The Toyota Engagement Equation: How to Understand and Implement Continuous Improvement Thinking in Any Organization

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Becoming a Leader

Growing up, I was not what people would call a natural born leader. I never ran for student council, and even though I was on many sports teams, I never had the confidence to be a team captain. I was also terrified of speaking out in class and would often sit silently while other more gregarious students asked questions and made comments.

At TMMK, however, there was something in the atmosphere that made me think, “I could be a leader here one day.” I began to get a sense of that in the evaluation process that led to my getting hired, and I felt it very strongly on my first day as an employee, when I received my red Team Toyota ...