Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Eiji Toyoda

Eiji Toyoda, Toyota's fifth President, passed away last week.

I was quite shock that many of my colleagues did not know about this.

I've heard little bits of stories about him, but I mostly learned about his legacy from the book, "The Toyota Leader, An Executive Guide", by Masaaki Sato, a veteran news reporter in the Japanese auto industry.

The most vivid impression I have of him is that he knew exactly what his purpose of life was: grow Toyota in the turmoil postwar era.  Nothing wavered him, despite all the problems he had, especially when Toyota failed to launch a global model before finally developed the world renowned Corolla.

It is his deep understanding of himself that really made a lasting impression on me.




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