Episode #207: Where Is My Praise

A recent SPA! Magazine Japan survey of 1,140 full-time male employees in their 40s revealed the top frustrations: stagnant salaries, lack of appreciation, poor evaluations, and a lost sense of purpose.
The findings highlight a leadership crisis. When employees feel undervalued, disengagement follows—and so does the decline in productivity and innovation.

Mini-summary: Low engagement stems not from hard skills, but from the soft skill gap in leadership.

Feeling appreciated by one’s boss and organization directly fuels engagement.
Global research by Dale Carnegie Training shows that “feeling valued” is the single strongest predictor of employee engagement worldwide—including in Japan, where engagement levels consistently rank among the lowest.

When employees care, they innovate. When they feel ignored, they only comply. Productivity and creativity both depend on emotional connection.

Mini-summary: Engagement isn’t a perk—it’s a business strategy tied to leadership empathy.

The old-school bishibishi (relentlessly strict) management style was built for obedience, not inspiration. Telling today’s managers to simply “be warmer” doesn’t work.
What’s needed is re-education through leadership development—training that teaches how to earn willing cooperation rather than enforce compliance.

Most leaders in Japan learned management via OJT (On-the-Job Training), but mindsets don’t shift without guided learning. Dale Carnegie’s proven methods transform how leaders communicate, coach, and motivate.

Mini-summary: Leaders can’t change through slogans—only structured training builds new leadership habits.

Japan’s “mistake-free zone” culture discourages risk-taking and creativity. Yet innovation depends on learning through errors.
Leaders must reframe mistakes as growth opportunities, not career setbacks. Evaluation systems that only spotlight flaws destroy initiative.

Effective leaders help their teams set intentional goals, measure progress, and celebrate milestones. Perfection isn’t the goal—progress is.

Mini-summary: Innovation flourishes when leaders embrace mistakes as part of success.

Telling someone they’re “wrong” kills motivation. Instead, leaders should use “good/better” feedback:

• Highlight what was done well and why it matters.

• Suggest how to make it even better next time.

Praise in Japan often lacks specificity. A vague “good job” isn’t enough. Instead, praise must be detailed, contextual, and tied to the organization’s larger purpose.

Mini-summary: Specific, encouraging feedback transforms performance far more than criticism ever could.

Hard skills education in Japan is world-class. But the next wave of productivity and innovation will come from mastering soft skills—communication, empathy, feedback, and engagement.
When leaders learn to connect authentically, employees respond with energy, ideas, and commitment.

Mini-summary: Japan’s leadership future lies in human connection, not control.

• Japan’s low engagement crisis stems from a lack of leadership soft skills.

• Feeling valued drives performance, innovation, and loyalty.

• Traditional bishibishi leadership must evolve through re-education and coaching.

• Encouraging mistakes and giving specific, positive feedback fuel creativity.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has helped 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 multinational clients through leadership training, sales training, presentation training, and executive coaching programs designed to unlock human potential.