『The FocusCore Podcast』のカバーアート

The FocusCore Podcast

The FocusCore Podcast

著者： Dr. David Sweet
無料で聴く

今ならプレミアムプランが3カ月 月額99円

2026年5月12日まで。4か月目以降は月額1,500円で自動更新します。

概要

 Meet interesting and inspiring and entertaining people who show why Japan is a unique, fulfilling and sometimes frustrating place to do business. We will discuss how to hire, train and retain talent. How to create values that motivate, and review best practices that have worked and attempts that have failed. David will be speaking to company presidents, CEOs, CFOs, HR professionals, coaches, consultants as well as sharing with you some of my own experiences and opinions discovered over the years in this great country. The focus is simple: To explore how to succeed in business in Japan.Copyright 2026 Dr. David Sweet マネジメント マネジメント・リーダーシップ 出世 就職活動 経済学
エピソード
  • Telling the Truth: Journalism, Creativity, and Stories Beyond Borders with Yuri Kageyama

    Telling the Truth: Journalism, Creativity, and Stories Beyond Borders with Yuri Kageyama
    2026/04/14

    In this FocusCore podcast episode, host David Sweet interviews Yuri Kageyama, an Associated Press reporter who grew up in both the US and Japan, attended international school and Huntsville High, and became bilingual through her father’s engineering career with NASA and IHI. Kage recounts being hired on the spot by The Japan Times, learning newspaper reporting and production, then choosing AP over other offers to write her own stories; AP sent her to Detroit during peak Japan-bashing, where she covered autos, crime, and policing and learned to focus on telling people’s stories despite prejudice.

    She discusses thinking and writing primarily in English, the cultural complexity of Japanese politeness, and AP’s fact-based standards amid today’s fragmented media environment.

    Yuri describes covering the Fukushima nuclear disaster and creating the multimedia performance/film “News from Fukushima,” including AP script review, then reads her poem “Fukushima” and reflects on the disaster’s ongoing impact, collaboration with artists, and balancing journalism with poetry.

    The 2026 FocusCore Salary Guide is here: 2026 Salary Guide

    In this episode you will hear:

    • Yuri's journey to becoming a bilingual reporter with the Associated Press
    • The cultural and language challenges she navigated between Japan and the US
    • Insights into the creative process behind "News from Fukushima" and its impact
    • Her experiences covering pivotal events like the Fukushima disaster
    • The blend of journalism and poetry in exploring complex narratives

    About Yuri:

    Yuri Kageyama is a reporter with the Associated Press.

    She grew up in the US and in Japan, and is a graduate of Cornell University, and she holds an MA in interdisciplinary field of sociology, anthropology, and social psychology from the University of California Berkeley.

    She is also an outstanding polymath as a celebrated poet fiction writer, essays journalist, filmmaker, and songwriter.

    Connect with Yuri:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurikageyama/

    Website: http://yurikageyama.com/

    Connect with David Sweet:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidsweet/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/focuscorejp

    Facebook: :https://www.facebook.com/focuscoreasia

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focuscorejp/

    Website: https://www.japan.focuscoregroup.com/

    This podcast was proudly produced by Lisa Yasuda.

    “Doin’ the Uptown Lowdown,” used by permission of Christopher Davis-Shannon. To find out more, check out www.thetinman.co. Support independent musicians and artists.
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    1 時間 10 分
  • Leading Talent Innovations in Japan with Matt Best

    Leading Talent Innovations in Japan with Matt Best
    2026/03/31
    In this FocusCore podcast episode, host David Sweet interviews Matt Best, a Japan-based global talent acquisition leader with 25+ years’ experience across executive search, in-house TA, and transformation. Matt argues that the TA function should be a core business discipline tied to revenue, not an administrative HR function, and describes recurring “master–servant” dynamics in both agencies and in-house teams that prevent consultative advising. He explains his hybrid offering of retained executive search and “Talent Acquisition as a Service” (TAaaS), a temporary internal headhunting model that combines delivery with advisory work, capability-building, and direct sourcing, distinct from traditional RPO’s process-heavy “extra hands.” They discuss Japan-specific hiring realities requiring trust, networking, and softer outreach rather than LinkedIn-driven approaches, guidance for SMEs scaling fast, and the TA traits he hires for, especially business inquisitiveness and solution selling. Matt predicts AI will rapidly automate transactional TA work, shifting value toward strategic, high-touch stakeholder advisory and TA operations governance.The 2026 FocusCore Salary Guide is here: 2026 Salary GuideIn this episode you will hear:The unique challenges and solutions in talent acquisition across global marketsTransitioning talent acquisition into a core business disciplineThe role of culture and relationship-building in Japan's recruitment landscapeHow Talent Acquisition as a Service (TAaaS) is shaping hiring strategiesNavigating the complex dynamics between agencies and internal teamsProfiling innovative recruitment frameworks used by top financial firmsAbout Matt:Matt Best is a global talent acquisition leader with over 25 years of experience across agency executive search, RPO, and transformation roles. He believes talent acquisition is not an admin function, but a core business discipline closer to go-to-market sales than HR, as hiring decisions directly shape revenue, opportunity, and growth. Originally from North England, Matt has been based in Japan on and off since the early 2000s, beginning his career in London before moving to Tokyo.He has built high-performing recruitment teams serving firms such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, and later moved in-house at Morgan Stanley, scaling technology hiring across Japan and Asia. He then joined RBS, recruiting across 11 countries from Australia to India, before helping design a trailblazing internal executive search function for Corning Inc. across APAC, which was later rolled out in the US.In 2014, Matt founded Best Practices to help organizations run talent acquisition as a revenue-enabling function. Now back in Japan, he advises on retained executive search and project-based talent acquisition as a service, supporting projects ranging from FinTech scale-ups to APAC market entry and post-acquisition C-suite builds.Matt is also a father of three, which he describes as his most complex operating model to date.Connect with Matt:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewbest/Best Practice: https://best-practice.co/Gig RPO: https://gigrpo.com/homeConnect with David Sweet:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidsweet/Twitter: https://twitter.com/focuscorejpFacebook: :https://www.facebook.com/focuscoreasiaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/focuscorejp/Website: https://www.japan.focuscoregroup.com/This podcast was proudly produced by Lisa Yasuda.“Doin’ the Uptown Lowdown,” used by permission of Christopher Davis-Shannon. To find out more, check out www.thetinman.co. Support independent musicians and artists.
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    58 分
  • From Corporate to Entrepreneur in Japan with Naomi Takase(Washimi)

    From Corporate to Entrepreneur in Japan with Naomi Takase(Washimi)
    2026/03/14

    In this episode of the FocusCore Podcast, host David Sweet speaks with Naomi Takase(Washimi) about her transition from global luxury talent acquisition roles at Richemont and LVMH to joining her husband’s Indian-inspired jewelry brand, TaroWashimi, in 2024. Naomi describes a year-long, anxiety-filled decision process driven by concerns about career trajectory, reputation, and losing the corporate “name,” then explains how startup life requires more generalist skills while still relying on identifying problems and executing solutions. She discusses working closely with her husband, the brand’s detailed craftsmanship, and the constraints of scaling handmade products, including long waitlists and growing the team from about 5 to 15. Naomi also shares her HR priorities, hiring for potential, flexible work, and supporting working mothers, along with challenges of international expansion, such as regulations, shipping, and rising gold costs.

    The 2026 FocusCore Salary Guide is here: 2026 Salary Guide

    In this episode you will hear:

    1. How Naomi made the leap from a luxury career to entrepreneurship
    2. Insights into building a flexible and inclusive workplace culture
    3. Her perspective on people and leadership in growing a business
    4. Overcoming self-doubt and redefining professional identity
    5. Challenges and triumphs in expanding a niche brand across Asia
    6. Embracing career changes with agility and vision


    About Naomi:

    Naomi moved to Japan from New Zealand after graduating from university a long time ago. She began her career in Japan, in HR in a small recruitment firm that grew rapidly to over 700 employees during her 12-year tenure, and she was responsible for a lot of that. Naomi then moved in-house to talent acquisition, spending the next nine years with luxury groups, including

    Richman and LVMH. In both organizations, her roles were newly created and she was responsible for establishing the function. And then in 2024, she took a big jump and joined her husband's jewelry company, TaroWashimi. And it's a transition from a startup to a scale-up. And she enjoys the entrepreneurial environment and contributes through strategic organizational development.

    Naomi is also a busy mother of three and recently took up running with her husband.


    Connect with Naomi:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-takase/

    TaroWashimi: https://www.tarowashimi.jp/

    Connect with David Sweet:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidsweet/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/focuscorejp

    Facebook: :https://www.facebook.com/focuscoreasia

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focuscorejp/

    Website: https://www.japan.focuscoregroup.com/

    This podcast was proudly produced by Lisa Yasuda.

    “Doin’ the Uptown Lowdown,” used by permission of Christopher Davis-Shannon. To find out more, check out www.thetinman.co. Support independent musicians and artists.
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    45 分
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