Introduction 5 cultures. There were, of course, ups and downs, but Toyota never gave up on investing heavily to develop the Toyota DNA wherever it set up shop. Its experience in developing Toyota leadership in the United States, Toyota's largest and most profitable market outside Japan, is particularly instructive as a case study of developing lean leadership. In some ways it was Toyota's greatest challenge, as there are such sharp cultural differences between Japan and the United States, in particular strong collectivism in Japan versus strong individualism in the United States and long-term thinking in Japan versus short-term thinking in the United States. 3 Yet Toyota has successfully developed Toyota lead- ers and culture in America, especially in its manufacturing plants. To better understand the culture and how it evolved, it is instructive to start at the beginning of the company that evolved it. A Legacy of Unique Leadership