The Secret Is No Secret: Why Leaders Need to “Go and See”

Sometimes the greatest ideas come from unexpected places. That’s why I’m an advocate for “going and seeing.”  

One of my favorite “go and see” stories comes from Lt Col. Hank Keirsey walking around his defensive perimeter in the Middle East just before the 1990 Gulf War kicked off. He came up to one of his squad’s sections and started talking to the squad leader, a light infantry squad equipped with light weapons to fight off a light infantry foe. He explained to the squad leader that reports had the enemy nearby and would be coming heavily armed and in tanks. He then proceeded to ask the squad leader his thoughts on the problem at hand.  The squad leader, after much deliberation and deep thought, said, “Sir, we’re going to need more hand grenades.”

Leadership by walking around, Gemba, Genchi genbutsu, or “go and see” are not new concepts. Hank was walking around his battalion in 1990, well before I even joined the Army. And, it works. 

Go and see. Go spend time with your team and solve one of their problems. Show them that you care enough about what they’re doing to try and make it easier for them to do the job you hired them to do. Soon, you’ll start to create a sense of ownership, and maybe some trust. Better yet, you’ll start to understand the purpose of their role and how it fits into the bigger system. You’ll start to see when there’s a process problem, an operator problem, or even better, a design problem. Go see and learn. Spend your day learning from your team.

What did Hank learn? He learned that the 82^nd Airborne soldier can do anything given a minimal amount of tools. A grenade won’t do much against a tank, so Hank had to teach his leaders how to better defend against tanks that day. He wouldn’t have known that the fighting spirit overrode common sense, had he not gone to see. 

The big secret to great lean leadership is there’s no secret, go and spend time with your team, learn about what they’re doing and the obstacles they are having to fight through, and help relieve them from one obstacle at a time.

Go and see – fix one problem – go and see – fix one more problem. Learn. Repeat. Success will follow.

Interested in learning more about leadership and culture? Ad Godinez will be featured at this year’s COE Summit as part of a panel on Change, Culture, and Continuous Improvement. Michelle Leedy will host a lively conversation with thought-provoking and experienced leaders from JPMorgan Chase, AEP, Grange Insurance, and NiSource.

The Ohio State University Center for Operational Excellence Summit, now in its 11th year, is a 3-day event dedicated to connecting diverse industries and organizations to the latest best practices in leadership and problem-solving. With 4 engaging keynotes, 20 breakout sessions, and exclusive opportunities for networking and hands-on learning, the COE Summit is a high-value opportunity to equip your team with tools and tactics to spark sustainable transformation.

Learn more and register for the COE Summit 2024