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Japan's Top Business Interviews Podcast By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo, Japan
Alex previously was an analyst for Marche Industriel Europe (Alternance), Assistant Commerciaux Grand Comptes, Assistant Commercial Manager Le Jardin Gaulois. He is an alumnus of ISEAM (Institut Supérieur d'Études en Alternance du Management), Marne-la-Vallée, France. Summary Alex shares his experience leading a niche luxury brand specializing in handcrafted watch straps. His journey highlights how cultural sensitivity, trust-building, and adaptability are essential for leadership success in Japan. Arriving in Japan with limited industry experience and only basic Japanese skills, Alex quickly rose to lead the local operation. His first priority was establishing clear communication between the Tokyo team and the French headquarters. By ensuring that HQ's goals were understood and that local staff voices were heard, Alex built a foundation of mutual trust. He placed strong emphasis on listening to his Japanese team—many of whom are skilled craftsmen focused on quality and detail. To bridge the cultural gap, Alex identified key team members who could act as informal leaders, helping to convey messages and feedback in both directions. This helped align the team with company goals while respecting local work styles. Alex avoided rigid hierarchical leadership in favour of a more empathetic, collaborative approach. He promoted a family-like culture within the organization, valuing each team member's contributions and personal circumstances. This inclusive atmosphere fostered loyalty and motivation. Japanese consumer expectations for customization and perfection heavily influenced product development. The Tokyo atelier created sweat-resistant straps specifically for Japan's hot, humid summers—an innovation that was later adopted in other markets. Alex emphasized that Japan's high standards in craftsmanship and service can drive global innovation in luxury retail. Language and cultural understanding were also key. While Alex wasn't fluent in Japanese at first, he committed to improving his skills to enhance communication. He encourages foreign leaders to learn even basic Japanese and take time to understand their teams before implementing changes. For leaders new to Japan, Alex advises speaking individually with team members, understanding their motivations, and identifying trusted “captains” to serve as cultural and operational liaisons. He also recommends patience, especially given Japan's risk-averse approach to decision-making. Ultimately, Alex's leadership style blends French heritage, Japanese values, and a personal commitment to continuous learning. His experience shows that successful leadership in Japan
Summary: Alex asks if America passed the sexism test in the 2020 election or if it was the elephant in the room, not to be made into a political talking point! How Kamala Harris represents the worst in what young women should aspire to, be because of her deceitful nature to use people as stepping stones to get what she wants. Alex also covers Dominion Systems, and how and where data is obtained so software can be manipulated. She assesses the current election outcome and predicts this is will not be the last we hear about auditing elections. Alex also takes a look at Biden’s proposed cabinet picks, namely the Mayor of Los Angeles.
Summary: Alex talks about how Joe Biden didn’t win the election but rather how Democrats tried to successfully cheat President Donald Trump out of a second term. She talks about the Soros connection to Dominion Systems as well as other entities we’ve been hearing about last summer. Alex also ties the current illegal voting tallies of the Smartmatic software, to a March, 2020 primary election in Los Angeles County which Politico called “a risky experiment.” Smartmatic is the same software used by Dominion Systems in 28 states and nine top counties in the 2020 presidential election.
Summary: Alex talks about the things we learned from Democrats and the self-serving mainstream media in 2020. That they care more about getting even than doing the work of the People. They will wait until all the fires in America’s cities are extinguished until they denounce civil unrest. That they use the most sacred intelligence institutions against an opponent illegally. That censorship is okay as long as it favors a political agenda. Public safety only matters if you’re among the elite. Quality of life is more about race than economics and much more.
Summary: Alex evaluates the contrast between what America was like 90 days ago and now. The collapse of social order resulting from the death of George Floyd and the revolt against police departments. Alex also examines the idea of justice in a situation where many saw protests as an opportunity to create even greater injustice, shaking our nation to the core. Alex asks Americans to examine what they see when looking at a police officer. That a police officer represents many things few truly comprehend and should understand at least to some degree. The message sent by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who called for fair and equal treatment of Black people through dignified peaceful protest, is being drowned out by radical groups looking to destroy America from within. With a country so divided on race relations, the differences have become too great and appear to have resulted in irreconcilable differences.
Summary: Alex evaluates the media’s engineering a mob mentality among Americans, causing panic shopping and extreme fear of economic collapse and insecurity amid the outbreak of COVID-19. Looking at her own experience in Downtown Los Angeles, where she became ill in September 2018 with a pathogen related and caused by Coronavirus strains, Alex highlights an interview by Dr. Nicole Saphire who identified not one but three strains of COVID-19 in the United States. Alex also points to Tucker Carlson’s argument, epidemiologists at the helm of determining how the virus is spreading, do not factor in the consequences of economic collapse. Alex also suggests the next round of funding for the World Health Organization should be contingent upon the current head stepping down after lecturing the United States about “wanting more body bags” due to differences in national politics. Song credits: Spybreak by Propellerheads, Savage by Megan Thee Stallion, Coconut by Harry Nilsson, Lost Angeles by The Aces, Sunday Morning by Maroon 5, Get Shorter by Club Des Belugas
Summary: Alex van Someren is Managing Partner of the Early Stage Funds at Amadeus and sits on the boards of several Amadeus portfolio companies. Amadeus is one of the highest profile VC funds in the UK with offices in Bangalore, Cambridge, Cape Town, London and San Francisco, Amadeus has invested in over 130 companies, and … Continue reading A chat with Alex Van Someren, of Amadeus Capital (s5ep5) → The post A chat with Alex Van Someren, of Amadeus Capital (s5ep5) appeared first on Project Kazimierz.
Summary: Alex is the former Director of Marketing at SEEN Digital Media, and he’s now the Marketing Director at ICX Media. SEEN was recently acquired by ICX Media, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and is revolutionizing the digital media market by enabling data-inspired storytelling; transforming the way video is created, distributed, and monetized. Milestones: …
Alex Baker Show Notes Alex joined Relay Ventures in 2008, after eleven years of management consulting with global credit card and payment companies. Summary: Alex joined Relay in 2008, bringing a consulting background specialized in financial services. Prior to his experiences at BearingPoint and PwC Consulting, Alex studied at the Schulich School of Business (York University). With Relay, he works with mobile-focused software and hardware entrepreneurs across a variety of industries. He is also an active part of the venture capital community in Canada and abroad as a Kauffman Fellow, as well as an advisor, and a frequent speaker/panelist. Current: Alex’s background in strategy and finance lends well to his roles overseeing Relay Ventures’ investments in a broad range of mobile platform and connected device companies. Location: Toronto Most passionate about Relay Ventures is a mobile focus fund. We raised four funds in total, around 150 Million US dollars each fund. We define our focus in mobile as everything from the cloud to the sensor. Today’s passion is around what is happening with sensors and how mobile is redefining itself as edge computing. We plan to continue to look into investments in edge computers. We are very interesting in consumerization of health care; and we have a lot of interest in financial investments. The company I started in the venture capital business in 2007, and we created Relay Ventures in 2008. At the beginning we called ourselves the Blackberry Partners’ Fund. Blackberry was an investor in the first fund. At the beginning, we built our portfolio around the brand. As mobile became more ubiquitous and different devices introduced into the market and the market expanded, we built Relay Ventures around our portfolio. The differentiation we have is really around our CEOs and the 60+ portfolio companies we’ve invested in; companies that are either still operating today or have been going alone to be acquired by the likes of Google, Facebook, AOL, and Yahoo. We worked hard to grow a great portfolio full of entrepreneurs that share ideas with each other. I just came back from California; we had 15 of our CEOs for roundtable with three executives that came to teach about growth, sales, and marketing novel ideas, we try to do that every quarter. We also have a network of advisors who help influence our decisions, bring us new ideas. At the end of the day, this is really about the reputation that we built from the investments we’ve made. The customers We have two sets of customers – our investors and every one of our portfolio companies. We like to feel that we are bringing value back to our portfolio companies. Alex’s best advice about approaching the customer The companies in our portfolio that have been most successful from sales, marketing, and finance perspective are the ones that are constantly testing anything that you can think of. You need to test different pricing, different marketing campaigns, as well as different finance strategies. That’s absolutely essential. Biggest failure with a customer The failures that usually come out are around timing of market. The failure around market timing is that companies over spend when they got their 1st, 2nd or 3rd round of financing. There is an immediate reflex when company raises money to go out and hire people, at a phase that they are not conditioned for. There wasn’t one company that I’ve been on their board that didn’t wish to have an extra three months of capital. Almost all companies over spend about at least 25%. They spend too quickly. I consider a failure where the company doesn’t exit for what you expected it to exit for. Or if the company has to turn around and do a massive lay off. I’ve learned a lot over ten years, in cases where we had to bring in a CEO, as a board member, I don’t think I’ve done a good enough job giving the existing CEO founder feedback....
Alex Barlowe is is a best selling author, and participated in the same anthology that Doretta was involved in. She achieved her happily ever after, and understands that there is work to get there, and ever more work to maintain it. She is a strong believer in taking care of your mental health, and having a good support system behind you. She is a source of inspiration, and a reminder that good things come to those who work. Summary Alex tells Doretta about her chapter within the book, and gives some of the background and commentary from the author's perspective. Doretta and Alex relate back and forth about prayer, therapy, and support. They also talk about mindset and some of the issues with having a closed mind. She talks about some of her plans for speaking engagements and groups within her local community. She shares some of the steps she took to move beyond her old circumstances and into the place she is now. Quotes “That doesn't mean I can just relax and bask in happiness, it comes with work and it comes with every day maintenance.” “The first step was reaching up for help. Over coming adversity was not something I did on my own” “Too many people suffer in silence” “There are so many fragmented people walking around still hurting. “Needing help doesn't mean you're crazy, it means you're human and had something happen to you” “I don't think you can ever be told, or inspired too much or enough” “Reach up for help” Links http://www.alexbarlowe.com/ http://womenwillbloom.com/