Conservatism isn’t the Problem
I define conservatism as clinging to traditional practices with opposition to change and innovation out of principle. You fight conservatism in an organization through initiating
I define conservatism as clinging to traditional practices with opposition to change and innovation out of principle. You fight conservatism in an organization through initiating
It is not uncommon for a CEO not to know exactly how his or her sales and business development people routinely behave in front of
Some people are natural leaders, and I have met a few. For most of us, leadership is something we learn. Making the transition from an
You should always own and never outsource relationships in your business in Japan or anywhere else, and there is no reason you should have to,
There is not knowing how to do something and not being comfortable with doing it—and the two are not the same.
Rapid growth of business frequently means improved selling behavior of your salesforce. Some leaders I encounter are aware there are issues in their salesforce, but
Good employees are responsive to customers. Great employees innovate ways to build relationships. In a world where outstanding customer service is frequently the norm, it
Empowering people can be motivating and serve as a boon to your business’s results, but only if you do it right. However, nothing engenders cynicism
There is no percentage in fear of the hypothetical, no matter how reasonable a hypothesis might sound. Anyone can prognosticate doom about anything someone doesn’t
The first question I ask when coaching business people is if they are having fun. How they answer is revealing. My son recently invited a
If you are a business leader pursuing diversity, you are chasing the wrong goal. It is not diversity that matters, but rather excellence that counts.
If you have ever heard someone use the adjectives traditional Japanese to describe an uninspiring manager, the moniker is only half-true. Only by replacing the word
“Not invented here” syndrome is not unique to Japan and is one of the most common forms of passive resistance to any reasonable organizational improvement
You cannot divine attitude of anyone from behavior alone, whether you are familiar with his or her culture of not. Yet whenever a non-Japanese CEO
Are you are new to your role as CEO in Japan, or have you been a CEO for a while? Below are ten pieces of
If you want to achieve dramatic change in mindset and behavior, the fastest way is through provocation. By provocation, I mean deliberately evoking a visceral
While I sometimes hear CEOs complain about their lack of authority in a matrix organization, the most successful CEOs I know never do. They have
The success of any business rarely depends on any key manager or executive. It is only the mistaken belief in the indispensability of an executive
The most successful expat CEOs in Japan I know never adapt their leadership style to their company’s culture. They adapt their company’s culture to their
All strategic plans are perfect on paper in a theoretical static world. However, no strategic plan ever survives confrontation with the ever-changing realities of business
The scarcest resource in a business today is not talent, money, or technical ability, but rather independent thought and the courage to act on it.