Toyota Motor North America CEO Jim Lentz recently sat down with Toyota USA Newsroom for an interview. In this interview, Lentz gave us a peek into his daily life and how he became CEO of the American branch of one of the largest automotive companies in the world.
Early in his career, Lentz experienced a setback in the form of a “personality conflict” with his “hard-school” manager. After some searching and consideration, Lentz stayed with Toyota but took a demotion so that he could remain with the company he loved and still stay true to himself.
During this period, he realized that he had “always put my future in the hands of my manager” which he knew had to change if he wanted to move upward through the company.
Through his years at the company he has realized that being a “tyrant-boss” isn’t going to get you very far. “You’re not going to motivate people that way. Even back in the day, if you were very dictatorial in your management style, you got exactly what someone asked you to do. Not less, but not more. Today if people really understand why they’re doing something, I think they give more.” said Lentz.
During the interview, he goes on to say that while traveling the world was fun at first, being a CEO can be very tiring and isn’t just about sitting behind a desk and signing policy documents. When asked what he loves about his job, Lentz responds that he loves “watching people develop and progress in the company, knowing that’s the bench of the future leaders, so that we continue with this company that develops people from within. That we don’t have to go outside necessarily. To me, that’s fun.”
For the full interview visit http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/jim-lentz-ceo-day-life.htm
“Meet the Man | Corporate.” Meet the Man | Corporate. Toyota USA Newsroom, 17 May 2016. Web. 19 May 2016.
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