58| People First: Why Leaders Get It Backwards with Lean and Operational Excellence
Chain of Learning: Empowering Continuous Improvement and Lean Change Leaders
Why Western approaches get it backwards
Katie contrasts Western focus on results with Toyota’s emphasis on developing people first to sustain improvement.
Apply for the May 2026 Japan Leadership Experience—https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/
Where is your primary focus as a leader, change practitioner, or organization?
Getting business results?
Improving processes?
Or developing people?
What if the real key to lasting business success isn’t found in metrics or milestones—but in how you create a culture that nurtures people and their problem-solving capabilities?
In this episode I explore what it really takes to deliver sustainable organizational success, and why building a people-centered learning culture—one where developing others isn’t an afterthought, but the foundation that enables operational excellence and, ultimately, better business outcomes.
Effective leadership begins when you shift from managing results to developing people—creating the conditions for continuous improvement, engagement, and growth.
When you put people first, results follow.
Whether you are a senior executive, lean practitioner, or team leader, that’s how you build organizations that learn, adapt, and thrive—today and for generations to come.
YOU’LL LEARN:
- How Toyota’s philosophy of Monozukuri wa hitozukuri (“We make people so we can make things”) shapes a people-first culture of learning and improvement
- Why focusing on people → process → results (not the reverse) drives lasting impact across teams and organizations
- The interdependence of three qualities that support business success —quality of people development, quality of work, and quality of results – to create sustainable impact
- Insights from real leaders about how shifting from results-focused to people-focused leadership led to significant measurable improvement in business outcomes
- How to model intentional leadership practices to develop people, foster engagement, and sustain a culture of continuous learning and improvement
IMPORTANT LINKS:
- Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/58
- Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.com
- Follow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson
- Learn more about my Japan Leadership Experience: kbjanderson.com/japantrip
TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:
01:51 What leadership with purpose truly means
02:06 Why Toyota’s motto, “ The only secret to Toyota is its attitude towards learning,” is its secret to success
03:18 Three interrelated qualities that determine lasting business success represented by a pyramid
03:45 [Third level] Results - The outcomes customers see
04:12 [Second level] Process - The technical and operational systems that make the work flow better
04:37 [First level] People - The foundation that nurtures people, problem-solving, and learning
05:28 Why the Western approach is backwards when it comes to people, processes, and results
06:50 The meaning of the quote, “profit is excrement,” that captures the backwardness of the usual business approach to success
07:39 The difference between lean as a transactional toolkit versus a way of nurturing people and problem solving at all levels
07:53 Why putting people first is not just in Japan or for Toyota leaders
08:41 Leaders who put people first as the foundation for success
10:12 The challenge in putting people first
10:38 An example from Gustavo of why our intentions and our actions are aligned
12:29 Gustavo’s realization that he had a people engagement problem
13:20 The positive results in engagement when he focused on people first
14:08 What leadership in action looks like
14:35 What it really means to create a chain of learning across your organization
15:00 The two pillars of the Toyota Way
15:43 Three questions to ask yourself as you reflect on this episode
16:26 Questions to ask your people to create a cycle of reflection and continuous improvement
17:13 How to build organizations and leaders that last
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