Episode #123: Atarashi San And The Big Japan Breakthrough

When was the last time a training course genuinely changed your life as a leader?
Most executives will say, “It was good,” or “I learned something new.” But only a few will say, “It changed my life.” Warren Buffett does. So does Masami Atarashi, a highly respected business leader in Japan who credits the Dale Carnegie Course with transforming his confidence, mindset, and career.

Many leaders are skeptical about training. They have already attended countless seminars and workshops, and most blend into the background of their career. But some programs go far beyond skills and tools—they fundamentally reshape how you think, act, and relate to others.

Warren Buffett, one of the world’s most famous investors, has repeatedly said that the Dale Carnegie Course changed his life and dramatically increased his confidence as a communicator and leader. The same is true for Masami Atarashi, a prominent business figure in Japan who previously served as President of Johnson & Johnson, Philips, and Hallmark in Japan.

When highly accomplished leaders publicly say, “This course changed my life,” it is not about hype. It signals a deep shift in mindset, behavior, and the ability to succeed through other people.

Mini-summary: Truly transformational training does more than deliver knowledge; it rewires how leaders think and behave, enabling them to achieve more through others.

Masami Atarashi is widely known in Japan as a business leader, author of more than 40 books, public speaker, and trainer of executives. Despite his success, he openly shares that he was once a nervous and ineffective speaker.

Before the Dale Carnegie Course, he says he trembled with fear whenever he had to speak to an audience or a customer. His problem was not technical skill, but mindset. Halfway through the course, he noticed a powerful shift: he began to enjoy speaking. That visible change marked a deeper transformation.

He also began to look at situations more positively. Instead of saying, “We can’t do it,” he started asking, “How can we do it?” This change from a negative, fear-driven approach to a proactive, solution-focused mindset became a turning point in his career. He took the course at age 32, and like many senior executives who did the same, he went on to reach the top ranks of business in Japan.

Mini-summary: For Masami Atarashi, the Dale Carnegie Course turned fear into enjoyment, and pessimism into possibility—unlocking a mindset that helped propel him to the top of corporate leadership.

Today, professionals are constantly connected through email, LinkedIn, social platforms, and messaging tools. It is easy to assume that business relationships are now built online. But real deals are still made face-to-face, especially in Japan and especially when working across cultures.

Executives want to look their business partners in the eye and decide: Can I trust this person?
That judgment is formed by observing what is said, how it is said, and whether there is real alignment between words and behavior.

No matter how advanced technology becomes, the human element of trust remains central. Person-to-person relationships continue to be the foundation of sustainable, profitable partnerships. This is why a training system refined over more than 100 years remains relevant: it focuses on communication, trust, and cooperation—fundamentals that never go out of date.

Mini-summary: Technology has transformed how we connect, but trust is still built person-to-person, making people skills essential for business success.

In fast-paced business environments, leaders are constantly being evaluated by their words and behavior. A single careless comment can damage years of carefully built trust.

Consider the example of a long-established businessman who casually looked at a colleague in gym clothes and asked, “So what are you trying to prove?” It was a throwaway remark, but it revealed poor human relations skills and a lack of self-awareness. The natural reaction was: How has this person survived so long in business with communication like that?

Many otherwise intelligent professionals score “own goals” by saying things that are tone-deaf, insensitive, or simply unprofessional. They struggle to “read the room,” misunderstand the situation, and fail to see how their words land on others. Their intelligence is overshadowed by their lack of emotional awareness.

These leaders often rely on position power to force compliance, but they never win true engagement or commitment. Their teams do what they are told—but they do not bring ideas, passion, or creativity.

Mini-summary: Poor communication and low self-awareness quietly erode a leader’s credibility, limiting cooperation and engagement—even if they are otherwise smart and experienced.

Modern business is too complex for any one person to “do it all.” Markets are global, technology is advanced, and organizations are increasingly specialized. The era of the lone hero leader is over; today, success depends on hero teams.

Specialists bring deep expertise, but often have gaps in other critical areas such as communication, influence, and collaboration. When leaders lack people skills, they may try to push, order, or pressure others instead of persuading and inspiring them. This creates resistance rather than commitment.

To compete and win, organizations need leaders who can:

• Persuade rather than command

• Gain willing cooperation rather than reluctant compliance

• Communicate clearly across diverse teams and cultures

• Navigate complexity with both technical skill and human understanding

Being smart is no longer enough. The differentiator is the ability to work through others—aligning people around shared goals and motivating them to act.

Mini-summary: Business complexity demands hero teams, not hero individuals; leaders must master people skills to unlock the full power of their organizations.

Both Warren Buffett and Masami Atarashi discovered that the Dale Carnegie Course gave them practical answers to their most pressing business challenge: How do I succeed through other people?

Over more than a century, Dale Carnegie Training has continuously refined its methodology to focus on human relations, communication, and leadership. The principles do not go out of date because they are grounded in timeless truths about human behavior:

• People want to feel respected and valued

• They respond better to encouragement than criticism

• They are more committed when they are involved and listened to

• They follow leaders they trust

In Japan, many senior executives who took the Dale Carnegie Course in their earlier careers later rose to top leadership positions. They did not simply attend a program—they applied its principles to build teams, win trust, and drive results.

There is a reason this course remains a global standard after more than 100 years: it works. For leaders like Buffett and Atarashi, it was not just another training. It was a turning point worthy of the highest compliment: “It changed my life.”

Mini-summary: Dale Carnegie Training equips leaders with proven principles and tools to build trust, influence others, and achieve results through people—creating lasting impact on both careers and organizations.

• Life-changing impact is possible: The right training can fundamentally transform confidence, mindset, and leadership capability—not just provide incremental skills.

• Trust is still built face-to-face: In a digital world, person-to-person communication remains the decisive factor for deals, partnerships, and long-term success.

• Self-awareness is a leadership filter: Poor communication and tone-deaf comments quietly destroy trust, regardless of intelligence or experience.

• People skills are the ultimate force multiplier: In complex organizations, leaders win through teams; influence, cooperation, and communication are now critical strategic capabilities.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI. Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.