

27:07 – When an error occurs, be curious and find the deeper cause of the problem

Connect with Jake Mazulewicz

Find him on Linkedin

Visit his website