Why the 'Open Door Policy' Is Failing with Mark Reich

What does Toyota do instead of the usual leadership tactics? In this insightful podcast episode, we explore how Toyota’s legendary approach to systems, leadership, and culture offers game-changing lessons for leaders at any scale, whether you're running a massive enterprise or a fast-growing startup. 1. Relentless Focus At the core of Toyota’s philosophy is a relentless focus on effectiveness and efficiency, not through shortcuts, but by maximizing value-creating work and systematically reducing waste. Leaders will appreciate how Toyota improves quality and speed simultaneously, showing that excellence and efficiency are not opposites but partners. 2. Problem-solving A key highlight of the discussion is Toyota’s deep-rooted problem-solving culture. Every employee is expected to be a problem-solver, and leadership’s main role is to empower and develop people to do just that. For leaders feeling stuck in firefighting mode, this episode reveals how investing in frontline problem-solving creates a smarter, faster, more resilient organization. 3. Strategic Execution The episode also dives into strategic execution systems like Hoshin Kanri and PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) — powerful frameworks that ensure organizations focus on a few critical priorities while staying agile through continuous improvement. If you’re struggling with scattered efforts or unclear goals, these methods provide a clear blueprint to tighten focus and accelerate progress. 4. Respect Another profound takeaway is Toyota’s unique interpretation of “Respect for People.” It’s not just about being kind — it’s about genuinely believing every team member has the ability to improve their work and actively creating a culture where they are expected and empowered to do so. 5. Engaging employees Finally, leadership development gets a bold reframe: at Toyota, "a manager without a problem is a problem." Leaders aren’t judged by how well they maintain the status quo, but by how deeply they engage with work, remove burdens from their teams, and develop people’s capabilities over time. If you're a leader aiming to build a high-performing, adaptive, and resilient organization, this episode isn’t optional listening — it’s essential. Learn more about Mark Reich over at  You can get the Magnetic Systems Method (and other systems guides) to find issues before they become expensive problems. As always, if you have any questions or want to submit an amazing guest for the podcast, just reach out to me on the Systematic Leader website, and I’ll do my best to get them on. If you enjoy the interview, please take 30 seconds to rate the Systematic Leader podcast on your favorite platform. Thanks!