Podcasts about about the author dr

Previously Akiko was a Commentator for Fuji TV; Co-Founder of Women In Action; Partner, Strategy &; Division Head at Japan Post; Vice-President Calyon Securities; Associate McKinsey & Company; Vice-President and Associate, General Counsel J.P. Morgan. She graduated with a JD in Law from Tokyo University and has a Master Of Law from Columbia Law School “Culture is an accumulation of behaviors—what you say and do becomes the culture.” “If the ownership is there, it's really easy to engage with them.” “Listen more than you speak—especially in Japan, silence often hides valuable insight.” “You can't have a single leadership approach—it's person by person.” “Deliver, manage expectations, and be transparent—that's how you build trust.” Akiko's leadership approach is deeply rooted in clarity of direction, respect for individuality, and adaptive engagement. Her philosophy is shaped by diverse experiences in legal, consulting, and advisory roles, and it centres on fostering ownership within her teams. She emphasizes the importance of building a shared vision and selecting people whose strengths and motivations align with that direction. For her, engagement begins with recruiting the right individuals and then shaping an environment that supports their ownership of outcomes. Whether inheriting a team or building one from scratch, she focuses on identifying key issues, defining areas of impact, and matching people to those missions. She acknowledges that leadership today demands flexibility, as people differ in how they want to be led—some thrive with autonomy while others need close collaboration. Her leadership style is not one-size-fits-all; instead, it's adaptive and rooted in an appreciation of diversity—not only in personality but in professional backgrounds. Akiko credits the richness of ideas within her organization to this diversity, noting that innovation emerges from intentional dialogue across disciplines. However, she is clear that shared goals are the foundation for extracting those ideas meaningfully. Without common purpose, even diverse teams can become fragmented. Trust-building, in her view, requires consistent delivery, expectation management, and transparency. She strives to keep her promises, communicates constraints openly, and balances optimism with realism. She views culture as the accumulation of behaviour, underscoring the importance of consistent actions and clear communication in shaping a cohesive and connected team identity. Akiko also makes intentional efforts to keep her Japan-based office plugged into the global organization by fostering English-language meetings and inter-office collaboration. She believes that inclusion means not only being open to new ideas but actively drawing them out, especially in Japan where silence is often misread by Western leaders. Her advice for foreign leaders in Japan centres on listening more than speaking, respecting the local communication style, and recognizing that lack of feedback doesn't imply satisfaction. For aspiring female leaders, her message is one of encouragement—step forward, trust those who support you, and don't be deterred by fear. Her leadership is marked by resilience, clarity, and a deep commitment to enabling others to lead and succeed in their own right. Master the Art of Persuasion In today's business world, persuasion is essential. Yet most professionals lack this critical skill, watching their ideas go nowhere. What if you could command attention and have your recommendations consistently adopted? This game-changing ability isn't just for "natural communicators"—it's a skill you can master. There is a perfect solution for you- to LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/3VhvR2B) To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj ) To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK) If you enjoy our content, then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. About The Author Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com Bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery".  He has also written "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めましょう) and his brand new book is “Japan Leadership Mastery”.   Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki. He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Has 6 weekly podcasts: 1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series, 2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え 3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト 5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show 6.    Saturdays – Japan's Top Business Interviews Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube: 1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV 2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery 3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 40 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.    

  “If you want to impact people, first, you need to trust them—and then give them space.” “You forget about collective decision-making in Japan—you build consensus privately, one by one.” “The best execution comes from ideas people believe are their own.” “I listen first. Then I discuss. Then I decide. But always, I listen first.” “Leadership is not about being the hero—it's about helping the team become the heroes together.” Previously for Societe Generale, Bruno was Head of Risk on Capital Market Activities and ALM, Co-Head of Market Risk, Risk Assessor on Capital Market Activities; Head of Market Risk for Natixis, Head of Market Risk on Capital Market Activities ENGIE, Head of Market Risk On Credit Derivatives Credit Agricole CIB; Head of UK Market Risk for LCL. Bruno emphasizes that trust is the foundation of leadership—both giving it and earning it. He believes in creating space for team members to voice their ideas, as people are most committed when implementing their own suggestions. When he arrived in Japan, he made it a priority to listen first. Recognizing that he was new to the local context, he relied heavily on the insights of his team, who had decades of experience. His role, as he sees it, is to synthesize their ideas into a clear strategy, advocate for it at headquarters, and ensure it gets the green light. He highlights the cultural difference in decision-making between France and Japan. In France, decisions emerge through open challenge and brainstorming. In Japan, consensus must be built privately through one-on-one discussions before any meeting. He adopted this approach, understanding that Japanese professionals are less likely to speak up in group forums but are open and candid in private. These individual conversations are time-consuming but essential for building alignment and trust. Bruno also sees leadership as deeply tied to authenticity and leading by example. His background in risk management taught him that courage—especially the courage to stand up for what's right, even against pressure—is critical. His teams observe whether he is willing to defend their ideas and protect their interests. That credibility is what earns their loyalty. He's learned that new ideas are more likely to succeed when they come from the team, not top-down. Japanese staff often hesitate to share ideas if early feedback is lukewarm, so Bruno takes care to signal encouragement and patience, giving them time and space to think creatively. When they do, the results are powerful—his team's strategic proposal was not only approved by Paris but became the only strategic initiative for Japan in the region. Bruno's approach is to listen deeply, guide gently, champion ideas effectively, and push for change when it makes sense locally. He believes culture is not something to impose, but to live consistently. By modelling respect, patience, courage, and transparency, he creates an environment where trust grows and leadership becomes a shared endeavour. He calls this collective success—not about being the hero himself, but about helping the team become successful. Unlock Your Leadership Potential: Be the Leader Everyone Wants to Follow Are you tired of watching your team struggle while you figure out leadership through trial and error? Wish you could inspire genuine commitment and achieve remarkable results? You're not alone—and there's a better way. There is a perfect solution for you- To LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/43sQHxV) At Dale Carnegie Tokyo, we've helped thousands of professionals transform into confident, effective leaders who drive real results. Our proven methodology eliminates the guesswork and accelerates your leadership journey. To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj ) To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK) If you enjoy our content then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. About The Author Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com Bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery".  He has also written "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めましょう) and his brand new book is “Japan Leadership Mastery”. Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki. He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Has 6 weekly podcasts: 1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series, 2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え 3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト 5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show 6.    Saturdays – Japan's Top Business Interviews Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube: 1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV 2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery 3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 40 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.      

Previously, Orjan was Director of Sales, Japan at iPoint Systems gmbh, Area Sales Manager Thule Group, Director of Sales & Marketing Asia-Pacific, BA Bags/President Thule Japan, Directeur des ventes VB Autobatteries S.A.S., Regional Sales Manager East & SEA Optima Batteries, Johnson Controls, Import and Export Coordinator Aichi Sangyo. He has a Masters Degree in east Asian studies from Stockholm University Orjan Pettersson's leadership journey in Japan is shaped by his deep understanding of the local culture, his ability to build trust, and his belief in the importance of personal connection. Having lived in Japan for over 27 years, Pettersson has navigated diverse roles, from working in a small Japanese company to leading major international businesses. His leadership philosophy centers around empathy, responsibility, and fostering a collaborative work environment. Pettersson highlights the significance of cultural adaptation, emphasizing that foreign leaders must learn how Japanese businesses operate, particularly in terms of hierarchy, loyalty, and long-term stability. He believes that understanding the unwritten rules of Japanese corporate culture—such as respect, obligation, and group harmony—is essential to gaining trust and credibility. One of his key leadership approaches is maintaining open communication with employees, valuing their expertise, and empowering them with greater responsibility. A major factor in Pettersson's leadership success is his commitment to authenticity and relationship-building. He fosters a work environment where employees feel personally invested in their roles, rather than merely following orders. By insisting on working in Japanese and immersing himself in the local business culture, he has gained the respect of his teams and counterparts. Pettersson also stresses the need for adaptability and resilience. From the Lehman shock to the 2011 earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic, he has faced numerous challenges, but his ability to stay grounded, make decisive decisions, and support his employees through uncertain times has strengthened his leadership. His belief that leadership is about "innovation with empathy" reflects his approach to balancing strategic direction with human-centered management. Additionally, he recognizes the importance of fostering creativity within his teams. While Japanese employees may be hesitant to take risks, he encourages idea generation through open discussions and structured brainstorming sessions. His introduction of informal team-building activities, such as a weekly coffee break, has helped create a culture of trust and collaboration. For foreign leaders in Japan, Pettersson advises learning the language, engaging directly with employees and clients, and demonstrating an understanding of Japanese business values. He acknowledges that bridging the gap between headquarters' expectations and local realities is an ongoing challenge, requiring both cultural sensitivity and strategic negotiation. Ultimately, Pettersson's leadership style is defined by his ability to balance Western efficiency with Japanese business traditions, fostering an environment where both innovation and long-term stability can thrive.   How can you become a leader people actually want to follow? How can you be the leader whose team gets results? Do it yourself trial and error wastes time and resources.There is a perfect solution for you- To LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/43sQHxV ) To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj ) To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK) If you enjoy our content then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. About The Author Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com Bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery".  He has also written "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めましょう) and his brand new book is “Japan Leadership Mastery”. Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki. He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Has 6 weekly podcasts: 1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series, 2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え 3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト 5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show 6.    Saturdays – Japan's Top Business Interviews Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube: 1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV 2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery 3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 39 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.  

I meet a lot of CEOs in Japan.  I am always out there networking and looking for clients.  If they cannot become a client, then I try to encourage them to be a guest on my podcast Japan's Top Business Interviews.  I get two groups in particular who will refuse the offer – women and Scandinavians.  They say that women are more reticent about putting themselves forward than men and my own unscientific survey would seem to bear that out.  If a man only has 60% of the qualifications for a job, he will raise his hand whereas a woman will only do so, if she has 90%.  This is what I guess is happening with my invitation to come on the podcast and talk about one topic - leading in Japan.  The women are lacking in confidence to talk about the subject, because they are not feeling they are perfect enough. The Scandinavians I know here tell me that their culture is to not push yourself forward and to stay in the background.  Their podcast guest refusal rate stands out, so I guess this is what is happening with their thinking.  So far, 213 leaders have managed to spend an hour with me talking about leading in Japan for the weekly podcast, so I am finding enough of those in agreement.  It isn't as if I cannot get guests, because no one wants to join me on video and audio to talk about leadership. I think both groups reflect a misunderstanding of what their leader role is in Japan.  The leader here is the face of the business and particularly in this social media age, we need to be masters of this new universe.  I get it.  Taking your photo or even worse – video – is not something we all welcome.  We are very self-conscious about how lacking we are in terms of being photogenic or how awkward we look on video and when we hear our own voice, we shudder.  In life, I have found I am particularly unable to be photogenic, so I totally sympathise.  You know when you take that group shot and when you get it back you look for yourself – it is always a disappointment for me. In this modern world of work, however, we are all in a life and death struggle to attract a declining demographic of young people and mid-careers hires to join us.  We must be competitive, and that means we need to be getting some clear messages out into the world about who we are and what are our values. We need to be good communicators and also add our image to go with the words.  If we can speak the words on video and audio even better. I have been told by numerous guests on my podcast that they found that they were successful in attracting new staff who had checked them and seen the video interview.  I can believe that, because the nature of the interview is very authentic and no one so far has succeeded in pushing forth a fake version of themselves to fool the masses.  I don't say much during the interview and just let the guests talk. Occasionally, I will dig down on a point to go a bit deeper, but the bulk of the time is theirs.  People watching the interview get a very clear picture of the boss and then can decide if this is the type of place where they want to work. Clients also check us out and they are making decisions about us too in terms of do they want to have a relationship with our company.  They want to know who we are and what we stand for.  This is an important chance for the CEO to become active and provide the content the buyers are looking for.  They want to know who the boss is and what they are like. Hiding in the background is not a clever option.  It is much better to work on mastering the medium.  Looking straight down the barrel of the camera lens is not that easy and for many people, it is a formidable obstacle.  Video is difficult to come across naturally, I find.  Using teleprompters is not easy either and getting the right rhythm is a challenge for me. I always have trouble with photo shoots because I manage to look like a dork more often than not.  I was watching something on TikTok where a male model was demonstrating how to move and stand, to get the right shot and I realised I have no ability to do that. Fortunately, Tia Haygood, who is my local photographer here, manages to make me look presentable enough to squeak by. What I have found is that the more you do it, the better you become, and refusing to participate is a guarantee that you will never master the medium.  The CEO shouldn't be hiding. Instead, they should be pushing their message forward at every opportunity.  So find Tia if you are in Tokyo and work on your official portrait shots to use on social media and on your website.  Get a videographer like Rionne McAvoy, who I use from Japan Media Services, involved to help you with creating quality videos.  I have been using Tia and Rionne for years and I trust their work, which is why I am mentioning them if you are looking for help locally here in Japan. The point is the leader has to lead from the front and be the face of the business.  We need to break down any potential barriers to getting staff or clients.  Get the photos, the video, the audio, go on podcasts, do the interviews – do every possible thing you can to control the image you are projecting.  If you can't speak confidently or coherently, then come and do some training with us and we will fix that for you.  There are no excuses anymore because there are plenty of people around to help. Be honest – are you a great leader or are you a mediocre leader? How can you become a leader people actually want to follow? How can you be the leader whose team gets results? Do it yourself trial and error wastes time and resources.There is a perfect solution for you- To LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/43sQHxV ) To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj ) To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK) If you enjoy our content then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. About The Author Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com Bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery".  He has also written "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めましょう) and his brand new book is “Japan Leadership Mastery”. Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki. He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Has 6 weekly podcasts: 1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series, 2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え 3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト 5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show 6.    Saturdays – Japan's Top Business Interviews Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube: 1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV 2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery 3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 39 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.      

Elements Of Outstanding Customer Service In Japan (Part One) Customer service in Japan is pretty good by comparison with most other countries.  To me, it is polite yet impersonal.  The status gap between those serving and those being served is quite rigid.  In my own country of Australia, those serving are quite happy to have a conversation with the customer. They don't see themselves as inferior in status and treat customers as equals.  In Japan, there is no such equality.  The language and the culture both reinforce the buyer as God, and those serving are mere mortals there to do God's bidding. Let's look at some elements of excellent customer service over a three-part series. The sad aspect here is that what I am going to describe is totally obvious and will garner a “so what” reaction.  I urge you to go beyond that initial first blush and use this as a measuring rod to calibrate how your organisation deals with customer service problems and check if you are operating at the right level of service or not.    1.    Totally professional This is fairly obvious, but that professionalism comes from a combination of attitude, experience and training.  Even if you don't have much experience, if your attitude is that you want to provide the highest level of service, then good things will flow from that starting point and we gain experience over time.  If properly trained, then the whole process gets sped up. 2.    Knowledge Surprisingly, a lot of people in the service sector have very little knowledge of the inventory, systems, ethos and values.  When you ask a clarifying question, their face fills with panic and they have to go seek the answer from someone else.  This is a failure of leadership.  If they were properly invested in, then they would know the answer without having to run off and find the answer. 3.    Highly personalised service  Manualised or formulistic service is the norm in Japan.  Companies try to reduce all complexity down to one way of doing things and for the majority of clients, that will be fine.  To lift above the great unwashed competitors, we need to be able to provide a more personalised service. I was reminded of this recently when I brought a pocket square online from Massimo Pirrone in Antwerp. The item arrived in a nice box and additionally, he included a short note and a very nice pen as well.  It felt very personalised and I became an instant fan. 4.    Take Ownership Japan is very good when order and harmony prevail.  Chaos, the unexpected disasters – not so much. The nature of customer service is that there is always going to be a high frequency of the unexpected occurring.  The key is how we react to the changing situation.  When things go wrong, customers want the issue solved and solved instantly.  They expect the person they are interacting with to make it happen, regardless of the degree of difficulty.  Japan has a nasty edge to it when customers exploit their expectations too far and start bullying staff, because the customer is God. If the person serving the customer takes ownership of the problem, they will keep pursuing the solution until resolution.  That is the mentality the supervision and training need to reinforce. 5.    Anticipatory Omotenashi is the high point of Japanese service and a big element is the person serving the customer to anticipate what the customer needs before they voice that request.  On a hot day, being served some iced water as you enter the business is a nice touch, completed without you have to place an order. This is an attitude of service that drives behaviour.  With the right leadership, this can be taught. 6.    Proactive This is similar to anticipatory, in the sense that we are not adopting a passive stance. We try to arrange things well before the need arises by being well prepared.  We are always looking for faster and better ways of doing things.  We are making suggestions for the client, for their best interests, rather than expecting them to have complete knowledge of what we can do for them.  They will never know our business to the depths that we do and so we have to be thinking ahead and bringing up possibilities which wouldn't necessarily occur to them. We will keep going with our list of things to think about in terms of the service we currently supply and how we supply it in parts Two and Three. Do you need to sell more?  Is your sales manager stressing you about making your monthly sales quota? Do it yourself trial and error wastes time and resources. There is a perfect solution for you- to LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/43kQpsN ) To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj ) To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK) If you enjoy our content then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. About The Author Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training greg.story@dalecarnegie.com Bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery".  He has also written "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めましょう) and his brand new book is “Japan Leadership Mastery”. Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki. He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Has 6 weekly podcasts: 1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series, 2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え 3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト 5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show 6.    Saturdays – Japan's Top Business Interviews Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube: 1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV 2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery 3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 39 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.      

There is a debate about whether Japan is any different from anywhere else when it comes to leading the team.  Intellectually, I can appreciate there are many similarities because people are people, but I always feel there are important differences.  One of the biggest differences is how people are trained to become leaders in Japan.  I should really clarify that statement and say how they are not trained to become leaders. The main methodology for creating leaders in Japan is through On The Job Training (OJT). I can see there is a crisp logic to the idea of OJT back in the day, however it is now a flawed system in the modern world of Japan.  In the West, leadership training is a given, because the value is recognised and so the investment is made to better educate the leadership cohorts through each generation. The first problem with Japan OJT is it presumes your boss knows about leading.  There is very little formal leadership training going on in Japan.  I don't believe it just about investing the money.  There is no great tradition here for corporate leadership training.  Before we dive into this subject, I believe we should clarify what is a leader in Japan and what is a manager and what is different.  Japan, in my observation, is full of managers, and there are few leaders. A manager runs the machine on budget, on quality, and on time. The leader does all of that and two very important additional tasks.  The leader persuades the team that the direction they are advocating is the correct one and, secondly, they build up the capabilities of their staff through one-on-one coaching.  By the way, barking out orders like a mad pirate captain doesn't qualify as coaching. OJT probably made a lot of sense up until about fifty years ago, when it started to be disrupted by technology.  By the 1980s, desktop computing became common in Japan and gradually the boss lost his (and they were mainly men) typist and had to start doing his own typing on the computer.  The advent of email in the mid-1990s was the real death blow to the boss's time management.  Now the boss had become super busy and time availability for coaching staff became much diminished. What this means is that we have had been through multiple generations of staff mainly educated through OJT and who have been short-changed on the leadership modelling by their “manager” boss.  Each corporate generation passes on how to be a manager to the next generation and unless there is some intervention through formal leadership training, there is no real progress.  Of course, there will always be exceptions who prove the rule and some managers who make it out of that gravitational pull of OJT and become real leaders.  This is the lightning strike theory of leadership development and isn't a great proposition to ensure that the firm's leadership bench is stacked with professionals. The key plank in leadership is no longer task experience.  The old model was the boss had done all the tasks of their subordinates and knew their jobs inside out.  Today, there is much more speciality and technology is making sure it isn't experience alone which will carry the day for the boss.  Many companies in Japan are moving away from the old model of age and stage and instead promoting people based on ability.  Just rotating through various jobs in the machine won't be enough anymore. Leaders have to become expert communicators and masters of environment building, such that individuals can motivate themselves.  How many leaders receive any training to assist their communication and people skills?  Very, very few and everyone else had to work it all out through trial and error. That hit and miss approach is very expensive. The younger staff want different things to their parents and the modern boss in Japan has to adjust.  The bishibishi or super strict model of leadership is now cast out on to the rubbish tip of leadership history in Japan.  Bosses still using this model will see their younger staff departing in droves.  Already 30% are leaving after three to four years of employ and that number will only get worse as we run out of people to hire and the younger generation all become free agents. The younger generation wants a psychologically safe environment and a lot of personal encouragement by the boss. One of the greatest elements to gaining engagement from staff is that they feel the boss cares about them.  The way they know that is through the boss's communication skills.  If you believe that given people are getting paid, they should be engaged, then there is bound to be a lack of the needed communication of “I care about you” going on. If you don't have well-developed communication skills, then being the boss is only going to get harder and harder.  How much communication training do bosses get?  Very little and they certainly don't get much value through OJT, because their own bosses were crap communicators, as were their bosses, and back we go through the generations. Japan needs to raise its white-collar worker productivity and investing in boss leadership and communication training makes a lot of sense.  OJT is a dead duck and won't work as the vehicle to get the needed progress on the leadership front.  We need a change in thinking about leadership here in Japan to take us forward. Be honest – are you a great leader or are you a mediocre leader? How can you become a leader people actually want to follow? How can you be the leader whose team gets results? Do it yourself trial and error wastes time and resources.There is a perfect solution for you- To LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/43sQHxV ) To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj ) To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK) If you enjoy our content then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. About The Author Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com The bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery" and his new books "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めま Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki. He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Has 6 weekly podcasts: 1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series, 2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え 3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト 5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show 6.    Saturdays – Japan's Top Business Interviews Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube: 1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV 2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery 3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 39 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.    

Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and the Source of Happiness by Paul Zak ABOUT THE BOOK: No one raves about boring movies, bland customer service experiences, or sleep-inducing classes.  The world is rapidly transforming into an experience economy as people increasingly crave extraordinary experiences. Experience designers, marketers, entertainment producers, and retailers have long sought to fill this craving.  Now, there's a scientific formula to consistently create extraordinary experiences.  The data shows that those who use this formula increase the impact of experiences tenfold. Creating the extraordinary used to be extraordinarily hard. Immersion offers a framework for transforming nearly any situation from ordinary to extraordinary.  Based on twenty years of neuroscience research from his lab and innumerable client applications, Dr. Paul J. Zak explains why brains crave the extraordinary.  Clear instructions and examples show readers exactly how to create amazing experiences for customers, prospects, employees, audiences, and learners. You can guess if your experience will be extraordinary—or you can apply the insights from Immersion to ensure it is. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Paul J. Zak is a Professor of economics, psychology, and management at Claremont Graduate University and is one of the most cited scientists with over 200 published papers and more than 20,000 citations to his research.  Paul's two decades of research have taken him from the Pentagon to Fortune 50 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea.  Along the way, he helped start several interdisciplinary fields including neuroeconomics, neuromanagement, and neuromarketing.  His other books include Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High-Performance Companies and The Moral Molecule: How Trust Works. Paul is also a four-time tech entrepreneur; his current company, Immersion Neuroscience, is a software platform that allows anyone to measure what the brain loves in real time to improve outcomes in entertainment, education and training, advertising, and live events.  He frequently appears in the media in such places as Good Morning America, Dr. Phil, Fox & Friends, ABC Evening News, and his work has been reported in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Time, The Economist, Scientific American, Fast Company, Forbes and many other publications. And interesting facts – he met his wife on a flight from Cincinnati to LA, he served as a relationship expert on the Dr Phil show and ABC's hit TV show The Bachelor, and he created a Valentine's Day experiment for NBC's Today Show! Click here for this episode's website page with the links mentioned during the interview... https://www.salesartillery.com/marketing-book-podcast/immersion-paul-zak  

Prior to her Japan posting Simone was VP Marketing International Business Unit in Indianapolis, VP and General Manager Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Chief Marketing Officer Japan, Managing Director Austria, International Marketing Leader Cardiology Indianapolis, National Sales Director Germany, Austria and Switzerland, New Product Planning Manager Germany, Head of corporate Communications.  Prior to Eli Lilly with Fresenius Kabi she was Head of Area Management Japan, Head of Corporate Communications, Group Product Manager Anaesthesia, and an International trainee. Be honest – are you a great leader or are you a mediocre leader? How can you become a leader people actually want to follow? How can you be the leader whose team gets results? Do it yourself trial and error wastes time and resources.There is a perfect solution for you- To LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/43sQHxV ) To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj ) To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK) If you enjoy our content then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. About The Author Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com The bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery" and his new books "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めま Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki. He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Has 6 weekly podcasts: 1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series, 2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え 3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト 5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show 6.    Saturdays – Japan's Top Business Interviews Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube: 1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV 2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery 3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 39 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.  

About The Series: Learn to develop the art of self compassion with intimate yet powerful practices to become your own ally.  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: Learn to develop the art of self compassion with intimate yet powerful practices to become your own ally.  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: In this series, you will learn techniques to improve sleep quality with mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy practices  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: In this series, you will learn techniques to improve sleep quality with mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy practices  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: In this series, you will learn the most powerful meditations and practices proven by science for rewiring your brain and bringing about lasting change.  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognised expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: In this series, you will learn techniques to improve sleep quality with mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy practices  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: In this series, you will learn techniques to improve sleep quality with mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy practices  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: In this series, you will learn the most powerful meditations and practices proven by science for rewiring your brain and bringing about lasting change.  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognised expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: In this series, you will learn the most powerful meditations and practices proven by science for rewiring your brain and bringing about lasting change.  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognised expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: In this series, you will learn the most powerful meditations and practices proven by science for rewiring your brain and bringing about lasting change.  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognised expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: In this series, you will learn the most powerful meditations and practices proven by science for rewiring your brain and bringing about lasting change.  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognised expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: In this series, you will learn the most powerful meditations and practices proven by science for rewiring your brain and bringing about lasting change.  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognised expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: In this series, you will learn techniques to improve sleep quality with mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy practices  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: In this series, you will learn the most powerful meditations and practices proven by science for rewiring your brain and bringing about lasting change.  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognised expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series: In this series, you will learn the most powerful meditations and practices proven by science for rewiring your brain and bringing about lasting change.  About The Author: Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognised expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

Here is a handy success equation which is easy to remember: our mindset plus our skill set, will equal our results.  This is very straightforward and unremarkable, but we get so embroiled in our day to day world, we forget to helicopter above the melee and observe the lay of the land.  A great mindset coupled with lacklustre skills, won't get us very far.  A poor mindset with great skills won't do it either, so we need both. What is our mindset composed of?  How we think is critical.  Are we operating with a positive mindset?  If we are deep in depression about the circumstances of the business, we are stuck in a hole from which it can be hard to emerge.  We are what we think, so control over what we think becomes so important. That also means being strict about what we put into our minds.  Stay away for fluff, endless scrolling on social media and negativity.  Find the useful, positive and valuable and make that the diet for our mind. Our opinions influence how we see the world.  Where do these opinions come from?  They are usually the product of our access to quality, correct information.  There is a tricky balance here because a lot of the news we need to consume is laced with negativity and that can pollute our positive attitude.  So we need to curate the information we take in, to help us make informed decisions, based on correct data. Our beliefs are similarly formed from data, personal experience and what we hear from people we trust.  Our degree of success can be impacted by our self-belief. It can be a drag on our progress if we are limiting how we see our potential. We believe we are operating logically, except we often make decisions based on emotion rather than logic. Being in control of our emotion is a fundamental first step to getting ourselves into a position to be successful. Wild mood swings make us a difficult person to work with or get close to.  A short temper can have us explode in haste and repent at leisure, after we have created havoc all around us. We are all drowning is a sea of information today as the internet propels constant updates and new content at us.  When I was at University we went to the stacks in the library to find the few books available there and if someone else had that textbook you needed you dipped out. Microfiche was the big innovation to access information in a non-paper format. For the younger generation out there, microfiche was an ancient method of taking microphotographs of physical pages and putting it on to film you could scroll through, using a special microfiche reader. I noticed with my son's education, his problem is the constant assault of data and the difficulty of working out which information was valuable amongst the flotsam and jetsam battering his attention everyday. Getting insight becomes the game of success because we don't lack for content anymore. Once we have the mindset correct then we have to take action.  This is often easier said than done. We are so busy and translating insight into outcomes is not a given in this constant rabid struggle against the demands on our time. Behaviour determines outcomes and the formation of good habits is the key here. If we form the right habits then we take the right actions and we form the right default behaviour which adds to our success. The way we communicate flows from these habits and behaviours and we should be seeking inclusivity.  Business is too complex for relying on the hero worker who can do it all by themselves – that ship has sailed.  We need to be persuasive and able to garner collaboration in the workplace today.  There is so much technology available today and it spews out endless choices.  How do we get others to follow our ideas and adopt our suggestions? Our degree of cooperation from others is a compilation of our interactivity.  If we have good people skills then we can interact with other in a constructive and positive way which adds to our success. Often technical people struggle in this area because their education hasn't focused on the human interaction dimension.  Communication and people skills are new sets of complexities they need to master otherwise they will always be soldiers and never become generals. Our mindsets and skill sets combine to offer us opportunities to influence others and to direct the way forward. That is what it means to lead.  If we are busily working in our business, we may neglect to work on ourselves, so that we can work on the business.  It always good to step back and regroup around the fundamentals and refocus on where we need to put our energy and passion. Be honest – are you a great leader or are you a mediocre leader? How can you become a leader people actually want to follow? How can you be the leader whose team gets results? Do it yourself trial and error wastes time and resources.There is a perfect solution for you- To LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/43sQHxV ) To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj ) To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK) If you enjoy our content then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. About The Author Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com The bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery" and his new books "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めま Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki. He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Has 6 weekly podcasts: 1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series, 2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え 3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト 5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show 6.    Saturdays – Japan's Top Business Interviews Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube: 1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV 2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery 3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 39 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.  

I recently launched a new project called Fare Bella Figura – Make a Good Impression.  Every day I take a photograph of what I am wearing and then I go into detail about why I am wearing it and put it up on social media.  To my astonishment, these posts get very high impressions and a strong following.  It is ironic for me. I have written over 3000 articles on hard core subjects like sales, leadership and presentations, but these don't get the same level of engagement. Like this article, I craft it for my audience and work hard on the content and yet articles about my suit choices get a lot more traction.  What I take away from this is people are interested in how we present ourselves in business. The thesis of Fare Bella Figura is that first impressions are so important.  In sales, people judge us hard based on how we look, before we even have a chance to open our mouths.  If we don't get that initial visual interaction correct, then we can be playing catchup to correct an unhelpful first take on us.  “Clothes maketh the man” is an old idea and is related to this first impressions equation.  The other thesis of Fare Bella Figura is that I dress for the meetings I am going to have that day, rather than some random selection of what is back from the dry cleaners. We are going to make an impression with the buyer one way or another, so I want to be in control of that impression as much as is humanly possible.  I believe there is a direct link between how we present ourselves and the degree of credibility we can instil in the client.  If we make a mess of the fabric and colour combinations, we are screaming “unsophisticated”.  I do not recommend for men to ask their wives for advice.  Study this “dress for success” topic for yourself and become the master of your own universe. If we are turning up with ancient stains on our tie, or our suit, it is interpreted as sloppy and there is now a strong doubt about our quality consciousness. If our shoes are scuffed or not displaying a high shine finish, it says we are lazy, not detail oriented and unreliable.  The term “down at heel” means “poor” and it comes from the fact that the back of the heel of the shoe has worn down and has not been repaired.  Either we are too poor and obviously not a success in the sales profession to be able to repair it, or too indifferent and either way, it is a bad sign for the buyer. If we are wearing a brown or tan belt with black shoes or vice versa, it says “hick” and someone who lacks common sense.  The exact matching tie and pocket square colour combination is another faux pas these days.  Would we want to accept these types of salesperson as our “trusted advisor”?  I doubt it.  I certainly wouldn't take their advice on anything if they can't even dress themselves correctly. Suits too large or too small are another bad indicator.  They have either lost a lot of weight, but haven't bothered to get their suit taken in, or they are getting chubbier and haven't had the suit taken out, because they won't spend the money.  It isn't that expensive to alter an existing suit, and the difference is total. If the suit trousers are too long or too short, it looks off – go and get them altered or replace them. Style and fashion are difficult to navigate.  Suit jacket lapels get skinnier, ties get wider and then get narrower, trousers get slimmer and then get fuller, socks get discarded when wearing shoes – all sorts of temporary fashion trends take over the dictates of what is appropriate.  Suits can last more than one fashion trend and you have to debate with yourself whether that wide lapel is still going to present the right image with the client when everyone else is wearing a narrower lapel these days.  I struggle with this.  I have a favourite double breasted Versace suit from years ago and because the style is dated; I don't get to wear it much or at all and that seems a waste.  However, if I am dressing for my client, then the answer is simple – leave it in the wardrobe for a day in the future when that trend makes a comeback. My mantra when I leave the house every day is to check my look in the mirror and ask myself, “do I look like one of the most professional people in my industry?”.  If I don't, then I go and make a few changes, until I am satisfied I can pass that test.  Here is a caveat. For a lot of men in Europe, they will be wearing a jacket and trouser combination, rather than a suit and the American trend is to much more casual clothing.  In certain industries, like IT, you will hardly see anyone wearing a suit.  Now I sell in Tokyo and everyone here wears a suit.  I remember I was so surprised when met the President of a gas stand and he was wearing a suit, so men's suits are predominant here. Therefore, I dress for this business environment and you should do the same for your reality. There is a correlation between the quality of our clothing and our personal financial success.  Buyers judge us based on what they see.  If we look cheap and nasty, they won't want to trust us with their business because we don't look successful.  On the other hand, if we are overdressed, it can have a negative consequence.  It can make them feel inferior, so the balance is important.  If we roll up in our expensive Brioni or Kiton suits and Rolex watches, and they are just a salaryman tasked with purchasing goods and services for the company, they can feel inferior and experience some discomfort.  We look a bit too sharp to them and they don't want to get cut.  As I say, getting the balance right is the key. We will make an impression on the buyer based on what we wear, so we need to determine what that impression will be. We don't leave it to luck or chance. We make sure it is the right choice – the one that leads to the deal getting done. Do you need to sell more?  Is your sales manager stressing you about making your monthly sales quota? Do it yourself trial and error wastes time and resources. There is a perfect solution for you- to LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/43kQpsN ) To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj ) To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK) If you enjoy our content then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. About The Author Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training greg.story@dalecarnegie.com The bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery" and his new books "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めま Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki. He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Has 6 weekly podcasts: 1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series, 2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え 3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト 5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show 6.    Saturdays – Japan's Top Business Interviews Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube: 1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV 2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery 3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 39 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.    

Where is the line between referencing our experiences and insights and just talking about ourselves?  I attended a talk recently where the speaker had a perspective to share with the audience, to add value to their careers and businesses.  What surprised me was how much of the talk was cantered on the speaker rather than the audience.  I was thinking about this later and wondered what the better balance would be?  When we go on about ourselves, we are getting further away from points of relevance for the listeners.  We have to remember that people are unapologetically 100% focused on themselves and their own interests and don't care all that much about our story. As the speaker, the closer we can align what we are saying to the listener's interests, the greater the acceptance of what we are saying and the bigger the impact we will have as the presenter.  That is fine in theory, but we can't just make a series of pompous statements about how things should be and not back them up with evidence.  Often that evidence is coming from our own experiences and that can be the most convincing variety.  Unveiling a lot of sexy data during the talk is interesting, but a mud and blood rendition of what happened to us in the trenches, is always more gripping and compelling. This speaker, in my mind, strayed across the line and was wallowing in too much self-indulgence about what they had been doing. How do we balance our story with the audience's need for alignment with their benefit?  What the speaker could have done was better draw out how to transfer their learnings into concrete examples, where the listeners could apply them to their own circumstances.  Instead of just saying this is what I did, and this is how it worked for me, they could have gone a bit deeper on the application for others who are not them.  When the example is too idiosyncratic, the agency for others becomes diminished or diluted. We could say, “I did this and got this result.  Now here are three ways you could take this same idea and apply it to your situation”.  We have now crossed over to the audience's application of the knowledge. By giving more than one opportunity, we are more likely to hit on what the majority of audience members are looking for.   Importantly, by prior analysis of who is showing up the talk, we can anticipate common needs and circumstances. This allows us to get closer to the mark of listener reality when we explain our examples. A simple rule of thumb should be 20% of what happened to us and 80% of the time on explaining why this will work for our audience.  Our speaker, in this case, reversed those percentages and spent the majority of the time talking about what happened to them. The problem with this is we in the audience are not them and we have to parse out what we can apply from their story.  It is much better of the speaker saves us that drama and they tell us what we can apply.  We draw out the key points we want to make for the audience, align our war stories with the points and then add a significant section in the talk on explaining why doing this is a great idea and specifically why it is a great idea bolstered with concrete cases and options.  This is an unbeatable combination.  We demonstrate in words that because we did it, they can, too.  We draw out how it will work for the audience and convince them that it has a broader application than just working for us alone.  We have to marshal the benefits of taking our advice, and the more concretely we can do that, the better. Our speaker convinced us that it worked for them, but failed to make the case that it would work for us.  They hinted at it, but statements are cheap and we sceptical folk want more evidence.  We are all risk averse, so we want chapter and verse and solid provable details. When constructing the talk, keep that 20%-80% dichotomy in mind.  Certainly use ourselves as proof, but don't rely on it exclusively.  If we can talk about others doing marvellous things with our advice, that is the icing on the cake.  We love to hear case studies and then draw our own conclusions on how much we can take from the example and apply it in our world. That idea is something we need to be constantly hammering away at too.  Keep telling them to think how they can adapt it, and apply it for themselves.  In this way, we can keep switching the focus back to the audience away from us and we will get the balance right.   Would the people who know you or meet you describe you as persuasive? Do you think you are persuasive enough? Persuasion power is the most important, but the most commonly lacking skill in the business world. Do it yourself trial and error wastes time and resources. It is time to change things up and get that key skill.  There is a perfect solution for you- to LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/3VhvR2B ) To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj ) To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK) If you enjoy our content, then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. About The Author Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com Bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery" and his new books "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めま Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki. He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Has 6 weekly podcasts: 1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series, 2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え 3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト 5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show 6.    Saturdays – Japan's Top Business Interviews Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube: 1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV 2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery 3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 39 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.      

To succeed in our own business, we need three critical skills:  the ability to master our time, to clone ourselves and to be persuasive. Time: Poor time control leads to inefficiency, wasted efforts, stress and missed opportunities.  Entrepreneurs are geniuses at trying to do too much. This means they are run ragged with time demands and no good solutions. This has to be turned around and time gotten under firm control. Follow this mantra:  “I can't do everything on this list everyday but I can do the most important thing”.  Each day decide the number one priority for your business and complete that, then start number two, and so on. Delegation: Being so busy is a result of not having trusted people around us to whom we can delegate.  We must get leverage through our team.  But we don't.  We cannot find the time to develop them, so we are stuck like a rat on the treadmill.  Getting a better grip on your time will create space to spend on training your key people.  Don't fluff the delegation process, because you are clueless on how to do it.  Don't just dump stuff on people, expecting them to magically get it and somehow be able to come back with excellent work.  Stop dreaming, it won't happen.  Have a meeting with the delegatee, where you explain the task in terms of how this is designed to help them grow and succeed in the business.  Talk in terms of their interests not yours.  Inspire: Investors, potential new staff, valuable existing staff, clients, all need your persuasive ability to impress and keep them happy.  If you are an unclear, unimpressive speaker, it is hard to get people to believe in you and follow you.  You can be a tyrant, but let me know how that is working out for you?  Honey does better than vinegar, when it comes to communicating with people.  You will never work it out on your own.  Get the necessary speaking training and stop kidding yourself.  Master time, grow the leverage throughout your team and learn how to inspire people.  Get on to it. Be honest – are you a great leader or are you a mediocre leader? How can you become a leader people actually want to follow? How can you be the leader whose team gets results? Do it yourself trial and error wastes time and resources.There is a perfect solution for you- To LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/43sQHxV ) To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj ) To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK) If you enjoy our content then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. About The Author Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com The bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery" and his new books "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めま Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki. He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Has 6 weekly podcasts: 1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series, 2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え 3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト 5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show 6.    Saturdays – Japan's Top Business Interviews Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube: 1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV 2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery 3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 39 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.  

Public speaking spots are a great way to get attention for ourselves and what we sell.  This is mass prospecting on steroids.  The key notion here is we are selling ourselves rather than our solution in detail.  This is an important delineation.  We want to outline the issue and tell the audience what can be done, but we hold back on the “how” piece.  This is a bit tricky, because the attendees are looking for the how bit, so that they can apply it to fix their issues by themselves.  We don't want that because we don't get paid.  We are here to fix their problem, not for them to DIY (Do It Yourself) their way to a solution. All selling is public speaking and presentations skills.  However, very few salespeople are trained as speakers or presenters.  This is incongruous, isn't it?  We need to be able to present to the one person in front of us or to hundreds of prospects all gathered together at an event. First of all, we are selling our personal brand and then by extension the solution we are representing.  That is the correct order and just jumping to the solution won't work.  Buyers buy us first and then what we sell.  We all know we can't do good business with a bad guy or gal and our talk is a due diligence process to see if we can be trusted. The dumb way to sell from stage is to provide all of the content up front and then come in at the end with the shiny sales pitch.  There is a discernable break in the flow and the audience braces themselves for the pitch.  This isn't the way to do it.  We need to be interspersing our pitch throughout the talk, so there is no discernable shifting of gears by the speaker.  This way, there is nothing to brace against or push back on. The way to do this is to determine what are the key problems and fears confronting the audience.  We have the fix for these and can be a trusted partner for them.  Once we have determined what are the key problems, we construct our talk to address all the most high priority needs in the time allotted. The talk is broken up into specific chapters, rotating around the key issues.  We need to create hooks, which will grab the attention of the listeners. In each chapter, we outline the downside of not doing anything about fixing the problem we have raised.  We also talk about what needs to be done to fix it, but we don't reveal how to fix it.  To get the point to register with the buyers, we pose rhetorical questions about what will happen if they don't take action to deal with it.  We are painting a dismal picture for them of the future ramifications of leaving the mess as it is. The fact that we understand the problem in detail tells the audience we are an expert in this area.  If we have some visible proof of our expertise, all the better.  We might point them to our books, blogs, podcasts or our video shows.  Today, all of these things are much easier to pull off than ten years ago.  For example, Amazon prints my books one at a time if I request it and so no garage is full of unsold books, which used to be the reality for most authors. Today, creating blogs and pushing them out through social media gives us credibility at almost no cost.  The same with podcasts and videos.  There might be some small cost to recording the shows and hosting podcasts on a platform like I use with LibSyn, but really the cost is marginal.  YouTube hosts my videos and it is free.  Our mobile phones provide amazing quality for recording video and video editing software is not prohibitively expensive. Editing things yourself is possible in a way it wasn't before. This means we can project our expertise beyond the physical limits of the stage.  Let me give you a case study. Please go to LinkedIn and find my page.  You will see I am posting all the time on three subjects – leadership, sales and presentations.  If you scroll down through the feed, you will just see over three thousand posts.  My prospective buyers don't need to read them all, but they can see there is a substantial collection of my expertise there. They can read what I publish and check it for themselves, whether it is good enough or not. This substantially bolsters my personal brand.  It also allows the buyers to follow up after the talk, to check me out further before they buy what I am selling.  For risk averse buyers, this is very important. By incorporating the key hooks into the talk itself, using well-crafted questions to create fear that they may have trouble if they don't fix a problem we have flagged, we eliminate any resistance against what we are selling.  When there is an obvious transition from sharing information to now selling, there is a large barrier created between the speaker and the audience.  They are thinking, “I love to buy, but I hate being sold. Now I am getting the hard sell by this speaker”. Doing it the way I have outlined, we never have any barrier, because we have been working the crowd all the way through the talk.  If our questions hit the mark, they will want to know the “how” from us, after we have sold them the “why” and the “what”. We are aiming to create two concerns: 1. We haven't considered that possibility and 2.  We have not prepared for that possibility.  If we are successful in doing this, then we will get sales. We have caused them to self-discover their own needs without us forcing it down their throats. This is ideal in sales. Would the people who know you or meet you describe you as persuasive? Do you think you are persuasive enough? Persuasion power is the most important, but the most commonly lacking skill in the business world. Do it yourself trial and error wastes time and resources. It is time to change things up and get that key skill.  There is a perfect solution for you- to LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/3VhvR2B ) To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj ) To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK) If you enjoy our content, then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. About The Author Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com Bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery" and his new books "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めま Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki. He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Has 6 weekly podcasts: 1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series, 2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え 3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト 5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show 6.    Saturdays – Japan's Top Business Interviews Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube: 1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV 2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery 3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 39 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.    

Prior to starting the Swiss Prime Brands company in Japan, Luca was an Assistant Manager at Masuda Infinity Japan, a Junior Associate at Goldwyn Partners Group AG, a Consultant at Het Buitenhuis. Be honest – are you a great leader or are you a mediocre leader? How can you become a leader people actually want to follow? How can you be the leader whose team gets results? There is a perfect solution for you- To LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/43sQHxV ) To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj ) To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK) If you enjoy our content then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. About The Author Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com The bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery" and his new books "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めま Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki. He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Has 6 weekly podcasts: 1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series, 2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え 3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト 5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show 6.    Saturdays – Japan's Top Business Interviews Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube: 1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV 2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery 3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 39 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.    

About The Series:Understanding anxiety is the first step in managing it. This course will teach you to understand your anxious thoughts and feelings, help you regulate emotions and give you the tools to release anxious feelings whenever they creep in.About The Author:Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion.For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series:Understanding anxiety is the first step in managing it. This course will teach you to understand your anxious thoughts and feelings, help you regulate emotions and give you the tools to release anxious feelings whenever they creep in.About The Author:Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion.For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series:Understanding anxiety is the first step in managing it. This course will teach you to understand your anxious thoughts and feelings, help you regulate emotions and give you the tools to release anxious feelings whenever they creep in.About The Author:Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion.For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series:Understanding anxiety is the first step in managing it. This course will teach you to understand your anxious thoughts and feelings, help you regulate emotions and give you the tools to release anxious feelings whenever they creep in.About The Author:Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion.For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series:Understanding anxiety is the first step in managing it. This course will teach you to understand your anxious thoughts and feelings, help you regulate emotions and give you the tools to release anxious feelings whenever they creep in.About The Author:Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion.For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series:Understanding anxiety is the first step in managing it. This course will teach you to understand your anxious thoughts and feelings, help you regulate emotions and give you the tools to release anxious feelings whenever they creep in.About The Author:Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion.For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series:Learn to develop the art of self compassion with intimate yet powerful practices to become your own ally.About The Author:Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series:Learn to develop the art of self compassion with intimate yet powerful practices to become your own ally.About The Author:Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

About The Series:Learn to develop the art of self compassion with intimate yet powerful practices to become your own ally.About The Author:Dr. Shauna Shapiro, PhD. is a best-selling author, clinical psychologist and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. For the full experience download the Ultrahuman apphttps://ultrahuman.onelink.me/QqSM/rr0l4xan

Podcast Transcript This message from Dr. Garwood was given at Salem Reformed Church in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania during the Reformation Season Conference, October 21, 2023.  About The Author Dr. Jason Garwood Jason The post The Victorious Gospel & The Reformational Worldview appeared first on Cross & Crown Radio.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Dr. Arif Ahmad is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a Fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society and practices cardiology and electrophysiology in southern Wisconsin. He is a mid-Westerner with pride for where he came from – Pakistan, his faith – Muslim, and most of all, for the county he now calls home – America. Born in Lahore, Pakistan, he has lived in New York City, Milwaukee, and Iron Mountain, MI, and now resides in Madison, WI. He also has a farm 20 minutes from his home.  Dr. Arif Ahmad lived his first 30 years of life in Pakistan. After coming to America in the 1990s, he has been in the United States for almost 30 years. Through his experiences and optimistic outlook, he shares an encouraging vision for America in his debut book, A Piece of Me: An Arrangement of Words To Inspire Reflection. Written over a decade the 2010s, his book offers provocative thoughts on a wide variety of topical areas, including unity, diversity, news media, faith, and health. It became a best-seller on Amazon and earned the 2022 Bronze Medal Award in the Poetry/ Verse category for the Global Book Awards. Though it is his debut book, his writings have been published in the Associated Press and CNN.com. What we can learn from the Muslim-American experienceHow he uses award-winning poetry to get his points acrossExploring our nation through the eyes of a well-educated Pakistani immigrantHow can we shape society for the future right nowWhy we should feel optimism — but what we can do to bridge our cultural divide Which moments of the past decade are defining America.

Salespeople don't set the price of what they sell.  This is usually an obscure outcome decided by someone else inside the machine.  It might actually be an elaborate process, where multiple variables are carefully calibrated, mathematical formulae are applied and a price is arrived at.  Or, it might be a slightly moist index finger boldly thrust skyward to come up with a number.  The latter is often the case when arriving at pricing for services. Regardless, the salespersons task is to sell at that price.  This is where we get into trouble.   Salespeople are total wimps when it comes to price.  We have learnt that getting a sale is what counts and price is an obstacle in that process.  If we are on a fixed salary and bonus or base salary and commission, the two usual cases in Japan, we get paid when we make a sale.  Do we know the profit margin attached to each sale? Usually no and actually we don't often care either, as long as we get paid.  We are just happy to (A) not get rejected by the buyer and (B) get a win, however small. Our self-esteem is totally tied up with getting sales, modest in size or otherwise.   The instinct of the salesperson then is to make the price as malleable as possible.  Offering a discount seems to get the buyer in a good mood and more likely to give us a yes.  This reduced price immediately impacts our commission and if we keep doing this, will also impact our bonus and job security, as we don't bring in enough revenue relative to the target.   The key problem is that the salespeople often don't believe in their own product or service.  Because of this they can discount with gay abandon.  This is a short-term gain for long-term pain.  The ability to meet the price requirement is a critical piece of the salesperson's skill set.  Dropping the price may be easy, but we never build the skills to really succeed in this profession.  It usually is a path to our removal by the sales manager, who understands we are unable to sell.   Amateur salespeople, when they don't believe in the price, start right off the bat with a discounted price. They say stupid things like, “normally the price is x but I am going to offer it to you for y”.  Or, “if you buy two, I will drop the price by x”.  The client hasn't even requested a discount, begun haggling, attempted to massage the ask and yet lo and behold, a miracle has just popped up without warning.  This tactic may be misinterpreted by salespeople, who don't know what they are doing, as building trust and a good relationship with the client. That is a false dawn of hope on the part of our intrepid hero or heroine.   Thanks to volunteering an unprompted price cut, the client now understands that your firm are a bunch of liars who say one thing, but do another.  They also know you are a tricky bunch who are trying to snow buyers with your fiction pricing magic.  They don't see the gratuitous lower price as a bargain.   They see that as the starting point in a negotiation to drive the price even lower.  By having a listed price and immediately offering a lesser price, the buyer feels you cannot be trusted because you cannot even defend what you say is the value of your offering.     By dropping the price so quickly, the whole question of perceived value is brought into fundamental disrepute.  There is no fixed price for this sale and therefore no equivalent particular value attached to it either.  We are now in the Wild West of selling, where there the only rule is the right of force and the buyer has the Gatling Gun and we have a water pistol.   The salesperson's job is to pour on the value explanation and show why this pricing is fair and reasonable, fully justified and easily defensible.  If they do need to meet the client's restricted budget or need to allow the buyer to save face with their bosses, then any discounting should in the first instant be attached to volume purchases.  If they buy more then the price can be adjusted.  The amount reduced should be as smallish amount, as part of the first offer.  Remember, we are now off the paved highway and are hacking our way through the dense brush of a negotiated agreement, where there are no maps, no signposts and no 5th Cavalry about to come to the rescue over the sand dunes.   If the price point is to be assaulted, then the reductions should be small and fought heroically all the way.  Do not go for round number drops or large number drops, go down in dribs and drabs.  The client will feel much better knowing that they got a legitimate discount against the usual price, because they extracted that right out of the salesperson's hide, rather than the salesperson rolled over right from the get go.  When that happens, they doubt everything about you and your company because your pricing seems bogus.   Never drop your price.  Defend your price with value.  Resist reductions all the way down and extract some form of quid pro quo against volume purchases.  If you buckle, you will be destroying the brand, the brand positioning and the credibility of the firm.  You may lose some sales.  These are usually people who cannot afford you anyway.  If you believe in the value of what you are selling don't give in, defend, show value, fight, fight, fight.   Engaged employees are self-motivated. The self-motivated are inspired. Inspired staff grow your business but are you inspiring them? We teach leaders and organisations how to inspire their people. Want to know how we do that? Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com   If you enjoy these articles, then head over to www.japan.dalecarnegie.com and check out our "Free Stuff" offerings - whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. Take a look at our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules.     About The Author Dr. Greg Story: President, Dale Carnegie Training Japan In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making and become a 30 year veteran of Japan.   A committed lifelong learner, through his published articles in the American, British and European Chamber journals, his videos and podcasts “THE Leadership Japan Series”, THE Sales Japan Series and THE Presentations Japan Series, he is a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. Dr. Story is a popular keynote speaker, executive coach and trainer.   Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Barry Gough. Barry's book Possessing Meares Island: A Historian's Journey into the Past of Clayoquot Sound was a finalist for the 2022 Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize. In their conversation, Barry talks about the title of the book and how "possession" plays into the history of Meares Island and it's retelling. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Barry Gough, one of Canada's foremost historians, is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Fellow of King's College London and Life Member of the Association of Canadian Studies, and has been awarded a Doctor of Letters for distinguished contributions to Imperial and Commonwealth history. He is well recognized for the authenticity of his research and the engaging nature of his narratives, and is the author of many critically acclaimed books, including Fortune's a River: The Collision of Empires in Northwest America (Harbour, 2007), which won the John Lyman Book Award for best Canadian naval and maritime history and was shortlisted for the Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize. Gough has been writing for almost four decades. He lives in Victoria, BC, with his wife, Marilyn. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Programming and Communications for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in Chatelaine, This Magazine, The Puritan, Untethered, and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Dr. Victor Acquista Dr. Victor Acquista is an international author and speaker following careers as a primary-care physician and medical executive. He is known for "Writing to Raise Consciousness." He is the creator and narrator/host of a podcast series, Podfobler Productions. Dr. Acquista has a longstanding interest in consciousness studies, is a student of Integral Theory, and strives to do his part to make our planet a wee bit better. He lives with his wife in Florida and is a member of the Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers, and the Florida Writers Association.  ABOUT THE BOOK - REVELATION (Out Today!) An ancient conspiracy is about to be exposed… Since the dawn of civilization, a clandestine Brotherhood has been secretly organizing a hidden agenda. As the Illuminati orchestrate worldwide catastrophic events to establish a New World Order, only Serena Mendez and an ancient society with ties to Atlantis can save humanity from centuries of manipulation. Serena may have completed her training, but she is a warrior without a weapon. As Serena and her allies work to defeat the Illuminati, she must decipher seven mysterious messages that hold the key to survival in this thrilling race to unlock a secret that will change humankind—forever.  

Podcast Transcript This week's episode features Jason's interview with Dr. Elaina George on Liberty Talk FM regarding the topic of humanism and the Christian worldview. About The Author Dr. Jason Garwood Jason The post The Christian Perspective on Humanism appeared first on Cross & Crown Radio.

Podcast Transcript This week Jason reflects on the Abolish Abortion Virginia conference, the larger political and social landscape in Virginia, and the Virginia Center for Public Theology. About The Author Dr. Jason Garwood The post AAVA & VACPT appeared first on Cross & Crown Radio.

Podcast Transcript Join us for a special episode featuring our host, Jason Garwood, and his talk from the Abolish Abortion Virginia Conference 2022. About The Author Dr. Jason Garwood Jason has The post Smashmouth Immediatism & The Problem of Incrementalism appeared first on Cross & Crown Radio.

The Read with Carylee Show brings the love of literature to children and gives a peek behind the scenes by evoking the joy of reading, helping children interact with authors, and displaying the hidden talent of these authors who may be living in your community.  This episode will read Dragon's Breath with Dr. Dawn Menge. ✅ ABOUT THE STORY: Join King Teddy Bear as he seeks out the answer to his Kingdom's mysterious black smoke. It's his job to protect his villagers and help them to thrive. The once beautiful gardens and crops are now withering, and his precious villagers are saddened and fearful.    "Dragon's Breath" teaches kindness and the evil of hurting people when you're angry, upset or jealous. Awarded as the Best Book by Miracle Makers and given Honorable Mention in Hollywood Book Festival, author Dr. Dawn Menge shares how this beautifully told fairy tale is based on a real experience. "I had someone that became jealous and hurt me for several years, to the point that I had to sell my home. Out of it came Dragon's Breath, based on the challenges that happened and read all over the world. It's helping many children learn about kindness, and there's a lot of problem-solving going on." ✅ ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Dawn Menge has won forty-one International awards as the author of the Queen Vernita educational series. She holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, a Master's Degree and a Clear Credential in moderate/severe disabilities, and a Bachelor's Degree in human development. Dr. Menge has been teaching severely handicapped students for nineteen years. She has three children and five beautiful grandchildren and lives in Southern California. Grab Dragon's Breath by Dawn Menge at Amazon:

The Read with Carylee Show brings the love of literature to children and gives a peek behind the scenes by evoking the joy of reading, helping children interact with authors, and displaying the hidden talent of these authors who may be living in your community. In this episode, we are going to read "Sophia's Pandemic World" with Dr. Evona Lee Smith. ✅ ABOUT THE STORY: Every little kid can resonate with Sophia — how the surprise of a global health scare significantly changed the way we all live. Feeling overwhelmed with feelings of fear and sadness, Sophia decides she will never leave her room. Finally, mom comes to the rescue and teaches her the best ways to prevent the spread of this frightful virus and continue to enjoy her life as a school-aged child. This beautifully illustrated children's book is ideal for parents and educators to teach children recommended COVID-19 precautions in language kids can understand. Dr. Evona Lee Smith was inspired to write the book to help the little ones cope in a pandemic society. "I saw some sadness or even depression affect my kids. So this is what prompted me to write a book to teach children how to take precautions and the little things they can still do and still enjoy life as children." ✅ ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Evona Lee Smith is a wife and mother of five children living in New Orleans, Louisiana. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Dillard University and Master of Science degree in nursing and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Loyola University. In 2015, Evona suffered severe medical complications after a procedure in which her vocal cords were paralyzed, resulting in difficulty speaking, breathing, and swallowing. As a result, her life drastically changed, and she was left devastated while looking to God for direction. However, her tragedy led her to focus on her love for writing and began creating books that assist children and adults in coping with challenging circumstances. These events led Evona to develop Strength Builders Publishing LLC that encourages individuals to press through their pain and conquer. Connect with Dr. Evona Lee Smith Instagram: @dr_evonasmith Website: www.strengthbuilderspublishing.com

The customer is Kamisama (God) in sales in Japan.  We hear this a lot here across all industries and sectors. Sometimes however, the buyer can more like an Oni (Devil) when they deal with salespeople.  Bad behavior is bad behavior regardless of the source, but when you are trying to sell a company on your product or service, do you just have to suck it up?  Actually no! Unless you are in a very small market segment, where there are only a limited number of buyers, then as salespeople we have choices.  If the former is the case, then I suggest changing industries and getting out of that negative bad behavior environment.  Life is short and good salespeople have highly transferable skills.  If you know what you are doing, you can probably work in almost any business, as long as there is no requirement for highly technical knowledge. The Japan winner of the worst sales environment is the pharmaceutical industry selling to doctors.  Unlike the rest of the advanced world, where patients use the internet to educate themselves about medical conditions, before they see the doctor, Japan is still stuck in the pre-1990s. Japanese doctors consequently, still consider themselves vastly superior to everyone else, from patients on down.  At the absolute bottom of the pile are drug salespeople.  Being forced to wait around for hours, fawning over the doctor, being spoken to like dirt, cleaning their Mercedes, arranging all types of incentives to get them to buy your drugs, have been the fodder for legendary poor buyer behavior forever.  Conflicts of interest have emerged recently as a concern and there are many more restrictions now on entertaining doctors.  The flow of goodies is being restricted and so the salesperson doesn't have as much in the way of ame (sweets) to offer anymore. They still get plenty of muchi (whip) from the buyer though.  Japan has a powerful hierarchical system in place in society.  You have been busily networking, creating new opportunities.  The company President you have just met tells one of the staff to get together with you the salesperson.  You might be thinking, this is looking good.  Not necessarily. What often surprises me about HR people and other underlings in Japan is how they run their own show, regardless of what the President may want.  Recently, I had lunch with a multi-national company President here running the Japan operation.  The President is dynamic, articulate and a great presenter.  After the lunch, as promised, the President sent an email to the HR person instructing them to get together with me to discuss training for their company.  I follow up with the HR person many, many times, but never get an answer.  It has become obvious they do not care what the President said, they have their own views on how to run the training and we are not going to fit into that plan.  On another occasion, I had met the Japanese President at a networking event, followed up, got a meeting and in the process he introduced me to the HR people.  In the meeting, the President suggested they take a look at what we offer.  Many, many emails and attempted contacts later, no response from the HR team for  follow-up meeting. Going back and telling the President who introduced you that, in fact, they have no power within their own organization is a bit of a delicate conversation.  Even if you raise it, you have just said that the Emperor has no clothes.  They do not thank you for pointing out their underlings are in rebellion and they themselves are impotent.  I am still working on a solution for this contradiction. Another annoying activity is being asked to spend time to put together a proposal and quote on a product or service, but there is absolutely no intention to buy from you.  This is often driven by internal compliance regulations that require three quotes. They have already secretly selected the provider and your job is to provide the paperwork to make sure that happens and the compliance box is ticked.  We were contacted by a large company recently asking for a proposal on a particular piece of training.  Efforts to meet the client to discuss the needs etc., were rebuffed because they said they were so busy – just send the proposal, it will be fine (!).  This is a tricky one, because you don't know if you are the patsy here or if they are in fact so very busy that is why they need your help.  To test the system in these specific doubtful and dubious cases, I never follow up from my side after sending over the proposal.  I know, I know. This sounds like a very bad sales effort on my part and I should be fired, but it is a technique to reveal who we are dealing with here, time wasters or genuine buyers.  If they are really interested, then they will get back to me with either more questions or an order.  If stony silence is all we get, we know we have been royally used to assist a competitor's sales effort.  That is a double ouch right there, isn't it! It is not always black and white though.  In another case the President was a graduate of our programme and told his HR Director to get us to put together a proposal  on some training.  This is exciting and you think “we are looking good”.  The President knows the quality and the results from first hand experience and has the authority to make this happen. Or so it seems.  In this example, I actually get to meet the HR people and their internal client.  I followed up to present the proposal to them.  “No, we are very busy, just send it”.  Warning signal right there.  I pushed back, “actually I need to explain it for you”. Further stalling, “No, just send it”.  The pricing by the way, was very close to their indication.  Eventually you send it, but now you begin to suspect this is revenge on the President for daring to enter their world of authority.  What looked like an inside track to a positive decision, gets derailed as the internal buying entity flexes muscle to show their independence.  Applying my standard rule, I do not follow up further and just wait to see what happens.  There was no response from their side, so again few options available, other than to tough it out. These things happen in business, but the key point is do not take it personally.  Sales is a roller coaster ride of ups and downs and your emotions are always under attack.  Accept that sometimes you will get played by the buyer, but keep a record of the incident.  Every six months give that company  a call to see if your nefarious counterpart is still working there.  People are much more mobile in Japan, compared to many years ago and there is a good chance the evil, malicious puppeteer has moved on.  We should not deal with that particular buyer again, but we can try to deal with the company. There are usually many buyers in your market and many who you have had no contact with as yet, so there is little need to deal with bad buyer behavior.  As the old saying goes “fool me once it's your fault, fool me twice it's my fault”. Action Steps if you are in an industry where buyers habitually treat salespeople very badly then switch industries Just because the people at the top like you, don't think that means anything in Japan. Keep working on those who actually execute the work. If the buyer just says “send it to me” get worried, you may be the patsy for unknowingly assisting a rival's offer Keep in touch with the company, the “problem child” may have moved on Never forget “fool me once it's your fault, fool me twice it's my fault” Engaged employees are self-motivated. The self-motivated are inspired. Inspired staff grow your business but are you inspiring them? We teach leaders and organisations how to inspire their people. Want to know how we do that? Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com If you enjoy these articles, then head over to www.japan.dalecarnegie.com and check out our "Free Stuff" offerings - whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. Take a look at our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules. About The Author Dr. Greg Story: President, Dale Carnegie Training Japan In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making and become a 30 year veteran of Japan. A committed lifelong learner, through his published articles in the American, British and European Chamber journals, his videos and podcast “THE Leadership Japan Series”, he is a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. Dr. Story is a popular keynote speaker, executive coach and trainer. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.

Yasuaki Mori Ex-CEO Of Infineon Technologies Japan: EPISODE #1 Japan's Top Business Interviews Yasuaki Mori is a European, Asia and North American technology growth executive in the disruptive mobility, automotive, IIoT and cyber security markets.  He has grown businesses from $200 to $700M and scaled organization from 100 to 200+ people, developed go-to market strategies and rebuilt, converted, strengthened organizations in sales, marketing, channel, system/application engineering, product quality, HR, finance. marcom, logistics and government affairs. He is a multi-lingual & multi-cultural executive (French, Japanese, English) with professional networks in Europe, US and Asia. Summary Points  Joint venture sales are tough because both parties are in the same market with a focus on synergies but occasionally you end up in a competitive situation. When the joint venture parties are from different cultures, e.g. Japanese and German, you need trust and understanding, however both are exercised differently in the different countries. For example, in Japan, harmony is exercised through Honne (real truth) and Tatemae (façade), but in Germany it is exercised by people giving their true opinion, so it can be tough for employees and clients to deal with. We used to have meetings where only the leadership spoke. After the earthquake and tsunami in Northern Japan several years ago, we held daily meetings in order to keep operations moving, and as things calmed down, we cut the meetings down to once a week and then once a month. However, when we tried to cut the meetings out altogether, the employees asked for it to be kept on as a standard part of our procedures. It become a town hall meeting where people, not just the leadership contributed. Unofficial communication in Japan is superb and it would be good to be able to tap into that to make it more corporate and help shake off the communication silos. Middle management is what tends to the blockage point, not because they wanted to block things, but because we as senior management were not paying enough attention to what feedback they were giving about our discussions about strategy etc.  What a strategy means for senior management has a totally different meaning for the lower ranks and middle management needs to be engaged and coached on how to spread the message. Push out as much information as possible unless it is strictly confidential, since unless you tell people what and why things are happening in understandable terms, it is never effective. Japanese employees traditionally ask their bosses for instructions, but I think its better to know what your value is in the company, and where you are adding value to the whole chain of the company, then you should know what you need to do – then you don`t need to ask your boss about what you should do. And by adding value to yourself, you are making yourself more valuable to the external market. Japan still works from a top-down method whereas foreign companies work in a matrix. Executives are expensive with limited time frames like 3-4 years, and because they have to get used to Japan at the beginning and settle their families, and then towards the end of their term, they need to look for a job back home, they are really only effective for 1-2 years so that is one of the problems you face by sending a novice to Japan. A good element of Japan is limited corporate greed in comparison to other countries.  Honesty is a key strength in Japan that is a good foundation to help build a business on. Although I`m not sure how it equates to taking more risk for innovation.  Big data and good data analytics can relieve many efficiency and quality problems but there is limited understanding in traditional management style Japanese companies of how to use AI because it is not just about technology, its about organizational change. Japan is very weak in terms of making deliberate organizational change to suit the technology.  There is a reluctance to go digital because the Gemba (factory floor) is so strong, but people are getting older and there are fewer and fewer workers so digitization needs to happen. But this needs fast decisions and these are not a strength of traditional corporate Japanese cultures. Engaged employees are self-motivated. The self-motivated are inspired. Inspired staff grow your business but are you inspiring them? We teach leaders and organisations how to inspire their people. Want to know how we do that? Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com If you enjoy these articles, then head over to www.enjapan.dalecarnegie.com and check out our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. Take a look at our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules. About The Author Dr. Greg Story Your Corporate Coaching And Training Guy President, Dale Carnegie Training Japan Author of “Japan Sales Mastery”, the Amazon #1 Bestseller on selling in Japan and the first book on the subject in the last thirty years.   He is also the author of the new book “Japan Business Mastery” aimed at business people who are new to Japan and want to know more about how things work here. In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making and become a 30 year plus veteran of Japan. A committed lifelong learner, he publishes articles in the American, British and European Chamber journals, and daily releases his videos and podcasts.   For podcasts and videos:  Mondays THE Cutting Edge Japan Business Show podcast & THE Cutting Edge Japan Business Show video Tuesday THE Leadership Japan Series Wednesday THE Sales Japan series Thursday THE Presentations Japan Series"   Friday THE Japan Business Mastery Show & THE Japan Business Mastery Show video.   Saturday Japan's Top Business Interviews Show podcast and Japan's Top Business Interviews Show video He is a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. Dr. Story is a popular keynote speaker, executive coach and trainer. Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business. #DCTakeCommand