Leader Standard Work (LSW) is a documented set of actions, tools, and behaviors that leaders incorporate into their daily activities to ensure continuous improvement throughout the organization. By standardizing leadership practices, organizations achieve consistent results, maintain improvements during leadership transitions, and create a systematic approach to driving lean thinking at every level.

What Exactly Is Leader Standard Work (LSW)?

Many organizations have little in the way of documented best practices for leaders. Supervisors, managers, and directors are left with only their job descriptions to guide their daily activities. Given this reality, it's not surprising that many fail to start, spread, and sustain the continuous improvement mindset.

The alternative is a leader standard work template, a set of actions, tools, and behaviors incorporated into the daily activities of leaders at all levels to ensure that the organization is continuously improving. 

Leader Standard Work provides leaders with:

• Documented best practices for daily leadership activities
• Consistent behaviors that drive continuous improvement
• Structured approaches to managing teams and processes
• Systematic methods for developing direct reports
  
  

The Two Components of Leader Standard Work

LSW operates on two fundamental levels:

1. Leaders standardizing their own work - Creating consistent daily practices and behaviors
2. Ensuring direct reports follow standardized work - Coaching and accountability for team standards
   
   

Why Should Your Organization Implement Leader Standard Work?

The benefits of implementing a comprehensive LSW system extend across all organizational levels:

• Consistent above-average results from leadership teams
• Tangible performance evaluation criteria based on lean principles
• Systematic focus on both outcomes and processes
• Seamless leadership transitions with documented best practices
• Knowledge transfer from experienced to new leaders

Who Should Practice Leader Standard Work?

Every leader in a Lean organization, all the way up to the CEO, should spend some part of their day doing standardized, routine Lean management activities.

The closer to the customer, the more often Leader Standard Work templates should be followed. How it breaks down for your organization may vary, but a common framework for how much time is spent in this way is:

What Activities Should Be Included in Leader Standard Work?

Although the specifics of leader standard work vary across organizations, some practices and process improvement techniques are universally helpful and commonly included.

Strategy Deployment (Hoshin Kanri)

Strategy deployment, also known as Hoshin Kanri, is the Lean leadership practice of identifying the organization's long-term breakthrough objectives and aligning the goals and decisions of every person in the organization. Strategy deployment is not an annual event. Instead, success requires that it become operationalized at every level.

Incorporating strategy deployment into leader standard work means setting a schedule for reviewing progress toward the objectives and managing KPIs daily. At any point, a leader should be able to say where their team is on the path toward its stated monthly, quarterly, and annual objectives.

Gemba Walks

Gemba walks are the practice of leaders going to the place where work is done (the Gemba) to observe, ask questions, and show respect. Gemba walks should be purposeful and focus on understanding and improving processes, not evaluating employee performance. After a walk is complete and the leader can reflect, action is taken regarding any opportunities for improvement that were discovered.

Leader standard work defines the number of Gemba walks each leader will take on a daily, monthly, or quarterly basis, depending on the level of the organization. For example, the direct supervisor of a manufacturing process might visit the factory floor several times a day, while her supervisor visits the Gemba once a week. Unfortunately, there is a tendency for Gemba walks to become just an item to check off the list, so it is vital that the leader standard work also includes documenting the purpose for the walk as well as the results.

Visual Control

Ideally, leaders should have a technology platform that provides customizable dashboards for visual management of projects, employee engagement, and the impact of improvement. The best solutions allow for real-time management so that leaders know right away when a project is stalled, or an employee has a new idea for improvement.

Huddle Meetings and Boards

Huddle meetings allow employees to identify challenges and work on problem-solving skills. They should be part of leader standard work because they give managers and supervisors early insight into potential problems and the opportunity to coach the team on how to implement positive change. The standard for huddle meetings should include how often they will occur, who will attend, and how the results will be documented.

Individual Mentoring and Coaching

It is common for leaders to be so involved in managing people and processes that they don't take the time to actually lead. That's why leader standard work should include accountability for individual coaching and mentoring. One-on-one time with employees, outside of the typical performance review process, allows leaders to spread the continuous improvement mindset by asking directly what employees have learned each week and what support they need. Not only does individual mentoring show respect, but it also makes employees feel safer bringing up issues and opportunities for improvement.

How Do You Implement Daily Reflection as a Leader?

Leaders can become so focused on fighting fires and solving problems that they fail to take the opportunity to reflect on the day's activities. A review of the successes and challenges of each day is an essential element of leader standard work. The standard might include a set of questions such as:

• What improvements were implemented today?
• Were any aspects of the standard work template missed?
• What should I do differently tomorrow?
• Who should be recognized for today's efforts?

What Are the Benefits of Leader Standard Work for Teams?

When leaders practice LSW consistently, teams experience:

• Predictable leadership behaviors that create psychological safety
• Collaborative problem-solving approach to challenges
• Regular coaching and development opportunities
• Clear communication about priorities and expectations
• Recognition for contributions and improvements

How Do You Sustain Leader Standard Work Long-Term?

Like any standard work, LSW must evolve through continuous improvement:

• Regular template reviews to ensure relevance and effectiveness
• Leader feedback on what's working and what needs adjustment
• Performance outcome analysis to validate the standard work impact
• Best practice sharing across leadership levels
• Training and development for new leaders

Frequently Asked Questions About Leader Standard Work

What's the difference between Leader Standard Work and job descriptions?

Job descriptions outline responsibilities and qualifications, while Leader Standard Work provides specific, documented daily practices and behaviors that drive continuous improvement. LSW is much more detailed and actionable than traditional job descriptions.

Can Leader Standard Work be customized for different industries?

Absolutely. While core principles remain consistent, the specific activities, frequencies, and focus areas should be tailored to industry requirements, regulatory environments, and organizational culture.

How do you measure the success of Leader Standard Work?

Success metrics include leadership consistency scores, employee engagement improvements, process performance indicators, and the sustainability of improvements during leadership transitions.

What happens if leaders resist following standard work?

Resistance often stems from a lack of understanding or poorly designed standards. Address this through clear communication of benefits, involving leaders in template development, and demonstrating how LSW improves their effectiveness rather than constraining them.

How often should Leader Standard Work templates be updated?

Templates should be reviewed quarterly and updated when process changes, organizational restructuring, or performance data indicate improvements are needed. The goal is continuous refinement, not constant change.