About Podcast
This Episode is Sponsored By:
In a world obsessed with speed and shortcuts, what if the real key to lasting success is slowing down just enough to think, learn, and improve every single day? That’s the philosophy Dr. Jeffrey Liker has spent his career studying. Best known as the bestselling author of The Toyota Way, Dr. Liker has helped translate Toyota’s legendary operational discipline into practical wisdom for over a million readers worldwide.
In this episode, Dr. Liker opens the hood on what really powers Toyota’s enduring excellence. Spoiler: it’s not flashy tools or rigid systems it’s a people-first culture built on curiosity, trust, and respect. He unpacks how Toyota nurtures everyday problem-solvers, weaves learning into the fabric of its operations, and views failure not as a flaw but as fuel for forward motion.
Here’s what you’ll take away:
- Why true operational excellence is a practice, not a performance.
- How to replace mechanical Lean checklists with organic learning cycles.
- The two pillars of Toyota’s infrastructure: continuous improvement and respect for people.
- How small businesses can apply big-company discipline without losing their soul.
- What it means to lead with humility, coach for capability, and scale through trust.
Join us for a conversation that’s less about chasing perfection and more about building a system where excellence becomes inevitable. Whether you manage a factory floor or a five-person team, this episode is your blueprint for operational resilience that grows stronger over time.
- Operational Excellence Mindset: Execute strategy by aligning system-wide efforts with long-term organizational goals.
- Hands-On Process Familiarity: Perform core tasks directly to gain deep insight and improve operational effectiveness.
- Long-Term Thinking in Decision-Making: Prioritize future-oriented choices that ensure sustained performance and resilience.
- People-Centered Leadership: Engage employees in critical thinking to foster continuous improvement and accountability.
- Purpose-Driven Operations: Anchor decisions and systems in mission-aligned objectives for focused, meaningful execution.
Special Guest: Dr. Jeffrey Liker, Founder & CEO – Liker Lean Advisors and International Bestselling Author of The Toyota Way
Location: Ann Arbor, MI USA
Air Date: July 25, 2021
Websites:
- Liker Lean Advisors: a advisory firm with a consortium of talented, experienced consultants who possess the change management skills necessary to successfully apply Lean methods and principles. Specifically, they are adept at applying these methods and principles in manufacturing as well as service industry, office administration, and product development environments.
- Lean Enterprise Institute: a non-profit organization with a “…mission to make things better through lean thinking and practice.” The LEI offers educational workshops, online courses, videos, conferences and other resources based on research and practical information rooted in the lean philosophy.
- Shingo Prize: an award issued by the Shingo Insitute, named after Total Quality Management (TQM) pioneer, Dr. Shigeo Shingo. The Shingo Prize is considered as the world’s highest standard for organizational excellence. Dr. Liker is the recipient of 13 Shingo Prizes.
Books:
- The Toyota Way, Second Edition: 14 Management Principles from the World’s Greatest Manufacturer: Dr. Liker’s definitive book on the Toyota Production System (also known as Lean).
- Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness and Superior Results 1st: a book by Mike Rother.
- The Toyota Product Development System: Integrating People, Process, and Technology: a book co-authored by Jim Morgan and Dr. Liker. At the time of publication, it was the first and only book that detailed the product development side of Toyota.
- Gain access to a full list of all of Dr. Liker’s books here.
Articles:
- Lessons from Toyota’s Long Drive: an article by Thomas A. Stewart and Anand P. Raman published in the Harvard Business Review.
Software:
- Minitab: a statistical processing software offering a variety of calculations and tools for Lean and Six Sigma project implementation.
- QI Macros: a statistical processing software offering a variety of calculations and tools for Lean and Six Sigma project implementation.
- Writer, Producer & Host: Alicia Butler Pierre
- Podcast Editor: Olanrewaju Adeyemo
- Video Editor: Gladys Jimenez
- Transcription: Outsource Global
- Show Notes: Hashim Tale
- Sponsors: HubSpot, ThinkSmart Whiteboard
More About Guest, Dr. Jeffrey Liker:
Dr. Jeffrey K. Liker is a former Professor Emeritus of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. He’s also a professional speaker and advisor through his company Liker Lean Advisors, LLC – a network of associates that teach and consult in the Toyota Way. He is the author of the first and second editions of the international best-seller, The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World’s Greatest Manufacturer, published by McGraw Hill in 2004 and 2021, respectively.In 2018, Dr. Liker co-authored Designing the Future: How Ford, Toyota, and Other World-Class Organizations Use Lean Product Development to Drive Innovation and Transform Their Business with Jim Morgan. He’s also authored three books focused on the people side of lean: Toyota Talent: Developing Exceptional People the Toyota Way (with David Meier), Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way (with Michael Hoseus), and The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership (with former Toyota managing officer Gary Convis).
Dr. Liker’s articles and books have won thirteen Shingo Prizes for Research Excellence and The Toyota Way also won the 2005 Institute of Industrial Engineers’ Book of the Year Award and the 2007 Sloan Industry Studies Book of the Year Award. In 2012, he was inducted into the Association of Manufacturing Excellence Hall of Fame and the Shingo Academy in 2016.
More About Host, Alicia Butler Pierre:
Alicia Butler Pierre is the Founder & CEO of Equilibria, Inc. Her career in operations began over 20 years ago while working as an engineer in various chemical plants and oil refineries. She invented the Kasennu™ framework for business infrastructure and authored, Behind the Façade: How to Structure Company Operations for Sustainable Success. It is the world’s first published book on business infrastructure for small businesses. Alicia hosts the weekly Business Infrastructure podcast with a global audience across 53 countries. 
More About Sponsor, HubSpot:
HubSpot offers a full platform of marketing, sales, customer service, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software — plus the methodology, resources, and support — to help businesses. Their CRM platform is powered by the same database, so everyone in your organization — Marketing, Sales, Service & Operations — is working off the same system of record. This allows for a smoother handoff between teams and results in a more delightful experience for your customers. More About Sponsor, ThinkSmart Whiteboard:
Thinksmart Whiteboard is a Windows App that turns your Tablet PC into a shared whiteboard. It allows you to create a whiteboard on your computer screen, then allows other people to write onto your whiteboard, even if they are in another location! Learn more.