Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn


Book Description

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICING: Enjoy first-week pricing of $18.95 on paperback books! Regular retail pricing of $23.95 becomes effective on July 22nd. It all began with the initial chance meeting of this book's author, Katie Anderson, and the book's subject, Isao Yoshino. She was an American leadership coach and consultant in her mid-career, with a newfound love of Japanese culture. He was an accomplished Japanese people-centered leader at the end of his corporate career, with a lifelong love for American culture and 40 years of inside experience with the Toyota Way. During the next five years, Anderson and Yoshino spent countless hours learning from each other, reflecting on the past, and envisioning the future. The resulting book - written by Anderson and focused on the profound lessons offered by her mentor Yoshino -- is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind tapestry. Much like the weaving of fabric -- where the beginning work is but a glimpse of the final pattern -- this book was created from many layers of intertwined conversations and reflections. 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 such selfless generosity and deep wisdom could change 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 leadership book that defies generational or cultural divides, offering a refreshing, proven perspective for all those who dare to lead. The Best Leaders Never Lose the Humility for Learning Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn is much more than a collection of Isao Yoshino's personal stories and insights. It's a memorable, entertaining, and poignant way to highlight important leadership lessons, to record pivotal moments in Toyota's history, and to create something to help veteran and aspiring leaders reflect and learn about themselves. Yoshino's experiences 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 with an intention to learn ... every day and in every way. "The only secret to Toyota is its attitude toward learning." -- Isao Yoshino Let the Past Inform the Future: The Role of Reflection in Leadership By looking back at the past, we can learn and therefore shape our future. Through each story in this unique and inspiring book, Anderson shares Yoshino's experiences with leadership and learning, and his efforts at self-improvement while empowering others. Through those stories, you'll hear his reflections on what he learned then ... and what he is re-learning now with a different perspective as he looks back at the totality of his career. A must-read for those who: -- Want to become more people-centered leaders -- Currently practice lean or continuous improvement methods -- Serve in leadership, coaching, or operational management roles -- Want to learn more about Toyota's history and culture -- Are inspired by heartwarming stories of personal discovery and leadership With a foreword by John Shook, Chairman of the Lean Global Network.




Mind Like Water


Book Description

Acclaim for Mind Like Water "From What's the Rush? to Whale Done! Jim Ballard is mentor to millions. Now, in Mind Like Water, Ballard, as always, doesn't just show where his powerful and perceptive intellect has been, he takes you along and gives you the tools to revisit and explore on your own. Mind Like Water is a journey to places and spaces you realize you are visiting again for the first time. It's an easy, charming read that shows you how to be exactly where you need to be: calmly in control, regardless of the situation." -Sheldon Bowles, coauthor of Raving Fans "Reading Mind Like Water feels like handing the keys to my car to a very wise man and letting him drive for a while while I just enjoy the ride-and his words. Not only does this book make me think deeply about my work and life, it offers wonderful exercises for assessing and adjusting aspects that have not been working effectively. A must read for anyone struggling with work-home balance and how to find and bring your true self to your daily life." -Jayne Pearl, author of Kids and Money "Jim Ballard puts his finger on the true cause of the anxiety that grips us all in this age of information overload-change. And then he gives us the antidote, a Mind Like Water. Many books inspire and motivate; this one provides a blueprint for actions that can be truly transforming. It is brilliant in its simplicity. Not since Alan Watts has an American author made Eastern knowledge so accessible, relevant, and practical-even for a Type A, stressed-out, left-brain thinking, typical American such as myself." -Ken Miller, President of Teacher Education Institute "Mind Like Water invites the reader to participate in a variety of practical, accessible methods that support us in staying present in the moment, help us see things as they are, and live with equanimity amidst the unpredictability of our lives. Capturing the wisdom of great spiritual teachers, authors, and poets, Mind Like Water offers a respite from the hectic pace of our lives." -Tara Healey, Senior Organizational Consultant, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care "Jim Ballard is one of the most compassionate people I know, and in his new book Mind Like Water he shares some of his warmth and love with readers. If you want a feeling like snuggling into a warm coat on a blustery, wintery day, try opening this book to any page and reading. If you don't absorb some of the wisdom in Mind Like Water then you're just not paying attention." -Noel Burch, coauthor of Teacher Effectiveness Training




Leading the Lean Enterprise Transformation, Second Edition


Book Description

Updated with new information, illustrations, and leadership tools, Leading the Lean Enterprise Transformation, Second Edition describes how the metrics used by Toyota drive every line item in a financial statement in the right direction. Rather than focus on Lean tools and principles, the new edition of this bestselling reference focuses on what may be the least understood and most critical aspect of a Lean transformation: the building of a Lean culture. In addition to new appendices with background information and insightful stories on Lean leadership and implementation, it includes new information on tactical organization practices, strategy deployment, and Lean culture. An inductee to IndustryWeek's Hall of Fame, George Koenigsaecker illustrates successful strategies and valuable lessons learned with case histories of U.S. leaders who have been instrumental in bringing Lean to the forefront. He explains the use of value stream analysis at the leadership level and describes how to structure kaizen events that can improve the value stream. Organized in the chronological sequence that a leader embarking on a Lean journey would experience, the book discusses the methods used by the author during the Hon Company’s successful Lean conversion, which doubled productivity, tripled revenues, and led IndustryWeek to recognize Hon as one of the "World’s 100 Best Managed Firms." The book not only introduces powerful leadership tools—including strategy deployment, transformation value stream analysis, and transformation plan of care—but also arms potential change agents with the soft skills needed to define, develop, and communicate their vision. Detailing the steps required to sustain improvements, it supplies time-tested guidance for effective leadership throughout a Lean transformation in any organization.




Lean Leadership BASICS


Book Description

This book explains how to sustain lean, or, continuous improvement practices. It introduces the BASICS® lean leadership development path, combining the "human aspect" with published BASICS® lean tools. It lays out the methodology to empower, lead, and drive ongoing improvements in your business. The book includes engaging stories and case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of shop floor management tactics, including visual management tools, gemba walks, standard work, time analysis, kanban, 5S, and more.




Web Rules


Book Description

Publisher Fact Sheet Consumers now rule the Web, & businesses must respond.




The Sense of an Ending


Book Description

BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.




The Toyota Way Fieldbook


Book Description

The Toyota Way Fieldbook is a companion to the international bestseller The Toyota Way. The Toyota Way Fieldbook builds on the philosophical aspects of Toyota's operating systems by detailing the concepts and providing practical examples for application that leaders need to bring Toyota's success-proven practices to life in any organization. The Toyota Way Fieldbook will help other companies learn from Toyota and develop systems that fit their unique cultures. The book begins with a review of the principles of the Toyota Way through the 4Ps model-Philosophy, Processes, People and Partners, and Problem Solving. Readers looking to learn from Toyota's lean systems will be provided with the inside knowledge they need to Define the companies purpose and develop a long-term philosophy Create value streams with connected flow, standardized work, and level production Build a culture to stop and fix problems Develop leaders who promote and support the system Find and develop exceptional people and partners Learn the meaning of true root cause problem solving Lead the change process and transform the total enterprise The depth of detail provided draws on the authors combined experience of coaching and supporting companies in lean transformation. Toyota experts at the Georgetown, Kentucky plant, formally trained David Meier in TPS. Combined with Jeff Liker's extensive study of Toyota and his insightful knowledge the authors have developed unique models and ideas to explain the true philosophies and principles of the Toyota Production System.




Thinking, Fast and Slow


Book Description

*Major New York Times Bestseller *More than 2.6 million copies sold *One of The New York Times Book Review's ten best books of the year *Selected by The Wall Street Journal as one of the best nonfiction books of the year *Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient *Daniel Kahneman's work with Amos Tversky is the subject of Michael Lewis's best-selling The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds In his mega bestseller, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman, world-famous psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. The impact of overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning our next vacation—each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems shape our judgments and decisions. Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives—and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. Topping bestseller lists for almost ten years, Thinking, Fast and Slow is a contemporary classic, an essential book that has changed the lives of millions of readers.




The Body Within


Book Description

The Body Within poses a very strong argument to help all of us understand that we have the ability to heal ourselves. This book can help teach you how life is not only to be lived, but also who we are and what we are capable of. The Body Within shows us all that when you become the observer of yourself, you are limitless in what you can accomplish.Nowhere else has anyone written about how the way we live affects how and when we cross over in death. This book is very bold and inspiring for anyone who wants to change the course of his or her life. You may learn that there really is no emptiness inside; it's just you that are missing.