Looking Back: Katie Anderson & Isao Yoshino on Learning, Leadership, and Mistakes

My Favorite Mistake: Business Lessons from Failures and Success

We’re going back to Episode 30 from January 2021, featuring Katie Anderson — author of Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn — and Isao Yoshino, the longtime Toyota leader whose career and lessons inspired her book.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

It was such a privilege to talk with them then, and even more meaningful now, because I recently got to spend time with Mr. Yoshino in Japan last October during Katie’s Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn experience. Seeing him there — humble, curious, and still passionate about developing others — really reinforced everything we talked about in that episode.

Mr. Yoshino shared a story from early in his Toyota career, when a mistake on the shop floor could have led to punishment, but instead led to learning. His leaders didn’t blame him — they worked with him to fix the system. That experience shaped how he led and coached for decades.

Katie shared her own favorite mistake — a story about feedback early in her career that helped her realize the power of listening, asking questions, and helping others find their own answers.

Together, we explored what it means to create a culture where people feel safe to learn, improve, and grow — the kind of culture that turns mistakes into progress.