Katie Anderson - Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons from Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning

Praise for Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn

If leadership, lean, systems thinking, continuous improvement, company culture, learning, or storytelling bring you joy as they do me, you must BUY this book. If you are seeking the next step on your own journey of leadership transformation, then you must READ this book. If you want to become the leader you always knew you could be, then you must LIVE the lessons in this book. Thank you, Katie and Mr. Yoshino for your efforts and your results. The immortality gained from Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn will benefit genera tions to come.

R ichard Sheridan

CEO and Chief Storyteller at Menlo Innovations and Author of Joy, Inc. and Ch ief Joy Officer

In Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn , Katie Anderson invites us into conversations with Mr. Isao Yoshino about his four decades of learnings at Toyota Motor Corporation. Together, book author and book subject extrapolate valuable lessons and insights from the fabric of the Toyota Way. The reader will walk along a distinctive journey of self-discoveries , experiments, failures, and successes in Toyota s and Mr. Yoshino s growth . These lessons can be translated to any level leader and in any industry. I encourage anyone who influences people in cultural change to embrace the shared wisdom in this book.

Tr acey Richardson

Founder of Teaching Lean Inc. and Author of The Toyota Enga gement Equation

In her debut book, Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn , Katie Anderson has distilled countless hours of interviews, lecture transcripts, and conversation (and ample debate, too, I am sure) into a cohesive whole that s informative , inspiring, and entertaining. I am grateful to Katie for capturing Isao Yoshino s story ... and for going beyond just documenting history but weaving it all into a rich tapestry that readers of many interests will find compelling and useful. Explorers of lean thinking and practice will find a deep dive into the mind of a Toyota manager during the defining final third of the 20th century. Japanophiles will find access to the inner workings of Japan s largest industrial enterprise during the heyday of Japan Inc. And, perhaps most importantly, executive coaches or anyone with an interest in the phenomenon of manager-as -coach will find in these pages a rich expression of the thinking and practices of a deeply thoughtful, extraordinarily reflective practitioner of the craft.

John Shook

Chairman of the Lean Global Network

The real essence of the Toyota Way is learning your way to a dream as individuals and organizations. Through the life and learning of Yoshino-san , Katie Anderson gives us a glimpse into this deep level of learning and teaching and sense of purpose. If you want to really understand continuous improvement, lean, and other derivatives, r ead this book.

Jeffrey Liker

Author of The Toyota Way , Second Edition

One of the most valuable takeaways from my experience inside the Toyota organization which in many ways coincides with that of Isao Yoshinos is the simple but profound insight that learning and leadership go hand in hand, but learning comes first. This book plumbs the depths of this often-overlooked element of not only the success of Toyota, but also the successes of those who inhabit the company, often gleaned from hard-earned lessons and failure. The stories are rewarding, which is a testament to the obviously trustful relationship between the author and her subject. Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn may be the only book youll ever need to read if you want to truly understand what make s Toyota tick.

Matthew E. May

Author of The Elegant Solution and Winning the Brain Game

I highly recommend Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn for anyone who is interested in Japanese business, Toyota s unique corporate culture, and leadership. Full of fascinating stories and wisdom, the book is also a wonderful example of cross-cultural and cross-generational collaboration a nd friendship.

Rochelle Kopp

Managing Principal, Japan Intercult ural Consulting

People-centric systems are about learning to solve today s challenges . Leaders have to steer and structure this learning. Yoshino s invaluable reflections from Toyota will inspire leaders following this example.

Daniel Jones

Founder and Chairman, Lean Enterprise Academy, and Co-author of The Machine that Changed the World and Th e Lean Strategy

Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn is a beautiful book! Katie Anderson has woven together Isao Yoshino s stories of learning and leading in a way that helps us all better understand the learning culture within Toyota. In this book, the reader gets to go to the gemba at Toyota and observe how one individual learner became a teacher and leader (and continues to remain a learner ). You will discover how all managers can be learners who are focused on the learning of his/her co-workers . And you will find valuable lessons on people-centric leaders about the importance of seeing each worker as a human being with his or her own history, purpos e, and dreams.

D r. Jannes Slomp

Professor, World Class Performance, HAN University (Arnhem/Nijmegen), The Netherlands

Isao Yoshino has a life s worth of wisdom to share and Katie Anderson does a fantastic job of bringing those lessons to us in Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn . Katie skillfully weaves together stories that share an insider s perspective on Toyota, and life, in a conversational tone that will be insightful to readers from any industry. This book will be helpful for those who are new to lean or the Toyota Production System, and it will fill in key details for those who have been practicing lean fo r a long time.

Mark Graban

Author of Measures of Success and Lean Hospitals

Lean can be a very nuanced study. On the surface, you see the tools that people use but as you learn and grow, you begin to see the thinking that truly drives the improvement process. Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn is a book about that learning and growth, and about how we can all embrace the opportunities before us. Katie has done a great job of capturing the thinking and rich experiences of Isao Yoshino, who I had the privilege of meeting on one of our Lean Learning Trips to Japan. For those who may never meet him, this book is your opportunity to learn directly from a truly remarkable man whose unique experiences can inspire your own leadership journey. Books like this are rare and you are bound to find the insigh ts invaluable.

Steve Watts

Chief Operating Officer, Walte rs & Wolf Glass

If youre interested in lean and learning, this is an absolute must-read ! Katie Anderson s brilliant and original concept of warp (our deeper interests and goals) and weft (what we discover and learn in our journey) illustrated through the real-life experience of Isao Yoshino, one of Toyota s great sensei makes a unique , pleasant, and illuminating read. Don t miss it.

Michael Ball

Co-author of The Gold Mine Trilogy and Th e Lean Strategy

Wow! It s rare for a business book to pack a punch the way Katie Anderson s Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn does. Katie has produced a gem that illustrates in the clearest way yet what truly makes Toyota tick. She does so by weaving an inspiring biography (Mr. Yoshino s personal and leadership journey) with practical leadership principles, and through thought-provoking , humility-laced stories versus a formulaic 10 Steps to Magnificence! And she does so in the most humanistic way Ive seen in a business book.

An added benefit and one I didn t see coming is that U.S. readers may feel a bit more patriotic by reading this gem at a time when we most need it. Want to be a better leader, a better improvement professional, a better human being? R ead this book!