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Reflections on Leadership

Reflections on Leadership

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Katie Anderson leading participants during the Japan Leadership Experience, an immersive lean leadership tour in Japan.

Looking for a Japan study tour that goes beyond factory visits? The Japan Leadership Experience led by Katie Anderson is an immersive lean leadership tour and Japan learning mission that...

Episode 80 | Bad News First How a Leader's Response Builds a Culture of Learning with Isao Yoshino
Episode 80 - How do you build a culture of continuous improvement where people surface problems instead of hiding them? In most organizations, senior leaders are aware of only a...
EP 79 - Build Powerful People Why Transformation Starts with Your Own with Gary Peterson
Episode 79 - Efficiency and cost savings aren't what make operational excellence sustainable. People are. The leaders who create enduring, high-performing organizations are pursuing something beyond business results. They want...
Strategy Isn't Enough: 9 Practices to Help Your Team Meet the Moment podcast episode featuring Karina Mangu-Ward.
Episode 78 - Have you ever invested months in a strategy your team struggled to put into action? Or watched talented, committed people give their all and still find it...
EP 77 - Lead with Joy A Business Strategy for Success with Rich Sheridan
Episode 77 - Joy isn't a perk. It's a business strategy. Have you ever wondered whether work has to feel this hard? Whether the team you've built can actually function...
EP 76 - What Is the Purpose of Kaizen John Shook Answers Your Questions (Part 3 of 3)
Episode 76 - What does it take to keep a culture of continuous improvement moving forward—through pressure for results, across generations, and in a world increasingly shaped by AI? In...
EP 75 - Behind the Scenes with John Shook The Human Side of Lean (Part 2 of 3
Episode 75 - Lean has always been about people. But many of us learned the tools first without fully understanding the deeper purpose behind them. In part two of my...
EP 74 - Has Lean Really Failed — Or Are We Asking the Wrong Question (Part 1 of 3)
Episode 74 - Has lean failed? That question led to one of the most downloaded conversations on Chain of Learning — my two-part discussion with Jim Womack in episodes 37...
EP 73 - Small Steps, Leading with Heart How Transformation Sustains with Richard Koch
Episode 73 - The way you’re leading transformation may be getting in the way of the culture you’re trying to create. As change leaders and practitioners, we care deeply about...
EP 72 - Finding Clarity Through the Messy Middle Reflections from My Book Retreat with Betsy Jordyn (BONUS)
Episode 72 - The messy middle is part of the learning process. It’s the point where what worked before no longer fully fits—but what comes next is not yet clear....
Episode 71: Own the Thinking Process, Not the Thinking How Leaders Build Problem-Solving Capability
Episode 71 - Caring can easily turn into carrying. It happens so naturally we often don’t notice it. Someone brings us a problem. We care. We want to help. And...
EP 70 - Talk to the People How to Make Better Decisions with Nigel Thurlow
Episode 70 - What happens when the decisions leaders make are increasingly disconnected from the work itself? In a world of AI, automated dashboards, and remote work, it’s easy to...
Japan Leadership Experience November 2025 Highlight

Japan Leadership Experience Highlights: November 2025

What is an immersive lean leadership Japan tour all about? For the leaders who join my Japan Leadership Experience, it’s much more than learning the technical side of lean and operational excellence. It’s a journey of leadership and exploring the essence of respect for people: “holding precious what it means to be human.”

My Japan Leadership Experience is unlike any traditional study tour. It’s an immersive journey into the heart of lean, the essence of people-centered leadership, and the cultural practices that make Japan a living classroom for learning and transformation.

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Leading to Learn®: Become a Katalyst™ for Continuous Learning — Keynote on Intentional Leadership

Thriving in today’s world requires more than tools or tactics; it demands a culture of continuous learning, grounded in scientific thinking and deep respect for people. In my keynote, Leading to Learn®: Become a Katalyst™ for Continuous Learning,  I share how you can become a Katalyst™—a change leader who accelerates learning as the engine for improvement and transformation.

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Group of international leaders participating in the Japan Leadership Experience program led by Katie Anderson

Japan Leadership Experience Highlights: May 2025

What happens when leaders from around the world step away from their daily routines and immerse themselves in the birthplace of lean, continuous improvement, and people-centered leadership? In May 2025, I had the privilege of leading Cohort 7 of my Japan Leadership Experience—an extraordinary week of learning, connection, and transformation alongside 18 global leaders and 81-year-old Toyota leader Isao Yoshino.

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Take my FREE Change Katalyst™ self-assessment now!

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Get your own copy of the 4-Box Problem-Solving Tool

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Download My Plan-Do-Check-Adjust Framework

Get the Create a Life Tapestry Art Project Instructions

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How to Ask Effective Questions

All newsletter subscribers get a copy of Isao Yoshino’s tips on “How to Ask Effective Questions” from our joint session on asking effective questions. Sign up here!

Download a PDF of the article "If You Think Lean is Inherently Japanese, Think Again"

Sign up below and receive a PDF of the article I wrote for Planet Lean “If You Think Lean is Inherently Japanese, Think Again”!

Get Personal Improvement A3 Coaching Tips!

Develop your coaching skills to develop others. Download the Personal Improvement A3 Coaching guide!

Start living and leading with intention today!

Do you want improve yourself as a leader, coach or learner? Getting started with an intentional practice of daily reflection can accelerate your learning. Enter your email address below to download the Daily Reflection Template.

Isao Yoshino’s Leadership Credo

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Learning to Lead Leading to Learn Book

Top 10 Toyota Leadership Lessons

Receive a PDF of the first top 10 leadership lessons and insights that I learned from Mr. Isao Yoshino, a leader at Toyota for over 40 years. These lessons and more inspired us to create the bestselling book “Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn.”

Learning to Lead Leading to Learn Book

Access the Book Bonus Resources

Get the downloadable bonus material and additional resources referenced throughout the book. By sharing your information, you will receive access to all the bonus resources — as well as new resources as they become available.