Editor’s note: This article, as well as part two coming next week, discusses topics covered at greater length in a new streaming-video training series, “Enhancing and Sustaining Lean Improvements While Adding Spark to the Quality Management System” by the author and 360 Performance Circle, a sister company to Quality Digest. Click here for a free preview of this video training content.

Many years ago, I received an email from a client. Beneath his signature line was the following list of 10 leader attributes. I loved the list, and since then I have presented it over and over again (with permission) in many of my training courses about developing a lean culture.

It’s easy to agree with this list. Lean cultural practices such as leader standard work, daily accountability meetings, gemba walks, and visual management ensure that most of these leadership attributes are followed, and this encourages the development of true leadership.

So what exactly does a lean leader do? A lean leader:

 …