How Great Leaders Get Great Results

It was never the hottest automotive company. That distinction belongs to DaimlerChrysler, BMW, or even Porsche. It was rarely a first mover, like Honda or Volvo. It is not the largest, like General Motors. It suffers periodic earnings fluctuations, like all heavy goods manufacturers. But it seems to be first where it matters to customers seeking reliable everyday transportation. It is Toyota Motor Company.

In good times and in bad, Toyota stands astride the automotive industry like an unstoppable juggernaut. You may liken it to the Borg. Star Trek fans know the Borg as culture of humanoid drones operating under a single collective neural processing unit that dictates thought, direction, and all actions. Like the Borg, Toyota presents itself as a supremely aligned organization. Unlike the Borg, which are destructive, Toyota is constructive; Toyota makes some of the very finest cars and trucks in the world. The company’s goal is not world domination; it is increased market share. Its goal is 15 percent of the world’s market where only a few years ago it was 10. One more thing, the Borg brook no dissent; Toyota thrives on it. The myth of Japanese companies is their conformity—faceless, bureaucratic, almost slavish. Conformity to a degree, yes, but only after a decision has been reached. Whether the decision is about what market to pursue or what component to improve, there is much discussion, debate, and even disagreement. Once the decision is arrived upon, parties put aside differences and push forward, united in purpose. By contrast, all too often American companies squabble before, during, and after the decision is made. Such dissension sabotages alignment.

By John Baldoni
McGraw Hill (2006)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0071464875/ciomagazineA/

Full Excerpt from the book: http://www2.cio.com/books/2006/excerpt756.html