Thought Leadership

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...

Episode #124: Go Ahead, Motivate Me

When a team member says, “Motivate me,” it reveals a deeper problem in your culture.If people are waiting for ...

Why Japanese Employees Don’t Take Vacations — And How Leaders Can Fix It to Boost Innovation and Team Performance

In Japan’s corporate world, overwork is often mistaken for dedication. Yet, the truth is clear: exhausted empl...

Episode #125: HQ Invariably Gets It Wrong About Japan

When global headquarters or regional hubs look at Japan on a dashboard, they often assume it should behave jus...

12 Commitments to Drive Team Performance — How to Build Accountability and Focus in Sales Teams

Often, the problem isn’t effort — it’s the lack of clarity and commitment. Drawing inspiration from world cham...

Episode #126: Have The 3Es In Place Or Get Off The Stage

In modern business, executives and managers are flooded with meetings, decks, and speeches. The last thing any...

Episode #127: Mr. Kurokawa’s Real Japanese Customer Service

Why do “simple notices” matter so much for brand loyalty in Japan? When a store closes for reconstruction in T...

Episode #128: Idea Generation Best Practice

How can leaders tap into the full idea potential of their teams? Many leaders in Japanese companies and multin...

Episode #129: Five Success Steps for 2016

For many executives in both domestic Japanese and multinational companies based in Tokyo, the calendar year an...

Episode #130: Hustle Baby Hustle

Smart, articulate salespeople with strong analytical skills seem like they should be the top performers in any...

Episode #131: The Devil Is In The Details

Executives in both Japanese companies and foreign-owned firms in Tokyo are drowning in detail: endless ...

Episode #132: Do The Right Thing In Japan, Always

Why is reputation such a critical business asset in Japan? For executives leading Japanese companies and forei...

Episode #133: Making It Happen

In business, beginnings matter. A new calendar year, a new financial year, or the launch of a strategic projec...

Episode #134: Today We Need Persuasive Leadership

The traditional top-down, military-style leadership (“my way or the highway”) assumes obedience is more import...

Episode #135: Getting More Done Faster

Novak Djokovic, a ten-time tennis Grand Slam champion, says the first requirement for top performance is to “b...

Episode #136: Pummel Procrastination

Why do I avoid important projects even when they’re on my to-do list? You know a project is important. It’s on...

Episode #137: Negotiation Fails

Former U.S. President John F. Kennedy famously said, “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us ne...

Episode #138: Characteristics of Successful Negotiators

Negotiators should focus on what they can actually control because that is where their real power lies. In any...

Episode #139: The Negotiation Process

How can leaders in Japan make negotiation success a repeatable outcome? Winning in business is not a “sometime...

Episode #141: The Devil Is In The Details

Why Do So Many Leaders Feel Overwhelmed by Details? The saying “The devil is in the details” reminds us that s...