Anthony Spano on Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders at Toyota Material Handling Solutions
By Nicole Needles
IN AN INDUSTRY experiencing rapid technological change, preparing the next generation of leaders requires both vision and pragmatism. Anthony Spano of Toyota Material Handling Solutions is deeply engaged in that mission, combining mentorship, hands-on experience and strategic thinking to equip emerging talent for success.
“The biggest challenge is the speed of change versus legacy processes,” Spano explains. “Tech stacks – telematics, analytics, CPQ and CRM, AI-enabled workflows – are moving faster than many dealership SOPs. New leaders must be bilingual in old-school blocking and tackling and digital execution.”
Beyond technology, Spano sees talent development and cross-dealer collaboration as key hurdles. “We’re competing with broader tech and trades for hands-on problem solvers who also think in systems,” he says. “And national accounts demand coordination skills, not just local heroics.”
Yet where challenges exist, Spano identifies equally compelling opportunities. Data-driven leadership, structured career paths and customer-centric innovation are all fertile ground for growth.
“Converting field work, service history and telematics into decisions like FM agreements, lifecycle planning and uptime creates real value for customers and career runway for emerging leaders,” he notes.
Toyota MH Solutions actively rotates employees through service, aftermarket, sales and product and program roles, giving young professionals a 360-degree view of the business.
Mentorship has played a central role in Spano’s journey. He credits Dr. Shankar Basu, CEO at Toyota MH Solutions, for teaching him to think critically and lead effectively.
“Shankar has a way of raising expectations without ever making it about ego. He makes it about the system and the team,” Spano says. A cornerstone of Basu’s approach, the 1-3-1 rule, encourages leaders to bring three potential solutions and one recommendation to any problem. “That discipline forces critical thought, speeds decision-making and builds confidence in younger leaders to trust their judgment,” Spano explains.
Spano has carried these principles into MH Solutions’ mentorship practices through structured exposure, deal retrospectives and day-to-day modeling.
“We intentionally add emerging leaders to executive calls and national account reviews so they can see the whole chessboard,” he says.
Field experiences are equally critical: Ride-alongs and tool-based skills immerse younger employees in real-world responsibilities. Spano emphasizes the importance of discomfort in learning. He recounts being removed from a vendor list of a major account but still attending a safety meeting where he introduced himself to a new procurement manager – an encounter that blossomed into one of the company’s largest accounts.
MHEDA’s NextGen program aligns perfectly with this philosophy. “It accelerates networked learning,” Spano says. “A single dealership can be excellent, but industry patterns emerge faster when people compare notes.”
Toyota MH Solutions encourages early-career employees to engage with NextGen, with sponsorship and structured expectations to return with actionable playbooks. The benefits are clear: broader perspectives, tactical templates and confidence in seeing how high-performing peers operate.
Retention is another area where Spano focuses his energy.
“People stay when progress is visible,” he says. “Clear dashboards, career lattices, real customer ownership and modern compensation all contribute.”
Weekly one-on-ones with specific commitments ensure young leaders remain engaged and accountable.
Ultimately, Spano sees the mission as teaching young leaders “how to think,” not just “what to do,” while celebrating operational wins along the way. “A clean install, a recovered SLA or a reconditioned used unit delivered on time builds culture,” he explains. “Young leaders want to be on teams that execute – and that’s how you grow the next generation.”
