What Toyota Taught Me About Change, Flow, and Connection
The summer I worked at Toyota, teaching Scrum to teams in the Office of the CIO, I thought it would be the turning point of my career. I imagined a transformation where everyone would fall in love with agility, seeing the brilliance of Scrum and how it could revolutionize their ways of working.
That didn’t happen.
People had their day jobs. They weren’t looking to overhaul their entire way of working—they were looking to protect what already worked, like ensuring they remained SOX compliant. I quickly realized that change wasn’t just about innovation; it was about integration.
The Power of Nemawashi
That summer, I learned something that changed the way I think about leadership and transformation: Kaizen (continuous improvement) is meaningless without nemawashi.
In the West, we emphasize speed. Iterate. Move fast. Improve. But Toyota taught me that without deep, continuous connection, change is fragile—like a tree without roots. It might grow quickly, but it won’t last.
At first, nemawashi felt slow and bureaucratic. It involved:
Telling people I had something to tell them.
Then telling them I was going to book time to tell them.
Then actually telling them.
Then following up to see if they had questions.
Then reminding them what I told them.
Then executing—after all questions were allayed.
It felt like wading through red tape. Like moving in slow motion.
But when it was time to execute? I had never seen anything move so fast.
Toyota had a saying: “We move fast and slow at the same time.”
Nemawashi wasn’t about bureaucracy. It was about removing every possible roadblock before the work even started—so that when it was time to act, nothing stood in the way.
Change That Sticks
I left that summer with a whole new perspective. Before, I thought Kaizen—continuous improvement—was the key. But I came to understand that change only sticks when the people inside the system are invested, not just dragged along.
A few lessons I still carry with me:
You can’t build something new unless you’ve nurtured the roots to hold it.
The strongest foundations aren’t the ones built fast. They’re the ones built deep.
Change isn’t about pushing forward—it’s about ensuring everyone moves together.
Unexpected Takeaways
Beyond leadership and change, I left Toyota with unexpected lessons that still show up in my work today:
I still use an Exacto knife and cutter to make clean, beautiful visual cuts—because Toyota’s precision made an impression on me.
I’ve taken Prosci change management principles into every organization I’ve worked with.
I still laugh at the memory of my colleague hesitating before asking, “Are we inviting the Orange People?”—referencing a vendor with an orange logo, and realizing mid-sentence how questionable that sounded. 🤣
And perhaps the most unexpected lesson? The theme of the Toyota Innovation Fair that summer was:
“Take a Chance. Experiment.”
What’s a Work Experience That Changed You?
Toyota changed me. It changed how I think about leadership, change, and connection. It taught me that the best transformations aren’t just about moving forward fast—they’re about moving forward together.
👀 What’s one work experience that fundamentally changed the way you think?