『The Leadership Japan Series』のカバーアート

The Leadership Japan Series

The Leadership Japan Series

著者： Dale Carnegie Japan
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Leading in Japan is distinct and different from other countries. The language, culture and size of the economy make sure of that. We can learn by trial and error or we can draw on real world practical experience and save ourselves a lot of friction, wear and tear. This podcasts offers hundreds of episodes packed with value, insights and perspectives on leading here. The only other podcast on Japan which can match the depth and breadth of this Leadership Japan Series podcast is the Japan's Top Business interviews podcast.© 2022 Dale Carnegie Training. All Rights Reserved. マネジメント マネジメント・リーダーシップ 経済学
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  • The Difference Between Western And Japanese Meetings

    The Difference Between Western And Japanese Meetings
    2026/07/08
    Western and Japanese meetings often look similar on the calendar, but they operate on very different assumptions. Both may involve reporting, planning, problem-solving and innovation, yet the real work happens in different places. In many Western companies, the meeting room is where people debate, confront, push, defend and decide. In Japan, the meeting is often only one stage in a broader process. Much of the real alignment happens before the meeting through nemawashi, the groundwork that smooths disagreement and builds consensus. Leaders who miss this difference can become frustrated, confused and ineffective when running meetings in Japan. Why do Western and Japanese meetings feel different? Western meetings often treat the room as the decision arena, while Japanese meetings often treat the room as a confirmation stage. The difference is not cosmetic; it changes how leaders should prepare, participate and follow up. In the West, especially in US, Australian and European business cultures, people may expect direct debate during the meeting. They "duke it out," test ideas, challenge assumptions and make decisions in the room. In Japan, open conflict inside the meeting can feel disruptive or embarrassing. The Japanese approach often relies on conversations before the meeting to understand concerns, reduce friction and avoid public confrontation. Do now: Do not assume silence in a Japanese meeting means agreement. Check views privately before and after the meeting. What communication problems appear in Western-style meetings? Western-style meetings often expose communication extremes: passive wishing, aggressive demands, direct debate, hidden stress and power plays. Leaders need a toolbox to manage these behaviours. Some people express desires as vague wishes, while others make blunt demands. Some bulldoze through barriers, while others read the air, or kuki wo yomu, to avoid offending anyone. Stress can show up as aggression, silence or controlled professionalism. In cross-cultural teams, direct communicators may dominate while quieter or more indirect contributors self-censor. This can rob the meeting of valuable perspectives and distort the quality of the decision. Do now: Watch for both over-speaking and under-speaking. The loudest voice is not always the best insight. How do power and accountability affect meetings? Meetings become dysfunctional when people use them to elevate themselves, deflate others or dodge accountability.The leader's job is to stop meetings becoming internal combat arenas. Strong individuals may jockey for position by depressing the status of others. A salesperson belittling an administration colleague as a "cost centre" versus a "profit centre" is a classic example of destructive status play. Accountability can also become uneven. Dominant people may hold everyone else to strict standards while granting themselves a free pass because they are "major producers." In Japanese organisations, these tensions may be less visible in the room, but they still exist under the surface. Do now: Make accountability universal. No one gets a special exemption because of title, ego or results. Why is confrontation handled differently in Japan? Confrontation is handled differently in Japan because preserving harmony, face and decorum often matters more than winning a public argument. Directness is acceptable only when it remains polite, considerate and relationship-aware. In many Western environments, confrontation can be seen as honest, passionate or necessary. In Japan, blunt confrontation may shut people down, damage trust or push disagreement underground. Some people will hide valid concerns rather than risk tension. Others may communicate indirectly, expecting the leader to read between the lines. This does not mean Japanese meetings lack conflict. It means conflict is often managed through timing, setting and private discussion. Do now: Move sensitive disagreement out of the public meeting and into respectful one-on-one conversations. What is nemawashi and why does it matter? Nemawashi is the Japanese practice of doing groundwork before a decision so disagreement can be handled privately and consensus can form before the meeting. It files down the rough edges before everyone gathers. The word originally comes from preparing tree roots before transplanting, and in business it means consulting stakeholders, testing reactions, lobbying for support and solving objections early. Loud people, quiet people, supporters and sceptics should all be contacted before the formal meeting. By the time the meeting occurs, the decision may already be broadly agreed. To Western leaders, this can look slow or overly political. In Japan, it often creates smoother implementation. Do now: Before the meeting, identify stakeholders, consult them privately and resolve objections early. How should Western leaders run meetings in Japan? Western leaders should adapt by combining their meeting discipline ...
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    14 分
  • How To Succeed As A New Leader

    How To Succeed As A New Leader
    2026/07/01
    Becoming a new leader is one of the most dangerous promotions in business. The person who was promoted for hard work, strong KPIs, early starts, late finishes and personal accountability suddenly becomes responsible for other people's performance. That sounds like career progress, but it can become a trap. Many new managers in Japan, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the US receive little or no formal leadership training. They are expected to work it out alone. The problem is that the skills that earned the promotion are not the same skills needed to succeed as a leader. The new game is leverage, coaching, persuasion and building capability through the team. Why do new leaders struggle after promotion? New leaders struggle because they keep doing the work that got them promoted instead of learning how to lead others. They remain top performers, but they fail to multiply performance through the team. This is common in sales, finance, operations, technology and professional services. A strong individual contributor becomes a team leader and still tries to personally save the numbers. That works for a while, until the organisation raises the target and individual output hits its limit. A leader with ten people has access to eighty hours of team effort in a single day, while one heroic manager has only sixteen hours at most. The leverage is obvious, but many new leaders miss it. Do now: Stop measuring your value only by your personal output. Measure how much better the team performs because of your leadership. How can new leaders stop doing and start leading? New leaders must deliberately shift time from personal production to team development, coaching and performance management. The goal is not to be the busiest player; it is to become the conductor of the orchestra. The orchestra conductor does not play the violin, trumpet or drums. The conductor studies the musicians, aligns timing, manages egos, draws out potential and lifts the whole performance. New managers must do the same. Yes, some may still carry clients or operational responsibilities, especially in SMEs and lean organisations. But over time, they should move those tasks to capable team members and invest more time in developing people. Do now: Audit your week. Reduce low-leverage personal tasks and increase time spent coaching, delegating and improving team capability. How should new leaders balance people and process? New leaders need enough process to protect the organisation and enough freedom to allow creativity, ownership and experimentation. Too many rules kill initiative; too few controls create risk. Compliance matters. Rules protect companies from legal, financial and reputational disaster. We have all seen finance-world examples where weak controls and adrenaline-fuelled risk-taking damaged or destroyed firms. But if every action requires permission, the team stops thinking. In Japanese companies, where stability and process discipline are often strong, leaders must create safe space for ideas while respecting governance. In startups, the danger may be the opposite: too much freedom and not enough control. Do now: Clarify non-negotiable rules, then invite the team to find better paths within those boundaries. Why should leaders encourage ideas from the team? Leaders should encourage team ideas because creativity, ownership and engagement grow when people help shape the solution. If every answer comes from the boss, the team becomes passive. New leaders often let ego get in the way. They think, "I am the boss, so the best ideas should come from me." Or worse, they fear that a talented team member might replace them. That is small thinking. Organisations everywhere are crying out for leaders who create more leaders. A manager known as a "leader creating machine" becomes more valuable, not less. If nobody can replace you, you may be trapped in the same role forever. Do now: Ask the team for options before giving your answer. Build people who can eventually replace you. Why is coaching essential for first-time managers? Coaching is essential because the leader's job is to help people become better than they already are. If everyone keeps working the same way, the team will keep getting the same results. Many new leaders were self-sufficient high achievers. They did not need much help, so they underestimate how much coaching others require. But people do not automatically change because the boss wants better numbers. They may want the company, market, customers or boss to change while they stay exactly as they are. That is where coaching, listening and persuasion become core leadership skills. Dale Carnegie-style leadership is not command and control; it is influence, trust and development. Do now: Schedule regular coaching conversations and focus on behaviour change, not just task updates. What should new leaders study to keep succeeding? New leaders should study leadership deliberately because management skill does not arrive through ...
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    13 分
  • Business Meetings Are Mostly Ridiculous

    Business Meetings Are Mostly Ridiculous
    2026/06/24
    Business meetings have become one of the great productivity sinkholes of modern organisations. Mention the word "meeting" and people's eyes often roll because they expect too many attendees, too much waffle and too little value. Not all meetings are the same. Some are simple information-sharing sessions that could have been an email, a short video or an audio message. Others are strategic, high-stakes discussions that shape the company's future for the next decade. The problem is that many organisations treat all meetings as if they deserve the same one-hour block, the same crowd and the same vague agenda. That is ridiculous, expensive and fixable. Why are so many business meetings ineffective? Business meetings are ineffective because companies often fail to match the meeting format to the actual purpose.A simple update does not need the same time, people or structure as a major strategic decision. In Japan, the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific, meetings often become default behaviour rather than deliberate business tools. Parkinson's Law tells us that work expands to fill the time available, and the same disease infects meetings. Give people one hour and the discussion mysteriously grows to one hour. Leaders need to ask whether the meeting exists to inform, decide, solve, align or create. If the purpose is unclear, the meeting becomes a hotchpotch and everyone pays the price. Do now: Before scheduling, ask: "Is this really a meeting, or could it be an email, video or audio update?" How should leaders clarify the purpose of a meeting? Leaders should define the meeting purpose before inviting anyone, booking a room or setting a time. Without a clear purpose, the agenda becomes a dumping ground for unrelated topics. A good meeting has a primary job. It might be to share information, make a decision, solve a client issue, review performance, manage risk or align a project team. In Japanese companies, where broad attendance can feel polite or politically safe, the purpose becomes even more important. If the meeting is only informational, send a written update. If a decision is needed, invite only the people who can contribute to that decision. Do now: Write the meeting purpose in one sentence and rank agenda items by priority before sending the invitation. Who really needs to attend a business meeting? Only people who are genuinely required for the purpose of the meeting should attend. Everyone else can receive the minutes, a summary or the action list. Japan often loves to invite everyone, but every extra person adds cost. A ten-person meeting lasting one hour consumes ten working hours before any follow-up work even begins. In global companies using Outlook, Google Calendar, Teams or Zoom, it is far too easy to add names casually. That creates calendar congestion and hidden waste. Smaller meetings are usually sharper, faster and more accountable. Do now: Separate required decision-makers and contributors from people who only need to be informed afterward. How long should a business meeting be? Business meetings should be as short as the purpose allows, not automatically one hour. Many meetings can be cut to 40 minutes, 25 minutes or replaced entirely. The one-hour default is a dangerous habit. Shaving 20 minutes off multiple daily meetings creates enormous time savings across a department, branch or region. Standing meetings can also shorten discussion because physical discomfort discourages rambling. In startups, speed may be normal. In large Japanese corporations and multinationals, the bigger opportunity is disciplined meeting design: fewer attendees, tighter timing and stronger facilitation. Do now: Default to shorter meetings. Try 40 minutes instead of one hour and protect the recovered time. What should meeting organisers prepare before the meeting? Meeting organisers should prepare the agenda, room, technology, materials and likely objections before people arrive. A meeting starts failing before it begins if the basics are not ready. Send the agenda early so participants can think before entering the room. Reserve the space, confirm the room layout, test screens, microphones, online links and any hybrid meeting technology. In large companies, meeting rooms are often scarce, so finishing slightly early is both professional and gracious. Anticipate questions and resistance as if preparing for a presentation. Do not wait for the Q&A to discover the obvious objections. Do now: Arrive early, check the setup and demolish predictable resistance with evidence before it derails the meeting. How should leaders run meetings during the session? Leaders should start and end on time, control participation, enforce respectful rules and capture decisions clearly.Meeting discipline is not harsh; it protects everyone's time. Do not wait for habitual latecomers strolling in with coffee. Start on time. Nominate someone to take minutes before the meeting begins, because nobody wants to volunteer once the room ...
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    16 分
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