Episode #204: Sontaku -The Secret Sauce For Leaders In Japan

How can Japanese leaders prepare for a future where human capital is scarce and employee expectations have evolved?
In an era of labor shortages, automation, and demographic decline, leadership must shift from reaction to anticipation — embodying the Japanese principle of sontaku (忖度): understanding and acting on others’ needs before they are spoken.

“Sontaku” means to surmise or intuit another person’s unspoken wishes. Often linked with omotenashi (おもてなし) — Japan’s world-famous spirit of hospitality — it involves delivering excellence before the customer even realizes what they need.

In business, sontaku leadership means applying the same proactive empathy to your team. Leaders anticipate employees’ motivations, career aspirations, and engagement triggers before issues arise. It’s about skating to where the puck will be — not where it is now.

Mini-summary: Sontaku leadership blends cultural empathy with forward-looking management — the foundation of sustainable engagement in Japan.

• Steve Jobs predicted user needs with the iPhone before consumers even imagined them.

• Wayne Gretzky famously advised: “Skate to where the puck is going to be.”

• Gary Vaynerchuk mastered digital attention shifts before audiences moved.

Each represents sontaku in action — anticipating the future before others catch up.

Mini-summary: Sontaku is not just a cultural nuance — it’s a global leadership superpower.

Japan’s economy faces compounding threats:

• Shrinking youth population (under 35s halving by 2060)

• Aging workforce across construction, agriculture, and logistics

• Automation accelerating faster than human upskilling

• Stagnant consumer demand and aging society pressure

These structural shifts make leadership empathy and proactive retention strategies more vital than ever. When talent supply declines, anticipating employee needs becomes a competitive differentiator.

Mini-summary: Sontaku is not optional — it’s a survival skill for Japanese companies in the war for talent.

Robots can replace repetitive work, but leadership requires emotional intelligence, trust, and anticipation — qualities AI cannot replicate.
However, without soft-skill training, many Japanese leaders risk a “sontaku deficit” — failing to foresee their team’s evolving needs.

Mini-summary: Leadership automation isn’t coming — but leadership obsolescence is, unless soft skills evolve.

Global Dale Carnegie research shows that feeling valued by one’s manager is the top driver of engagement.
A sontaku leader:

• Predicts team needs and growth goals

• Delegates as a career-building tool, not a burden

• Conducts career conversations before problems surface

Mini-summary: Sontaku leadership turns employee empathy into a strategic retention advantage.

Many managers in Japan were shaped by outdated norms — loyalty over mobility, obedience over dialogue.
If leaders rely only on OJT and replicate old models, organizations stagnate.
To thrive, leaders must invert sontaku — apply it to their people, not expect it from them.

Mini-summary: Tomorrow’s leaders anticipate and empower; yesterday’s leaders command and react.

• Sontaku leadership = anticipating unspoken employee needs.

• It transforms engagement, retention, and innovation in aging markets.

• Soft skills and empathy are now core leadership capabilities.

• Dale Carnegie Tokyo helps leaders apply sontaku to real-world business challenges.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and organizations worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI.
Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, continues to empower both Japanese and global companies through cutting-edge leadership training, sales training, and executive coaching designed for the modern Japanese workforce.