Page 31 - Toyota Under Fire

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

John Shook was a major influence on the tone and approach
to the book through a series of conversations with Jeff. John was
the first American to become a Toyota manager in Japan and is
now the CEO of the Lean Enterprise Institute. John shared his
deep insights based on past experience and current contact with
Toyota and challenged Jeff to keep a critical eye and always en-
gage in hansei.
Tim would like to especially acknowledge his business part-
ner, Laura Starita, who kept the business fires burning, and his
wife, Catherine Ogden, who kept the home fires burning so that
he could spend the many hours necessary to get the book done so
quickly. And Jeff would like to thank his wife, Deborah Liker, for
her support through the Toyota crisis and for her patience while
he wrote his ninth book about Toyota, his son, Jesse, for his usual
sage advice, and his daughter, Emma, for her warmth and caring.
Other people who helped out by doing background research,
reading drafts, and providing advice include Anders Gustafson,
Stephanie Falktoft, and Kelsey Lafferty. We appreciate all their
efforts.

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