My guest for Episode #528 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Mark Reich, a Senior Lean Coach with the Lean Enterprise Institute and former Toyota leader with over two decades of experience.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

Mark spent six years working in Japan, including helping launch the Lexus brand and later leading Hoshin Kanri strategy processes during Toyota's rapid growth in North America. He also played a pivotal role at the Toyota Supplier Support Center (TSSC), helping bring the Toyota Production System to manufacturing, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations. In our conversation, we dive into his career journey, his approach to Lean leadership, and the practical lessons behind his new book, Managing on Purpose: Using Hoshin Kanri to Develop Strategy, Align Teams, Grow Leaders, and Innovate Your Enterprise.

You can get a 25% discount on the book via LEI using the code LBIPODCAST25.

Mark shares compelling stories from his early days at Toyota, including working on the front lines of assembly, learning by doing, and his first experience pulling the andon cord. These moments shaped his appreciation for Toyota's deep respect for frontline work and its commitment to developing people. He reflects on how Toyota embeds learning and support into problem solving, where pulling the cord is seen as a learning opportunity, not a failure. That mindset became foundational for his later work, especially when managing enterprise-wide strategy through Hoshin Kanri.

We also explore what Hoshin Kanri really is--and what it isn't. Mark challenges the overemphasis on tools like the X-matrix and instead advocates for focusing on purpose, alignment, and leadership behavior. He explains how strategy deployment at Toyota was never a one-way cascade, but a dialogue grounded in humility, curiosity, and shared responsibility. Whether you're new to Hoshin or struggling to sustain it, Mark offers insights that can help any leader make strategy a living, breathing part of organizational culture.

This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network.