Commentary: Leadership techniques a powerful tool for process improvement Published Dec. 14, 2010 By Capt. Thomas G. Smith 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron SOUTHWEST ASIA -- When my squadron commander first challenged me to improve the re-deployment process, I immediately recognized in him George S. Patton's leadership style. Patton stated that leaders should not tell their people how to do their jobs, but simply tell them what is expected and let them "surprise you with their results." To me, this is the definition of empowerment. My leader empowered me and my staff to improve a very complex process in a contingency environment. Let me attempt to describe some of the insight we used. We first sought to understand the process as well as the stakeholders and their rolls in the process. In the book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," Stephen Covey writes that we should "seek first to understand, then to be understood." By interacting with the stakeholders during this "fact-finding" stage, we also sought to established credibility with all involved. This placed us in a much better position from which to negotiate our ideas later. Next, we began identifying areas for potential improvements. Henry Ford is credited with making the automobile accessible to the common man. The key to his success was the assembly line. From him we learned that when sub-processes are overlapped, co-located and scaled in proportion to demand, the end product is subsequently supplied to the customer at an optimal cost/benefit ratio. Co-locating steps eliminates costly transportation time; whereas, scaling processes to match demand improves economy of scale. Finally, rearranging sub-processes to achieve overlap eliminates costly transition times. After identifying areas for improvement, we began to employ "out of the box" thinking to arrive at innovative solutions. Patton said that "if we are all thinking alike, then someone is not thinking." We soon realized that scaling a process (expanding or contracting it) based on the size of the mission was a new concept for some. It has been a common practice to implement standard operating procedures which use a "one size fits all" approach for simplicity; however, when efficiency is placed second to simplicity, the customer pays more. Once we formulated potential solutions, we performed a "logic check." By engaging our mentors and confidants, we received valuable feedback from a trusted source. Their objectivity safeguarded us from potentially following a vision of success into a minefield. Along the way, as we negotiated ideas with stakeholders, we found that some ideas were not met with enthusiasm; however, we experienced a high degree of success due to the credibility we established in the beginning. Patience and humility are the keys to negotiation. You must have the patience to hear the other person out and the humility to acknowledge his or her position before you can begin to influence them. In the end, an idea is only as good as its sales pitch. Fortunately, our leadership was very educated and supportive. Therein was the reward for our team: the positive support and approval of our leadership to see our solutions through to fruition.