Real learning comes from lived experiences.
At a March 3 Morning Forum, Katie Bryan-Jones Anderson talked about the importance of having a desire to learn. Her credentials as a Stanford grad, Fulbright scholar in Australia with a master’s degree, entrepreneur, podcaster, author and teacher all around the world demonstrates her love of learning.
She thought she would be an academic. Initially she worked at Stanford Children’s hospital for six years, then moved on to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation before starting her consulting practice in 2013. Looking forward, she never would have seen where she is now.
We create our purpose through experience, Anderson said, and purpose drives us. At workshops, she asks her audience of leaders to draw their purpose. Hers is to connect the hearts and minds of people around the world so that together we can make it a better place.
In 2015, Anderson moved to Japan with her husband and two little boys. Her challenge was how to create high-performing cultures of learning. She met Isao Yoshino, a leader at Toyota, who took her to the Toyota production factory. She learned that the Toyota production system’s secret to success was grounded on their attitude toward learning.
The essence of leadership at all levels, she said, is to set the direction, provide support and develop yourself as well. Anderson published a book, “Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn,” authored by her with help from Isao Yoshino. He was involved with the joint venture at NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.) in Fremont in the early 1980s (it’s now a Tesla plant). This was a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota.
Toyota wanted to produce cars in the United States – they were already selling them here. This was GM’s worst-performing plant across the United States. Yoshino was charged with helping GM learn how to change the GM culture. GM workers would actually sabotage their work by not tightening a bolt or something else. In one year, NUMMI went from being the worst-performing plant to being the best.
As the leader, Yoshino talked about training the new NUMMI manager. “My aim was to develop him by giving him a target, and supporting him while he figured out how to reach the target. And as I was developing him, I was aware that I was developing myself as well. Good products come from good learning.”
What helped this speedy turnaround? A light was installed on the line to signal that the employee needed help. Problems weren’t being hidden, they were being revealed. Then the supervisor would come and help. The new attitude showed that the company cared about people and their learning.
A word from Anderson about which employees to hire: “It is not necessary to hire the one with the most experience, rather it is important to hire the one with the most desire to learn.”
Morning Forum is a speaker series held at The United Methodist Church of Los Altos in person and online. Half-year memberships are now available at morningforum.org.
