Leadership lives in Gemba
Here...Wear my specs!
Before you speak, go see. Before you're understood, seek to understand. Leadership lives at Gemba.
A few weeks ago, I shared a post about the importance of Gemba. The response was incredible - thoughtful messages, shared experiences, and reflections from across industries. It got me thinking again.
Over the past few days, I picked up an old book that had shaped my early leadership journey: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I first came across it years ago, pacing around Istanbul airport en route to Egypt. A "Top 10 Management Books" shelf caught my eye, and there it was - Covey's classic.
Coming from an engineering background, most of my early reading was technical; reference books, formulas, data. But as I stepped into leadership, I realised that logic alone wasn't enough. I needed to develop my soft skills - to better understand people, not just processes. One chapter stood out then, and again now: "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."
It sounds simple. But in the rush of meetings, decisions, and deadlines, do we really live it? I remember a moment years ago, sitting in a meeting room with my team. I blurted out: "Guys, it's much easier for 13 people to try and understand one person, than for me to understand all 13 of you". Looking back... I couldn't have been more wrong.
Covey tells the story of a man visiting an optometrist. Imagine for a minute that the optometrist without asking questions, hands over his own glasses seeking to solve the man's vision. Of course, they don't help - because he didn't try to understand the patient's vision first.
We do this in leadership too. We listen to respond, not to understand. We offer solutions before seeing the problem through someone else's lens.
And that's where Gemba comes in. Gemba - the place where value is created - is not just a physical location. It's a mindset. It's about going to where the work happens, observing, listening, and understanding before acting. When we combine Covey's principle with the Gemba mindset, something powerful happens:
- We stop assuming.
- We start seeing.
- We lead with empathy and insight.
Big takeaway:
One of the most effective habits a leader can develop is to first understand before trying to be understood. And #GEMBA - being present, observing, listening - enables that. What do you think? Have you had moments where "Go See" helped you truly understand your team?
