Chapter 1What Defines a Company That Thrives Long Term?

The applause dies down as the next conference speaker approaches the podium. The presentation is going to be about Toyota, and in his first slide the speaker presents some impressive statistics that demonstrate Toyota’s superior performance.

The audience is nodding appreciatively.

For about two decades now this scene has been repeated countless times. So many books, articles, presentations, seminars, and workshops have begun with statistics about Toyota just like these:

Image Toyota has shown sales growth for over 40 years, at the same time that U.S automakers’ sales reached a plateau or decreased. ...

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