“The only secret to Toyota is its attitude towards learning. We don’t even notice and take it for granted.”
– Isao Yoshino
About the Book
Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons from Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning is the result of over five years of conversations between an American leadership coach and consultant in her mid-career, with a newfound love of Japanese culture, and an accomplished Japanese people-centered leader at the end of his career, with a lifelong love for American culture, who have spent countless hours learning from each other, reflecting on previous professional experiences, and dreaming about future opportunities. Much like fabric, the beginning work never reveals the final outcome, and the book was created out of many layers of intertwined conversations and reflections.
Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn is much more than a collection of Isao Yoshino’s personal stories and insights. It’s a memorable — often entertaining, and at times poignant — way to highlight important leadership lessons, to record some historical moments in time from the perspective of a Toyota leader, and to create something to help for modern leaders and aspiring leaders reflect and learn about themselves. Yoshino’s experiences spanning nearly four decades working at Toyota help us understand how Toyota intentionally developed the culture of excellence for which it is renowned today, and how one person learned to lead so that he could lead to learn.
Life is about looking back and reflecting upon experiences with the intention to look forward and envision where your life has the power to take you. Through each story, Anderson helps to share Yoshino’s experiences of leadership, learning, giving, and empowering. In it, you will dive into Yoshino’s life — both personally and professionally — and hear his reflections on what he learned then, and what he has re-learned now with a different perspective looking back at the totality of his career. Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn sheds light on what it means to weave a full life of purpose and intention — to pursue excellence and overcome challenges, to help others discover their best selves, and to develop our best selves at the same time.
About Katie Anderson & Isao Yoshino
When I moved to Japan with my family just over five years ago, I knew that our 18 month assignment would be an amazing experience, but I never anticipated the degree to which it would completely change my life. It changed how I view leadership. It changed how I engage with my clients. It changed how I live life. And it introduced me to daruma dolls (my obsession, if you don’t already know that about me!). The move forever incorporated Japan as an important part of my life fabric.
Yet, out of all the amazing changes and experiences from living in Japan, the relationship I have developed with Isao Yoshino, a 40 year Toyota leader and one of the most people-centered people I have ever met, is the most significant.
For years, Mr. Yoshino, as I call him publicly, or Isao, as I call him personally, and I have met, collaborated and connected on many topics, including what makes the “Toyota Way” unique and something other organizations strive to emulate. Our initial meetings in his office in Nagoya turned into collaboration and visits around the world in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Two years ago, the idea for this book was formed. Started initially as the concept of “booklet” in which to share a leadership lessons from us both anchored by both stories from Mr. Yoshino’s 40 years at Toyota and my career, as we dove in deeper to Mr. Yoshino’s memories – many of which he hadn’t recalled in years –it became clear to me that it needed to be much more. The richness of Mr. Yoshino’s powerful lessons and stories needed to be told!
In collaboration with Mr. Yoshino, I have captured his experiences, his successes and failures, and his inspirational leadership insights, and have framed them in context for your learning today, in the forthcoming book, Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons from Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning.
This book is for you if you…
- Are interested in becoming a more effective people-centered leader
- Currently practice lean or continuous improvement methods in your organization
- Serve in an organizational development or leadership roles
- Want to learn more about Toyota’s history and culture
- Are interested in reading some heartwarming stories about personal discovery and leadership.
From John Shook’s Foreword
“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. Katie shares with the reader her joys in learning from Toyota leader Isao Yoshino about the art of learning, the privilege of leading, and the secret to crafting a life worth living.
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.”
– John Shook, Chairman of Lean Global Network
Join the launch team and be a part of an exclusive group that is helping spread the word about the forthcoming book! As a launch team member, you will be the first to learn about news related to the book and your support will help spread the word about the book and Mr. Yoshino’s messages of learning and leading.
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