Thought Leadership

Episode #109: Become A Rockstar Coach

Why do so many leadership coaching efforts fail in companies? In many organizations, people become leaders bec...

Episode #111: Play Nice At Work

Why is incivility at work increasing — and why should leaders care? In many organizations over the last two de...

Episode #113: Negotiating With Mr. and Ms. Huge Pain

Why is negotiating with difficult people so exhausting? Every team has them: the colleague, client, or stakeho...

Episode #114: Market Yourself In Under One Minute

How has “sales” changed for professionals in Japan? In today’s Japan business environment, every professional ...

Leading in Crisis: Balancing Hope and Despair When Results Fall Short

When everything is going smoothly, leadership feels effortless.The team is motivated, the numbers are strong, ...

Unconscious Bias and Hybrid Leadership in Japan — Building Trust Beyond Office Walls

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are top-of-mind globally, but in Japan, discussions often revolve narro...

Two Faces or Cultural Grace? Understanding Japan’s Harmony-Driven Communication and What It Means for Leaders

“Japanese are two-faced.”It’s a phrase you hear often from frustrated foreigners working in Japan.But what if ...

Building Confidence as a New Leader — Four Essential Strategies to Overcome Self-Doubt and Lead Effectively

You’ve worked hard, excelled at your craft, and earned that long-awaited promotion.But now, the game has chang...

Episode #115: Chaos, Mistakes and Idea Popping

Doing more, better, and faster with fewer resources forces every organization to confront the same question: h...

Episode #116: That Vital Two Second Window

Why do the first two seconds of a presentation matter so much? Most executives underestimate how quickly a bus...

The New Leadership Challenge in Japan — Why Middle Managers Are Struggling to Communicate Post-COVID

Corporate Japan is facing a silent crisis: middle managers can’t communicate effectively with their teams.At D...

Shu-Ha-Ri and Leadership in Japan — How Leaders Evolve from Discipline to Mastery

The Japanese philosophy of Shu-Ha-Ri (守破離)—the path from mastery of tradition to creative transcendence—offers...

Why Japanese Leaders Must Relearn Coaching — The Lost Art of Developing People in Modern Workplaces

In Japan, the traditional “OJT (On-the-Job Training)” system was once the gold standard for developing employe...

Episode #117: End Your Presentation Like A Pro

When an important presentation fizzles out at the end, decision-makers forget your message and remember only t...

Episode #118: PM Abe Deletes Soft Skills Development

Are policy changes in Japan putting humanities and liberal arts at risk? Recent government statements in Japan...

Episode #119: Unpacking Donald Trump’s Persuasion Power

Why should business leaders in Japan study a controversial figure like Donald Trump as a presenter? Donald Tru...

The Evolution of a Leader — How Self-Discovery Transforms Managers into True Leaders

Every leader starts as a follower. We watch our bosses like hawks—reading moods, timing requests, and silently...

Episode #120: The Death Valley of Sales

Why can’t sales be run like a manufacturing production line? Many executives wish sales could function like a ...

Episode #121: What Successful Women Presenters Do Well

Why do women leaders in Japan need a distinct presentation strategy? In many business events in Tokyo, audienc...

Episode #122: Buyers Behaving Badly

In many sales conversations in Japan, we hear the phrase “the customer is like a god.” In reality, some buyers...