The Leadership Japan Series
Leading in Japan is distinct and different from other countries. The language, culture and size of the economy make sure of that. We can learn by trial and error or we can draw on real world practical experience and save ourselves a lot of friction, wear and tear. This podcasts offers hundreds of episodes packed with value, insights and perspectives on leading here. The only other podcast on Japan which can match the depth and breadth of this Leadership Japan Series podcast is the Japan's Top Business interviews podcast.
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I met the owner of a successful business recently. He had bought the company twenty years ago and then pivoted it to a new and more successful direction. So successful, that he employs over 230 staff and was recently listed on the local stock exchange. It was a business meeting to discuss collaboration and I was exp
The ad on social media said, “we are looking for sales A players”. I know the guy who put out the ad and he had recently moved to a new company, a new entrant into Japan and they were aggressively going after market share here. I was thinking I would love to be able to recruit A players for sales as well, but I can’t
Years ago I inverted the pyramid and promoted the best salespeople to become the branch leaders. The existing branch leaders were shuffled around to new branches and they provided the grey hair and the credibility needed by the older rich clientele, but didn’t have responsibility for driving revenues anymore. They we
Time is the enemy of good leadership. It takes time to develop a team of individuals. A common metaphor is the orchestra conductor. Each instrument player has a specific role and it is the job of the leader to meld them together to work harmoniously and effectively. The conductor takes a significant amount of time
I remember reading once about a President reflecting on the cost controls he had instituted inside his organisation. The industry had emerged from a recession and even though the economy and the company had recovered, he had forgotten to ease the strict controls he had instituted to protect the company. Covid-19 has
Giving people orders is fine and fun, when you are the leader. Not so great when you are on the receiving end though. Collaboration and innovation are two seismic shifts in workstyle that are fundamentally different from the way most leaders were educated. Command and control were more the order of business back in