The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership: Achieving and Sustaining Excellence Through Leadership Development

First quarter of the book they explain what they are going to do and then never really ever get to it.

Everyone is familiar with Toyota as a brand. Some are aware of the Toyota manufacturing process. Being aware of the process is not being familiar and being familiar does not imply one is conversant with how it really works. Along comes Jeffrey Liker (The Toyota Way) and Gary Convis with The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership filling any gaps in our understanding. Importantly, Liker and Convis use a narrative approach to presenting their material. They use multiple examples and anecdotes to illustrate the concepts they are reporting. Their use of vignettes to describe how lead leadership works, certainly nourishes the reader’s understanding. Readers interested in manufacturing, Japanese culture, leadership, adult education, and other related topics will find this volume most informative. There is no need to be an engineer, Liker and Convis make the topic readily available to the general reader. The narration of Jim Meskimen is very good.

Good book on the origins of Lean Methodology and the Toyota system. Too bad most who practice Lean, Six Sigma, etc do not take in the whole education; as Americans we seem to short cut everything. Due to these short cuts, we have a lot of businesses that after recent economic circumstances are finding themselves at a point where they may not survive as a company. The recession was only the catalyst; shortsighted leadership was the true cause as most companies raced to the bottom in cutting costs to the point I fear a large number will not be able to recover. A tool is only as good as the craftsman that wields it. Needless to say Lean Leadership is all about leadership and has nothing to do with cutting costs. I would have recommended this book, but it is like handing a loaded handgun to a toddler."

This is Toyota's story from one insider. So it is a singular point of view. But a very detailed point of view.

If there is one business book to pass, unless you have never been in business world, this is it. In the first part, the author cannot outdo himself praising the company. Most of the book offers advice that is simple and basic, such as when learning something new go slow first. To add air of sophistication, the author uses Japanese terms without any real justification, and repeats them over and over. You will have to translate them every time in your mind to figure out what he is saying. Instead of using workshop, as in check reality at the manufacturing floor, he uses the word gamba or something like that. This usage detracts from the points being made and is annoying. This book would be most useful for new hires at the company, to give them a feel of the culture. For insights and ideas you can use elsewhere, look elsewhere for another source or book.

These authors could have done some evaluation and critical analysis, instead of repeating corporate corn.

It does offer insight into the company.

Too bad that there are so many more business books than there should be.

If you are fascinated by the success of Toyota Motor Corporation and their rise to near domination of the global automobile market, this is the book for you.

The book covers in almost painstaking detail the methods used by Toyota to grow leaders from within the company. It is that approach, the nurturing of self-improving people that is the backbone of Toyota's success. I purchased many of the accompanying hardcover books for more information. The concept is simple: grow leaders and problem solvers from within. It's the patience required and the discipline to execute and stick with the plan that is hard for other companies to duplicate.

This is my first time listening to the narrator. He is appropriate for a business book. He delivers the information very effectively. But this is no John Grisham novel!

Definitely not. I found myself rewinding and listening again and again to make sure I understood the concepts. I have listened to it twice and will listen a third time.

Great book for business. The Toyota Way is really hard to duplicate and that's what gives them their competitive advantage.

Think simple, think in the customer and how they use your product.

the way Toyota saw a problem and how they use that to change or innovate their way of thinking

Jim brings the right tone of importance and motivation to the book.

transforming the present, developing a better future

Well-narrated story about the development of Lean Leadership at TOYOTA. I especially enjoyed the continuous focus on believing that their strategy of building competences will prevail instead of adopting the usual major layoff/hiring process.

Every person who has been through the "Ohno Circle" process and not let their ego get the best of them

Really, a movie about Lean Leadership at TOYOTA? With Brad Pitt as Gary Convis?

The one reason why i didn't give this book a 5-star rating is because of the many abbreviations and unique terms used throughout the book. I work with Lean on a daily basis and thus understand most, if not all of them, but i can definitely see some people not getting optimal value out of this book simply due to the many complicated abbreviations and terms you have to remember.

I would not recommend this book and it would be hard to say what to change. It seems to be very repetitive.

I have not listened to these guys before.

Not really, I think they ran short on new information after the first chapter and they just kept finding new ways to explain the same basic principles.

Need to buy the book. Great information, a little hard for me to stay engaged. Information overload. Shoiuld be studied along with the printed copy.