The mentor is sometimes called the “Sensei” (teacher in Japanese) and is usually an outside consultant with considerable Kaizen experience. The role of the mentor is to enable the team and the company to move up the learning curve much more quickly than it would be able to do on its own. The mentor will be actively involved in all aspects of the Kaizen event, but will also allow the team leaders to exercise autonomy. The initial Kaizen training will usually be done by the mentor, at least at first.