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

Winner: Shingo Publication Award 2024

Refreshing, Timeless Lessons for Those Who Care to Lead

In the international award-winning book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn, leadership expert Katie Anderson and 40-year Toyota leader Isao Yoshino bring you a remarkable book about what it means to learn, to lead, and to care. Created through years of collaboration, this book offers their shared reflections on leadership and organizational excellence, providing readers an inspirational experience that defies generational and cultural divides.

“The only secret to Toyota is its attitude towards learning.” -- Isao Yoshino

With a career that spanned nearly four decades at Toyota Motor Corporation, Isao Yoshino’s stories 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. Katie Anderson weaves together these heartwarming stories of personal discovery, and offers her own unique perspective on them, with the intention of helping you achieve lasting impact.

Reflection is the Key to Learning

Dive into Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn to discover the power of reflection as a source for learning. Uncover never-before-published “insider stories” from pivotal moments in Toyota’s history and fascinating nuances that inspired the Toyota Way and lean management. And walk away with fresh insights and excitement about people-centered leadership, organizational excellence, and yourself.

If you’ve ever been mentored -- in business or in life -- by someone whose words, experiences, and perspectives changed you for the better, you know that an entire book of honest reflection and deep wisdom can have a profound impact on the world. For today’s business professionals -- dedicated to continuous learning and people-centered leadership -- this is that book.

Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind tapestry that will inspire both veteran and aspiring leaders to reflect and learn. It’s a book for leaders of all levels, in any industry, anywhere in the world, who strive to create a culture of continuous learning and to lead with intention -- by helping others discover their best selves, while also developing themselves.

Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn is the winner of multiple awards including the Shingo Publication Award and International Impact Award for Management.

It's a #1 Amazon internaltional bestseller in Organizational Change, Organizational Learning, International Business Management, Quality Control, and Automotive and has been translated into 8+ languages.

-- With a Foreword by John Shook, Chairman, Lean Global Network --

“If you are seeking the next step on your own journey of leadership transformation, reading this book and living its lessons will help you become the leader you always knew you could be.” -- Richard Sheridan, CEO, Menlo Innovations and Author of Chief Joy Officer

“I was thrilled to come across Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn and recommended it to all of GE's employees. It clearly demonstrates how lean is about fundamental process improvement, with an eye toward better results. If you are looking for an approachable way to learn lean, I highly recommend Katie’s book.” -- Larry Culp, CEO, GE Aerospace

“I encourage anyone who influences people in cultural change to embrace the shared wisdom in this book.” -- Tracey Richardson, Author of The Toyota Engagement Equation

“If you’re interested in lean and learning, this is an absolute must-read!” -- Michael Ballé, Co-author of The Gold Mine Trilogy and The Lean Strategy

“If you want to really understand continuous improvement … read this book.” -- Jeffrey Liker, Author of The Toyota Way

Katie Anderson is an internationally recognized transformational leadership consultant, keynote speaker and Shingo Award-winning author, best known for her focus on helping individuals and organizations lead with intention. In 2013, she founded her consulting practice to work with purpose-driven leaders to help them create and sustain high-performing organizations.

Katie is a lifelong learner whose career has traversed through roles in academia, consulting, and healthcare operations and process improvement. Katie holds a B.A. with honors from Stanford University and was a Fulbright Scholar in Australia, where she received her Master's degree in public health from Sydney University. Katie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two children, and hundreds of daruma dolls. When she is not traveling around the world, you can find her in her backyard with her family, on a bike traversing the hills of Northern California, or trying out new recipes in her kitchen.

Katie remains passionate about helping people around the world learn to lead and lead to learn. 

Isao Yoshino is a 40-year Toyota leader and a former NUMMI training manager based at Toyota headquarters in Japan. Yoshino has held management roles at Toyota in research, human resources, corporate planning and production control, and manufacturing. Yoshino retired from Toyota in 2006. He is currently a lecturer at the Nagoya Gakuin University and travels internationally to teach and speak about Toyota leadership, hoshin kanri, and coaching.