Africa.
I experienced first-hand how success creates its own momentum and how powerful a winning culture is. Under such circumstances it was pretty easy to provide inspirational leadership. The bigger challenge was to prevent the success from turning into arrogance. As the Chinese proverb says: “Contained in success are the seeds of failure”. Fortunately, Toyota Motor Corporation Japan kept our feet on the ground with their “Kaizen” approach. Kaizen, literally translated, means to never be satisfied – the aim is therefore continuous improvement.
As a car enthusiast I was in my element at Toyota – it actually felt as if my hobby had become my job. To be directly involved in Toyota’s motor sport programme was cause for great excitement. Few things get my adrenaline pumping more than the sound of an approaching rally car from the dark of the night, racing at full speed. The mental image I carry in my mind of halogen lights piercing the dust while the car is spectacularly sliding around the bends, still gives me goosebumps. My first test drive with rally legend Serge Damseaux behind the wheel was unforgettable. My heart repeatedly felt like it was about to stop, and a few times I thought my last day had probably come. Serge, however, let the car slide almost miraculously around the corners every time. My right leg was stiff from braking. I was shaky and sweaty with excitement – and also filled with admiration for his driving skills, reflexes and fearlessness.
I believe that all the exposure generated by Toyota’s numerous motor sport victories played an important role in promoting the brand. The success achieved in rallies and racing also gave credibility to Toyota’s slogan at the time of “Everything keeps going right”. To this day, reliability remains a key element of Toyota’s marketing platform.
Over the years, many people have asked me where this slogan came from. Colin Adcock by chance spotted it in a newspaper advertisement during a holiday in the English countryside. A small Toyota dealership there used it to advertise their after-sales service. Colin was very excited about it and phoned the owner of the dealership. To his surprise the owner was blissfully unaware of it and put Colin through to the service manager. The outcome of the story is that the dealer gave permission that we could use it in South Africa. Colin’s next call was to me and I immediately shared his enthusiasm. Upon his return to South Africa, he went to the musician Dan Hill’s house that very same afternoon where the distinctive jingle was composed. And the rest is history . . .
I have learnt an incredible amount from Toyota Japan’s management. Their long-term approach was a revelation to me, as was their emphasis on thorough planning, analysis and attention to detail. An important element of their management philosophy that made a big impression on me was the extent to which they involved everyone in the decision-making. The analogy they use to illustrate this is that a tree will only be healthy if its roots get adequate nutrition. They are masters when it comes to thorough and meaningful consultation, therefore project implementation is usually smooth. Everyone involved takes full ownership and is totally committed to their contribution. It is not necessary for the manager to give instructions, the team members know what to do and they do it to the best of their ability.
Their competence in respect of project management impressed me on every occasion. The process to develop a new product, produce and market it contains literally thousands of different elements and variables. To have had first-hand exposure to how they excel in it was very valuable. The quality of their human capital as a result of an excellent education system, of course, is a major contributing factor to their success. No wonder they managed to develop their country, smaller than the Free State and with almost no natural resources, to become the third largest economy in the world. What 140 million people managed to achieve, despite the destruction of their infrastructure during the Second World War, is amazing.
Their commitment to their core value of “respect for all people” has also become an integral and fundamental part of my approach to life. Their politeness, work ethic and professionalism were a source of great inspiration to me. During the difficult times I later experienced at McCarthy, I often thought back to their approach on how severe storms in either an organisation or a person’s life must be dealt with. They often referred to the Japanese proverb which states that the bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists. Aggressive resistance is not part of their culture. Similarly, an absolute “no” does not exist in their vocabulary. Over the years I have learnt that the following expression represents “no”: “Brand-san, frankly speaking, perhaps your request will possibly not be possible.”
My interaction with Toyota dealers across South Africa had been an enriching experience for me. Not only did I learn a lot from them about the retail side of the automotive business, but highly successful entrepreneurs like Barry Streicher, Meyer Benjamin, Fred Weber, Satar Dada and many others earned my respect and admiration. The business approach that they applied with so much success gave me guidance of great value for my future career at McCarthy. Many of my best memories of my 22 years at Toyota relate to my literally hundreds of visits to dealers – small and large. Visits to dealers in the rural areas in particular made for very special moments. It was a wonderful privilege to get to know these unpretentious, salt-of-the-earth people better. Firm handshakes and broad smiles were the order of the day. They overwhelmed me with their hospitality and spoilt me with biltong, droë wors, milk tart and koeksisters.
The quality of their relationships with their customers was a revelation to me. So too was their loyalty and commitment to Toyota. I am absolutely convinced that the strength of the dealer network was one of Toyota’s most powerful competitive advantages.
We always regarded dealers as full and respected members of the Toyota family, and it undoubtedly contributed to their loyalty. Dr. Wessels laid this foundation and he never let an opportunity pass by without reminding them about it. Most importantly, however, dealers were respected for their expertise, and their contribution to Toyota’s success was acknowledged with gratitude and sincerity. It was therefore no surprise that the dealers joined hands with Toyota spontaneously. There was a unifying vision and a relationship based on mutual trust and respect.
During my career at Toyota I realised for the first time the extent to which the political and social conditions in a country may affect the business environment. The widespread political unrest in 1976 and again in 1986, hit the car market for a six each time. The trade sanctions which Japan imposed against South Africa in the mid-eighties affected us very adversely. The Rubicon speech of PW Botha in 1985 had catastrophic consequences in terms of a collapse of business confidence and a further dramatic deterioration in the value of the Rand against international currencies. Persistent labour unrest that often was the offshoot from political agendas affected Toyota’s business adversely. This reality that politics and economics in developing countries are inextricably linked, encouraged me to get involved with broad political and social issues on a constructive basis.
Specific people and events during this period of political turmoil had a big influence on my perspective of South Africa and what was busy happening in the country. I was fortunate to have had close ties with a number of “enlightened” Afrikaners at the time, such as Frederick van Zyl Slabbert, Wynand Malan, Prof. Willem de Klerk, Rudolf Gouws and Christo Nel. My direct involvement with Wynand’s election campaign after he broke away from the National Party and later formed the Democratic Party, strengthened my determination to bring about drastic political reform. My political awakening, fuelled by the conflict between my Christian principles and values and the impact of apartheid on my fellow man, led to me become involved in political activism in my own sphere of influence. At every opportunity I had to influence people in this regard, I made my voice heard.
One event, during a visit to Japan late in 1987, I will not easily forget. The main purpose of my visit was to try to convince Toyota Japan (TMC) to relax the trade sanctions that applied to us. Immediately after my arrival that Sunday I was taken to a movie theatre, where Sir Richard Attenborough’s acclaimed film Cry Freedom was showing. It was a hugely emotional experience for me and I must admit that I shed a few tears in the darkness of the theatre over the sorrowful state of my country
