Reading Recommendations:

How Toyota Became #1, Leadership Lessons From The World's Greatest Car Company, David Magee -

Everyone who follows the auto industry knows that Toyota has had an amazing 25 year run, rising from a humble Japanese start-up to a thriving global giant. In early 2007, Toyota thundered past Ford and General Motors to become the world's largest auto manufacturer. The big question is, how did it get there, and how does it continue to achieve such amazing results while so many other car companies are struggling and failing?

To find out, journalist David Magee dug deeply into Toyota's past and present, interviewing senior executives who rarely talk to the press, along with many other key sources and company insiders. And he found that the company's famous mastery of lean production is only a small part of the story. Magee explains the surprising power of Toyota's deep seated and unique corporate culture, which includes:

• Focusing on the long term: while some companies worry about the next quarter, Toyota is thinking about the next quarter century;

• Jumping beyond the current trend: when Ford and General Motors were still ramping up their gas guzzling SUVs, Toyota was very quietly taking a huge lead on hybrids;

• Making quality everyone's responsibility: Toyota expects people at every level to think and act like quality control inspectors;

• Striving for continuous improvement: at Toyota, everything is always open to refinement, from assembly line processes to corporate policies;

• Managing individual strengths: Toyota is revolutionizing the way people are managed, to maximize their strengths instead of criticizing their weaknesses; and

• Committing to authentic transformation: Toyota's leaders embrace long term transformations that might take a full decade to pay off.

The powerful lessons that Magee explains here will be valuable for managers in all disciplines and industries.

And, It's All About Him, Finding The Love of My Life, Denise Jackson with Ellen Vaughn, Foreword by Alan Jackson -

Once upon a time there was a woman who had everything this world holds dear. Denise Jackson had her handsome prince, country music legend, Alan Jackson. She had two young daughters and a brand new bouncing baby. Denise's staff took care of her every need. She wore designer gowns and enormous diamonds.

From the outside, all was well.

But inside, Denise was discovering that building her life around her husband and his colossal career just wasn't working. She was stressed and pressed constantly trying to control her world, worried about what everyone else might think, ignoring the relationship that mattered most. Somewhere along the road to success, she'd lost her roots. Her childhood faith felt cold and old, and God felt far away.

Then Denise's fairy tale life fell apart. The wealth and fame was still there, but Alan was gone. The precious love story that had begun when they were teenagers seemed doomed, their marriage broken.

This is not a story of a happy ending, tied up with a pink bow. This is the "discovery," or rather "re-discovery" of God Himself, life, and her journey with God - great adventure when it's all about Him.

And, The All Natural Diabetes Cookbook, The Whole Food Approach to Great Taste and Healthy Eating, Jackie Neugent, R.D. -

Most diabetes cookbooks rely on artificial sweeteners or not so real substitutions to reduce calories, sugar, and fat, but often at the expense of flavor. The All Natural Diabetes Cookbook takes a different approach, focusing on naturally delicious fresh foods and whole food ingredients to create fantastic meals that deliver amazing taste and well rounded nutrition. And absolutely nothing is artificial. Give it a try!

See you at Rylander!