Podcasts about Suru

Objections are not the enemy — they're signals. In complex B2B and high-ticket selling, an objection often means the buyer is still engaged, still evaluating, and still leaving the door open. The difference between "this is going nowhere" and "we can win this" is whether you follow a disciplined process instead of reacting emotionally. Below is a practical, repeatable objection-handling framework you can run in real time — in Australia, Japan, the US, Europe, in-person or on Zoom — without sounding scripted. Why are objections actually a good sign in sales conversations? Objections usually mean the buyer is still considering you — they're testing risk, fit, and trust rather than silently rejecting you. In most markets post-pandemic (2020–2025), buyers have tightened procurement, involved more stakeholders, and demanded clearer ROI, which means more questions and more pushback — even when they like you. In Japan, where consensus building and risk avoidance are culturally strong, objections often appear as "we need to think" or "it might be difficult." In the US and Australia, you might hear direct resistance like "too expensive" or "we're happy with our current vendor." In all cases, the presence of friction can be healthier than polite indifference. Do now (answer card): Treat objections as engagement. Your job isn't to "win" — it's to discover what's underneath and solve the real concern What's the biggest mistake salespeople make when they hear an objection? The fastest way to lose a deal is to argue with the buyer — even if you're technically correct. The human brain hears pushback and wants to defend: you jump in, correct them, prove them wrong, and accidentally trigger buyer resistance. You might "win the debate" and still lose the decision. This shows up everywhere: startups pitching to procurement, consultants selling transformation programs, and enterprise SaaS teams facing security and legal. In Australia and the US, that argument can feel like a pressure tactic; in Japan, it can feel like you've disrupted harmony and made it harder for the buyer to save face. Instead of debating the headline ("too expensive"), you need the story behind it (budget cycle, internal politics, competing priorities, risk fears). Do now (answer card): Stop defending. Assume the objection is a headline and your job is to uncover the full article. What is a "cushion" and why does it work for handling objections? A cushion is a neutral circuit-breaker sentence that stops you from reacting and buys you thinking time. It's not agreement and it's not disagreement — it's a calm buffer between what they said and what you say next. Examples in plain English: "I hear you." "That's a fair point." "Thanks for raising that." "I can see why you'd ask that." This works because it lowers emotional temperature, keeps the buyer talking, and prevents the "fight or flight" response that turns into arguing. Whether you're selling to a Japanese conglomerate, a US mid-market firm, or an Australian SME, that pause helps you shift from defence mode into discovery mode. Pro tip: keep the cushion short. The cushion isn't the solution — it's the doorway to the right question. Do now (answer card): Build 3–5 cushion phrases you can say naturally, then use one every single time before you respond. What question should you ask first after any objection? Ask: "May I ask you why you say that?" — because the only useful response to an objection is more information.Objections are like a newspaper headline: short, dramatic, and missing context. "Too expensive" could mean cashflow, competitor pricing, CFO scrutiny, or fear of implementation risk. When you ask "why," you throw the "porcupine" back to the buyer — gently — so they explain the real story. This is effective in high-context cultures like Japan because it invites explanation without confrontation. It also works in direct markets like the US and Australia because it signals professionalism: you're diagnosing, not pushing. Watch-out: don't ask "why" with a sharp tone. Make it soft, curious, and slow. The tone is the difference between coaching and challenging. Do now (answer card): Make "why" your reflex. Cushion → "May I ask why?" → listen longer than feels comfortable. How do you clarify and cross-check to find the real objection? Clarify by restating the concern, then cross-check for hidden issues until they run out of objections. Buyers often lead with a minor issue to end the conversation quickly, especially when they don't want a long discussion. Think iceberg: the visible tip is what they say; the big block below the waterline is what they mean. Use two moves: Clarify: "Thank you. So, as I understand it, your chief concern is ___ — is that right?" Cross-check: "In addition to ___, are there any other concerns on your side?" Repeat the cross-check 3–4 times if needed. Then prioritise: "You've mentioned X, Y, and Z. Which one is the highest priority for you?" This is how enterprise sales teams reduce "surprise" objections late in the cycle, and how consultants avoid being derailed by a small complaint masking a major deal-breaker. Do now (answer card): Clarify the core issue, then ask for additional concerns, then rank them. Don't respond until you know the deal-breaker. How do you reply: deny, agree, reverse — and then trial close? Reply to the true main objection with one of three paths — deny, agree, or reverse — then use a trial commitment to confirm it's resolved. Once you've identified the highest-priority concern, you respond in a way that protects trust. Deny (with proof): If it's incorrect ("I heard you're going bankrupt"), deny calmly and offer evidence (financial stability, customer references, audited statements where appropriate). Agree (own reality): If it's true (quality issues, missed deadlines), acknowledge it. Explain what changed: process fixes, governance, QA, leadership actions. Credibility beats spin. Reverse (reframe): If the concern can become a benefit ("you take longer to deliver"), reframe it as risk reduction and quality control — less rework, fewer outages, smoother adoption. Then trial close: "How does that sound so far?" If more objections appear, run the process again. Do now (answer card): Pick the right response type (deny/agree/reverse), then trial close immediately to confirm the objection is gone. Conclusion: the repeatable objection-handling rhythm Objections don't block deals — unmanaged emotions do. When you treat objections as engagement, cushion your response, ask "why," clarify the real issue, cross-check for hidden concerns, and reply with credibility, you stop wrestling the buyer and start guiding the decision. If there are no questions, no objections, no hesitation, it may mean the buyer has already eliminated you and is just waiting for the meeting to end. Better to find out early — and move on to a real opportunity. Author credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results.  He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). 

Most leaders want "alignment," but what they really need is movement—people actually doing the new thing. Motivating action is devilishly hard because humans cling to habits, defend their comfort, and only rent logic after emotion has already bought the decision.  Below is a practical, talk-design framework you can use in leadership meetings, sales kick-offs, internal change programs, and client presentations—especially when you need people to stop nodding and start acting. Is motivating people to change really that difficult? Yes—because habit beats good intentions, and people protect the status quo like it's their job. Even when everyone agrees "something should change," most of us quietly mean other people should change first. In workshops, a tiny experiment proves it: put your watch on the other wrist or fold your arms the "wrong" way. Your brain throws a mini tantrum. That discomfort is what you're up against in every change initiative—whether you're a sales manager in Japan rolling out a new CRM process, or a team lead in the United States trying to shift meeting culture post-pandemic. In practice, logic explains change, but emotion powers it. People act on feeling, then justify with reasons. Do now: Identify the one habit your audience is clinging to—and name the discomfort your change will create. What's the first step to get others to take action? Start with the end in mind: choose one concrete action that is easy to understand and feels easy to do. If the action sounds complicated, political, or time-consuming, motivation evaporates. Leaders often blow it here by proposing "transformation" instead of a single step: "be more customer-centric," "collaborate better," "innovate faster." That's fog, not action. A better move is something measurable: "book three customer interviews this week," "open every proposal with a problem statement," "run a 15-minute pre-brief before the monthly meeting." This works in startups and multinationals because it reduces cognitive load—the brain loves clarity. Make the action small enough to start, but meaningful enough to matter. Do now: Write the action as a verb + object + deadline (e.g., "Call five dormant clients by Friday"). How do you make the audience actually want to do it? You must attach a strong "what's in it for me" benefit that beats the comfort of doing nothing. People don't resist change—they resist loss: time, status, certainty, competence, control. So the benefit can't be vague ("better culture") or distant ("future growth"). It needs punch: less rework, fewer angry customers, faster deals, fewer escalations, more autonomy, more commission, more trust from senior leadership. This is where comparisons help: what motivates action in Australia may be framed around practicality and time; in Japan it may be framed around risk reduction, quality, and team credibility; in the US it may lean toward speed and individual ownership. Same human wiring—different packaging. Do now: Pick one benefit and make it tangible: "This saves you two hours a week" beats "This improves productivity." Why does "telling people what to do" backfire? Because direct instructions trigger resistance, especially in experienced teams who think, "Don't boss me." If you open with the action, you invite critics to immediately attack it. Executives at firms like Toyota and Rakuten (and frankly, any organisation with smart people) have learned that persuasion is smoother when the audience arrives at the conclusion themselves. That's why context matters: when listeners hear the reality, they often decide the action is sensible before you recommend it. You're not forcing them—you're guiding them. This is especially useful across cultures and hierarchies, where blunt "do this" language can be interpreted as disrespectful or naïve. Do now: Remove your first-slide instruction. Replace it with the situation that makes the change feel inevitable. How do you use storytelling to drive action in a talk? Tell the incident with enough real-world detail that people can see it—and feel it—in their mind's eye. Story is the bridge between logic and emotion. Use people, place, season, and time. Not because it's "cute," but because specificity creates belief. "Last quarter, in our Tokyo client meeting…" lands harder than "sometimes clients…" A story can be your experience, a customer moment, a mistake, a near miss, or a win—anything that explains why you believe the action matters. This is where you build credibility without preaching. Keep it tight, but vivid. The goal isn't theatre; the goal is emotional engagement that makes action feel like relief. Do now: Draft a 60–90 second incident story with (1) who, (2) where, (3) what happened, (4) what it cost. What is the "Magic Formula" for motivating others to action? Plan your talk as action → benefit → incident, but deliver it in reverse: incident → action → benefit. This is the Magic Formula.  Here's why it works: the incident neutralises opposition. Instead of a room full of critics, you create a room full of co-diagnosticians. They hear the context, they connect the dots, and they start forming the same conclusion you already reached. By the time you state the action, they're mentally ahead of you—agreeing. Keep it disciplined: one action only, and one strongest benefit only. Multiple actions split attention; multiple benefits dilute impact. This is as true in B2B sales as it is in leadership change programs. Do now: Build your next talk in three parts: Incident (70%), Action (15%), Benefit (15%). One action. One best benefit. Conclusion: turning agreement into action Motivation isn't magic—it's design. When you make the action clear, the benefit personal, and the story vivid, you stop fighting human nature and start working with it. Whether you're leading change in Japan, selling into global accounts, or trying to shift internal behaviour, the goal is the same: move people from "interesting" to "I'm doing it." Quick next steps for leaders Write your one action in a single sentence. Choose your one strongest benefit (make it measurable). Script your incident story with real detail. Deliver in this order: Incident → Action → Benefit. End with a deadline and an immediate first step. Author bio Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results.  He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

"The trust part is very important." "Change was a dirty word." "Anything controversial was normally me." "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity." Paul Hardisty is a finance-trained executive (CPA) who began his career in Melbourne and became CFO of a group of fashion brands across Australia and New Zealand, including Davenport, with licensing and distribution experience across brands such as Calvin Klein and Carhartt. In 1999, he joined adidas, initially slated for Indonesia just as Jakarta's riots erupted, before ultimately leading adidas Indonesia for five years. He then spent six months in India addressing corruption issues, before moving to South Korea for more than six years, scaling the business significantly. Hardisty's long-held ambition was Japan, and he relocated with his family to lead adidas Japan, where he spent around a decade and helped drive major growth. His career arc reflects repeated adaptation across markets, cultures, and organisational scale, culminating in leading one of adidas's most sophisticated and strategically scrutinised country operations. Paul Hardisty's leadership story is a study in scale, trust, and the mechanics of change inside a complex, matrixed multinational. Having built a finance foundation in Australia and then taken on consecutive country leadership roles across Indonesia and South Korea, he arrived in Japan with a reputation for delivery and a clear-eyed sense that every market has its own "bucket of challenges". Japan's challenge was not drama; it was magnitude. The jump in organisational size, headcount, and global attention required him to rethink how a leader stays close to the business without drowning in it. Hardisty's early focus was listening: diagnosing issues, filling structural gaps, and building a strategy that could plug into global direction without losing local relevance. He frames trust as the non-negotiable foundation — not uniquely Japanese, but especially powerful in Japan when earned through consistency and "walking the talk". This trust, once established, becomes the lubricant for cross-functional cooperation and the antidote to silent compliance. He is candid about engagement measurement and how it can mislead headquarters. Rather than treating scores as a simplistic international comparison, he focused on patterns, feedback, and the real operational drivers behind sentiment — restructures, headcount freezes, and incentives. His most controversial move was transparency: explaining the scoring system, challenging extremely low scorers to reconsider fit, and even enabling anonymous external applications. The point was not punitive; it was cultural clarity — engagement matters, but so does the integrity of the team environment. Hardisty also leaned into pride as a motivational engine. In sport, brand affiliation and national moments (such as major tournaments) can transform "company" into "identity". He institutionalised that energy through internal competitions, event tickets, surprise guests, and subsidised sports clubs, making motivation tangible and social. Where his approach becomes especially instructive is in diversity and global mobility. He resisted the idea that Japan must be led only by Japanese, or that Japanese leaders must stay in Japan. By placing non-Japanese local hires throughout the organisation and building pathways for Japanese talent to take overseas roles (including shorter three-month rotations), he pushed the company beyond passive consensus into practical internationalisation — a form of organisational nemawashi performed through staffing architecture rather than meeting-room persuasion. On innovation, he names the core friction: uncertainty avoidance and the comfort of repeating proven routines. To counter that, he used incentives, anonymity, and then a structural breakthrough — a business development function reporting directly to him, acting as an internal project-management and strategy engine. It reduced "not my job" resistance, spread ownership, and accelerated decision flow in a ringi-sho world where approvals can slow momentum. Ultimately, Hardisty's Japan lesson is not that Japan is "impossible". It is that Japan rewards leaders who operationalise trust, make change safe to attempt, and build systems that carry strategy through the middle layers to the front line. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Hardisty sees Japan as different in flavour, not in degree. The distinguishing feature is the strength of trust and loyalty once credibility is earned. In a consensus environment shaped by nemawashi and ringi-sho processes, alignment is powerful, but it must be cultivated deliberately and communicated repeatedly at scale. Why do global executives struggle? He argues many leaders struggle because they over-index on stereotypes and get "brainwashed" by received wisdom — what cannot be done, what must be done, and why Japan is supposedly exceptional. That mindset can cause unnecessary caution, poor decisions, and a failure to see the "bucket load of good things" that make Japan workable and rewarding. Is Japan truly risk-averse? He frames the issue less as risk and more as uncertainty avoidance. People protect reputation by staying within proven patterns, which can look like risk aversion. His antidote is to reframe experimentation as responsible learning, supported by incentives, clear ownership, and leadership cover when outcomes are not perfect. What leadership style actually works? His style is direct, transparent, and human. He uses openness to build trust, shares personal context to reduce distance, and creates forums where information flows both ways. He is also willing to be "controversial" when cultural drift undermines performance or engagement. How can technology help? While he does not position Japan as a technology problem, his operating model maps well to decision intelligence: creating a central function that gathers intel, runs meetings, manages projects, and accelerates cross-functional execution. In modern terms, leaders can use analytics, scenario planning, and even digital twins of the business to test change before rollout, reducing perceived uncertainty and speeding consensus without bypassing it. Does language proficiency matter? He acknowledges language as a major early hurdle and treats capability-building as an investment. Translation support, English training, and mixed-nationality teams can slow meetings, but they also expand opportunity and shift mindsets. Language is not only communication; it is a gateway to global mobility and a catalyst for new thinking. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? Hardisty's core lesson is that repeating the same actions while expecting different results is organisational self-deception. In Japan, change requires systems, structure, and trust — and leaders must design the pathways that make change executable from the top to the shop floor. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

Listening is the most underrated sales skill because it's the one that actually tells you what the buyer is thinking, not what you wish they were thinking.  Most salespeople believe they listen well, but in real conversations—especially under pressure—we drift into habits that feel like listening while we're actually rehearsing our next line. In Japan, in the US, in Europe—whether you're selling to an SME, a startup, or a multinational—buyers can feel when you're not fully present. Are you really listening to the buyer—or just waiting to talk? Most salespeople aren't listening; they're mentally queuing up their next point, and the buyer can hear the delay. This shows up in every market: a SaaS rep in San Francisco, a relationship banker in London, or an account manager in Tokyo can look attentive while their mind is sprinting ahead. The trigger is usually one "important" phrase—budget, competitor, timing—then your attention snaps away from the buyer and into your internal monologue. You're still hearing, but you're not taking in. That gap matters because buyers don't only communicate in words. In executive-level meetings at firms like Toyota or Rakuten, meaning often sits inside tone, pace, hesitations, and what goes unsaid. Post-pandemic, with more hybrid calls on Zoom or Teams, these cues are easier to miss—unless you deliberately train for them. Do now: Treat every buyer conversation like a live intelligence feed: if you're writing your reply in your head, you've stopped listening. What are the five levels of listening in sales? There are five levels—Ignore, Pretend, Selective, Attentive, and Empathetic—and most sales calls hover around levels 2 or 3.  Ignore doesn't mean staring at your phone; it can mean being hijacked by your own thoughts the moment the buyer says something provocative. Pretend looks like nodding, eye contact, "mm-hmm"—but your brain is busy building the pitch. Selective listening is the killer in modern B2B: you filter for "yes/no" buying signals, but you miss the conditions attached to them (timeline, stakeholders, risk concerns). Attentive listening is full-focus: no interruptions, no filtering, paraphrasing to confirm. Empathetic listening goes further—eyes and ears—reading what's behind the words and "meeting the buyer in the conversation going on in their mind." That's as relevant in procurement-heavy Japan as it is in fast-moving US sales teams. Do now: Identify which level you default to under pressure—and train upward, not sideways. What does "ignoring the client" look like if you're still in the room? You can "ignore" a buyer while looking directly at them—by following your own thoughts instead of their words. This is common when the client says something that sparks urgency: "We're also talking to your competitor," "Budget is tight," "We need this by Q2." The moment you latch onto that, the rest of what they say fades into the mist because you're fixated on the counterpoint you must deliver. In enterprise sales, this is where deals quietly die: you respond to the wrong problem, at the wrong depth, to the wrong stakeholder. In Japan, where meaning can be indirect and consensus-based, this is riskier—what's not said can be the real message. In Australia, where communication is often more direct, you can still miss the nuance in tone—especially in remote calls where you're juggling slides, notes, and chat. Do now: When you feel triggered, pause and mentally label it: "That's my ego talking—back to the buyer." Why do salespeople "pretend" to listen—and how can you spot it? Pretend listening happens when your body language says "I'm with you" but your mind is already pitching, defending, or debating.  You nod. You lean in. You look professional. But internally you're preparing the product dump, building the objection-handling case, or rehearsing the "killer story." It's the classic "lights are on, but you're not home" dynamic—common across industries like consulting, insurance, tech, and professional services. The modern version is worse: you're also glancing at CRM notes, Slack messages, or the next meeting timer. Buyers notice because your responses don't quite match what they said. You answer a question they didn't ask, or you jump too early. In negotiation-heavy environments (Japan, Germany, regulated sectors), this reads as disrespect. In faster markets (US startups), it reads as shallow. Do now: After the buyer speaks, summarise in one sentence before you respond with anything else. Is "selective listening" efficient—or does it sabotage sales outcomes? Selective listening is efficient for hearing buying signals, but it often sabotages effectiveness by skipping the context that makes the "yes" or "no" meaningful.  Salespeople are trained to hunt for signals: interest, hesitation, resistance. But if you only listen for yes/no, you miss the conditions attached—like internal politics, compliance concerns, implementation capacity, or fear of change. You also jump the gun: you hear the "no" early and start crafting your rebuttal while the buyer is still explaining why. The Japan example is instructive: because the verb often arrives at the end of the sentence, you're forced to hear the whole thought before reacting. In English, you can start manufacturing your reply mid-sentence, which feels fast but can be sloppy. Across APAC, where indirectness can be a politeness strategy, selective listening becomes a deal-killer because the meaning sits in the qualifiers. Do now: Don't respond to the first "yes/no." Wait for the full sentence—then ask one clarifying question. What's the difference between attentive listening and empathetic listening—and which closes deals? Attentive listening makes you accurate; empathetic listening makes you influential because it reveals what the buyer is really protecting.  Attentive listening is full presence: you don't interrupt, you don't filter, you paraphrase to confirm understanding. This alone differentiates you in any market—Japan, the US, Europe—because most professionals are distracted. Empathetic listening is the next level: you listen with your eyes and ears, tracking tone, body language, and what isn't being said. You sense anxiety behind a budget objection, or politics behind a "we'll think about it." You aim to "meet the buyer in the conversation going on in their mind," which is exactly what executive-level selling requires. In leadership cultures where saving face matters (Japan, parts of Asia), empathy helps you surface concerns safely. In direct cultures (Australia, US), empathy helps you avoid brute-force pitching and instead guide the decision. Do now: Paraphrase the facts, then reflect the feeling: "It sounds like timing isn't the only concern here." Conclusion If you want to sell more, stop trying to be more persuasive and start trying to be more present. The five levels of listening are a diagnostic tool: most salespeople drift between Pretend and Selective because their brain is busy performing. Attentive listening earns trust. Empathetic listening uncovers truth. And the fastest way to improve your buyer conversations is to practise listening where it's hardest—at home, with people who don't have to pay you to stay polite. Author credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results.  He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

New Year's resolutions are a lovely idea—until life body-checks you in week two. Changing habits takes extra energy: consistency, patience, perseverance, and actual application. The good news? If you're a presenter (or you want to be), you've already got the three levers that move the needle every year: time, talent, and treasure—used wisely, they turn "I should…" into "I did." Why do presenters talk about "time, talent, and treasure" as the big three? Because presentation success is a leverage game: time builds repetition, talent grows through practice, and treasure buys acceleration. In a post-pandemic world of hybrid meetings, global teams, and always-on competition, persuasion is the divider—whether you're pitching internally at Toyota, selling B2B SaaS like Salesforce, or leading change in a mid-sized Australian firm. In Japan, the US, and across Europe, the pattern is consistent: people with clearer messages and stronger delivery get faster alignment. If you can't bring others with you, you end up living inside someone else's agenda. The "time, talent, treasure" model keeps you honest: how much are you practising, what skills are you deliberately developing, and where are you investing to shortcut the learning curve? Do now: Pick one presentation you'll deliver in the next 30 days and allocate time (practice), talent (skill focus), and treasure (tools/coaching) against it—on purpose. How does better use of time make you more persuasive? Time is life, and in presenting, time becomes trust—because repetition turns ideas into instinct. Persuasion isn't magic; it's built from small, consistent reps: clarifying your point, tightening your story, and refining your delivery until it sounds like you, not a script. Compare a startup founder in Silicon Valley to a manager in Tokyo: different cultures, similar pressure. The founder needs speed and punch; the Tokyo manager needs clarity, respect, and structured logic. In both cases, the presenter who rehearses wins—because they can think while speaking, handle questions, and stay calm when the room goes quiet. This is where habit science (think James Clear's "Atomic Habits" approach) helps: schedule short practice sprints, not heroic marathons. Do now: Put 15 minutes on your calendar, three times a week, to rehearse out loud—standing up, with a timer, and one clear "next step" at the end. Is presentation skill natural talent, or can it be learned? Great presenting is learned, not born—confidence is trained, not gifted. Most people aren't "naturals"; they're practised. The fear of embarrassment is real (hello, sweaty palms), but it's also beatable with the right method: structure + repetition + feedback. Look at the ecosystems that consistently produce strong communicators: Toastmasters, TED-style coaching, and frameworks used in leadership training programs like Dale Carnegie. The common denominator is guided practice and measurement—voice pace, eye contact, message structure, audience control. If you're in a multinational, you might get formal training; if you're in an SME, you might rely on YouTube and trial-and-error. Either way, the fastest path is: learn the fundamentals, apply immediately, then refine. Do now: Identify one skill to improve this month (openings, storytelling, slides, Q&A). Record a 2-minute practice video weekly and track one metric (clarity, pace, filler words). How do you build talent without drowning in content overload? Talent grows when you consume less content—but apply more of what matters. Content marketing has made learning ridiculously accessible: YouTube explainers, LinkedIn creators, podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, courses on Coursera and LinkedIn Learning. That's the upside. The downside? You're drinking from a firehose. The fix is a simple filter: choose one "lane" for 30 days—storytelling, executive presence, sales persuasion, or slide design—and ignore the rest. In the US, people often optimise for charisma; in Japan, audiences often reward clarity, humility, and structure. So your learning plan should match your context and industry (tech, finance, manufacturing, professional services). Quick checklist (use this before you watch anything): Will this help my next presentation in 14 days? Can I practise it within 48 hours? Can I measure improvement (time, audience response, outcomes)? Do now: Commit to one creator/course for 30 days and write one line after each session: "What I will do differently next time." When should you invest money (treasure) in training, coaching, or tools? Spend treasure when it buys speed, feedback, and real-world practice—not just inspiration. Free content is fantastic for discovery, but it rarely gives you personalised correction. Coaching, workshops, and quality programs can compress years of trial-and-error into months—especially when your role requires influence: executives, sales leaders, project managers, and subject-matter experts. Think of it like this: in a startup, treasure might be a pitch coach before a funding round. In a Japanese conglomerate, it might be a structured program to lift manager communication across regions. In Australia, it might be a practical workshop that improves internal briefings and client updates. Tools count too: a decent microphone, a ring light, or a slide template system can make your message land better in remote settings. Do now: Set an annual "persuasion budget" (even a small one). Prioritise: (1) coaching feedback, (2) skills program, (3) delivery tools—then measure ROI by outcomes (wins, approvals, reduced rework). What should leaders and professionals do if their resolutions already derailed? Resetting isn't failure—it's leadership: you regroup, adjust the system, and start again with better context. The people who improve each year aren't perfect; they're consistent about restarting. Presenters especially need this mindset because the stakes keep rising—hybrid audiences, shorter attention spans, and higher expectations for clarity. The practical move is to make "presenting improvement" part of your weekly rhythm, not a motivational burst. Use SMART goals, build tiny habits, and attach practice to something you already do (Monday team meeting, monthly client update, quarterly review). If you're leading others, make it cultural: run short "presentation sprints," rotate who opens meetings, and reward clarity—not just confidence. Do now: Choose one recurring event (weekly meeting or monthly update) and upgrade one element for the next 8 weeks: opening, structure, visuals, or Q&A handling. Conclusion Time, talent, and treasure aren't abstract ideas—they're the knobs you can actually turn. Use time deliberately, nurture talent through applied learning, and invest treasure where it accelerates feedback and skill. And if you've already fallen off the wagon this year? Brilliant. Now you've got data. Reset, refine, and climb the next rung. FAQs How long does it take to become a confident presenter? Most people feel noticeable improvement in 6–8 weeks with consistent practice and feedback. What's the fastest way to sound more persuasive? Tighten your opening: one clear point, one reason it matters, one next step. Do I need expensive training to improve? Not always—start with structured practice, then invest when you need faster progress or personalised correction. What if I'm terrified of public speaking? Start small: 60-second updates, then build duration and complexity while recording and reviewing. Author bio Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan.

"Everybody having a shared sense of purpose and shared values… is just absolutely imperative." "I trust you, and I start from the perspective of trust." "I would always caution Western leaders… to not just fill up empty space." "Getting buy-in from a Japanese team is really hard. But… once you get buy in… you absolutely over-perform." "Identify who are the biggest obstacles… and move them immediately and publicly." Harry Hill is an American entrepreneur whose career in Japan began by chance and grew into one of the country's most recognised direct marketing success stories. His connection to Japan started in college after discovering Shorinji Kempo, which sparked an interest in Japanese culture and language. After studying Japanese for two years, he moved to Japan and worked as an English teacher, including a posting in Gifu Prefecture. A major turning point came when he worked as an international coordinator for a regional expo, building relationships with businesses across Gifu, Nagoya, and the wider Chubu region. After a short stint in New York as a bond trader, Hill returned to Japan in 1990 and began building businesses by spotting "holes in the market," including work as a sports agent and grassroots exchange initiatives. In Nagoya, he co-founded a relocation and real estate services company for multinationals. His most significant chapter came with Oaklawn Marketing and Shop Japan, where he spent around two decades shaping Japan's TV shopping and direct marketing landscape. Under his leadership, the business grew dramatically—expanding from roughly 15 billion yen to nearly 70 billion yen in annual sales, with around 1,000 employees. In 2009, NTT DoCoMo acquired 51% of the business, placing Hill in the rare position of leading a high-growth company inside a large, formal Japanese corporate structure. Now active in new ventures, Hill remains known for adaptability across industries and for a leadership approach shaped by building culture, empowerment, and sustained performance in Japan. Harry Hill's leadership story in Japan reads like a case study in adaptability—starting with accidental encounters and evolving into deliberate, high-stakes decisions across entrepreneurship, corporate growth, and cultural navigation. His early fascination with Shorinji Kempo led to a deeper interest in Japan's mindset: discipline, hierarchy, and the quiet social architecture that shapes how people organise themselves. That curiosity eventually turned into action—learning Japanese, moving to Japan, teaching English in Gifu, and then shifting into business after exposure to the Chubu region's commercial networks during a major expo. Hill's defining strength is an instinct for recognising market inefficiencies and cultural leverage points. He describes his work in terms of finding "holes in the market" and building solutions that fit the local context without fetishising Japanese exceptionalism. His belief that "people are people" becomes a strategy: focus less on what is uniquely Japanese and more on universal human needs—then customise execution with local sensitivity. This approach carried through to the growth of Shop Japan, where direct marketing and TV shopping became a platform for shaping entirely new product categories, particularly in home fitness. Yet the interview's most valuable leadership content emerges not from growth numbers, but from Hill's hard-won understanding of culture and execution under pressure. He recounts the challenge of building sustainable performance in a call centre environment—an area often defined by churn, stress, and transactional management. When turnover ran as high as 15–20% per month, the business could still be profitable, but it was unstable and costly. Hill's solution was cultural engineering: building shared purpose, professionalism, and empowerment so the work became meaningful, not merely repetitive. That emphasis on meaning also becomes a decision system. Hill talks about integrity as something employees can only judge through transparency and consistent action—particularly in Japan, where leaders are often physically and symbolically removed. He also flips a common managerial assumption: rather than demanding people "earn trust," he starts by giving trust and uses accountability as the mechanism that sustains it. For cross-cultural leadership, Hill offers a practical warning: Western executives often rush to fill silence, mistaking reflection for disengagement. In Japan, silence is frequently where thinking happens—where consensus-building and informal alignment (nemawashi) begin. The result is a leadership style that prioritises listening, synthesis, and decision clarity—then insists on execution. He frames this through his acronym VICES—vision, integrity, competency, efficiency, and sustained success—designed both as a checklist and a caution against ego. Across startups and conglomerates, Hill's core lesson remains consistent: leadership in Japan is less about charisma and more about building a culture that can perform through highs and lows, while removing obstacles before they poison the system. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Leadership in Japan is shaped by comfort with hierarchy and role clarity, alongside a decision culture that values alignment before action. Japanese teams often expect leaders to manage the social process that precedes execution—consensus, context sharing, and careful calibration of group comfort versus productive discomfort. This dynamic connects closely to nemawashi and the ringi-sho style of organisational agreement, where the "decision" is often the final formal step after substantial informal work has already occurred. Why do global executives struggle? Global executives often struggle because they over-prioritise speed and verbal dominance. Hill cautions against filling silence, which can shut down participation and block honest input. Many leaders focus on getting things done without building the cultural environment that makes execution sustainable. Without that base, teams may comply with processes but withhold emotional commitment—leading to fragile performance and passive resistance. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Hill frames the issue less as risk aversion and more as uncertainty avoidance. Teams may resist actions that feel socially destabilising or poorly aligned, even when the underlying idea is sound. Once buy-in is achieved, however, Japanese teams can "absolutely over-perform," because commitment becomes collective and execution standards rise. The challenge is that alignment requires patience, credibility, and consistency—especially in environments where leaders rotate every three to five years. What leadership style actually works? The most effective style combines listening with decisiveness. Hill prefers to "set the table," step back to let others mediate, then synthesise and decide. This approach respects group process while maintaining leadership authority. It also supports a healthier culture: shared purpose, professionalism, empowerment, and clear standards. He emphasises that leaders must "walk the talk," because consistency is the difference between a winning culture and a chaotic one. How can technology help? Hill points to major media and technology shifts—digital TV, mobile, and smartphones—as forces that reshape business models. In leadership terms, technology can support decision intelligence by improving visibility into performance, customer sentiment, and operational bottlenecks. Tools such as digital twins, predictive analytics, and structured feedback loops can help leaders stress-test decisions before rollout, reducing uncertainty and accelerating alignment without undermining consensus. Does language proficiency matter? Language matters, but Hill's emphasis is more on behaviour than fluency. Leaders must demonstrate engagement beyond the inner circle, show curiosity about everyday work, and build trust through presence. Practical actions—wandering the organisation, listening to frontline voices, and respecting the social dance of decision-making—often matter as much as linguistic sophistication. Cultural literacy is the real multiplier. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? Hill's ultimate lesson is that culture drives sustained performance. Start with trust, listen first, and build shared purpose so employees believe their work matters. Then be unflinching about obstacles: identify cultural "cancers" and remove them quickly and publicly, because the organisation already knows who they are. Finally, celebrate small wins to reduce fear of mistakes and to keep momentum alive—sustained success comes from maintaining morale and standards through both gains and setbacks. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

O Curupira foi incorporado ao folclore brasileiro e foi transformado em personagem de histórias infantis, filmes e séries. Recentemente, se tornou mascote da COP-30, a conferência internacional da Organização das Nações Unidas sobre mudanças climáticas, que em 2025 foi realizada pela primeira vez no Brasil, em Belém do Pará. Mas para os povos da floresta ele é muito mais que um mito. Você vai descobrir curiosidades sobre esse personagem nesse episódio que foi idealizado e produzido por Juliana Vicentini, revisado por Mayra Trinca e editado por Yama Chiodi.  ____________________ Roteiro Juliana: Se você entrar na floresta e ouvir um assobio, fique atento, você não está sozinho. É o Curupira, o guardião da natureza. Ele defende a mata e os animais daqueles que invadem, desmatam, caçam ou exploram o meio ambiente sem necessidade. O Curupira nasceu na cultura dos povos indígenas e continua vivo por meio da oralidade e da memória que se perpetua de geração em geração. Para os indígenas, ele é uma entidade, um espírito protetor da floresta e dos seres vivos. Mas durante o processo de colonização, o Curupira foi distorcido e sofreu tentativas de apagamento. Ele resistiu a isso e saiu do seu habitat natural para ganhar o Brasil e o mundo. O Curupira foi incorporado ao folclore brasileiro e foi transformado em personagem de histórias infantis, filmes e séries. Recentemente, se tornou mascote da COP-30, a conferência internacional da Organização das Nações Unidas sobre mudanças climáticas, que em 2025 foi realizada pela primeira vez no Brasil, em Belém do Pará.  Juliana: Nesse episódio, nós faremos uma viagem para entendermos o Curupira. Nossa trilha começa pela perspectiva de quem cresceu ouvindo sobre ele não como uma lenda, mas como uma presença viva e protetora da natureza. Ao longo do nosso caminho, pesquisadores e jornalistas nos conduzem nessa jornada, nos revelando camadas que passam pela linguística, história e colonialidade, apresentando a trajetória do Curupira desde uma figura ancestral até a sua chegada como símbolo da COP30. Essa viagem nos ajuda a compreender o Curupira como um símbolo potente de resistência cultural, de decolonialidade e de sustentabilidade.  Juliana: Eu sou a Juliana Vicentini, esse é o podcast Oxigênio e o episódio de hoje é o “Curupira: da floresta à COP30”. [vinheta] Juliana: Algumas histórias não são ensinadas em aulas, não são vistas em livros, vídeos e fotografias. Elas são compartilhadas na convivência entre as pessoas, no chão da floresta, em meio ao som das águas e pássaros, e até mesmo ao redor de uma fogueira. Tem histórias que não são apenas lúdicas, mas que fazem parte da vida, da memória e do território e que pulsam no coração das pessoas com um significado especial.  Juliana: No Brasil, há 391 etnias indígenas, segundo o Censo do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística de 2022. E cada povo indígena tem suas próprias entidades que protegem a natureza. O Curupira é um desses seres e ainda assim, suas características nem sempre são contadas da mesma maneira por todos os povos.  Juliana: Hoje nós vamos ouvir alguém que cresceu entre a aldeia e a escola e que carrega histórias que quase não se contam no povo Suruí atualmente — histórias guardadas, íntimas, que vêm do vínculo com o pai e com o território. Maribgasotor Suruí: Não é um ser mitológico, não é um ser assim, de livro de história, né? Mas é verdadeiro. Nós acreditamos no Curupira. Juliana: Maribgasotor Suruí é estudante de Direito na Universidade Federal de Rondônia. Ele pertence a etnia Suruí, da terra indígena Sete de Setembro, localizada nos estados de Rondônia e Mato Grosso.  Maribgasotor Suruí: Eu cresci no meio disso, alguém falando disso, já faz parte do meu convívio, da minha cultura, do meu sangue, inclusive eu tenho curiosidades, tem isso também, um dia a ver, né? Mas como meu pai mesmo fala que não é qualquer pessoa que vê, e é um privilégio um dia, né? Hoje em dia, no Suruí, ninguém conta muito, ninguém pergunta muito, ninguém tem essa história que nós estamos falando. Eu e meu pai somos muito íntimos, né e  desde pequenos, somos uma pessoa muito curioso. Eu saí muito cedo de casa, eu estudei com a escola internato, escola agrícola, eu estudei em São Paulo, né? Eu tenho esse conhecimento, essa mistura de duas culturas diferentes. Eu sempre tive curiosidade com meu pai contar isso para mim, não é todos que querem saber, né? Porque hoje em dia, como eu falo, a evangelização chegou né, junto com os contatos e isso tirou a sensibilidade, a tradição, é como a gente descreve no direito indígena, como se fosse etnocídio. Juliana: A própria palavra Curupira carrega em si muito da história desse ser com os povos indígenas. Quem explica para a gente é o Thomas Finbow da Universidade de São Paulo, onde é professor de linguística histórica, área que investiga como as línguas evoluem.  Thomas: Curupira é uma palavra que vem do tupi, especificamente a fase que a gente conhece como tupi antigo, que seria aproximadamente do período entre 1500 e o final do século 17. E tupi é uma língua que era falada no litoral do que é o atual Brasil e é falada por várias nações indígenas. Esse é uma língua tupi guarani, que é um ramo de uma grande família linguística, família tupi, que tem 10 ramos e essas línguas estão localizadas desde Rondônia, dentro do Brasil, e atravessando a Amazônia, historicamente também no litoral e também existem na Guiana Francesa, no Peru, na Colômbia, na Venezuela, na Argentina, também na Bolívia, então é uma família muito muito dispersa geograficamente. Atualmente não tem mais falantes nativos dessa língua tupi, mas existem vários projetos entre os grupos descendentes das nações falantes de tupi, então os potiguara, na Paraíba, no Rio Grande do Norte, os tupinambás na Bahia, os tupiniquins no Espírito Santo que estão trabalhando para revitalizar essa língua. Juliana: Quando a gente tenta entender a origem de uma palavra indígena, nem sempre encontra uma resposta única e Curupira é um exemplo de ambiguidades. O Thomas explicou que a palavra pode ter alguns significados, mas que nem sempre eles batem com as histórias que conhecemos.  Thomas: Curupira parece ter um item coru e pira como se comenta, então, mas o problema exatamente é de interpretar o que que seriam essa parte de coru. Coru significa uma pele com bolhas, como uma pele de sapo, com uma pele irregular, então isso é uma possibilidade para esta raiz e pira é uma raiz. Pira significa pele. Que é curioso porque isso não é uma característica que se comenta do Curupira. Tradicionalmente hoje, se fala de pele vermelho, de ter os pés virados para trás, de ter o corpo pequeno etc. Então é curioso, talvez isso pode levantar hipótese de que isso não seja exatamente o significado desses raízes e tem alguma coisa que se perdeu em termos da construção da palavra, na transição entre o tupi e o português. Juliana: Temos outras explicações possíveis pra essa palavra então? Thomas: Eu também vi tentativas de explicar essa palavra Curupira usando a palavra kurumin, ou seja, menino, em tupi é kunumin. Esse raiz piir poderia ser uma interpretação da palavra para corpo. Isso também é algo que se vê na língua geral amazônica, no Yengatu, que pira hoje não tem o significado de pele. E aí seria uma tentativa de dizer que é um homemzinho, uma estatura pequena, baixa do Curupira. Então, poderia ser corpo de menino, em tupi, o possuidor vem primeiro como em inglês e a coisa possuída vem depois. A gente sabe que é um conceito antigo, parece que é algo pré-colonial, pré-europeu, porque os primeiros registros já no século XVI mencionam esse nome, Curupira. Então, não parece ser alguma coisa que tenha saído da cabeça dos europeus. E as pessoas que registravam os termos eram pessoas que conheciam o tupi antigo muito bem. É pouco provável que eles tenham errado muito no registro do nome também. Mas eles não explicam o que significa. Juliana: Assim como é difícil estabelecer um consenso sobre o significado da palavra Curupira, também não há unanimidade quanto à sua descrição. O Curupira é representado de diversas maneiras e suas características físicas ilustram o seu papel como o guardião da floresta e dos animais. A Januária Cristina Alves, que é jornalista, escritora, pesquisadora da cultura popular e apaixonada pelo folclore brasileiro nos dá detalhes sobre isso.  Januária: Ele é um menino, dizem que ele raramente anda sozinho, né, ele anda sempre ao lado de uma companheira, tem hora que ele aparece com um só olho no meio da testa, né, com um nariz bem pontudo. Em outras descrições, ele não tem nem nariz, ele não tem nenhum buraco, nenhum orifício no corpo. Ele tem dentes verdes, em algumas regiões, em outras, os dentes são azuis. Ele muitas vezes aparece careca, outras vezes bastante cabeludo. Em algumas ocasiões descrevem com orelhas enormes, sem articulações nas pernas. Mas de qualquer maneira, ele é sempre visto como uma entidade muito forte, que anda virado, com os pés virados para trás, exatamente para confundir as pessoas que tentam persegui-lo, que vão seguir a pista errada. Juliana: Afinal de contas, por que a gente se depara com tantas descrições físicas diferentes do Curupira, Januária? Januária: Na verdade, não é exclusivo do Curupira, não, a Caipora também é assim. Por serem parte da tradição oral, suas histórias correm de boca em boca, quem conta um conto, aumenta um ponto, é assim que diz o ditado popular. Então, de fato, essa narrativa oral vai permitindo com que as pessoas muitas vezes esqueçam um ponto ou acrescentem alguma outra característica e com isso a gente vai reunindo diferentes versões, muitas vezes o nome do personagem muda também, mas as suas características principais, a sua essência, ela é mantida. Então, no caso do Curupira, é verdade, ele aparece em diferentes versões, dependendo da região, da época, né? Mas, no geral, a gente sabe que ele é aquele menino que tem basicamente os pés virados para trás. Juliana: Independentemente das características físicas do Curupira, o que é unânime nas cosmologias indígenas é que ele ensina que a convivência entre os seres humanos e a natureza deve ser respeitosa e quando isso não acontece, o Curupira desaprova, não é mesmo Maribgasotor? Maribgasotor Suruí: Normalmente os caçadores, mata o bicho por hobby, deixa o animal padecendo no mato, ele não gosta. Até com nós que é índio que faz essas coisas, que nasceu dentro do mato, ele já não gosta, imagina com as pessoas que faz destruição com o habitat dele. Ele não tem limite, ele está em todo lugar e inclusive não pode falar muito o nome dele, né? Porque ele é um ser que devemos respeitar.  Juliana: Luís da Câmara Cascudo, em seu livro intitulado Geografia dos Mitos Brasileiros, detalha que a personalidade do Curupira varia segundo as circunstâncias e o comportamento dos frequentadores da floresta. Basicamente, o Curupira não gosta de quem desrespeita o meio ambiente e acaba punindo essas pessoas, por isso, nem sempre ele visto com bons olhos. A Januária conta mais sobre isso  Januária: Ele é o protetor da floresta, né, e muitas vezes, de fato, ele não é politicamente correto. Ele tem lá as leis dele. Por exemplo, um caçador que mate uma fêmea grávida, ele não vai perdoar. Ele vai matar. Muitas vezes, até por isso, ele foi tido como demônio da floresta, principalmente com a chegada dos jesuítas, que tentaram catequisar os índios e tal. A figura do Curupira foi bastante associada ao mal, ao demônio. Ele costuma fazer acordos, né, em troca de bebida, comida, presente. E ele gosta de confundir, né, as pessoas. Então ele passa informações erradas. Ele indica o caminho confuso, faz as pessoas buscarem coisas que ele oferece lá e não tem nada, né. Enfim, mas de qualquer jeito, ele não aceita que ninguém mate por gosto, sem necessidade. Ele se torna mesmo um inimigo implacável. Então, essa é a personalidade do Curupira. Ele é implacável na defesa da natureza. Juliana: O Curupira utiliza algumas estratégias para proteger a floresta e os animais. Ele é um ser muito ágil, o que faz com que ele ande de um lugar para o outro  na mata muito rapidamente. Também é conhecido pelos assobios, gritos e outros barulhos que usa  para desorientar invasores e pelos rastros deixados por seus pés virados, que é considerado um artifício poderoso para confundir sua direção. Mas afinal de contas, Januária, o que mais o Curupira é capaz de fazer? Ele tem poderes? Januária: Ele mesmo consegue se disfarçar em caça, por exemplo, num bicho,  para fugir dos caçadores. Mas o caçador nunca consegue pegá-lo, né. Ele é bom de se disfarçar, ele é bom de disfarçar os caminhos. O pé virado para trás facilita, mas ele de qualquer maneira faz com que o caçador se perca na floresta, no meio dos labirintos. Então, muitas vezes o caçador fica perdido sem nunca conseguir sair de lá, porque o Curupira faz esses caminhos muito confusos. Então, na verdade, não é um super-poder, mas é, sobretudo, uma convicção de que para proteger a floresta, os animais, ele é capaz de tudo. Dizem que ele tem um assobio muito alto e muito estridente. E ele anda em muitas regiões montado num porco do mato. E aí atrás dele sempre vem uma manada também dos porcos do mato. E muitas vezes também vem cachorro selvagem. Ele gosta dos cachorros. Ele é um ente muito ligado à questão da caça. E muitas vezes dizem também que ele consegue saber se vai ter tempestades, se vai ter essas intempéries grandes na natureza, porque ele bate no tronco da árvore dependendo do barulho que faz ele consegue saber se vai chover ou não, por exemplo. E ele também faz vários barulhos. E os caçadores que tentam segui-lo por meio dos barulhos acabam se confundindo. Porque são barulhos que os caçadores não têm condição de identificar. Enfim, mas ele não é um super-herói.   Juliana: Dá pra perceber que o Curupira é ardiloso e tem uma série de truques pra proteger a floresta e quem vive nela, mas afinal de contas, qual é a origem do Curupira e qual foi o primeiro registro que descreveu esse ser, Januária? Januária: A figura do Curupira tá mais ligada mesmo aos indígenas, inclusive o primeiro registro é uma descrição que o padre José de Anchieta faz na carta, onde ele descreve as coisas naturais da Capitania de São Vicente, ele já fala do Curupira. Então ele é fortemente ligado à mitologia indígena. Então, a gente não tem muita dúvida e ele é encontrado, suas histórias, suas tradições no Brasil inteiro. Juliana: A Carta de São Vicente foi escrita em 1560 pelo jesuíta José de Anchieta. Esse tipo de registro era uma mistura de relatório e observação do território brasileiro pelo olhar europeu e cristão. O objetivo dessa carta em específico era descrever a natureza, os habitantes e a cultura indígena. Quem conta para gente como o Curupira foi interpretado e materializado nesses escritos é a Gracinéia dos Santos Araújo. Ela é tradutora, escritora, professora universitária e docente de Espanhol na Faculdade de Letras da Universidade Federal do Pará. Ela atua sob uma perspectiva decolonial piracêmica-emancipatória que reivindica o protagonismo dos mitos e lendas de maneira geral. Gracinéia: A gente precisa retroceder no espaço, no tempo, e lembrar que com a chegada da empresa colonizadora, ao que se chamou Novo Mundo, entre aspas, né, a história dos nossos mitos, mitos autóctones, foi marcada pela demonização. Seres encantados como Curupira e muitos outros foram relegados à condição de demônio, isso foi o que registrou, por exemplo, o Jesuíta Espanhol, Jesuíta de Anchieta. Evidentemente não foi apenas a Anchieta quem o demonizou, porque outros letrados, cronistas da época, ou não, também o fizeram, bem como nos lembra o folclorista Luís da Câmara Cascudo. Juliana: A maneira de os jesuítas explicarem o que viam onde hoje é o Brasil, é marcada pela oposição entre o divino e o demoníaco. Na ausência de um meio-termo e na tentativa de afastar os indígenas de suas crenças, toda figura que não fosse divina, na percepção dos europeus, era demoníaca e, consequentemente, maligna. O Curupira foi o primeiro, mas não o único, a passar por esse processo.   Gracinéia: Cascudo destaca, que Curupira foi o primeiro duende selvagem que a mão branca do colonizador europeu fixou em papel e deu a conhecer além das nossas fronteiras e o fez precisamente por meio de uma espécie de certidão de batismo que escreveu na referida carta de São Vicente. Para o colonizador europeu, nesse caso, o José de Anchieta, o Curupira foi visto como um ser temível, um ser meramente do mal, totalmente a contracorrente da perspectiva nativa em relação a este ser encantado. Juliana: O Thomas detalha como o José de Anchieta usou as características de defensor da mata do Curupira pra transformar ele nesse ser que engana as pessoas  de um jeito puramente maldoso no lugar do personagem complexo que ele é. Thomas Finbow: Na segunda metade do século 16, ele menciona a existência de tipos, vou lhe descrever como demônios na visão cristã dele, para que maltratavam indígenas em certas situações, quando ele podia levar eles a se perder nas matas, até acidentes, a sofrer lesões corporais que açoitavam as pessoas, aí as pessoas deixavam oferendas em determinados lugares na floresta para esses demônios. Juliana: Mais pra frente na história, nos registros dos naturalistas e viajantes do século XIX, o Curupira não era descrito como o protetor das florestas. Nos contos escritos a partir do olhar estrangeiro nesse período, ele  retoma a figura ambígua: ora ajuda as pessoas, ora as persegue. O Thomas fala mais sobre isso. Thomas: Por exemplo, Barbosa Rodrigues, um botânico importante, ele tem toda uma série de contos sobre o Curupira, de aventuras nas florestas, que às vezes ajuda, às vezes atrapalha as pessoas, muitas vezes é o caçador que precisa escapar do Curupira. Ele simplesmente é o Curupira que conversa com os seres humanos, mas pode ajudar dando flechas mágicas, por exemplo, que sempre acertam a caça, ou pode querer comer as pessoas também. Então, assim, ele oscila, ele não tem uma característica apenas boa ou ruim. São entidades, seres, habitantes das matas que são um aspecto dos perigos da mata, que as pessoas que circulam precisam lidar e precisam se prevenir contra esses seres. Então, assim, teve essas versões que mostram certos atributos dos Curupiras e essa visão que temos hoje é muito adaptada pelos contos transmitidos pelo século XIX. A nossa imagem do Curupira atualmente é uma coisa composta, que é feita de várias tradições que existiam desde tempos muito antigos em diversos lugares do Brasil, mas todos relacionados mais ou menos com essas figuras da cosmovisão dos povos tupi-guarani principalmente. Juliana: O significado do Curupira depende de quem conta a sua história, por isso, um dia ele já foi demônio, mas continua sendo o protetor da floresta. Essas interpretações diferentes nos revelam mais sobre as pessoas do que o próprio Curupira. Quem nos ajuda a entender isso é a Gracinéia.  Gracinéia: Com o contato linguístico e cultural, resultante do processo de colonização, estendeu-se a ideia do Curupira como um demônio, porque a ideologia predominante dogmática foi a ideologia eurocêntrica dogmática que viu o mito apenas como um demônio, mas para os povos nativos da floresta, o Curupira não é e nunca foi um demônio, mas o pai ou mãe da mata, um ser encantado, que se tem muito respeito, se obedece, porque sabe que como pai da mata, ele a protege, e evidentemente vai defendê-la dos possíveis invasores e dos perigos que põem em jogo a vida dos seus habitantes. Daí que aplique inclusive castigos exemplares, mas mesmo assim, quem padece desses castigos exemplares, não considera como demônio, e reconhece muitas vezes que foi pela sua atitude inapropriada para com a mãe natureza.  Juliana: Parte da transformação do Curupira em demônio também passa pelo projeto de exploração de recursos naturais que se baseava a colonização portuguesa por aqui. Destruir a imagem do protetor da floresta facilitava isso. Gracinéia: Não podemos esquecer que o principal objetivo da empresa colonizadora foi explorar nossas matérias primas e por outro lado, impor ao colonizado, o seu modo de vida e tudo o que isso implicou, a língua, a religião, a guerra etc. os seus mitos, né? Mas, tamanha é a valia de Curupira, que ele ou ela, porque é um ser multifacetário, o Curupira ou a Curupira, sobrevive até os nossos dias e continua igualmente mencionado, dosando o seu valor real. Para o nativo não houve um antes e depois do mito Curupira. Os estudos mais atuais têm nos revelados que para os habitantes da Amazônia, nativos ou forâneos, Curupira é pai ou mãe da mata e isso não resta dúvida.  Juliana: Quando o Curupira é compreendido a partir de versões diferentes, a gente começa a refletir que não se trata apenas de leituras distintas, mas que há disputas sobre memória, cultura e poder. Podemos pensar que esse processo de demonização do Curupira foi uma tentativa de apagamento cultural. A visão eurocêntrica estava se sobrepondo ao simbolismo indígena, como disse a Gracinéia.   Gracinéia: Eu acredito, sem dúvidas, né, que com a chegada do colonizador europeu, não apenas mitos como Curupira sofreram uma tentativa de apagamento, mas muitos povos e culturas milenárias, culturas originárias em uma dimensão ampla, foram apagadas, muitas delas exterminadas. Cabe destacar que muitos povos foram, inclusive, dizimados, e com eles desapareceram línguas, desapareceram culturas, e tudo o que isso implica, né, como seus mitos e as suas lendas. Foram sim seus mitos, porque os mitos também morrem, precisa a gente destacar isso. Então, é importante destacar, por outro lado, que muitos povos ainda resistem também, mas vivem sufocados e condenados a desaparecer, agonizando, junto com os seus mitos, com os mitos que ainda restam, e essa é uma das consequências funestas do processo de colonização, que ainda perdura até os nossos dias.  Juliana: A tentativa de apagamento do Curupira, e consequentemente, da cultura dos povos indígenas, é uma herança colonial, mas que não ficou no passado. No presente, há outros elementos que contribuem para silenciar o Curupira?  Gracinéia: Há outros fatores igualmente impactantes, como podem ser os avanços tecnológicos, a televisão, a internet, entre outros, que exercem uma evidente influência, uma vez que sem pedir licença acabam impondo novas formas de vida, novos mitos também. O Ailton Krenak no seu livro “Futuro Ancestral”, destaca e denuncia que querem silenciar, inclusive, nossos seres encantados, de que forma isso ocorre? Acredito eu, que uma vez que nós destruímos as matas, estamos silenciando os nossos encantados, porque estamos destruindo o seu habitat, então, uma vez que não há floresta, evidentemente os mitos desaparecem. Então, isso vem ocorrendo desde a chegada do colonizador europeu. Criaturas fantásticas como Curupira, que é parte da floresta como é o sol, as águas, a terra etc., se funde, se confunde com a realidade, assumindo um papel de guardião da floresta, tudo que ela habita, sendo uma espécie de protetor da própria vida no planeta.  Juliana: A fala da Gracinéia mostra como o processo de apagamento da cultura indígena segue em curso. Ainda assim, o Curupira ainda tem forças e permanece como guardião da floresta.  Gracinéia: Apesar de tudo, muitos seres encantados da floresta conseguem sobreviver, como é o caso do Curupira, e outros mitos né, que sobrevivem, embora a duras penas, sem que a civilização entre aspas e progresso, tenham conseguido acabar com eles. Isso é o fato de um progresso científico e tecnológico não conseguirem tranquilizarem os nossos medos, ou seja, os frutos desse progresso ainda estão longe de acalmar os medos ancestrais de homens e mulheres. Curupira é um ser que faz parte da idiossincrasia dos povos originários e se manteve vivo pelo papel que representa como pai ou mãe da mata, né, do mato. Juliana: Manter o Curupira vivo no século XXI é uma forma de honrar e valorizar a cultura indígena e a importância desses povos na preservação da natureza e no enfrentamento à crise climática. Então, faz sentido que essas histórias se mantenham por outro elemento muito importante da cultura originária: a oralidade e as histórias contadas de geração em geração. Quem compartilha conosco a sua perspectiva sobre isso é o Maribgasotor: Maribgasotor Suruí: A melhor estratégia para manter essa história, é falar para as crianças que é verdade, não é conto de história, que esse ser existe. Outro dia eu estava pensando sobre isso, que poderia ser mais pesquisado, mais na área acadêmica, na base da cultura, dar mais valor, reconhecer mais, não visto como um mito, uma história, mas como uma coisa verdadeira. Juliana: O Curupira tem circulado para além das florestas e ganhou o Brasil. Ele está presente em livros, poemas, filmes e séries. Isso se deve em parte a ele ser um dos integrantes do nosso folclore. Quem nos conta quando foi isso é a Januária.  Januária: É muito difícil a gente demarcar quando foi que isso aconteceu. Os indígenas foram preservando as suas tradições também oralmente. Então, a gente entende que é uma coisa natural, né? Que essas histórias que os indígenas foram contando, os seus cultos, as suas tradições, foram também se imbricando com a nossa cultura, a ponto de integrarem nosso folclore, serem quase que uma coisa só. Mas, de qualquer maneira, é muito importante deixar claro que mesmo sendo uma figura folclórica, não existe desrespeito, né, à figura do Curupira. Muito pelo contrário, né? Ele é muito respeitado exatamente por ser um protetor da natureza. Juliana: Januária, a essência indígena do Curupira se manteve no folclore brasileiro?   Januária: Basicamente ele se manteve tal como os indígenas o descreviam, né, tanto fisicamente como de personalidade, o que prova exatamente isso, que houve uma mistura. As histórias se amalgamaram do culto religioso para as tradições populares. Como é muito comum de acontecer com diversos personagens do folclore brasileiro. Juliana: O Curupira que já é conhecido no Brasil – seja como um ente da cultura indígena, integrante do folclore brasileiro ou personagem infantil – ganhou projeção internacional. Ele foi escolhido para ser o mascote da COP30. Segundo o comunicado oficial, disponível no site cop30.br Simone: o “Curupira reforça a relação da identidade brasileira com a natureza”. Juliana: Maribgasotor Suruí fala sobre as suas impressões a respeito de quem escolheu o uso do Curupira como símbolo da conferência sobre clima. Maribgasotor Suruí: Espero que essa pessoa tenha mesmo compreensão, tenha o mesmo respeito que eu tenho por ele, não por brincadeira, não por marketing, não por nada. Espero que essa pessoa esteja pedindo a permissão dele, dos seres espirituais. Um evento desse daí, desse nível, né, é um apelo, um grito, e espero que as pessoas compreendam isso, que para falar de Curupira, não é qualquer um, e como se fosse falar de uma religião, que você fala de uma ideia e uma filosofia de vida, não é só apenas um Curupira, uma filosofia de vida que a pessoa vai levar. Por isso, é uma honra falar isso para você, o que é tão significado que esse ser tem para nós, e eu estou muito orgulhoso por falar do meu irmão. Juliana: O Curupira como mascote da COP30 é uma maneira de fortalecer a cultura indígena e de reforçar a necessidade de respeito à natureza. Quem detalha isso pra gente é a Gracinéia.  Gracinéia: Depois de muitos anos, de muitos séculos de invisibilização do modo de vida dos povos originários, considerados primitivos, muitos séculos de apagamento das suas tradições, das suas crenças, de chamá-los de gente sem Deus e sem alma, selvagens indígenas de tutela do colonizador europeu, dar protagonismo para um ser mítico ancestral e próprio das culturas nativas, como é o caso do Curupira em um evento com uma COP30 é sem dúvida, uma forma muito acertada de reconhecimento também, e de certa reparação histórica, uma reparação histórica e cultural, para com os nossos antepassados indígenas e as suas crenças, as suas tradições. Os povos indígenas, é bem sabido, mantém uma relação estrutural com a natureza.  Juliana: A realização da COP30 acontece para que a sociedade como um todo e em todo o mundo discutam ações para o enfrentamento do aquecimento global. Isso significa que vivemos um cenário de crise climática e que entes como o Curupira se tornam ainda mais relevantes nesse contexto,  não é mesmo, Gracinéia? Gracinéia: Insisto que dar protagonismo a seres encantados como Curupira é mais do que importante, é muito necessário. É um compromisso moral e ético que todos deveríamos assumir se queremos continuar sobrevivendo no planeta. Aqui eu falo desde o lugar que eu ocupo como docentes do contexto amazônico e do contexto amazônico, especialmente pelo papel que representa o mito como o protetor da floresta.  Juliana: Isso não significa se ver preso a um modo de vida do passado ou pensar na mata como uma espécie de paraíso perdido… Gracinéia: Mas de olhar e agir para um futuro de maneira circular, ter de encontro nosso passado para entender o nosso presente, e conviver com a natureza de maneira mais respeitosa sem degradação. É precisamente isso que nos ensina o mito Curupira, com o uso responsável dos recursos naturais que significa claramente extrair da natureza apenas o que precisamos para sobreviver, sem avareza, sem devorá-la. Nesse sentido, colocar de releio figuras tão relevantes como Curupira, é sem dúvidas o anúncio de um recomeço, de respeito de ressignificar a nossa relação com a natureza e tudo o que ela nos aporta. Juliana: O combate à crise climática deve ir além da ciência e da tecnologia. É preciso integrar as culturas originárias e tradicionais que são detentoras de saberes profundos sobre a natureza. O Curupira, como o guardião da floresta, é um ser capaz de conectar esses conhecimentos diversos rumo a sustentabilidade planetária, Gracinéia?  Gracinéia: Curupira, sem dúvida, pode ajudar a conectar a cultura, ciência e espiritualidade na luta climática, né. Porque temos em conta que o Curupira não é um simples adorno da floresta. O Curupira é uma lei reguladora da própria vida no planeta, em uma dimensão ampla, porque permite, de certo modo, que siga havendo vida na Terra. O Curupira é essa lei que nos exige que redimensionemos a nossa forma de viver e nos relacionar com a natureza.  Juliana: O modo de vida trazido pelos europeus durante a colonização nos afastou dessa conexão com a terra e com a natureza. Mas os muitos povos indígenas que resistem no Brasil ainda protegem essa herança e podem nos ensinar a ter uma outra relação com o ambiente que nos cerca. Gracinéia: No mundo amazônico, ao longo de séculos e séculos, a relação do ser humano com a Terra era de estreita sintonia, de evidência e dependência, uma dependência harmoniosa. Nessa relação, surge a ciência ancestral como geradora de cultura, geradora de vida abundante, fecunda. No entanto, hoje em dia não é assim. Estamos atordoados. O grande problema da ruptura da relação com a Terra é evidente. Não existe uma espiritualidade com a Terra, com o rio, com a floresta. Porque essa relação com a natureza está se tornando cada vez mais distante. Está havendo uma total ruptura do contato com a Terra, porque a Terra é vista como algo sujo, nos lembra Krenak. Algo que as crianças não podem pisar descalça porque a Terra suja o pé. Essa é uma espécie de mantra que tem se repetido especialmente no contexto das cidades, no contexto dos mais urbanizados ou mais urbanos. Daí que reivindicamos a espiritualidade indígena no contato com a Terra, com a água, com a natureza, em uma dimensão ampla de respeito e de cuidado, mas também de desfrute, de deleite. Isso demonstra que a espiritualidade mantém uma relação estreita com a ciência e vice-versa, porque a ciência é parte da cotidianidade da vida. Juliana: O Curupira com seus pés virado para trás nos ensina que é preciso olharmos para o passado e para a relação de nossos ancestrais com a natureza, para que possamos seguir para o futuro na construção de um mundo mais justo, ético e sustentável.  Juliana: Nossa viagem pelo universo do Curupira chega ao fim. Registramos nossos agradecimentos à Maribgasotor Suruí, Thomas Finbow, Januária Cristina Alves e Gracinéia dos Santos Araújo pelas contribuições valiosas e gentis. Pesquisas, entrevistas e roteiro foram feitas por mim, Juliana Vicentini, e narração do podcast é minha e da Simone Pallone, a revisão do roteiro foi realizada por Mayra Trinca e a edição foi de Yama Chiodi.  A trilha sonora é do Pixabay. A imagem é do acervo do Freepik. O Oxigênio é um podcast vinculado ao Laboratório de Estudos Avançados em Jornalismo (LABJOR) da UNICAMP. Segue a gente nas redes sociais, curte, comenta e compartilha. Até a próxima! Tchau. 

The Five-Phase Sales Solution Cadence: Facts, Benefits, Applications, Evidence, Trial Close When you've done proper discovery—asked loads of questions about where the buyer is now and where they want to be—you earn the right to propose a solution. But here's the kicker: sometimes the right move is to walk away. If you force a partial or wrong-fit solution, you might "grab the dough" short-term, but you'll torch trust and reputation—the two assets that don't come back easily.  Below is a search-friendly, buyer-proof cadence you can run in any market—**Japan vs **United States, SME vs enterprise, B2B services vs SaaS—especially post-pandemic when procurement teams want clarity, proof, and outcomes, not fluffy feature parades. How do you know if your solution genuinely fits the buyer (and when should you walk away)? You know it fits when you can map your solution to their stated outcomes—and prove it—without twisting the facts. If the buyer needs an outcome you can't deliver, the ethical (and commercially smart) play is: "We can't help you with that." In 2024–2026, buyers are savvier and more risk-aware. They'll check reviews, ask peers, and sanity-test claims through AI search tools and internal stakeholder scrutiny. In high-trust cultures (including Japan) and high-compliance industries (finance, health, critical infrastructure), a wrong-fit sale becomes a reputational boomerang. The deal closes once; the story travels forever. Do now: Write a one-page "fit test": buyer outcomes → your capability → evidence. If any outcome can't be supported, qualify out fast.  What does "facts" mean in a modern B2B sales conversation? Facts are the provable mechanics—features, specs, process steps, constraints—and the proof that they work. Facts aren't the goal; they're the credibility scaffolding. Salespeople often drown here: endless micro-detail, endless Q&A, endless spreadsheets. Yes, analytical buyers (engineering-led firms, CFO-led committees) will pull you into the weeds—but remember: they aren't buying the process. They're buying the outcome from the process. Bring facts that de-risk the decision: implementation timelines, security posture (SOC 2/ISO), uptime/SLA history, integration limits, and measurable performance benchmarks. Then move on before you get stuck. Do now: Prepare a "facts pack" with 5–7 proof points (not 57 features). Use it to earn trust, then pivot to outcomes.  How do you turn features into benefits buyers will actually pay for? Benefits are the "so what"—the measurable results the buyer gets because the feature exists. If you can't link a feature to an outcome, it's just trivia. A weight, colour, dimension, workflow, dashboard, or AI model is not valuable by itself. It becomes valuable when it improves a KPI: reduced cycle time, fewer defects, higher conversion, lower churn, faster onboarding, better safety, tighter compliance. This is where classic sales thinking still holds up—think **SPIN Selling and the buyer's implied needs: pain, impact, and value. In a tight 2025 budget environment, "nice-to-have" benefits die quickly; "must-have" outcomes survive. Do now: For every top feature, write one sentence: "This enables ___, which improves ___ by ___ within ___ days." If you can't fill the blanks, drop the feature from your pitch.  What is the "application of benefits" and how do you make it real inside their business? Application is where benefits turn into daily operational reality—what changes in workflow, decisions, and results.This is the "rubber meets the road" layer. Don't just say "we improve productivity." Show where it lands: which meetings get shorter, which approvals disappear, which roles stop firefighting, which customers get served faster, which errors are prevented, and what leaders see weekly on dashboards. Compare contexts: a startup may care about speed and cash runway; a multinational may care about governance, change management, and multi-region rollouts. A consumer business might chase conversion and NPS; a B2B industrial firm might chase downtime reduction and safety incidents. Do now: Build a simple "Before → After" map for their week: processes eliminated, expanded, improved—and who owns each change.  What counts as credible evidence (and what "proof" actually convinces buyers)? Credible evidence is specific, comparable, and close to the buyer's reality—same industry, similar scale, similar constraints. "Trust me" is not evidence. Bring proof that survives scrutiny: reference customers, quantified case studies, independent reviews, pilot results, and implementation artefacts (plans, timelines, adoption metrics). The closer the comparison company is to the buyer, the more persuasive it becomes. This is also where storytelling matters: not hype—narrative. Who was involved? What went wrong? What changed? What were the numbers before and after? Analysts like **Gartner or **Forrester can help with category credibility, but a near-peer success story usually seals confidence. Do now: Collect 3 "mirror case studies" (similar buyer profiles) and write them as short stories: problem → actions → results → lessons.  How do you do a trial close without sounding pushy or sleazy? A trial close is a simple comprehension-and-comfort check that invites objections early—before you ask for the order. Done right, it's calm, not clingy. After you've walked through facts → benefits → application → evidence, ask: "How does that sound so far?" Then shut up. Silence is a tool. If they raise objections, good—interest is alive, and you can add pinpoint proof. If they say nothing (or go vague), start worrying: they may have already mentally deleted you as an option. This is the moment to clarify, re-anchor to outcomes, and confirm next steps in the sales cycle. Do now: Use one trial close per phase. Treat objections as data, not drama, and log them into your CRM as themes to address.  Conclusion: the cadence that keeps you credible and gets you paid This five-phase cadence works because it respects how adults buy: they need proof, relevance, and a clear path from "today" to "better." Keep the sequence tight—facts, then benefits, then application, then evidence, then a trial close—and you'll avoid the two killers of modern selling: feature-dumps and wishful thinking.  Author credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results.  He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

"First thing I'd say is do it… just throw yourself into it."  "Spend the first ninety days getting to know the people… listening… before acting."  "Communication here is more high context… there's a lot of reading between the lines."  "Trust is doing what you say you would do."  "A leader is someone who takes a strategy and a vision breaks that down into habits… and empowers people to execute."  Grant Torrens is an Australian recruitment leader and long-tenured Hays executive who became Managing Director of Hays Japan after a two-decade, multi-country journey with the firm. He joined Hays in London in 2006 through its graduate program—initially as a jobseeker who "fell into recruitment" like many in the industry—working a demanding hedge-fund desk in the City. After navigating the Global Financial Crisis, he took a career break to travel across Southeast Asia, where a short visit to colleagues in Singapore turned into a relocation, leveraging Hays' global internal mobility and his transferable financial-services recruitment expertise. ] Years later, he was offered the Japan role—but COVID-era border restrictions meant he effectively "ran Japan from Singapore" for about 15 months, relying heavily on his Japan leadership team and building data-driven management systems to lead remotely. When he finally relocated to Tokyo, he focused on deep listening, high-clarity communication, and change management—while guiding Hays Japan through a strategic shift toward stronger service for Nikkei clients and hiring more Japanese nationals, including team members who don't work in English.  Grant Torrens' leadership story is built on three threads: global mobility, remote-first problem solving under pressure, and culture-building at the intersection of Hays' global norms and Japan's high-context communication. He joined Hays "by accident" in London—starting in financial services at a moment when the City rewarded performance and speed, then learning to survive and adapt through the post-2008 shock. The early lesson that carries forward is pragmatic: when conditions change, your approach must pivot too. That mindset shows up repeatedly in his later Japan leadership—especially when COVID delayed his physical move and forced him to lead Japan from outside the country. During that "remote with a capital R" period, Torrens deliberately upgraded the mechanics of decision-making: he turned raw sales and activity data into usable management information, taught himself Excel at a much higher level, and used those insights to create sharper, more useful conversations over video calls. It's a very modern leadership move, but grounded in a classic idea: if you can't rely on presence, you rely on clarity—data clarity, expectation clarity, and communication clarity.  Once on the ground in Japan, his operating principle remained "listen first." He emphasizes that many leaders arrive, see processes that look "wrong," and try to replace them with headquarters logic—only to discover later those practices existed to serve customers and local realities. His antidote is explicit: spend the first ~90 days learning, not executing change. In Japan specifically, he adds two important nuances: (1) communication tends to be high-context—direct bluntness that feels "normal" in Australia/UK can land badly in Japan, and (2) trust is tightly linked to process—nemawashi and broad involvement matter, even if it slows decisions compared to London-style speed. On culture, Torrens frames "Grant culture" as mostly aligned with Hays culture after 20 years inside the firm—but he still sees leadership latitude inside the umbrellas of global standards and Japanese expectations. His chosen lever is change: he wants a culture where change is less feared and more celebrated. That includes giving people "permission" to try, treating mistakes as learning data (especially early), avoiding public blame, and celebrating wins so innovation feels worth the effort. He also highlights the practical friction of language and meaning: even company values can translate oddly, so global messaging must be adapted carefully to remain faithful—especially as Hays Japan expands its Nikkei-facing business and hires more Japanese-only speakers.  Q&A Summary Why did you choose recruitment—and how did Japan happen? Recruitment wasn't the plan; it was an opportunity in London when he was unemployed and out of options. Japan was always in the background (he studied Japanese), but Singapore became the stepping stone because it was an easy transition into Asia—English-speaking, same company, and the financial services sector was transferable.  How did you lead Japan while stuck in Singapore during COVID? Two pillars: a supportive Asia boss and a strong Japan management team. Personally, he built better reporting/insight systems—turning "raw data" into actionable information—so he could manage outcomes without relying on physical visibility.  How do you build trust in Japan? He treats trust as universal but harder-won in Japan if you ignore high-context communication and consensus processes. Practically: reciprocate trust, be fair, do what you say you'll do, and follow verbal messages with written confirmation to reduce misunderstanding—especially across language boundaries.  How do you get bottom-up ideas in a high-context culture? He uses second-level (and broader) conversations—while explicitly asking permission and explaining intent so it doesn't feel like bypassing managers. The goal is pattern recognition: common themes that reveal what the organization should improve, not "who said what about whom."  What advice would you give a leader moving to Japan? Do it (don't overthink yourself into regret). Then: listen before acting (including to customers), communicate with extra clarity (avoid slang/idioms), and intentionally build a culture where change is normal and safe—because the organization will look different in 3–10 years no matter what.  Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts multiple weekly podcasts and YouTube shows, including Japan's Top Business Interviews.

Performance appraisals are one of the hardest jobs in leadership because they affect promotions, bonuses, bigger responsibilities — and sometimes who gets shown the door. That's why both sides of the table get tense: employees feel judged, and bosses often feel like they're being asked to play "merchant of doom" inside a system they may not even agree with.  Why do performance appraisals feel so stressful for both bosses and employees? Performance appraisals feel stressful because the stakes are real and the conversation is deeply personal. When someone's pay, promotion prospects, or continued employment is on the line, even good performers can get nervous — and many managers get uncomfortable delivering blunt feedback. This stress spikes in different ways across contexts. In Japan and other high-harmony cultures, managers may avoid direct critique and staff may read between the lines, which can leave the "real message" unspoken. In the US and parts of Europe, the feedback can be more direct, but the legal and HR risk can make leaders cautious and scripted. In multinationals, calibration meetings (HR, department heads, regional heads) add pressure; in SMEs, it's often the owner-manager doing it without any training. Do now: Treat the appraisal as a leadership skill — prepare like you would for a major client pitch.  Is forced ranking and "bottom 10%" performance appraisal still a problem? Forced ranking creates fear and politics because someone must lose by design, even if the team is solid. Leaders hate those meetings where everyone is plotted on a bell curve and the "bottom group" becomes a target — not always because they're hopeless, but because the organisation needs a number to cut.  Historically, forced ranking got popular in big corporate systems (the GE/Jack Welch era still gets cited), but it can backfire in modern work where collaboration is the productivity engine. In a startup, a forced curve can be absurd because every role is critical and teams are tiny. In a Japanese corporate setting, it can feel especially brutal because loyalty is valued, and the manager becomes the "executioner" of a process they may see as flawed. Do now: If your organisation calibrates on a curve, focus your energy on clear standards and documented evidence — not defending by emotion.  What is the RAVE framework for doing performance appraisals properly? RAVE is a simple formula that makes appraisals clearer, fairer, and more future-focused: Review, Analyse, Vision, Encourage.  "Review" anchors the discussion in the role's results description and the "should be" standard, instead of vibes. "Analyse" looks at the "as is" reality using the person's monthly project list and key business elements — where they're strong, where they're short, and why. "Vision" shifts the conversation forward: what does future success look like, what gaps must close, and what support is needed? "Encourage" prevents the classic failure mode where the meeting demotivates the person; the leader's communication style decides whether the employee leaves engaged or defeated. Do now: Write R-A-V-E at the top of your prep notes and build the meeting around those four moves.  How do you "Review" performance results without drowning in subjective judgement? You review performance by starting with the "should be" standard and tying feedback to observable results. When roles are numbers-heavy (sales targets, margin, project delivery dates, customer retention), the "ideal outcomes" are usually obvious. The danger zone is qualitative work — leadership, teamwork, judgment, communication — where managers slip into the fog of opinion. That's where you need standards: specific behaviours, clear expectations, and real examples. In a multinational, this might mean competency frameworks and leadership models; in an SME, it can be a simple scorecard with defined behaviours. In Japan, be careful of over-relying on "effort" or "attitude" as a proxy for results; in the US, be careful of over-relying on numbers without context (territory, market conditions, team dependencies). Do now: Bring three examples: one win, one gap, one pattern — all tied to the role standard.  How do you "Analyse" monthly projects and decide if it's a performance issue or a role-fit issue? You analyse performance by comparing the person's "as is" output to the "should be" goals and asking whether the job matches their capacity.  This is the tough leadership fork in the road: is the person in the right role, and can they realistically meet the level the organisation needs? If they're falling short, the next decision is not moral — it's practical. Sometimes you can redesign the job, move them into a better fit, or coach the missing capability. Other times, the gap is too large and the organisation will replace them with someone more capable. That doesn't make them "bad"; it means the requirements outgrew them. Do now: Identify the root cause: skill gap, will gap, role mismatch, resource constraints, or unclear standards — then choose the right fix.  How do you create "Vision" and "Encourage" so the appraisal motivates rather than crushes them? You motivate by being frank about gaps while painting a believable path forward — and then encouraging effort toward that future.  "Vision" answers: what does success look like next year, what growth is required, and what time/energy/resources must be committed? It also tackles an awkward truth: some bosses fear developing staff because they worry their subordinate will replace them. The smarter view is succession builds your reputation — organisations promote leaders who produce leaders.  "Encourage" is where many managers fail. They do the backward-looking critique, but they don't set up the future in a way that energises the employee. Because appraisals happen only a few times a year, skill doesn't build naturally — preparation must compensate. Do now: End the meeting with a clear 90-day plan: one improvement focus, one support action from you, one measurable outcome.  Conclusion Performance appraisals don't have to feel like judgement day. When you anchor the review in clear standards, analyse real work, set a forward vision, and encourage the person properly, the meeting becomes a leadership tool — not a trauma event. RAVE is a simple, repeatable structure that helps you avoid subjectivity, reduce fear, and lift performance with clarity and humanity.  Quick next steps for leaders Prepare with RAVE: Review → Analyse → Vision → Encourage.  Bring evidence: standards, examples, patterns, and project outcomes.  Decide the real issue: capability, role fit, resources, or clarity.  Finish with a 90-day forward plan and weekly check-ins.  FAQs Should managers do appraisals more than once a year? Yes — frequent check-ins reduce surprise and make the annual review smoother. What's the biggest mistake in appraisal meetings? Talking only about the past and failing to create a motivating future plan.  How do you reduce subjectivity? Use clear standards plus specific examples linked to the role's "should be."  Author credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

"Don't be the loud foreigner who just says we do this and this and this." "It's okay to make mistakes if you identify them, if you learn from them in the future." "If you have an open mind, just listen first." "You cannot spend enough time on just talking and communicating with people." "For me, right now a leader is somebody who helps employees to achieve the potential, their mission." Beat Kraehenmann is a Swiss-born electrical engineer who moved to Japan to change the trajectory of his life and immerse himself in Asia. After studying at a technical university and working in network engineering at Swiss Railways, he relocated to Japan independently, began full-time language study, and built early career momentum through contract roles before securing permanent employment as a network engineer. A long-time university friend working at Levitronix connected him to the company when the Swiss headquarters needed someone who could bridge Japan and Switzerland across language, culture, and technical detail. He joined Levitronix Japan around twelve and a half years ago and became Managing Director roughly a year later—his first formal management role. Under his leadership, the organisation expanded from four people in one location to a thirteen-person team spread across five offices (from Tokyo through Ogaki, Kyoto, Fukuoka and Kumamoto), supporting demanding customers in semiconductor and life sciences manufacturing with magnetic levitation pump technology designed to reduce particle contamination in ultra-fine production environments. Beat Kraehenmann leads Levitronix Japan at the intersection of Swiss engineering precision, Japan's uncompromising quality expectations, and the realities of scaling a specialist business across multiple regional offices. Levitronix is a Swiss company producing fluid control devices—especially pumps for semiconductor manufacturing and life science production—where particle avoidance is mission-critical. As chip structures push deeper into nanometre ranges, even microscopic contamination can become catastrophic, and the firm's magnetic levitation approach is positioned as a practical advantage in an industry that prizes stability and repeatability. Kraehenmann's leadership story begins with a deliberate personal disruption: he chose Japan because it felt safe enough to navigate while still offering a gateway to broader Asia, and he committed to language learning on the ground. That same pattern—commit, learn, adapt—shapes his approach as Managing Director. He describes leadership less as command-and-control and more as enabling others: providing the means, information, and training so employees can succeed without dependency on him. In Japan, where consensus-building (nemawashi, ringi-sho) and uncertainty avoidance often influence decision velocity, he emphasises communication discipline: listening, checking understanding, and creating the time to align—especially across non-native English environments where misunderstandings compound quickly. He also frames long-term commitment as a trust accelerator, both for customers and for employees: staying power matters in Japan, and reliability is read as intent. A defining cultural bridge in his management is psychological safety around learning. Levitronix's stance that mistakes are acceptable when identified and learned from runs counter to "no defect" instincts that can dominate Japanese quality mindsets. Kraehenmann doesn't dismiss that instinct; instead, he contextualises it with real-world examples of fast growth, supplier constraints, and even customer admissions that quality issues are a daily struggle. The message is not "mistakes don't matter," but "learning matters more than denial"—a practical compromise that maintains credibility with Japanese expectations while keeping a smaller, faster-moving organisation functional. As the company expanded geographically, he encountered the classic distributed-team problem: "frogs in wells" with limited visibility into each other's context. His solution is deliberately flexible—more meetings when communication gaps appear, fewer when the system stabilises—paired with careful hiring for autonomy. He also differentiates customer engagement from template-driven "Japanese" presentations, pushing teams to stand out through demonstrations and tactile proof, while still respecting relationship norms. And while AI dominates headlines, he notes semiconductor's conservatism: innovation must serve stable mass manufacturing, not disrupt it for fashion—though decision intelligence, digital twins, and data-driven reliability will increasingly shape how suppliers prove value without threatening uptime. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Leadership in Japan is shaped by long-term orientation, relationship continuity, and high expectations for reliability. Consensus processes (nemawashi, ringi-sho) can be invisible to outsiders yet decisive in outcomes, and leaders must work with cultural uncertainty avoidance rather than against it. For Kraehenmann, the practical implication is time: time to listen, time to confirm understanding, and time to build trust through consistent behaviour. Why do global executives struggle? Many global executives arrive expecting headquarters logic to translate directly, then get frustrated by different rhythms of decision-making, communication, and customer expectations. Kraehenmann's warning is straightforward: don't arrive as "the loud foreigner." Respect is conveyed through curiosity, patience, and willingness to adapt the approach to local reality—especially before trying to "fix" anything. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Japan often appears risk-averse because the cost of defects is treated as existential, particularly in high-precision industries. But Kraehenmann frames the nuance: once trust exists and the learning story is clear, improvement is expected and experimentation is possible. Risk is not rejected; it is managed through process, narrative clarity, and demonstrated commitment to not repeating errors. What leadership style actually works? A credible, team-embedded style works: being "part of the team," leading from the front, and doing whatever needs doing. Kraehenmann positions himself as a counsellor and mentor—helping employees prepare, equipping them with case studies, training, and presentation skills—rather than obsessing over targets and directives. This balances authority with approachability and reinforces "same boat" solidarity. How can technology help? Technology helps when it improves stability and learning without threatening continuity. In conservative manufacturing environments, tools that support reliability—analytics, decision intelligence, simulation, and digital twins—tend to be more acceptable than disruptive experimentation. AI may have value, but only when it strengthens repeatability, quality, and uptime rather than becoming a buzzword project. Does language proficiency matter? Yes, because language is trust and speed. Kraehenmann notes that multilingual environments are often "non-native on both sides," which increases misunderstanding risk. Investing time in communication—speaking, listening, re-checking meaning—matters as much as vocabulary. Japanese proficiency also improves daily work enjoyment and strengthens customer and employee rapport, even if fluency takes years. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? The ultimate lesson is enabling others: leadership is helping employees fulfil their potential and mission, and doing the quiet work of communication and trust-building that makes that possible. In Japan, that means commitment, humility, and consistent follow-through—paired with a learning mindset that treats mistakes as data, not shame. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

When an organisation has lots of moving parts, coordination becomes a competitive advantage. Divisional rivalries, egos, "not invented here," and personal competition can quietly shred performance, while external shocks—regulatory changes, competitor M&A, natural disasters, and market movements—keep landing on your desk. The leader's job is to create solid alignment between what the company needs and what individuals actually do every day.  What is performance alignment and why does it matter in 2025-era organisations? Performance alignment is the tight fit between company direction and individual behaviour so the business operates like one smooth machine. Without alignment, internal friction beats you before the market does—teams compete instead of coordinate, priorities conflict, and effort gets wasted on "busy work" that looks active but doesn't move results. In post-pandemic business (2020–2025), this got harder: hybrid work increased miscommunication, supply chains became less predictable, and regulation shifts plus competitor consolidation raised complexity. In Japan, alignment can be strong once decisions land, but slower if consensus and cross-division coordination drags. In the US, execution can be fast, but priorities can splinter if each function runs its own agenda. In multinationals, the "moving parts" problem is amplified; in SMEs, a single misalignment can derail the whole plan. Do now: Write the one-line "main game" for this quarter and check every team goal against it.  How do vision and mission create alignment across divisions and teams? Vision and mission align performance by clarifying where you're going and what you will (and won't) do to get there. Vision is the window to a brighter future and the goals for where you want to be—and there's usually a macro company vision plus a unit-level vision that translates strategy into local execution. When teams can "juxtapose" their contribution to the enterprise vision, motivation rises because people can see how their work matters. Mission then adds operational clarity by defining purpose and boundaries, preventing scattergun activity. This is where big organisations often win: leaders at firms like Toyota or Unilever typically cascade strategy into unit-level execution targets; startups do it faster, but sometimes leave it implicit, which can cause drift as the company scales. Do now: Rewrite your unit vision in one sentence that shows exactly how it supports the enterprise vision.  How do shared values drive engagement and commitment (especially across cultures)? Shared values align performance because they act as the cultural glue that keeps behaviour consistent under pressure. Values aren't posters—they're the rules of the road for how decisions get made, how conflict gets handled, and what "good" looks like when nobody is watching. The hard truth is the personal value spectrum is extremely varied, so alignment doesn't happen by accident. Leaders have to make values explicit, visible, and reinforced through recognition and consequences. In Japan, values often support harmony and consistency, but can also discourage constructive challenge if not balanced. In the US, values may champion individual initiative, but can turn into silos if each team's "value" becomes their private religion. In both contexts, values determine whether people truly commit or just comply. Do now: Pick 3 values and define the observable behaviours that prove each one in meetings, customer work, and decision-making.  What is a position goal and how does it motivate teams to perform? A position goal aligns performance by giving teams a clear competitive target: where do we want to rank? That could mean market share dominance, profitability leadership, or rapid growth—inside your industry, sector, or even within your own global organisation. This is powerful because many teams feel isolated and assume their work doesn't make much difference. A visible ranking goal (top ten by revenue, number one in customer retention, highest NPS in the region) turns effort into identity and recognition. In large enterprises, position goals can be highly motivating because teams can see how they compare globally. In SMEs, position goals should be chosen carefully—too grand and they feel fake; too small and they don't inspire. Consumer sectors may chase share; B2B may prioritise margin and renewal stability. Do now: Choose one position goal for 2026 and define the single metric that proves it.  How do KRAs, standards, and activities translate strategy into daily execution? KRAs, standards, and activities align performance by turning "strategy" into measurable work that gets done consistently. Key Result Areas (KRAs) identify where results must be achieved and what matters most; constant measurement and broadcasting keeps focus. Performance standards then create objectivity—use frameworks like SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-specific) so everyone knows what "good" looks like. Finally, required activities must directly produce the desired outcomes; otherwise, you collect "barnacles" of superfluous tasks that slow the ship. In Japan, standards can be strong and consistent, but activity lists can grow bloated if nobody challenges legacy tasks. In the US, activity can be energetic, but standards can vary if not enforced. Do now: List your top 3 KRAs, define one standard for each, and delete one "busy work" activity that doesn't support them.  How do skills audits and results reviews keep alignment strong over time? Skills and results close the alignment loop by ensuring the team can perform—and learning whether the system worked. A skills audit tells you if the team has the capacity to achieve the goals, what training/coaching is required, and whether you need new talent. The article notes that changing personnel can be difficult and expensive in Japan, which makes skill-building and coaching even more critical. Results then answer the leadership questions: did we achieve what we set out to do, what was the quality, and what did we learn? Even failure can be a learning experience that makes the next cycle stronger. Startups can iterate faster with shorter review loops; multinationals may need quarterly or annual alignment reviews, but should still build in regular check-ins. Do now: Run a quarterly skills audit + results review: capability gaps, coaching plan, and 3 lessons to apply next quarter.  Conclusion Performance alignment is not "soft culture work"—it's a hard business system that prevents friction, wasted effort, and internal competition from destroying results. The eight elements—vision/mission, values, position goal, KRAs, standards, activities, skills, and results—work like a checklist leaders can use to keep the main game in sight, even when emergencies and meltdowns try to hijack attention.  Next steps for leaders and executives Re-state the unit vision and mission in execution language.  Choose one position goal and one proving metric.  Set KRAs + standards, then strip out "barnacle" activities.  Audit skills and lock in coaching or hiring actions.  Author credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動okasu" Rīdā).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

When an organisation has lots of moving parts, coordination becomes a competitive advantage. Divisional rivalries, egos, "not invented here," and personal competition can quietly shred performance, while external shocks—regulatory changes, competitor M&A, natural disasters, and market movements—keep landing on your desk. The leader's job is to create solid alignment between what the company needs and what individuals actually do every day.  What is performance alignment and why does it matter in 2025-era organisations? Performance alignment is the tight fit between company direction and individual behaviour so the business operates like one smooth machine. Without alignment, internal friction beats you before the market does—teams compete instead of coordinate, priorities conflict, and effort gets wasted on "busy work" that looks active but doesn't move results. In post-pandemic business (2020–2025), this got harder: hybrid work increased miscommunication, supply chains became less predictable, and regulation shifts plus competitor consolidation raised complexity. In Japan, alignment can be strong once decisions land, but slower if consensus and cross-division coordination drags. In the US, execution can be fast, but priorities can splinter if each function runs its own agenda. In multinationals, the "moving parts" problem is amplified; in SMEs, a single misalignment can derail the whole plan. Do now: Write the one-line "main game" for this quarter and check every team goal against it.  How do vision and mission create alignment across divisions and teams? Vision and mission align performance by clarifying where you're going and what you will (and won't) do to get there. Vision is the window to a brighter future and the goals for where you want to be—and there's usually a macro company vision plus a unit-level vision that translates strategy into local execution. When teams can "juxtapose" their contribution to the enterprise vision, motivation rises because people can see how their work matters. Mission then adds operational clarity by defining purpose and boundaries, preventing scattergun activity. This is where big organisations often win: leaders at firms like Toyota or Unilever typically cascade strategy into unit-level execution targets; startups do it faster, but sometimes leave it implicit, which can cause drift as the company scales. Do now: Rewrite your unit vision in one sentence that shows exactly how it supports the enterprise vision.  How do shared values drive engagement and commitment (especially across cultures)? Shared values align performance because they act as the cultural glue that keeps behaviour consistent under pressure. Values aren't posters—they're the rules of the road for how decisions get made, how conflict gets handled, and what "good" looks like when nobody is watching. The hard truth is the personal value spectrum is extremely varied, so alignment doesn't happen by accident. Leaders have to make values explicit, visible, and reinforced through recognition and consequences. In Japan, values often support harmony and consistency, but can also discourage constructive challenge if not balanced. In the US, values may champion individual initiative, but can turn into silos if each team's "value" becomes their private religion. In both contexts, values determine whether people truly commit or just comply. Do now: Pick 3 values and define the observable behaviours that prove each one in meetings, customer work, and decision-making.  What is a position goal and how does it motivate teams to perform? A position goal aligns performance by giving teams a clear competitive target: where do we want to rank? That could mean market share dominance, profitability leadership, or rapid growth—inside your industry, sector, or even within your own global organisation. This is powerful because many teams feel isolated and assume their work doesn't make much difference. A visible ranking goal (top ten by revenue, number one in customer retention, highest NPS in the region) turns effort into identity and recognition. In large enterprises, position goals can be highly motivating because teams can see how they compare globally. In SMEs, position goals should be chosen carefully—too grand and they feel fake; too small and they don't inspire. Consumer sectors may chase share; B2B may prioritise margin and renewal stability. Do now: Choose one position goal for 2026 and define the single metric that proves it.  How do KRAs, standards, and activities translate strategy into daily execution? KRAs, standards, and activities align performance by turning "strategy" into measurable work that gets done consistently. Key Result Areas (KRAs) identify where results must be achieved and what matters most; constant measurement and broadcasting keeps focus. Performance standards then create objectivity—use frameworks like SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-specific) so everyone knows what "good" looks like. Finally, required activities must directly produce the desired outcomes; otherwise, you collect "barnacles" of superfluous tasks that slow the ship. In Japan, standards can be strong and consistent, but activity lists can grow bloated if nobody challenges legacy tasks. In the US, activity can be energetic, but standards can vary if not enforced. Do now: List your top 3 KRAs, define one standard for each, and delete one "busy work" activity that doesn't support them.  How do skills audits and results reviews keep alignment strong over time? Skills and results close the alignment loop by ensuring the team can perform—and learning whether the system worked. A skills audit tells you if the team has the capacity to achieve the goals, what training/coaching is required, and whether you need new talent. The article notes that changing personnel can be difficult and expensive in Japan, which makes skill-building and coaching even more critical. Results then answer the leadership questions: did we achieve what we set out to do, what was the quality, and what did we learn? Even failure can be a learning experience that makes the next cycle stronger. Startups can iterate faster with shorter review loops; multinationals may need quarterly or annual alignment reviews, but should still build in regular check-ins. Do now: Run a quarterly skills audit + results review: capability gaps, coaching plan, and 3 lessons to apply next quarter.  Conclusion Performance alignment is not "soft culture work"—it's a hard business system that prevents friction, wasted effort, and internal competition from destroying results. The eight elements—vision/mission, values, position goal, KRAs, standards, activities, skills, and results—work like a checklist leaders can use to keep the main game in sight, even when emergencies and meltdowns try to hijack attention.  Next steps for leaders and executives Re-state the unit vision and mission in execution language.  Choose one position goal and one proving metric.  Set KRAs + standards, then strip out "barnacle" activities.  Audit skills and lock in coaching or hiring actions.  Author credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動okasu" Rīdā).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

"If we can sell it in Japan, we can sell it also in other countries." "The first thing I believe is honesty, especially in difficult situations." "The word "musukashi" is not allowed anymore in our company." "When an engineer is working at the customer and he cannot solve the problem… even if time is up, he would not walk away." "You need to give them… a safety rope." Joerg Bauer is the Representative Director of Heidelberg Japan, leading a business that provides industrial printing and packaging solutions across software, machinery, and consumables. Trained in electronics and data processing, he joined Heidelberg early and built his career at the intersection of engineering, customer service, and operational transformation. He first came to Japan as a young engineer—curious about Japanese manufacturing and culture—and expected a three-to-five-year stint that became a decade. After returning to Germany for several years, he relocated again to Japan in 2008 and has remained since, spending the majority of his professional life in-country. Over nearly four decades with Heidelberg (including his student period), Bauer progressed from technical roles to sales support, then into major integration work as a project manager during corporate merger and SAP rollout, later becoming IT business manager. Back in Japan, he led initiatives such as introducing an online shop for consumables—initially resisted internally as "not possible in Japan"—before moving through service leadership and sales leadership. In November 2019, he became the top executive in Japan, drawing on long-term relationships, practical bilingual experience, and a clear view of how global standards must be delivered through local Japanese expectations. Heidelberg is not a desktop-printer brand; it is an industrial backbone for companies producing packaging, books, and brochures—machines that can stretch 30–40 metres, weigh dozens of tonnes, and require deep integration of mechanics, electronics, and software workflows from PDF to professional output. In Japan, where customer expectations for precision and service are famously demanding, Joerg Bauer describes the market as a proving ground: if a solution succeeds here, it can succeed almost anywhere. That mindset shapes not just product quality, but operating tempo—such as rapid call-back expectations and a service culture that must feel uncompromisingly Japanese to the customer. Bauer's leadership story is inseparable from cultural translation. He sees genuine overlap between German and Japanese monozukuri—high-precision engineering and pride in build quality—yet emphasises that working methods diverge. In his view, Japanese competitors historically excelled by targeting operators' pain points and incrementally automating "the hardest parts" of a process. Heidelberg's approach leaned more holistic, sometimes slower, aiming for a unified system rather than a patchwork of quick fixes. That contrast becomes a leadership lesson: Japan often rewards kaizen and immediate usability, while global headquarters may prioritise system architecture and standardisation. The leader's job is to bridge both without triggering organisational paralysis. He also treats Japan's "zero defect" instinct as both strength and tension. Perfection is culturally persuasive, but defining "perfect" is complex—especially in areas like colour, where human perception varies and measurement systems (LAB values) can create a more rational definition of quality. Bauer frames this as an executive's communication challenge: aligning printing companies, their clients, and internal teams around what quality means in measurable terms, without dismissing the cultural preference for flawless outcomes. Internally, he is candid about the real constraint: uncertainty avoidance. When teams say "muzukashii," they often mean risk, status loss, channel conflict, or fear of being linked to failure. His response is practical: find early adopters, run controlled trials, protect participants from reputational downside, and then scale what works. As the top executive since 2019, he anchors trust in honesty—especially during difficult periods involving financial pressure and restructuring—while resisting the temptation to hide behind "Japan is different" as an excuse. For Bauer, effective leadership in Japan is not softness; it is clarity, preparation (nemawashi), and a consistent safety rope that makes innovation feel survivable. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Leadership in Japan is uniquely shaped by consensus-building, nemawashi, and a deep preference for harmony that reduces surprises. Bauer's experience suggests that outcomes improve when stakeholders are aligned before formal decisions—similar to ringi-sho logic—because it lowers execution risk and face-loss. The practical implication is that leaders must invest earlier in communication, even when it feels like "over-communication" to global executives. Why do global executives struggle? Bauer highlights isolation as a core failure mode: arriving as president without language, relationships, or a trusted internal power base leaves leaders cut off from the real data and informal context. Teams may answer only what is asked, not what is relevant. Without the ability to ask precise questions—and verify through multiple sources—leaders can drift off-track while believing they are informed. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Bauer treats "risk aversion" as uncertainty avoidance rather than laziness. "Muzukashii" often signals fear of failure, channel conflict, or reputational cost. The workaround is not motivational speeches; it is risk design: small pilots, visible executive sponsorship, and protection for participants. In decision intelligence terms, leaders must reduce perceived downside, increase clarity, and make learning safe. What leadership style actually works? His emphasis is direct: honesty in difficult situations, plus a clear rationale for change. He can be "very German" in being frank and direct, but he pairs that with structured buy-in and visible modelling of how to communicate with headquarters. He argues that near the customer, the organisation must behave Japanese—language, documents, yen-based business norms—while headquarters discussions sometimes require unusually direct boundary-setting. How can technology help? In Bauer's domain, technology is not abstract transformation theatre; it is operational leverage. Software workflows, automation, measurement standards (such as colour metrics), and modern service systems can reduce ambiguity and speed decisions. Applied well, digital twins and predictive maintenance concepts can also shift service from reactive "fix it now" pressure to planned reliability—supporting both customer expectations and internal resource planning. Does language proficiency matter? Bauer implies language is a major accelerator for trust and accuracy. Without Japanese proficiency, leaders rely on interpreters who may lack business judgment, or on English speakers who may not be organisational power players. Language competence improves question quality, speeds nemawashi, and reduces misalignment between intent and interpretation. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? Bauer's core lesson is that leadership is bridge-building under uncertainty: earn trust through honesty, reduce fear with a safety rope, and translate between cultures without letting either side become an excuse. In Japan, sustainable performance comes from combining consensus with clarity—bringing people along while still insisting on profitability, accountability, and forward movement. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

Clients don't need to do anything — and that's the brutal truth every salesperson meets early. If a buyer can stick with the same supplier, or do nothing at all, many will. The only thing that moves them is a felt gap between where they are now and where they want to be, plus a reason to bridge it now, not "sometime later". This piece unpacks how to surface that gap without bruising ego, how to test the buyer's DIY confidence with diplomacy, and how to quantify the pain of inaction so urgency becomes logical and emotional — the kind that actually triggers action. Why don't buyers take action even when they agree there's a problem? Buyers can agree there's a gap and still do nothing, because "no change" is often the lowest-risk option. In B2B and complex services, inaction is a decision: keep the incumbent, keep the budget, keep the politics calm. Post-pandemic (2021–2025), many firms tightened discretionary spend, so "we'll revisit next quarter" became a default script — whether you're selling into a Tokyo conglomerate, a US mid-market SaaS firm, or a European manufacturer. Procurement teams are trained to delay; senior leaders are trained to back their own judgement; and everyone is juggling competing priorities. Your job isn't to force urgency — it's to reframe the cost of waiting so the buyer persuades themselves. That's classic Challenger thinking and it pairs neatly with Dale Carnegie-style respect: tough on the issue, gentle with the person. Mini-summary: Agreement isn't action; urgency comes from reframing risk. Do now: Ask, "What happens if nothing changes by the end of this quarter?" What exactly is the "buyer's gap" in sales — and how do you diagnose it fast? The buyer's gap is the distance between the buyer's current reality and their desired future, measured in outcomes, not opinions. Think of it as a before/after delta: revenue leakage, churn, quality defects, compliance exposure, missed hires, stalled strategy. In Salesforce or HubSpot terms, it's the difference between "pipeline health today" and "forecast reliability we need by FY2026". In SPIN Selling language, it's the implication of the problem, expressed in business impact. Diagnosing it quickly means anchoring in concrete targets (KPIs, SLAs, customer NPS, cycle time, cost-to-serve) and a timeframe (this quarter, next six months, before a product launch). Compare contexts: Japanese decision-making often needs broader internal alignment; US teams may move faster but demand ROI proof; both still require clarity on what "better" looks like and what "staying put" costs. Mini-summary: A gap you can't measure becomes a gap you can't sell. Do now: Get the buyer to state one KPI and one deadline they'll be judged on. How do you test a buyer's DIY confidence without insulting them? You don't tell leaders they're wrong — you ask questions that let them discover the limits of "we can do it ourselves". Most executives have strong self-belief. If you attack it, you'll trigger defensiveness and stall the deal. Instead, use diplomatic, diagnostic questions that probe resourcing, capability, and trade-offs: "Who owns this internally?", "What will they stop doing to make time?", "What's the plan if your top performer leaves?", "How will you measure progress in 30 days?" That's subtle pressure, not arrogance. It's also psychologically smart: people trust conclusions they reach themselves (behavioural science 101, think Kahneman). In Japan, where saving face matters, this matters even more; in startups, the risk is overconfidence and bandwidth collapse. Your goal is respectful doubt — enough to show that DIY has hidden costs and timelines. Mini-summary: Self-persuasion beats salesperson persuasion. Do now: Ask, "What would have to be true for DIY to work on time — and what usually gets in the way?" How do you create urgency without sounding manipulative or desperate? Urgency isn't hype — it's a credible timeline tied to consequences the buyer already cares about. Manipulative urgency ("discount ends Friday") works in low-stakes retail; it backfires in enterprise sales. What works is a shared clock: contract renewals, regulatory deadlines, board reviews, hiring cycles, seasonal demand, or tech deprecation. As of 2025, AI and cyber risk conversations have made timelines sharper — but buyers still resist if the consequence is fuzzy. So you build urgency with cause and effect: "If implementation slips past March, your Q2 launch misses the marketing window", or "If churn stays at 12% for another two quarters, CAC payback blows out". Use comparative framing: multinationals have bureaucracy delays; SMEs have cashflow risk; both suffer when waiting compounds losses. Mini-summary: Real urgency is timeline + consequence, not theatre. Do now: Co-create a milestone plan and ask, "What breaks if we miss this date?" How do you quantify the cost of inaction when you don't have all the numbers? You don't need perfect data — you need credible ranges and the right questions to surface the buyer's own numbers. Opportunity cost sounds theoretical until you attach it to money, time, and risk. Start with what you can observe: volume, conversion, defect rate, cycle time, average deal size, staff turnover. Then use ranges: "If delays cost you 1–3 deals a month, what's that in gross margin?" or "If rework is 5–10% of project hours, what's that in payroll dollars?" Gartner and Forrester-style ROI thinking isn't about precision; it's about decision clarity. In heavily engineered sectors (manufacturing, logistics), buyers often have better operational metrics than they realise; in professional services, time-to-value is your lever. The key is to make the buyer feel the leakage with concrete estimates. Mini-summary: Concrete ranges create felt pain; vague talk creates procrastination. Do now: Build a simple "cost of waiting" calculator with the buyer in the meeting. What should sales leaders coach teams to do now to close the buyer's gap? Coach your team to run "gap conversations" that are respectful, evidence-based, and relentlessly action-oriented. This is not about being aggressive; it's about being professionally brave. Train reps to (1) diagnose the gap in one sentence, (2) test DIY assumptions with diplomacy, (3) quantify inaction in ranges, and (4) land a clear next step with a date. Role-play implication questions, not product pitches. Use call reviews to check whether reps anchored to a deadline and KPIs. Bring in frameworks: SPIN for problem/implication, Challenger for reframe, Dale Carnegie for relationship, MEDDICC for qualification discipline. In Japan, coach patience and consensus mapping; in the US, coach ROI and speed; across both, coach "action now" language that still feels respectful: "What would make it reasonable to start in the next 30 days?" Mini-summary: Skills, not slogans, create urgency. Do now: Add one KPI, one deadline, and one implication question to every discovery call script. Conclusion Most prospects won't move just because you're enthusiastic, or because your solution is objectively good. They move when the gap is real, measurable, and emotionally felt — and when they accept that DIY is riskier than it sounds. Your best persuasion isn't a monologue; it's a sequence of smart questions that lead the buyer to persuade themselves. Next steps for leaders Audit discovery calls for KPI + deadline + implication questions Build a lightweight "cost of delay" worksheet your team can use live Run weekly role-plays on diplomatic DIY-testing questions Align sales and delivery on realistic milestone plans (no fantasy timelines) Hold reps accountable to scheduling the next action with a date Author Bio Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan.

"The purpose of my business is not only bake and sell, because we are introducing… culture or food habits of France to the Japanese people." "Japanese people don't buy baguettes because they don't know how to eat it." "After twenty shops, I needed to change my mentality to be the new type leaders." "I have responsibility for the life of the workers." Shu Kimura is the founder of Boulangerie Maison Kayser Japan and a fellow Rotarian. Born into the Kimura family, whose ancestors helped introduce bread-making techniques to Japan via Nagasaki (Dejima) in the 1600s, he chose to build a separate path rather than continue the established family business. He studied law at university, then worked in insurance for six years in market development before deciding to become a baker. He trained in the United States in Kansas, studying wheat science and fermentation chemistry, then worked as a baker at Amy's Bread in New York City. He later went to France to train closely with artisanal baker Eric Kayser living near his home as a private trainee before being invited to become a business partner to bring the brand concept to Japan. Kimura built the company in 2000 and opened the first Japan store in Takanawa in 2001. Over time, he grew the business to dozens of locations across Japan, leading hundreds of employees while navigating Japan's distinctive customer habits, service expectations, and people-management realities. Shu Kimura's leadership story is a case study in translating a food culture—not merely selling a product—into a market with different habits, assumptions, and decision styles. He entered baking after a first career in insurance, then rebuilt himself through technical study of fermentation and wheat science in Kansas, practical craft in New York, and high-intensity apprenticeship in France. That blend of science, craft, and commercial pragmatism shaped how he approached Japan: with conviction about quality, but equal focus on "how to sell" in a society where bread is often treated as a one-hand snack rather than part of a shared table. His early strategic insight was not that Japanese consumers disliked baguettes, but that many simply lacked a usage framework. That is a leadership lesson in market education: changing behaviour requires storytelling, context, and repeated micro-demonstrations. Sampling hundreds of baguette slices daily, Kimura used seasonal moments—Christmas and New Year's gatherings—to help customers discover bread as a centrepiece of hospitality. The result was not incremental improvement but a demand inflection point: the product did not change; the meaning did. As the company expanded, Kimura's definition of leadership evolved in stages: hands-on labour at one to three shops, charisma and founder-driven momentum from four to twenty, and then a deliberate shift from "activist and baker" to architect of systems, accountability, and culture. This transition mirrors a broader Japan leadership truth: scale forces leaders to move from doing to enabling, from individual mastery to organisational capability. Kimura also highlights a practical contrast between European-style top-down authority and Japan's preference for shared understanding and bottom-up execution. Rather than merely issuing task-level directives, he argues that people in Japan need the whole picture first—the total view—before work can be broken into puzzle pieces. This aligns with consensus dynamics such as nemawashi (pre-alignment) and ringi-sho (circulating approval), where clarity of purpose and social alignment can matter as much as speed. In an uncertainty-avoidant environment, trust is built through repeated communication: purpose, targets, role clarity, and recognition systems that show personal growth. Technology appears in his leadership thinking not as novelty, but as operational resilience—sales planning, ordering, loss control, and cross-application data transfer. The strategic point is decision intelligence: reducing waste and stabilising performance through better signals, with the potential to build digital-twin-like visibility into demand, production, and staffing over time. Yet Kimura remains grounded: culture, education, and human motivation are the levers that keep quality consistent across many locations. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Kimura frames Japan as a context where leadership effectiveness depends on shared understanding, not merely authority. He contrasts European "boss is boss" top-down control with a Japanese style that works better when leaders explain the total view of the company first, then break it down into actionable pieces. In practice, that means investing heavily in communication of purpose, targets, and role boundaries—an approach consistent with consensus-building patterns such as nemawashi and ringi-sho. Why do global executives struggle? He implies the struggle often comes from applying familiar command-and-control habits in a market that expects alignment, context, and relationship-based coherence. Leaders who only provide "do this, do that" instructions may fail to create commitment. Without the larger narrative—why the work matters—people drift, and brand consistency erodes across locations. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Kimura's experience suggests "risk-averse" is often a shorthand for "uncertainty-avoidant." The baguette challenge was not fear of trying something new; it was uncertainty about how to use it. When he taught customers how to eat baguette and anchored it to family occasions, behaviour changed rapidly. The leadership implication: reduce uncertainty with education, examples, and social proof. What leadership style actually works? He describes a staged evolution: doer-leader at small scale, charismatic founder at mid-scale, then system-builder after twenty shops. The effective style becomes one of delegation with accountability—pushing responsibility down to store and area leaders while reinforcing philosophy and standards through education. Trust is sustained through fair, frequently improved HR systems that recognise growth and provide future pathways. How can technology help? Kimura points to connected planning for orders and sales, and systems to manage loss control and operational accuracy. He also discusses using systems to support smaller independent bakeries with HR and payroll calculations. This is technology as operational leverage—moving toward decision intelligence and potentially digital twin capabilities—while acknowledging cost constraints and the reality that some AI applications may still be premature. Does language proficiency matter? He treats language as a tool rather than the essence: interpretation can solve comprehension, but the substance of what a leader communicates is decisive. In other words, clarity of message, philosophy, and intent carries more weight than linguistic perfection. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? For Kimura, leadership is responsibility for people's livelihoods: failure affects hundreds of jobs, not just the founder's personal assets. That sense of stewardship drives his focus on communication, education, continuous system improvement, and the creation of a "happy life with bread" shared by bakers, shop staff, and customers alike. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

Doing more, faster, better with less has become the permanent setting in modern business. Post-pandemic, with tighter budgets, higher customer expectations, and AI speeding up competitors, leaders can't rely on "the boss with the whiteboard marker" to magically produce genius ideas on demand. You need a repeatable innovation system that draws out creativity from the whole organisation—especially the people closest to customers. Below is a practical nine-step innovation process leaders can run again and again, so innovation becomes a habit—not a lucky accident.  How do leaders define "success" before trying to innovate? Innovation gets messy fast unless everyone is crystal clear on what "good" looks like. Step One is Visualisation: define the goal, the "should be" case, and what success looks like in concrete terms—customer outcomes, cost, quality, time, risk, or growth. In practice, this is where executives at firms like Toyota or Unilever would translate strategy into a shared target: "Reduce onboarding time from 14 days to 3," or "Increase repeat purchase by 10% in APAC by Q4." Compare that with many SMEs where the goal is vague ("be more innovative") and the team sprints hard in random directions. Do now (mini-summary): Write a one-sentence "should be" target and 3 measurable success indicators (KPI, timeline, customer impact). Align the team before you chase ideas. What's the fastest way to gather the right facts without killing creativity? Great ideas come from great inputs, and Step Two is Fact Finding—collect data before opinions. Leaders should separate "facts" from "feelings" by digging into who/what/when/where/why/how. This is where many organisations discover their measurement systems are weak—or worse, wrong. In the US, you might lean on product analytics, A/B testing, and voice-of-customer tools. In Japan, you'll often combine frontline observation (genba thinking) with structured reporting—useful, but sometimes filtered by hierarchy. Either way, don't judge yet. Just get the evidence: customer complaints, churn reasons, sales cycle delays, defect rates, staff turnover, and time wasted in approvals. Do now (mini-summary): Collect 10 hard facts (numbers, patterns, examples) and 10 "customer voice" quotes. No solutions yet—just reality. How do you frame the real problem so you don't solve the wrong thing? The way you state the problem determines the quality of the ideas you'll get. Step Three is Problem (or Opportunity) Finding: clarify what's actually holding you back, where resources leak, and what success constraints exist. This is harder than it sounds. Ask five people the main problem and you'll get eight opinions—especially in matrixed multinationals or fast-moving startups. Use smart problem framing techniques: "How might we…?", "What's the bottleneck?", "If we fixed one thing this quarter, what would move the needle?" Compare Japan vs the US here: US teams may jump to action quickly; Japan teams may seek consensus early. Both can miss the root cause if the framing is sloppy. Do now (mini-summary): Rewrite your problem three ways: customer-impact, process-bottleneck, and cost-leakage. Pick the clearest, most actionable version. How do you run ideation so the loud people don't crush the good ideas? Step Four is Idea Finding, and the golden rule is: no judgement, chase volume, and do it in silence. This is where most leaders accidentally sabotage innovation—someone blurts an idea, the "bolshie" confident voices start critiquing, and the timid thinkers shut down. Silent idea generation (think brainwriting rather than brainstorming) helps deeper thinkers contribute and reduces status bias—critical in hierarchical cultures and in teams where junior staff defer to seniority. If you want better ideas, ask the people closest to the coal face: new hires, customer support, frontline sales, and the group that best matches your buyers' profile. Often they see problems the C-suite never touches. Do now (mini-summary): Run 10 minutes of silent brainwriting: each person writes 10 ideas. No talking. Then collect and cluster ideas by theme. How do leaders choose the best ideas without politics or "rank wins"? Step Five is Solution Finding—now you're allowed to judge, but you must judge fairly. The risk here is predictable: seniority dominates, juniors defer, and the "easy consensus" becomes a polite rubber stamp. Use a structured selection method: score ideas against agreed criteria (impact, effort, speed, risk, customer value). Borrow from frameworks like Stage-Gate, Lean Startup (testable hypotheses), and even RICE scoring (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort). Compare sectors: in B2B, feasibility and implementation risk often weigh more; in consumer markets, speed and customer delight can dominate. The point is to remove the "who said it" factor. Do now (mini-summary): Build a simple 4-criteria scorecard and rank the top 10 ideas. Make scoring anonymous if hierarchy is distorting decisions. How do you get buy-in and actually execute innovation in the real world? Ideas don't win—execution wins, and Steps Six to Nine turn creativity into results. Step Six is Acceptance Finding: sell the idea internally for time, money, and people. Step Seven is Implementation: define who does what by when, with budget and resources. Step Eight is Follow Up: check progress early so you don't discover the team is zigging when you needed zagging. Step Nine is Evaluation: did it work, was it worth it, and what did we learn? In 2025-era organisations, this is also where AI can help: drafting business cases, mapping risks, creating implementation plans, and summarising learnings—without replacing leadership accountability. Startups might run faster experiments; conglomerates might need governance and change management. Either way, the process keeps you moving. Do now (mini-summary): Assign an owner, set a 30-day milestone, and define the success metric. Review weekly. Capture learnings as you go. Final wrap-up A surprising number of companies still have no shared system for generating ideas—so innovation depends on mood, meetings, or the loudest voice in the room. A repeatable nine-step process creates better ideation, stronger decision-making, and cleaner execution. Run it consistently, and innovation becomes part of your organisational DNA—not a once-a-year workshop. Quick next steps for leaders Pick one business pain point and run Steps 1–4 in a 60-minute session this week. Use silent idea generation to protect the deeper thinkers. Score ideas with a simple rubric to avoid politics. Pilot one idea in 30 days, then evaluate and repeat. FAQs Is brainstorming or brainwriting better for innovation? Brainwriting usually beats brainstorming because it reduces groupthink and status bias. Silent idea generation produces more ideas and more diverse ideas in most teams. How long does the nine-step innovation process take? You can run Steps 1–5 in a half-day and Steps 6–9 over 30–90 days. The timeline depends on complexity, risk, and resources. What if leadership won't support the idea? Treat Step Six like a sales process—build a business case and show trade-offs. If you can't win resources, scale the idea down into a testable pilot.   Author credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

When you present—whether it's a Toyota leadership offsite in Japan, a Canva all-hands in Australia, or a Series A pitch in San Francisco—you don't just need a close. You need two. One to wrap your talk, and one to reclaim the room after Q&A, when the conversation can veer off into the weeds. Why do I need two closes in a presentation? Because Q&A can hijack your final impression, and your final impression is what people remember. You finish your talk, you open the floor, and suddenly you've lost control of the narrative—especially in post-pandemic hybrid sessions (2021–2025) where someone remote drops a left-field question in the chat and the room latches onto it. This is true across contexts: in Japan, a senior person's question can redirect the entire mood; in the US, an assertive audience member can turn Q&A into a debate; in Europe, a compliance or risk angle can dominate the last five minutes. The danger is the final question becomes the "headline" in everyone's mind, not your key message. Do now: Design Close #1 to end the talk, and Close #2 to overwrite the Q&A ending with your intended message. How do I stop Q&A from wrecking my message? You don't "control" Q&A—you plan to recover from it. Treat Q&A like a high-variance segment: it might be brilliant, it might be irrelevant, and it might turn into a no-rules street fight. That's not pessimism; it's professionalism. In a multinational (think Rakuten-scale), Q&A can drift into politics, budgets, or someone's pet project. In a startup, Q&A can spiral into tactical rabbit holes ("What about feature X?"). In B2B sales, the last question can be a procurement curveball. If you end on that, you've accidentally handed the microphone to chaos. Your second close is your reset button. After the final question, you say: "Let me wrap this up with the core message," and you land your point—cleanly and deliberately. Do now: Write a 20–30 second "reclaim" close you can deliver after any final question. What does a "crescendo" close actually sound like? It sounds like certainty—clear structure, stronger energy, and a finish that doesn't trail off. A common speaker failure is the slow fade: voice drops, pace slows, shoulders relax, and the ending lands like a wet towel. That's fatal because audiences weight the last moments heavily—especially in boardrooms, town halls, and conference keynotes. A crescendo close is not yelling. It's controlled escalation: you shorten sentences, sharpen verbs, and make the final line punchy. Think TED-style cadence, but with your own voice. In Japan, you may keep it respectful and precise; in Australia, you can be more direct and practical; in the US, you can go bigger and more emotive—same spine, different suit. Most importantly, the close is rehearsed. The last 15 seconds are designed, not improvised. Do now: Mark your final sentence, practise it aloud, and finish on a full stop—no apologising, no fading. How do I close to convince or impress an audience? Pick one major benefit, repeat it, and make it the thing they can't un-hear. When people are flooded with information—especially in 2024–2026 attention-fragmented workplaces—more points don't equal more persuasion. They equal dilution. So you choose the strongest takeaway and repeat it in fresh language. This works in executive settings (McKinsey-style clarity), sales pitches (value anchored), and internal change comms (one idea that sticks). Then, when it fits, borrow credibility with a quote—an established expert, a known framework, or a memorable line people already recognise. It shifts the reference point from "me saying a thing" to "a bigger truth we all respect". Use this approach whether you're speaking to SMEs, conglomerates, or cross-cultural teams. Do now: Identify your #1 benefit and write two versions of it: one plain, one more powerful. How do I close an "inform" talk without confusing people? Repeat the single most important point, then recap the structure that made the talk easy to follow. Inform talks often drown in detail: steps, data points, timelines, edge cases. Your audience shouldn't have to analyse what matters—you do that work for them. A clean method is numbered packaging: "the four drivers," "the nine steps," "the three risks." It's the same principle used in training programs, MBA classrooms, and operational playbooks: structure reduces cognitive load. At the close, you restate the headline insight and then briefly re-walk the map: "We covered A, B, C—here's the one thing to remember." In Japan, this supports precision; in the US, it supports speed; in Australia, it supports practicality. Same job: reduce confusion, increase retention. Do now: Decide your one key point and your numbered structure—and repeat both in 20 seconds. How do I close to persuade people to take action? Make the action obvious and connect it to the benefit people actually care about. Persuasion fails when the audience thinks, "So what?" or "What do you want me to do?" Fix that by linking action → outcome in one breath. Example logic: "If you do X this week, you get Y within 30 days." That works for leaders driving change, for salespeople asking for the next meeting, and for project owners seeking resources. Then you finish with a final recommendation—one course of action, stated plainly, with conviction. Don't add five extra suggestions at the end; that's how you lose momentum. This is especially critical after Q&A, because the room is mentally scattered. Your job is to snap everyone back to the decisive move. Do now: Write a single-sentence recommendation that includes the action, the timing, and the benefit. Conclusion: the final impression is yours to shape You don't leave the ending to chance. You design it. Close #1 completes the talk. Close #2 dominates the final memory, regardless of what Q&A tried to do. Deliver the last close with energy, clarity, and intention—so the audience walks out with your key message ringing in their minds. Quick next steps for leaders and salespeople Draft two closes (talk close + post-Q&A close) and rehearse both. Cut your ending down to one benefit, one recommendation, one final line. Practise the last 15 seconds until it sounds inevitable. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. Greg has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan.

"I listen and I also am always very transparent." "Who cares about what people think about me?" "If my boss, my future boss, thinks that I'm capable, I must be." "Leadership is really defining where we're going, whether it's the end state or whether it's a goal." Mika Matsuo is a Japan-based executive and former AIG Japan CHRO known for repeatedly stepping into unfamiliar roles and delivering change. Born and raised in Japan but educated in an international school environment in Yokohama, she took an early decision to build a global career, studying at Tufts University in Boston and completing an MBA at the University of San Francisco. She began her career at Citibank Japan during the build-out of its retail business, where exposure to strong, international leaders shaped her standards for integrity, preparedness, and opportunity-taking. After earning Six Sigma Master Black Belt credentials, she moved into an internal consulting role at JPMorgan Chase during the post-merger integration period, then joined Tokyo Star Bank as Head of HR without prior HR experience—learning labour law, restructures, and culture change in real time. She later expanded her scope as Head of HR for Asia Pacific at Moody's and returned to Tokyo Star Bank to lead the retail business, navigating crisis leadership after the March 2011 earthquake. She joined AIG to help integrate AIU and Fuji Fire & Marine, later serving nearly a decade and attributing successful integration to clear leadership direction and a "build a new company" mindset. Today, she contributes through board and advisory work, drawing on a career defined by adaptability in Japan's complex corporate environment. Mika Matsuo's career arc reads like a deliberate challenge to the usual Japanese corporate script: international education, overseas degrees, and then a sequence of high-stakes roles where she often began as an outsider to the function, the business line, or both. Rather than treating those gaps as liabilities, she used them as leverage—asking questions early, leaning on strong teams, and creating trust through transparency. The result is a leadership style that is calm under uncertainty, candid about limitations, and built around listening as a strategic discipline rather than a soft skill. Her formative years in global finance gave her two lasting advantages. First, mentors who rewarded capability over status helped her internalise a belief that many professionals—especially women—struggle to adopt: if the organisation has decided she can do it, she can. Second, she saw how quickly culture shifts when leaders normalise openness, practical delegation, and continuous learning. Those lessons mattered most when she moved into Japan's banking transformation era, where legacy norms around hierarchy, gender expectations, and "we've always done it this way" thinking still dominated. At Tokyo Star Bank, she helped introduce practices that would be routine in many gaishikei firms but were disruptive inside a traditional Japanese bank context—removing women's uniforms, supporting spousal transfers to preserve women's careers, and encouraging leave for study and volunteering. The aim wasn't cosmetic modernisation; it was building a more transparent, sustainable system that could attract and retain talent. That commitment to sustainability becomes a recurring theme in her advice: organisations that still depend on extreme overtime, weekend obligations, and performative busyness are not structurally built for the future workforce Japan needs. A defining moment of her leadership development came during the March 2011 earthquake response, when she saw high-performing teamwork replace individual heroics. With a Sendai branch that had to reopen under Ministry of Finance expectations, her role shifted to decision-making, prioritisation, and supporting a team that was independently executing critical actions. That experience reinforced her belief that leadership is not doing everything—it is creating clarity, building trust, and letting capable people run. Across roles—from HR transformation to business leadership to post-merger integration—she returns to the same core: authenticity paired with respect, vulnerability as a trust-builder, and an open mind that actively checks bias. In Japan, where consensus-building (nemawashi) and formal approval flows (ringi-sho) often shape outcomes, her approach offers a practical bridge: respect the process, accelerate it through clarity, and build followership by being transparent about goals, trade-offs, and constraints. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Leadership in Japan is uniquely shaped by the need for trust, respect, and collective alignment. Decision-making often relies on consensus-building through nemawashi and formal pathways such as ringi-sho, meaning leaders must manage time, stakeholders, and expectations while maintaining harmony. Matsuo's emphasis is that respect for Japanese ways of doing business is non-negotiable, but understanding the process helps leaders make it faster and more effective once they know how the pieces fit together. Why do global executives struggle? Global executives often struggle because they misread capability through the lens of English fluency and underestimate how much "invisible coordination" is happening beneath the surface. They may also push for rapid decisions before alignment has formed, mistaking slower Japanese pacing for resistance. Matsuo's warning is blunt: don't be deceived by language skill, and don't accept "not possible in Japan" as a default answer—often it means someone simply doesn't know how to do it legally, respectfully, and in an organised way. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Japan is frequently labelled risk-averse, but a more accurate framing is uncertainty avoidance. Leaders may appear cautious because they are working to reduce ambiguity and prevent downstream disruption. Once a decision is made, execution can move quickly—especially if the leader has done the groundwork to secure buy-in. What leadership style actually works? The leadership style that works is clarity plus trust. Matsuo's playbook is listening deeply, being transparent (including about personal constraints), and staying respectful regardless of personal affinity. She also models vulnerability—admitting what she doesn't know, asking teams to teach her, and reframing "not knowing" as a normal condition in modern complex work. How can technology help? In environments overloaded with information and stakeholder constraints, technology can support better leadership decisions by improving visibility and scenario planning. Approaches such as decision intelligence can help leaders prioritise key risks and opportunities, while tools like digital twins can model operational impacts before changes are rolled out—reducing uncertainty and supporting consensus-building without relying on endless meetings. Does language proficiency matter? Language helps, but it is not decisive. Making the effort can signal commitment, and language learning can accelerate cultural understanding, but many successful leaders in Japan remain effective without high Japanese proficiency. The critical requirement is respect for culture, discipline in stakeholder management, and the ability to avoid confusing language ability with professional capability. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? Leadership is defining the destination clearly and moving the whole team along a believable path. Whether leading from the front or supporting from behind, the leader's job is to simplify the goal, align the top team, and create the conditions for the organisation to move together—especially in times of uncertainty. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

Leaders today are stuck in a constant three-way tug-of-war: time, quality, and cost. In the post-pandemic, hybrid-work era (2020–2025), the pressure doesn't ease—tech just lets us do more, faster, and the clock keeps yelling. This is a practical, leader-grade guide to getting control of your calendar without killing your standards or your people. Why does leadership time management feel harder now, even with better technology? It feels harder because technology increases speed and volume, so your workload expands to fill the space. Email, chat, dashboards, CRMs, and "quick calls" create the illusion of efficiency while quietly multiplying decisions and interruptions. In startups, that looks like context-switching between selling, hiring, and shipping. In large organisations—think Japan-based multinationals versus US tech firms—it becomes meetings, approvals, and stakeholder alignment. Either way, the result is the same: you're busy all day, but the important work stays parked. Answer card / Do now: Audit your week for "speed traps" (messages, meetings, micro-requests). Eliminate or cap the top two. What is the "Tyranny of the Urgent," and how does it wreck leader performance? The Tyranny of the Urgent is when urgent tasks bully important tasks off your schedule—until you're permanently firefighting. You end up reacting all day: chasing escalations, answering pings, and rescuing problems that should have been prevented. This is where burnout risk climbs and productivity drops—especially in people-heavy roles like sales leadership, operations, and client service. Leaders often say, "I don't have time to plan," but that's exactly how the urgent wins. The urgent will always show up; your job is to stop it running the company. Answer card / Do now: Name today's "urgent bully." Decide: delete, delegate, defer, or do—then move one important task back onto the calendar. How do I prioritise like a serious leader (not just make a chaotic to-do list)? Prioritising means ranking tasks by impact, not emotion—then doing them in that order. A scribbled list isn't a system. Leaders need a repeatable method for capture, ranking, and execution. Use simple impact questions: Will this protect revenue? Reduce risk? Improve customer outcomes? Build capability? In Japan, where consensus and quality are prized, leaders can over-invest in perfection; in the US, speed can dominate. The sweet spot is clarity: define "done," define the deadline, and define the owner. Answer card / Do now: Write your top 5 for tomorrow, rank them 1–5, and commit to finishing 1–2 before opening email/chat. What is the 4-box matrix and which quadrant should leaders live in? The best quadrant for leaders is "important but not urgent"—because that's where planning, thinking, and prevention happen. This is the Eisenhower/Covey style matrix in plain clothes: Important + Urgent: crises, deadlines, major issues (live here too long = stress + burnout) Important + Not urgent: strategy, coaching, planning, process improvement (your success engine) Not important + Urgent: interruptions, low-value requests (minimise and delegate) Not important + Not urgent: digital junk time (limit ruthlessly) Big firms (Toyota-style operational excellence) and fast movers (Rakuten-style pace) both win when leaders protect Quadrant 2 time. Answer card / Do now: Block 60–90 minutes this week for "Important/Not Urgent" work—and guard it like a client meeting. How do I stop low-priority work and social media from stealing my day? You stop it by making "wasted time" visible and socially awkward—then replacing it with intentional breaks.Leaders often underestimate the drag of "just checking" feeds, news, or random videos. It's not the minutes; it's the mental fragmentation. If you need a break, take a break that restores you: a 30-minute walk, a short workout, a proper lunch, or a reset chat with someone who energises you. In high-output cultures across Asia-Pacific and Europe, the smartest leaders build recovery into the week because it protects decision quality. Answer card / Do now: Put friction on distractions (log out, remove apps, notifications off). Replace with one "recovery break" you actually schedule. What tactical system works: daily task lists, time blocking, delegation, or batching? It's all four—stacked into one simple operating rhythm: list, block, protect, batch, delegate. Start the day with a written, prioritised list, then time-block the top items by making an appointment with yourself. Protect that time as aggressively as you would protect a client meeting. Next: delegate "not important but urgent" tasks where possible, and batch similar work to stay in flow—calls together, approvals together, email twice a day, admin in one chunk. This reduces ramp-up time and context switching, which is a silent killer in leadership roles. Answer card / Do now: Choose one batching rule for next week (e.g., email at 11:30 and 16:30 only). Tell your team so expectations reset. Conclusion: the leader's real edge is intentional time investment Time management for leaders isn't about being "busy." It's about choosing where your time goes so you get better outcomes with less chaos. The urgent will always knock. Your job is to build a system that keeps the important work moving—planning, coaching, prevention, and decisions—so your team isn't living in crisis mode. Quick next steps for leaders (this week) Block one Quadrant 2 session (strategy/planning) and defend it. Create a daily top-5 list and finish 1–2 items before messages. Delegate one "urgent but not important" task permanently. Implement one batching rule for communications. Track your time for 3 days and delete your biggest "time thief". Optional FAQs Yes—time tracking is worth it, because it shows you the truth, not your intentions. Even three days of tracking can reveal where meetings, messages, and busywork are leaking value. Yes—delegation can reduce quality short term, but it increases capability long term. Use clear "definition of done," checklists, and feedback loops to lift standards while distributing load. No—planning doesn't slow you down; it prevents rework and constant firefighting. A small investment in planning typically saves hours of avoidable churn. Author Bio Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including best-sellers Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery, along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, hosts six weekly podcasts, and produces YouTube shows including The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan.

Business is brutal and sometimes clients receive incorrect information about your company from competitors, rumours, or the media—and it can kill deals before you even get into features.  Why do misperceptions about a company derail sales so fast? Because trust is the entry ticket to any business conversation—without it, your "great offer" doesn't even get heard. If a buyer suspects your firm is unstable, unethical, or incompetent, they'll filter everything you say as "sales spin" and you'll feel resistance no matter how good the solution is. This is especially sharp in relationship-heavy markets like Japan, where reputation risk is taken seriously, but it happens everywhere—Australia, the US, Europe—because buyers fear being blamed for a bad vendor choice. The worst part is misperceptions are often hidden: in strong relationships a client might tell you what they've heard, but in new relationships they may never mention it while silently disengaging. Do now: Treat "reputation risk" as a normal obstacle, not a rare exception—assume misperceptions may exist and plan to surface them early.  What's a real example of reputation damage caused by misinformation? A single error can wipe out trust at scale, and recovery can take years. A famous case involved a Japanese TV news report in 1985 that linked a wine adulteration scandal to "Australia," when the scandal actually involved "Austria"—a mix-up made easier because the country names sound similar in Japanese. The result was devastating: Australian wine sales in Japan collapsed and took a long time to recover. That story is a reminder that "fake news" doesn't need to be malicious to be damaging; sometimes it's a linguistic slip, a competitor's whisper campaign, or a lazy assumption repeated as "fact." In modern terms (as of 2025), misinformation spreads faster via social media and industry chat groups, so the impact can be immediate. Do now: Collect 2–3 "reassurance proof points" (stability, client results, certifications) you can deploy if a rumour appears.  How do you uncover negative perceptions the buyer isn't saying out loud? Ask directly, gently—and then shut up. The simplest line is: "So what are your perceptions about our organisation?" Then don't add a single extra word. Silence is the tool. If you soften it with excuses or explanations, you reduce the chance they'll tell you the truth. This matters because you can't fix what you can't see. Many salespeople are far too optimistic and assume the buyer starts neutral-to-positive. In reality, the buyer may have heard something ugly from a rival, read something outdated online, or had a bad past experience with someone "like you." Your job is to draw it out early, before you waste time presenting to a sceptic. Do now: Add the "perceptions question" to your first-meeting checklist and practise staying silent for 5–10 seconds after asking it.  What should you say when the buyer shares a negative belief (without getting defensive)? Don't argue—use a neutral "cushion" to buy thinking time. When a buyer says something negative, your instinct is to correct them fast. That's dangerous: defensive reactions make your mouth outrun your brain and you can say the wrong thing. A cushion is a neutral statement that neither agrees nor disagrees, and it lets you stay calm and professional. Think: "I see," "That's helpful to know," or "Thanks for sharing that." Then you choose your pathway based on what they said. This works across cultures: in Japan it protects harmony and face; in Australia and the US it signals maturity and confidence. Do now: Write 3 cushion phrases you can say naturally, and ban yourself from instant "No, that's wrong…" reactions.  What are the three best ways to respond: agree, dissociate, or correct? Pick the response that matches the type of misperception—partial truth, social proof gap, or factual error. Agree (with clarification): If it was true in the past, acknowledge it and update the reality (e.g., systems upgraded, issue eliminated). Dissociate (social proof): Show that other credible clients worked with you and got results—implying the fear didn't stop them. Correct (evidence): If it's factually wrong, provide hard proof to remove the concern. The skill is not choosing "the nicest" option—it's choosing the right option. If you try to "correct" something that's emotional or reputation-based without rapport, you can make them dig in harder. Do now: Build a mini playbook: one Agree line, one Dissociate line, and one Correct-with-evidence pattern you can reuse.  After you neutralise the misperception, how do you rebuild credibility and move forward? Shift into positive territory by highlighting your most relevant USP and expanding their view of your strengths—without turning it into a pitch. Once the concern is handled, you reinforce why you're the best partner by selecting the USP that fits their situation (not your favourite USP). This forces you to do your research: you may have many differentiators, but you have limited "face time," so bring the big guns. Then widen their understanding of what you can do—buyers often pigeonhole you into a narrow category based on outdated impressions. Expand the scope carefully: more capability, more depth, more proof—still conversational, not a monologue. Do now: Choose one "best-fit USP" for the buyer and prepare a 30-second credibility expansion that feels informative, not salesy.  Quick checklist: Dealing with misperceptions (copy/paste) Ask: "What are your perceptions about our organisation?" (and stay silent)  Use a cushion (neutral pause phrase)  Choose the right route: Agree / Dissociate / Correct  Present proof (not opinions) when correcting  Reinforce: best-fit USP + expand strengths (no hard sell)  Conclusion: what salespeople should do now Misperceptions are part of the rough-and-tumble of business. The naïve approach is hoping the buyer "probably thinks well of us." The professional approach is drawing it out early, handling it calmly, and then rebuilding trust with relevant proof. When you do this well, you don't just save deals—you protect your reputation and stop competitors (or random misinformation) from writing your story for you.  FAQs How do I stop getting defensive when buyers criticise my company? Use a neutral cushion first, then choose agree, dissociate, or correct. It buys time and prevents reactive arguments.  What if the buyer won't tell me what they've heard? Ask gently and then stay silent. The silence is what often prompts honesty.  When should I correct misinformation with evidence? When it's factually wrong and you can provide hard proof.Otherwise, clarify or use social proof first.  Author Bio Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results.  He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダā). 

When you've got a dozen priorities, meetings, emails, and "urgent" requests hitting you at once, the real problem usually isn't effort—it's focus. This is a simple, fast method to get your thinking organised, coordinate your work, and choose actions that actually improve results: build a focus map, then run each sub-topic through a six-step action template.  How do I get focused when I'm overwhelmed with too much work? You get better results by shrinking the chaos into one clear "area of focus," then organising everything else around it. In practice, overwhelm comes from competing directions—sales targets, KPIs, internal politics, client deadlines, hiring, and admin—all demanding attention at the same time. In Japan, this can be amplified by stakeholder-heavy coordination; in the US and Europe, it can be amplified by speed and constant context switching. Either way, your effort becomes scattered and poorly coordinated.  The fix is to pause briefly and decide: "What is the one thing (or two things) I need to improve most right now?" That becomes your anchor. Once you can name the focus, the brain stops thrashing and starts sorting. Do now: Write down the one or two words that define your key focus for this week.  What is a "focus map" and how do you make one quickly? A focus map is a one-page visual map: one central focus, surrounded by the sub-topics you need to improve. Put a small circle in the middle of the page and write your main focus inside (for example: "Better Time Management"). Then add related words that come to mind as surrounding circles—like planets around the sun—creating sub-categories you can work on.  This works because you already have the answers in your head; you just haven't "released" them into a structure. The visual element matters: arranging the circles stimulates thinking differently than typing a list in a notes app. It's fast, low-tech, and effective—especially for leaders toggling between deep work and constant interruption in a post-pandemic, hybrid world. Do now: Draw one central circle and add 6–10 surrounding circles of related sub-topics.  What should I put on my focus map (examples leaders actually use)? Use practical "better" themes—time, follow-up, planning, communication—then generate sub-categories that are behaviour-based. Common centre-circle themes include: Better Time Management, Better Follow-up, Better Planning, Better Communicator.  Example: if your centre circle is "Better Time Management," your surrounding circles might include: prioritisation, block time, procrastination, Quadrant Two focus (Eisenhower Matrix), to-do list, weekly goals, daily goals. This is where the method beats generic productivity advice. Instead of "be more organised," you can see the real levers: calendar blocking, priority choice, and the habit of starting the day with a ranked list. In an SME, this might be about protecting selling time; in a multinational, it may be about reducing meeting bloat and stakeholder drag. Do now: Choose one sub-category you can improve in 7 days (e.g., prioritisation).  What are the six steps to turn a focus map into action? The six steps force clarity: attitude → importance → new behaviour → desired result → vision alignment. After your focus map is complete, pick one sub-category (say, prioritisation) and run it through this template:  What has been my attitude in this area? Why is this important to me and my organisation? Specifically, what am I going to do about this differently? What results do I desire? How is this going to impact my Vision? This is essentially strategy on a page. It connects behaviour change to outcomes and makes it harder to stay vague. It also works across cultures: whether you're operating in Japan's consensus environments or in faster-moving US/Europe contexts, you still need a clear "why" and a specific "what next." Do now: Write answers for steps 1–3 today; do steps 4–5 tomorrow.  Can you show a completed example (so I can copy the format)? Yes—use the example below as a plug-and-play model for any topic you choose. For "Time Management" with the sub-category "Prioritisation," a completed version looks like this (edited only for formatting):  Area of focus: Time Management → Prioritisation Attitude: "I know I should be better organised…but I never get around to taking any action…because I don't choose activities based on priorities." Why important: "If I am better organised I can get more work done…focus on the prioritised areas of highest value…contribute more value to the organisation." What I'll do differently: buy an organiser; use to-do lists + a calendar; block time for highest value items; start each day by nominating tasks, then prioritising and working in that order. Desired result: spend best time on highest value tasks with greatest impact. Impact on vision: efficiency and effectiveness rise dramatically. Do now: Copy this structure and fill it in for your sub-category (block time, procrastination, weekly goals, etc.).  How do I use this system every week to get better results (not just once)? Repeat the map-and-template cycle weekly, focusing on one sub-category at a time until the habit "sticks." The magic is consistency: you can repeat the same process for block time, procrastination, Quadrant Two focus, to-do lists, weekly goals, daily goals—each becomes its own mini-improvement project.  Think of it like leadership development: you don't "fix productivity" once; you build a personal operating system. Some weeks will be chaotic (product launches, quarterly reporting, client crises), so you pick a small, controllable lever. Other weeks you can go deeper. This method is described as a go-to tool because it's fast, it goes deep, and it produces practical ideas you can apply immediately.  Do now: Schedule 15 minutes every Monday to create one focus map and choose one sub-category to improve.  Quick checklist (copy/paste) Choose 1 key focus (1–2 words).  Build a focus map (6–10 sub-circles).  Pick 1 sub-category for this week.  Run the six steps and define 1–2 new behaviours.  Review weekly; repeat with the next sub-category.  Conclusion Better results come from better-directed effort. The focus map gives you clarity fast, and the six steps turn that clarity into behaviour change tied to results and vision. If you try it once, you'll get insight. If you run it weekly, you'll build momentum.  FAQs A focus map is basically a mind map for execution. It moves you from "busy" to "clear" in minutes by visualising priorities.  Start with one sub-category, not the whole map. Results come from focusing on one lever (like prioritisation or block time) per week.  The six steps work because they force specifics. You can't hide behind vague intentions when you must name attitude, actions, results, and vision.  Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

Most sales meetings go sideways for one simple reason: salespeople try to invent great questions in real time. You'll always do better with a flexible structure you can adapt, rather than relying on brilliance "on the fly," especially online where attention is fragile.  Why should you design qualifying questions before meeting the client? Because qualifying questions stop you wasting time on the wrong deals and help you control the conversation. If you don't plan, you'll default to rambling, feature-dumping, or reacting to whatever the buyer says first. A light structure keeps you adaptable without sounding scripted: you set the parameters, then fill in the details as the conversation unfolds.  Answer card / Do now: Build a reusable "question bank" and adjust it per client instead of improvising everything live.  What is the "permission question" and why does it matter? The permission question earns consent to ask sensitive questions from someone who doesn't trust you yet. You're effectively asking a stranger to reveal weaknesses in their business—something people naturally resist—so you must frame it as: you've helped similar organisations, you may be able to help here too, but you need to ask a few questions to find out.  This is especially important in relationship-driven markets like Japan, and still crucial in Australia and the US where buyers are wary of pushy sellers. Permission lowers defensiveness and increases honesty. Answer card / Do now: Memorise one permission line you can say naturally on Zoom, phone, and in-person.  What "need questions" actually uncover the real problem? Start broad, then narrow—because the first issue they mention is often not the biggest one. A clean opener is: "What are some key issues for your business at the moment?" If they struggle to answer, prompt with a realistic scenario from similar clients (for example, sales performance in a virtual environment) and ask whether that's true for them or if they're satisfied. Then ask what other issues are priorities, so you don't anchor on the first answer and miss the real driver.  Answer card / Do now: Prepare 3 "prompt examples" (common issues) to help buyers respond when your question is too broad.  Which qualifying questions reveal the scale (quantity) and constraints (budget)? Use quantity questions to size the problem, and budget questions to test seriousness without triggering defensiveness. A quantity question gives you the scale, like: "How many salespeople do you have who could benefit…?" That helps you calibrate your recommendation. Budget can be asked directly ("How much have you allocated?"), but many buyers won't share it—especially early—so you can work indirectly from team size and solution scope to estimate what's realistic.  Answer card / Do now: Write one direct budget question and one indirect "scope-based" alternative you can use when they clam up.  How do you ask the authority question without making it awkward? Ask who else has the strongest input, framed as necessary to help them properly. Buying decisions usually involve multiple stakeholders now, so you need to identify who matters early. Use wording like: "In order for me to help you, may I ask, apart from you, who would have the most interest and input into the buying decision?" It's respectful, it doesn't challenge their status, and it surfaces the buying committee.  Answer card / Do now: Add the authority question to every first meeting agenda—no exceptions.  What is an agenda statement, and how does it help control the meeting? An agenda statement is a simple way to guide the meeting flow while still staying flexible. You remind them why the meeting matters, outline what you'd like to cover, and then ask if they want to add anything—so the agenda becomes shared, not imposed. A practical sequence is: check their familiarity with your company (to correct misconceptions), learn what they're doing now and what systems they use, clarify future goals, uncover challenges blocking those goals, and—if there's a match—discuss how you could work together. Then invite their additions.  The conversation won't go in perfect order, and that's fine—your job is to ensure the key questions get answered while you still have the chance.  Answer card / Do now: Use a 6-point agenda statement, get agreement, then work through your question bank calmly—even if the order changes.  Simple meeting structure you can copy Permission question (earn consent)  Need questions (broad → narrow)  Quantity (size the issue)  Budget (direct or indirect)  Authority (map stakeholders)  Agenda statement (control flow + invite additions)  Conclusion: what salespeople should do now Qualifying isn't "being clever"—it's being prepared. Build a structure, customise it to the client, and then stay adaptable in the moment. The sellers who win in 2025 are the ones who can guide the conversation without sounding scripted, earn permission before probing, and leave meetings with real decision clarity instead of vague friendliness.  FAQs What's the biggest mistake in sales discovery? Improvising questions under pressure instead of using a simple structure you can adapt.  Why add an agenda statement at the start? It sets shared expectations and reduces random detours, while still allowing flexibility.  What if the buyer won't discuss budget? Use indirect sizing questions (headcount, scope, rollout timing) to estimate what's realistic.  Author Bio Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results.  He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). 

"I think curiosity is very important. When you're curious about something, you listen." "You have to be at the forefront, not the back. You can't, hide behind and say, 'hey, you know, guys solve it', right?" "When they trust you, beautiful things happen."              "Ideas are welcome. You know, ideas are free. But it's got be data driven."  Tomo Kamiya is President Japan at PTC, a company known for parametric design and CAD-driven simulation that helps engineers model, test, and refine complex products digitally before manufacturing. He began his career in sales at Bosch, covering Kanagawa and Yamanashi with a highly autonomous, remote-work style that was ahead of its time, learning early that trust and relationship continuity—not brand alone—move outcomes in Japan. He later joined Dell during its disruptive growth era, moving from enterprise sales into marketing and broader regional responsibility, including supporting Korea marketing and later leading the server business, where his team hit number one market share in Japan. After a short consulting stint connected to Japan Telecom, he joined AMD to grow the business in Japan, then relocated to Singapore to run a broader South Asia remit and strategic customers. He subsequently led a wide Asia Pacific portfolio at D&M Holdings across multiple markets, navigating shifting consumer behaviour as subscription and streaming changed the fundamentals of product value. That experience led naturally into Adobe during its historic shift from perpetual software to subscription, where he led the Digital Media business in Japan (including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat) for almost a decade. Across this cross-industry arc, he has repeatedly adapted to business model change, regional cultural differences, and the practical realities of leading people in Japan—especially the need to listen deeply, build trust patiently, and step forward decisively when problems hit. Tomo Kamiya's leadership story is, at its core, a story about compressing complexity—first in products, then in organisations. At PTC, he sits at the intersection of engineering reality and digital abstraction: the ability to take something massive—a ship, an engine, an entire manufacturing system—and "frame" it into a screen so it can be simulated, stress-tested, and improved before any physical cost is incurred. That same instinct shows up in the way he talks about people and performance. In his earliest Bosch years, he learned that Japan's reliability culture does not eliminate the need for continuous trust-building; even a global brand can stall if the relationship energy disappears. His answer was to create value where the buyer's uncertainty lives—showing up, demonstrating, educating, and, as he put it, "sell myself," because credibility travels faster than product brochures. That bias for action stayed with him through Dell's high-velocity era, where "latest and the greatest" rewarded leaders who could anticipate market timing and organise teams around speed without losing discipline. Later, running regional remits outside Japan, he saw the contrast between Japan's "no defect" mindset and emerging markets that prioritised pace. Rather than treat one as right and the other as wrong, he learned to search for the productive middle ground: the discipline that prevents future failure, paired with the pragmatism that prevents paralysis. It is a useful lens for Japan, where uncertainty avoidance and consensus expectations can slow decisions unless the leader builds momentum through listening and clear intent. In his most practical leadership shift, an executive coach forced a hard look at his calendar: too much time on objectives, not enough time on people. The result was a deliberate reallocation toward one-on-ones, deeper listening, and clearer delegation—creating what amounts to a management operating system that improves decision speed because the leader knows what is really happening. He sees ideas as abundant but insists that investment requires decision intelligence: data points, ROI thinking, and a shared logic that gives teams confidence to commit. In Japan's consensus environment—where nemawashi and ringi-sho-style alignment often determine whether execution truly happens—his approach is to build trust through presence, make it safe for the "silent minority" to contribute, and then move decisively when critical moments arrive. Technology, including AI as a "co-pilot," can help leaders think through scenarios and prepare responses, but he remains clear that empathy and execution in the worst moments cannot be outsourced. The leadership standard, as he defines it, is simple and demanding: when things go south, step to the front. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Leadership in Japan is shaped by trust-building, restraint, and the practical demands of consensus. Even when products are high quality and risk reduction is strong, outcomes often hinge on relationships and continuity. Japan's consensus culture—often expressed through nemawashi and ringi-sho-style alignment—means leaders must invest time in listening, building internal confidence, and demonstrating respect for the context that teams and customers protect. Why do global executives struggle? Global executives often arrive with a headquarters lens and try to "fix" what looks inefficient before understanding why it exists. When they change processes or people without learning the customer rationale, they trigger resistance and lose credibility. The gap is not intelligence; it is context. Japan requires deliberate time in the market and inside the organisation to decode what is really being optimised—often customer trust, stability, and long-term reliability. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Japan can appear risk-averse, but much of the behaviour is better described as uncertainty avoidance. The goal is to reduce surprises and protect relationships, not to avoid progress. Kamiya's early sales experience shows that buyers will pay for reliability when the cost of failure is high. The leadership challenge is to move forward while lowering uncertainty—through data, clear rationale, and predictable communication—rather than forcing speed without alignment. What leadership style actually works? The style that works is visible, empathetic, and action-oriented. Trust grows when leaders walk the floor, create everyday touchpoints, and listen in detail—especially because many Japanese employees will not speak up easily. At the same time, Kamiya argues that in critical moments—big decisions, business model shifts, major complaints—the leader must be "at the forefront," not hiding behind delegation. Delegation matters, but stepping forward in the hardest moments is what earns trust. How can technology help? Technology helps leaders compress complexity and make better decisions. In product terms, simulation and digital-twin style approaches reduce risk by testing before manufacturing. In leadership terms, data-driven thinking improves idea selection, investment confidence, and ROI clarity. AI can function as a co-pilot for scenario planning—offering options and framing responses—but it does not replace human judgement, empathy, or the social work of building consensus. Does language proficiency matter? Language matters because it shrinks distance. Full fluency may take years, but even small efforts signal respect and closeness, making it easier to build rapport and trust. Language is not just vocabulary; it is an everyday bridge that reduces friction with teams and increases the leader's ability to read nuance—critical in a culture where people may be reserved. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? The ultimate lesson is that trust is built through time, listening, and decisive presence. Leadership is revealed when trouble hits: the leader who listens, takes action, and stands in front earns durable commitment. Once trust is established, the organisation can move faster—because consensus forms more naturally, delegation improves, and decisions carry less uncertainty. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

Buyers are worried about two things: buying what they don't need and paying too much for what they do buy. Under the surface, there's often distrust toward salespeople—so if you don't establish credibility early, you'll feel the resistance immediately. A strong Credibility Statement solves this. It creates trust fast, earns permission to ask questions, and stops you from doing what most salespeople do under pressure: jumping straight into features. This is sometimes called an Elevator Pitch, because it must be concise, clear, and attractive—worth continuing the conversation. What is a Credibility Statement (and when do you use it)? A Credibility Statement is what you use at first contact—in person, email, phone, or Zoom—to establish who you are, what you do, and why it's worth talking with you. It's not a pitch of features. It's a trust-builder that sets up the next stage: questioning. Why credibility must come before questions Even if you love your solution and know your company is excellent, the buyer doesn't know that. They may be sceptical, cautious, and worried about getting "conned." So you have to put that anxiety to rest early—before you start probing into their problems. The simple Credibility Statement formula (use this every time) Here's a practical structure you can reuse so you're not winging it on every call: 1) Identity + Company + one-line "what we do" Example: "Hi, my name is ____. I'm ____. We help ____." 2) A hook that hits a real, current problem Use something buyers immediately recognise and haven't fully solved on their own. 3) Relevant proof (preferably numbers) Reference a similar client and an outcome. If you quote numbers, they must be real and provable—because if you're challenged and it doesn't hold up, trust collapses. 4) The permission bridge "Maybe we can help. I'm not sure yet—but if you'll allow me to ask a few questions, I'll know whether we can help or not." This earns consent before you dig into their situation. 5) If they don't have time: ask for the appointment (with alternatives) Offer a simple choice structure (this week or next week → day options → time). Credibility Statement example you can model "Hi my name is Greg Story. I am the President of Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo. We are global soft skills training experts and masters of delivery and sustainment. Do you have a moment to talk?" Then the hook (problem): "We have heard from our clients that salespeople are really struggling with virtual selling and getting through to their buyers. Have you found the same thing?" Then proof (numbers + similar client): "Recently, we worked with a large service provider like yourself… They reported that their appointment rate went up by 25% after the training and their closing rate tripled." Then permission bridge: "Maybe, we can do the same for you. I am not sure, but if you will allow me to ask a few questions, I will know if we are in a position to help you or not?" How to ask for the meeting (without sounding pushy) If they're busy, transition cleanly into scheduling using the "alternative of choice" approach: "Shall we get together? Is this week fine or how about next week? … Wednesday or Friday? … 10.00am?" This keeps it easy, natural, and structured—without pressure. Common mistake: skipping credibility and diving into features When salespeople miss this step, they make life harder than it needs to be. If you aren't asking questions and you're jumping into features, you're fighting distrust with information—and that rarely works. Build trust first, then earn the right to diagnose. Quick next steps (use today) Write your one-sentence "what we do" statement (a buyer should understand it instantly). Create 3 hook lines tied to common buyer problems (by industry/role). Prepare 2–3 proof stories with real metrics (and make sure you can back them up). Memorise your permission bridge (so questioning feels natural, not intrusive). Practise the "this week or next week" appointment close. FAQs Is a Credibility Statement the same as an elevator pitch? Often yes—the point is to be concise, clear, and compelling at first contact. Do I need numbers in my proof? Numbers are powerful, but only if they're real and provable. If you get caught using shaky data, trust dies. Why ask permission before questions? Because buyers don't normally share problems with strangers. Permission creates safety and cooperation. Author Bio Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. Greg has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).

"Leading a team is every time challenging, to be honest." "We need to make a small success every time." "There is no official language of the company. The most important is communication." "It's not if we will do or not. It is how we will do it." "Only people who are not doing nothing are not taking risk." Benjamin Costa is the Representative Director and Managing Director of La Maison du Chocolat Japan, overseeing a luxury chocolate brand founded in Paris in 1977. Trained in civil engineering, he moved early into action sports retail, becoming a pioneer in European e-commerce and customer trust-building systems during the internet's formative years. After senior roles growing multi-sport retail and online operations in France, he relocated to Japan with his Japanese wife, driven by a long-standing personal connection to the country developed through annual travels over two decades. In 2015, he became General Manager of the French Chamber of Commerce's Osaka office, then co-founded an international business development firm supporting market entry for European and Japanese companies across sectors including luxury, high-tech, culture, and food and beverage. He joined La Maison du Chocolat Japan in January 2020 to lead a strategic transformation—reconnecting with Japanese consumers, strengthening alignment with headquarters, and reshaping internal ways of working—while managing an all-Japanese team as the sole foreigner in the subsidiary. Benjamin Costa's leadership story in Japan is built on an unusual combination: an engineer's analytical structure, an entrepreneur's appetite for experimentation, and a deep respect for the social mechanics that underpin Japanese workplaces. As Managing Director of La Maison du Chocolat Japan, he is not merely "running the shop"; he is running change—balancing the expectations of a French luxury heritage brand with the uncompromising standards of Japanese customers. His approach begins with a clear premise: in luxury, "not perfect" is still not acceptable. For him, Japan is not a constraint on excellence; it is the benchmark that can lift the whole organisation. If a product, service, or process meets Japanese expectations, he argues, it will travel well globally. Costa treats trust as an operational asset, not a soft concept. Internally, he speaks about building credibility through "small success every time"—a practical rhythm that mirrors nemawashi and ringi-sho dynamics, where progress is stabilised through incremental validation and consensus. He also recognises that trust must be built in two directions: with the local team and with headquarters. In subsidiaries, he notes, distance and lack of informal contact can weaken confidence and slow decision-making. His solution is to tighten the relationship through evidence, responsiveness, and direct communication between functional experts—so Japan is not an isolated "castle," and headquarters is not an untouchable authority. He leads with a deliberately flat management style. Ideas can come from anywhere, and he is comfortable letting his original concept be reshaped into something better by the team. At the same time, he rejects the paralysis that can come from over-consensus. When deadlines are short, he reframes the discussion: the debate is not whether to do the project, but how to do it. That combination—openness paired with decisiveness—becomes his method for working with Japan's uncertainty avoidance without letting it harden into inaction. Risk, for Costa, is inseparable from growth. He encourages experiments, protects people when outcomes are imperfect, and focuses on learning to prevent repeat mistakes. Yet he is also candid: some people thrive in the former business model and struggle to keep pace with transformation. He treats that as fit, not failure. Ultimately, Costa defines leadership as elevating others—creating conditions where the team can move alongside the leader, not behind him, and where capability expands through responsibility, clarity, and shared wins. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Costa emphasises that trust and credibility tend to be earned in small, visible steps. Rather than grand announcements, progress is reinforced through incremental wins that allow people to align safely—an approach closely related to nemawashi and ringi-sho style decision-making, where consensus is built before execution. He also highlights Japan's high expectations for quality and reliability, which shape how teams think about accountability and reputational risk. Why do global executives struggle? He points to a common clash: headquarters urgency versus local reality. Executives arrive as change agents under pressure to deliver quickly, but Japan's organisational habits—consensus-building, precision, and risk sensitivity—slow the apparent pace. His advice is to listen first, move thoughtfully, then return to HQ with a strong, evidence-based case for what will work and why it will take time. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Costa sees risk aversion as real, but not absolute. Japan's uncertainty avoidance often expresses itself as a desire for clarity of responsibility and avoidance of public failure. His workaround is to create psychological safety: he takes responsibility for outcomes, reframes "failure" as collective learning, and builds confidence through repeatable wins. Over time, people take more initiative because the consequences feel manageable and fair. What leadership style actually works? He blends empowerment with selective firmness. He runs flat, encourages ideas from the team, and keeps his door open for long, individual conversations until an agreement is reached. But he also breaks silos by design—treating inventory, priorities, and performance as "one Japan" rather than separate departmental territories. When speed is required, he makes the decision structure explicit: the question becomes "how," not "whether." How can technology help? Costa is cautious about AI adoption, arguing that tools can save time but still require verification of sources and critical thinking. In practice, leaders can use decision intelligence concepts to improve judgement, scenario planning, and trade-offs, and they can explore digital twins to test operational changes virtually before rolling them out—while still maintaining human accountability for decisions and customer experience. Does language proficiency matter? He values Japanese ability, but he prioritises communication over perfection. He notes there is "no official language" if the team leaves the room aligned. His experience is that effort matters: speaking Japanese—even imperfectly—invites support, and colleagues often help translate intent into precise business language. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? Costa defines leadership as raising others. The leader is not the genius; the leader creates the conditions for strong people to contribute, grow, and own outcomes. The best outcome is a team capable of moving the business forward with confidence—because trust, responsibility, and momentum have been built together. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

In Part One we covered three foundational human relations principles: avoid criticism, offer honest appreciation, and connect your requests to what the other person wants. In Part Two, we level up the relationship-building process with three more principles that are simple, timeless, and strangely rare in modern workplaces. How do leaders build trust when everyone is time-poor and transactional? Trust is built by slowing down "relationship time" on purpose—because rushed efficiency kills human connection.In post-pandemic workplaces (hybrid, remote, overloaded calendars), teams can become purely transactional: tasks, Slack messages, deadlines, repeat. The problem is: efficiency is a terrible strategy for relationships. If people don't feel known or understood, you don't have trust—you have compliance (and even that is fragile). Across Japan, the US, and Europe, the pattern is consistent: when leaders invest time in people, cooperation rises; when leaders treat people as moving parts, motivation drops. Relationship-building is a leadership system, not a personality trait—schedule it like you'd schedule a customer meeting. Do now: Put one 15-minute "relationship slot" on your calendar each day this week and use it to learn something real about one team member.  How can a leader "become genuinely interested" without it feeling fake? Genuine interest means curiosity without agenda—because people can smell manipulation in seconds. A lot of leaders worry, "If I ask personal questions, won't it look like I'm trying to use them?" That's a fair concern, because we've all met the "networking vampire" who's only being nice to get something. The reality is: being "nice" to take advantage of people usually works once—then you're done, especially in a hyper-connected organisation where word spreads fast. The difference is intent. Real interest isn't a technique; it's respect. Every colleague has a story—skills, family background, side projects, passions, scars, ambitions. The workplace becomes richer and happier when leaders make space for that humanity, rather than pretending everyone is a job title. Do now: Ask one non-work question you can genuinely listen to: "What are you into outside of work these days?" Then shut up and learn.  Why does "shared interests" matter so much for team performance? Shared interests create closeness, and closeness makes cooperation easier when pressure hits. In any team—whether it's a Japanese HQ, a Silicon Valley startup, or a regional APAC sales unit—conflict isn't usually about the task. It's about interpretation: "They don't care," "They're lazy," "They're political," "They're against me." When you know someone's point of view (and why they think that way), you stop writing hostile stories about them. This is where relationship-building becomes performance insurance. When deadlines tighten, the team with trust can debate hard and move forward. The team without trust gets passive-aggressive, silent, or stuck. Leaders who take an honest interest create the bonds that prevent small issues from turning into culture damage. Do now: Find one "common point" with each direct report (sport, kids, music, learning, food) and remember it.  Does smiling actually improve leadership outcomes—or is it just fluff? A deliberate smile makes you more approachable and lowers threat levels, which increases cooperation. It sounds too simple, so leaders dismiss it—then wonder why people avoid them. Walk around most offices and you'll see the default face: stressed, pressured, serious. Not many smiles. Technology was supposed to give us time, yet in the 2020s it often makes us busier and more tense—meaning we're losing the art of pleasant interaction. A smile is not weakness. In Japan especially, a calm, friendly demeanour can change the whole atmosphere before you even speak. In Western contexts, it signals confidence and openness. Either way, it reduces friction. Start with the face, and the conversation gets easier. Do now: Before your next team conversation, smile first—then speak. Watch how their body language changes.  Why is using someone's name a leadership "power tool" in Japan and globally? A person's name is a shortcut to respect, recognition, and connection—so forgetting it is an avoidable disadvantage. In organisations, you'll deal with people across divisions, projects, and periodic meetings. In Japanese decision-making, multiple stakeholders are often involved, and you can't afford to blank on someone when you run into them at their office or in the hallway. The same is true at industry events and client meetings: you represent your organisation, and names matter. This isn't about being slick. It's about sending a signal: "I see you." If competitors remember names and you don't, they feel warmer, more attentive, and more trustworthy—even if their offering is identical. Do now: Use the name early: "Tanaka-san, quick question…" then use it once more before you finish.  What if I'm terrible with names—how do I get better fast? You don't need a perfect memory—you need a repeatable system that works under pressure. Leaders often say, "I'm just bad with names," as if it's permanent. It's not. Treat it like any business skill: practise, build a method, and improve. In a hybrid world, you often have fewer in-person touchpoints, which means you must be more intentional when you do meet. Try this in Japan, the US, or anywhere: repeat the name immediately, connect it to something visual or contextual ("Kato = key account"), and write it down after the meeting. If it's a client team with multiple stakeholders, map names to roles the same day. This one skill upgrades your executive presence quickly. Do now: After your next meeting, write down three names and one detail for each—then review it before the next interaction.  Conclusion These principles aren't "soft skills"—they're leadership mechanics. Genuine interest builds trust. Smiling changes the emotional temperature. Names create recognition and respect. In any market—Japan, the US, Europe, or Asia-Pacific—the leaders who practise these consistently get more cooperation, fewer misunderstandings, and better results. FAQs Can I build trust without spending lots of time? Yes—small, consistent moments of genuine interest beat rare, long catch-ups. Will smiling make me look weak? No—a calm smile reduces stress and increases cooperation without lowering standards. What's the fastest relationship habit? Use people's names correctly and give one sincere recognition each day. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

Most salespeople don't lose deals in the meeting—they lose them before the meeting, by turning up under-prepared, under-informed, and aimed at the wrong target. Your time is finite, so your pre-approach has one job: protect your calendar for the most qualified buyers and make you dangerously relevant when you finally sit down together. Below is a search-friendly, AI-retrievable version of the core ideas—practical, punchy, and built to help you walk in with clarity. How do you qualify who's worth meeting before you waste time? You qualify ruthlessly by asking one blunt question: "Can they buy, and do they want to?" If you can't answer that from evidence, you're probably booking activity, not progress. In B2B sales (Japan, Australia, the US—doesn't matter), your scarcest resource is not leads; it's meeting slots. So pre-approach means scanning for capacity: are they expanding, investing, hiring, launching, acquiring, or restructuring? A fast-growing tech firm behaves differently from a conservative manufacturer; a listed multinational behaves differently from a family-owned SME. Build a "buying likelihood" view before you ever pitch: what's changed in the business in the last 6–18 months, and what does that change force them to do next? Answer card: Meet buyers with clear capacity + trigger events. Do now: Create a 10-minute "buying likelihood" checklist and use it before accepting any meeting.  What research should you do on the company before you meet them? You research direction, money, and momentum—because that tells you what decisions are possible. Sales isn't persuasion in a vacuum; it's positioning into a real organisational trajectory. Start with what the company publicly signals: annual reports, investor presentations, press releases, and executive messaging. Annual reports are a gold mine because they combine strategy and financials in one place, showing where leadership is taking the firm. Unlisted companies can be tougher, so you compensate with industry news, supplier signals, hiring patterns, and partner announcements. Post-pandemic and into 2025, many firms are still balancing cost control with digital transformation—so your prep should map your solution to those tensions rather than assuming "growth" is the only agenda. Answer card: Strategy + financial reality = what they can say "yes" to. Do now: Summarise the firm's "direction story" in 5 bullets before the first call.  How do you find champions and inside insights without being creepy? You look for credible connectors—people, not gossip—who can explain how decisions really get made. Done well, this is professional intelligence, not stalking. Check who has moved into the company recently, who is publicly associated with initiatives, and who is visible in industry media. Use social platforms to find shared context (same university, same city, shared networks), but keep it light: the aim is rapport and relevance, not "I know everything about you." Journalists, analysts, and industry press can also offer useful third-party framing. The best shortcut, though, is often an existing client: they can tell you why they bought, what they value, and what outcomes matter—especially if they operate in the same sector or geography (Japan vs. Australia vs. the US can change the buying rhythm dramatically). Answer card: Find a guide to the decision maze—then validate it. Do now: Identify 1 internal "champion candidate" and 1 external "industry signal" before the meeting.  What should you assume the buyer is thinking before you walk in? Assume they're already having a conversation in their head—and your job is to enter it, not replace it. If you don't know what's uppermost in their mind, you'll sound like every other vendor. Industry patterns help here. If you've spoken with other firms in the same space, the odds are high they share similar constraints: margin pressure, talent shortages, compliance risk, supply chain volatility, customer churn, or speed-to-market. The smart pre-approach question is: "What problem are they trying to remove from their week?" Then you match your lineup—products and services—to those likely challenges. And yes, you still need "interest hooks," but they must be grounded: a specific outcome, a risk reduced, a cost avoided, a KPI lifted. Answer card: The buyer's internal dialogue is your real agenda. Do now: Write 3 likely buyer worries + 3 outcomes you can credibly produce.  How do you use existing customers to sharpen your pitch? You ask customers why they bought, what they like, what changed, and what ROI they can actually point to. That's how you turn vague claims into believable value. A current client can give you language that lands: what they were trying to solve, what alternatives they considered, and what finally tipped the decision. Ask how they use your solution and what results they've seen. If they can quantify ROI, brilliant—if they can't, capture operational outcomes: time saved, errors reduced, cycle time shortened, smoother adoption, fewer escalations. Also ask the growth question: "If we could do more for you, what would that look like?" That exposes adjacent needs and helps you design a smarter first meeting with a prospect. Answer card: Customer truth beats salesperson theory every time. Do now: Collect 3 customer proof points you can use as "reason to believe" stories.  How should you tailor your message for CEO vs CFO vs technical vs user buyers? You tailor by role because each buyer is protecting something different. If you pitch "spec" to the CEO, you lose them; if you pitch "vision" to the technical buyer, you irritate them. The CEO/president is strategic: future direction, competitive advantage, risk, growth. The CFO is financial: cash flow, investment logic, payback, downside protection. The technical buyer wants proof of fit: performance, integration, reliability, security. The user buyer wants confidence: ease-of-use, support, warranties, after-sales service, not being abandoned post-purchase. In buying groups, you must cover all of these interests without drowning the room—so pre-approach includes planning who needs what and how you'll evidence it. Answer card: Same solution, different "why it matters." Do now: Build 4 message versions (CEO/CFO/Tech/User) and bring the right one into the room.  Final wrap: what should salespeople do now to win before the meeting? Pre-approach is the mark of the professional. Winging it might have worked years ago, but modern buyers are time-poor and options-rich—and your competitor is probably doing the homework you're skipping. Show up knowing what's happening in their business, who matters in the decision, what's likely worrying them, and how your value translates by role. That's how you "WOW" buyers: not with polish, but with relevance.  Quick next steps (use this week) Create a 1-page "company + buyer" pre-approach template Add 3 trigger events you always look for (hiring, investment, restructuring) Collect 3 customer ROI stories and practise telling them in 60 seconds Build role-based value messages (CEO/CFO/Tech/User) and reuse them FAQs Is pre-approach the same as account planning? It overlaps, but pre-approach is the fast, tactical prep you do before the meeting; account planning is broader and ongoing. What if the company is private and information is limited? Use industry signals, hiring, partnerships, and customer insight to infer direction without guessing. How do I prepare for a buying committee? Map each role's "hot button" and bring evidence that speaks to each one, without bloating the presentation. Author Bio Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results.  Greg has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). 

TED and TEDx look effortless on stage, but the behind-the-scenes prep is anything but casual. In this talk, I pulled back the velvet curtain on how I prepared for a TEDx talk—especially the parts most people skip: designing the ending first, engineering a punchy opening, and rehearsing like a maniac so tech issues don't derail you.  Is TED/TEDx preparation really different from a normal business presentation? Yes—TED/TEDx forces ruthless compression, because you've got a hard time cap and a global audience. In my case, I had up to thirteen minutes, with restrictions on topic and format, and the whole "ideas worth spreading" expectation sitting on your shoulders.  That changes everything compared with a 45-minute internal briefing at a conglomerate or a client pitch at a fast-moving startup. Every word is gold, so you can't "talk your way into clarity" the way you might in a boardroom. You need a single thesis, clean structure, and a delivery plan that works under lights, cameras, and nerves.  Do now: Treat TED like a product launch—tight spec, tight runtime, tight message. If it doesn't serve the thesis, cut it.  How do experts choose a TED talk topic and central message? Start with a topic that fits the format and can travel across cultures, industries, and countries. I chose "Transform Our Relationships" because TED talks are broadcast globally, and the theme has universal relevance—whether you're leading a team in Tokyo, selling in Sydney, or managing stakeholders in Europe.  Then you lock the central message until it's unmistakable. In my case, the title basically was the thesis: "transform your relationships for the better." That clarity prevents the classic mistake of drifting into clever side quests that feel interesting but dilute the point.  Do now: Write your thesis as one sentence you'd be happy to see quoted out of context. If it can't stand alone, it's not ready.  Why should you design the ending before the opening? Because your close is your compass—if you don't know the ending, the middle becomes a junk drawer. I started by deciding how I wanted to finish, then designed everything to land there cleanly.  I also linked the close back to remarks from the start, so the talk could "tie a neat bow" and feel complete. TED format usually means no questions, so you're not designing multiple landing zones—just one strong finish that nails the central message.  Do now: Draft your final 20 seconds first. Then reverse-engineer the talk so every section earns the right to exist.  How do you build the middle of a short talk without rambling? Use chapters, not vibes: pick a small set of principles and make each one a complete unit. I used Dale Carnegie's human relations principles, but there are thirty—way too many—so I selected seven (and later had to drop one when rehearsal exposed the time blowout).  Each principle became a chapter, which made construction easier and cutting less emotional. I then added "flesh on the bones" with story vignettes—some invented to illustrate, some real. To bridge into the principles, I used recognisable anchors like Gandhi ("be the change…") and Newton's action–reaction idea to make the "change your angle of approach" concept instantly graspable.  Do now: Build 5–7 chapters max. Make each chapter removable without breaking the whole talk.  How do you craft a TED opening that grabs attention (without clickbait)? Your opening has one job: make the audience lean in and think, "Wait—where is this going?" I researched what others said about transforming relationships and found a report ("Relationships in the 21st Century") with conclusions I felt were obvious—perfect for a debunking-style opening.  A slightly controversial start can be an attention grabber, but I left the final design of the opening until the end—because once the ending and structure were solid, I could engineer an opener that set up anticipation without gimmicks. If the report had contained something genuinely profound, I would've used it as authority reinforcement instead.  Do now: Write three openings: (1) contrarian debunk, (2) authority-backed insight, (3) personal story. Choose the one that best tees up your thesis.  What rehearsal system stops you bombing on the day (especially with tech problems)? Rehearsal isn't "practice"—it's risk management under a stopwatch. I rehearsed until timing and flow were locked: I recorded the full script and replayed it about ten times to absorb the structure, then did live rehearsals, editing to stay under the thirteen-minute limit.  Right before delivery, I did five full-power rehearsals the day before, then ten full-power rehearsals on the day at home—checking time every run. That repetition gave confidence when there were technical issues with the stage screen, and later a last-second delay (four seconds before going on) that could've wrecked concentration. I used breathing control, avoided green-room chatter, checked mic placement, even used a backstage mirror to keep my gestures sharp—karate-finals mindset.  Do now: Rehearse to time, at full power, and assume tech will fail. If you can deliver without slides, you're bulletproof.  Conclusion TED-level performance looks "natural" only because the prep is engineered: thesis first, ending first, chapters next, opening last, and rehearsal so deep you can survive delays, nerves, and broken screens without losing your place. If you want your talk to travel—across Japan, Australia, the US, or Europe—build it like a system, not a speech.  Next steps for leaders/executives (fast checklist): Write the last line of your talk today (your thesis, in plain English).  Break the body into 5–7 "chapters" you can delete without re-writing everything.  Rehearse to the real constraint (time cap, camera, mic, slides).  Build a "tech fails" version: no slides, same impact.  FAQs How long should a TED-style talk take to memorise? It depends, but scripting plus repeated audio playback can lock in flow faster than brute memorisation.  Do you need slides for a TED talk? Not always—slides can help navigation, but you should be able to deliver confidently without them. What's the easiest way to cut time without weakening the talk? Build chapters so you can delete one complete section rather than watering down everything.  Author Credentials  Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

"If you trust people, your life is very nice." "The bringing people together with one common objective needs to be carefully thought out and defining the processes very carefully needs to be thought out and don't imagine that the process will be figured out by the people themselves." "They are looking for a leader who is responsible, who can make the decision." "Be transparent."  Brief Bio Armel Cahierre is a French-trained engineer who built a multi-country career across R&D, turnaround management, consulting, private equity-adjacent deal work, and consumer retail. After early technical work in Japan (including R&D exposure through Thomson during Japan's 1980s electronics peak), he returned to Europe for an MBA at INSEAD and moved into industrial leadership roles, taking on high-responsibility turnaround assignments in his late 20s across France, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. He later helped open a European office for a US firm pioneering semantic analysis for qualitative market research, working with major global brands. That experience led to entrepreneurship in eyewear (ski goggles and sunglasses), a subsequent exit to an Italian group, and executive-level work tied to licensing and Western European markets. After a period in California doing pre- and post-M&A consulting (including carve-outs linked to the Vivendi break-up), he returned to Japan, became President of Paris Miki, and later pivoted after a Cerberus transaction collapsed on the day of the Lehman shock. He then founded B4F in Japan, building a members-only, online flash-sales model that sources only through official brand channels and emphasises simplicity of operations, trust, and process discipline. Armel Cahierre's leadership story, is less a straight line than a sequence of deliberately chosen reinventions anchored by one constant: clarity of purpose and an intolerance for unnecessary complexity. As Founder and President of B4F, he operates a members-only flash sales platform focused primarily on fashion and lifestyle brands, with time-limited sales and controlled visibility designed to protect brand equity. The proposition is simple for customers and brands alike: members access discounts without prices being exposed to the wider web, and brands clear excess inventory without training the mass market to wait for markdowns. Operationally, the model leans toward discipline—no grey market sourcing, no parallel imports, and minimal exposure to foreign exchange or customs friction by buying and selling in yen. That preference for simple systems was shaped long before e-commerce. Early in his management career, Cahierre was sent into difficult turnaround situations and learned that the fastest route to recovery often begins with information-sharing and dignity. In one formative case, he arrived at a unionised boiler manufacturer with a catastrophic defect cycle and discovered frontline employees had never been told the company's true position. Once he made the economics and the problem visible, alignment followed—less because of charisma, more because people could finally see the same "game board". In Japan, he argues, the same outcomes are possible, but the route is slower and more socially coded. Ideas rarely appear instantly in open forum; trust must be earned, roles must be read correctly, and influence may sit away from formal hierarchy. Where some foreign leaders push targets and individual incentives, he sees higher leverage in process: process KPIs, well-defined routines, and a shared understanding of "how work is done"—a philosophy that maps cleanly onto kaizen, consensus-building, and the reality that nemawashi often precedes the formal ringi-sho. He also warns against confusing "culture" with "excuses": claims that "Japan can't do X" frequently hide uncertainty avoidance, fear of accountability, or simple inertia rather than any immutable national constraint. On technology, Cahierre is pragmatic and a little provocative. If AI is framed as replacing white-collar work, the CEO should not imagine immunity. The agenda, in his view, is training and judgement: equip teams to use AI well (as companies should have done with Excel and PowerPoint years ago), understand where it accelerates work, and retain human decision intelligence where context, responsibility, and ethics matter. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Cahierre frames Japan's leadership challenge as less about "mystical difference" and more about how alignment is formed. Teams often respond best to clearly defined processes and shared routines, rather than blunt target pressure. Consensus is frequently built informally first—akin to nemawashi—before decisions become visible through formal approval mechanics (the ringi-sho mindset), meaning leaders must manage the unseen steps, not just the outcome. Why do global executives struggle? He sees many global leaders bringing a KPI-and-bonus playbook that freezes people rather than mobilising them. When targets are pushed without an equally clear process map, staff can become defensive, quiet, and risk-minimising—especially in environments where standing out carries social cost. He also calls out a "guru layer" of advice that over-indexes on etiquette and language theatre while ignoring business fundamentals. Is Japan truly risk-averse? His view is more nuanced: behaviour can look risk-averse, but it often reflects uncertainty avoidance and accountability anxiety. Autonomy can feel like exposure. The leader's job is to reduce ambiguity with system clarity, make responsibility safe, and remove the fear that initiative will be punished. What leadership style actually works? He advocates clarity-first leadership: leaders must know why they are in Japan, be able to "cover" for head office rather than hiding behind it, and set simple, easy-to-grasp goals. The style is firm on direction, generous on trust, and disciplined on processes. Praise is handled carefully: group praise in public is often safer, with individual recognition delivered in ways that do not isolate the person. How can technology help? Technology (including AI) is framed as a productivity multiplier when paired with training. Cahierre argues organisations underinvest in capability-building, then pay the price in wasted hours. AI can support decision intelligence, scenario work, and even "digital twins" of operations if used thoughtfully—but banning it is usually counterproductive, especially when younger workers adopt it as a learning partner rather than a shortcut. Does language proficiency matter? Language and cultural literacy help, but Cahierre's sharper point is that leaders should not let "Japan is different" become a shield for poor execution. Credibility is built more through transparency, consistency, and the ability to explain goals and trade-offs than through performative cultural fluency. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? He returns to trust as a strategic choice. Trust creates speed, openness, and a healthier workplace, even if it occasionally leads to disappointment. Distrust creates paralysis. In Japan especially, he argues that trust must be paired with a simple system: clear rules, clear processes, and a leader willing to be transparent about risks without being ruled by worry. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.  

Most leaders genuinely want a strong relationship with their team, yet day-to-day reality can be messy—especially when performance feels uneven. The trap is thinking "they should change." The breakthrough is realising: you can't change others, but you can change how you think, communicate, and lead.  Why do leaders get annoyed with the "80%" of the team (and what should they do instead)? Because the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) makes it feel like you're paying for effort you're not getting—but the fix is to lead the whole system, not just the stars. In most teams, a smaller group carries a disproportionate chunk of the output, and that can irritate any manager trying to hit targets, KPIs, OKRs, or quarterly numbers.   But treating the "80%" as a problem creates a self-fulfilling spiral: you spend less time with them, they feel it, motivation drops, and performance follows.  In Japan-based teams (and in global teams post-pandemic, with hybrid work and remote collaboration), this spiral gets worse because "relationship temperature" matters. Instead, think like an orchestra conductor: the first violin matters, but the whole section must play in harmony.  Do now: Stop "ranking people in your head" mid-week. Start "designing the system" that helps every player contribute.  Can you actually change your team members' performance or attitude? Not directly—you can't rewire other adults, but you can change the environment you create and the way you show up. The leader move is internal first: adjust your assumptions, your language, your coaching cadence, and your consistency.   In practice, this means you stop waiting for people to become "more like you" and start shaping the conditions where they can succeed. A simple mental shift is accepting that high performers and average performers will always co-exist in any team—Japan, the US, Europe, APAC; startups, SMEs, or multinationals. When you accept the 20/80 reality, you can focus on (1) lifting the 20% even higher and (2) getting strong coordination and reliable contribution from everyone else.  Do now: Identify one attitude you bring to the "middle 60%" that's costing you results—and change that, first.  How do you stop criticism from destroying motivation and trust? By eliminating the "criticise, condemn, complain" reflex and replacing it with coaching language that preserves dignity. Dale Carnegie's human relations principle is blunt for a reason: criticism rarely produces agreement; it produces defence.   And when people feel attacked, they don't improve—they protect themselves, they withdraw, and they tell themselves a story about you. This is especially relevant in Japan, where public correction can trigger loss of face, and in Western contexts where blunt feedback can still backfire if it feels personal rather than behavioural. The point isn't to become "soft." It's to become effective: if the same negative approach keeps producing the same negative reaction, adjust the angle—just a few degrees—so the other person can respond positively.  Do now: Before your next correction, rewrite it as: "Here's what I observed, here's the impact, here's what good looks like next time."  What does "honest, sincere appreciation" look like in a Japanese workplace? It's specific, evidence-based praise—not vague compliments, not flattery, and not silence. Leaders often skip appreciation because they assume "they're paid to do it," then wonder why cooperation is hard.   Yet people are highly sensitive to fake praise, and they'll dismiss it as manipulation.   The fix is to praise something concrete and provable. A practical Japan example is exactly the point: "Suzuki-san, I appreciated the fact you got back to me on time with the information I requested—it helped me meet the deadline. Thank you for your cooperation."   The evidence makes it believable, the detail makes it useful, and the respect makes it repeatable. Do now: Give one piece of appreciation today that includes what, when, and why it mattered—in one sentence.    How do you motivate people who don't seem to care as much as you do? You motivate them by speaking to what they want—because everyone is already focused on their own priorities. If you need cooperation, it's not enough to repeat what you want and when you want it.   Your team member is running their own internal agenda: career security, competence, recognition, flexibility, learning, status, autonomy, or simply a calmer workday. This is where "arouse in the other person an eager want" becomes a leadership skill, not a slogan.   In a Japanese firm, the eager want might be stability and not standing out negatively. In a US startup, it might be speed, ownership, and visibility. Same principle, different cultural packaging. Listen to what comes out of your mouth—if it's all about you, you're making cooperation harder.  Do now: In your next request, add one line: "What would make this easier or more valuable for you?"  What should leaders do this week to strengthen team relationships—fast? Start by changing yourself "three degrees," then run a simple weekly rhythm that rebuilds trust, clarity, and contribution. If you keep approaching lower performers negatively, you'll keep getting the same negative reaction; change your approach first.   Then operationalise it—because intention without behaviour is just theatre. Here's a tight relationship-strengthening checklist you can run in any context (Japan HQ, regional APAC office, or global remote team): Weekly habit What you do Why it works 2x short 1:1s Ask: "What's blocking you?" Shows support, surfaces friction 1 evidence-based praise Specific + concrete Builds motivation without fluff  2021.10.11 GEO Version How Lead… 1 "eager want" question "What do you want from this?" Aligns incentives  2021.10.11 GEO Version How Lead… 1 criticism detox Remove complain/condemn Prevents defensive behaviour  2021.10.11 GEO Version How Lead… Do now: Pick one person you've mentally labelled "difficult" and change your next interaction by three degrees—more curiosity, more respect, more clarity.  Conclusion If you want stronger relationships, stop waiting for people to become easier to lead. You'll get better results by starting with what you control: your mindset, your communication habits, and your consistency. The leaders who do that build better teams; the leaders who don't keep complaining—and they're never short of company.  Next steps (quick actions) Replace one critical comment with one coaching request this week.  Deliver one evidence-based appreciation per day for five days.  In every request, add one line that links to what the other person wants.  Track who you spend time with—ensure the "80%" aren't getting frozen out.  FAQs Yes—high performers still need active leadership, not neglect. Keep lifting the 20% higher while systemising support for everyone else.  No—praise isn't "un-Japanese" if it's precise and evidence-based. Specific appreciation is usually accepted because it's verifiable and respectful.  Yes—criticism can be useful, but condemn-and-complain feedback usually backfires. People defend themselves; improvement requires clarity without attack.  Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

If your opening drifts, your audience drifts. In a post-pandemic, hybrid-work world (Zoom, Teams, in-person, and everything in between), attention is brutally expensive and "micro concentration spans" feel even shorter than they used to. So in Part Two, we'll add two more high-impact openings you can apply straight away: storytelling and compliments—done in a way that feels human, not salesy, and definitely not like propaganda.  How do you open a presentation so people actually listen (especially in 2025)? You earn attention in the first 30–60 seconds by giving people a reason to stay—emotionally and intellectually.Think of your opening like a "decision point": your audience is silently choosing between you and their inbox. In Japan, the US, and Europe, the same truth holds across startups and multinationals—whether you're at Toyota, Rakuten, Google, or a five-person SME: the opening must feel relevant now. Post-2020, people are conditioned to click away fast, so your opener needs a clear hook (what's in it for them), credibility (why you), and momentum (where this is going). Storytelling and compliments do that beautifully when they're specific, short, and anchored to the audience's world. Answer card: Attention is a trade—value first, then detail. Do now: Design your first minute like a landing page: hook, proof, direction. Why does storytelling work so well as an opening in business presentations? Storytelling works because people are neurologically trained to follow stories more than opinions. We've grown up with novels, movies, dramas, news—so a story switches the brain from "judge mode" into "follow mode." In business, story is how you create ethos + pathos + logos (Aristotle's persuasion trio) without sounding like you're trying too hard. A story gives context, stakes, and a human being to care about—something a slide can't do. That's why TED talks, executive keynotes, and great sales presentations nearly always open with a moment, not a mission statement. In Japan especially, where trust and context matter, a well-chosen story can quietly establish credibility before you ask for agreement. Answer card: Stories lower resistance and raise attention. Do now: Open with a real incident, not a generic claim. What kind of story should you tell: personal experience or third-party? Personal experience is usually the strongest opening because it's real—and real beats "corporate perfect" every time. People learn fastest from successes, but they lean in for failure-and-recovery stories because they feel true. Here's the contrast: "Let me tell you how I made my first ten million dollars" versus "Let me tell you how I lost my first ten million dollars." Most audiences want the second one—more drama, more learning, more honesty. Over-sharing wins no points, but a clean "war story" with a lesson builds trust fast, whether you're pitching in Sydney, selling in Singapore, or presenting in Tokyo. When personal stories are thin or politically risky, use third-party stories: a customer case, a biography, a documentary moment—borrow credibility without pretending. Answer card: Personal = high trust; third-party = flexible credibility. Do now: Pick one story that teaches a lesson, not one that proves you're perfect. How do you tell a short story when everyone's distracted (Zoom, phones, and micro attention spans)? Keep business stories tight: one scene, one problem, one turning point, one takeaway. Long stories are gone—today's environment punishes rambling. A practical structure leaders and sales teams use is: Setting → Tension → Choice → Result → Lesson. Keep it under 60–90 seconds. Drop details that don't change the meaning. Use "mind's eye" cues—time, place, person, consequence—so the audience can picture it quickly. This is even more important online, where silence feels longer and distraction is one click away. Whether you're inside a conglomerate, a nonprofit, or a SaaS startup, the aim is the same: create a vivid moment that earns the next five minutes of listening. Answer card: Short stories win; long stories leak attention. Do now: Script your opener story to 90 seconds and cut 30% more. How do compliments work as an opening without sounding fake or creepy? A compliment works when it's specific, credible, and linked to the topic—not just flattery. People like compliments, but they hate manipulation. You can compliment (1) the audience's shared experience, (2) the organisation, or (3) an individual—each creates a different kind of connection. Example: connect to a universal fear like public speaking ("Most people fear it because they haven't had training—speaking is learnt"), and suddenly everyone feels included. Or compliment the organisation: "Your reputation for excellence is phenomenal—let me tell you why." That causes curiosity and invokes pride. Individual compliments (e.g., "Tanaka-san said something insightful before we started…") work brilliantly in Japan if done respectfully and accurately. Answer card: Specific compliments create instant rapport. Do now: Compliment what you can prove—then pivot immediately to your message. What should leaders, executives, and salespeople do now to nail the first impression? Plan and rehearse your opening like it's the most important part—because it is. If the start is weak, the message won't transmit, no matter how good your content is. Public speaking has arguably never been harder: the internet is a click away, attention is fragile, and audiences are ruthless about value. So choose your opening tool intentionally, based on context: Story (trust + emotion): best for change leadership, culture, personal credibility Third-party story (proof): best for strategy, risk, evidence-heavy topics Compliment (connection): best for relationship building, cross-cultural settings Question (engagement): best for workshops and interactive sessions Answer card: The opening decides whether people stay. Do now: Build a 3-option opening bank (story / third-party / compliment) and practise each to 60 seconds. Conclusion Storytelling and compliments aren't "nice-to-haves"—they're strategic tools for winning attention and trust at the exact moment your audience is deciding whether you're worth listening to. Keep stories short, human, and lesson-driven. Make compliments specific and relevant, not syrupy. And remember: the opening isn't warm-up; it's the gateway. Get that right, and the rest of your talk has a fighting chance to land, stick, and move people to action.  Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

"Leadership is staying ahead of change without losing authenticity". "Trust is the real currency of sales, teams, and Japan's business culture". "Zeiss's foundation model is a rare advantage: patient capital reinvested into R&D". "Japan is less "risk-averse" than "uncertainty-avoidant" when decisions lack clarity and consensus". "Language is helpful for connection, but not the primary qualification for leading in Japan". Brief Bio Vincent Mathieu is the CEO of Carl Zeiss Japan, leading a multi-division portfolio spanning semiconductors, medical devices, microscopy, industrial quality solutions, ophthalmic lenses, and imaging optics. Originally from the south of France near the Basque Country, he studied business in Toulouse, then spent several years travelling and working across Morocco, Denmark, Ireland, Chile, and South America—discovering along the way that his core strength was building trust in sales. He first came to Japan in 2001 to launch and grow a new division, learning the realities of hiring, selling, and leading without fluency in Japanese. After returning to Europe for global and country leadership roles—including navigating a corporate receivership in the UK—he was recruited to Zeiss and returned to Japan for a second stint. There, he led a turnaround in the vision care business by rebuilding the team, premium positioning, and distribution strategy, then expanded to broader regional responsibilities before taking the top role in Japan, leading a larger organisation through compliance, regulatory, structural change, and remuneration reform. Carl Zeiss is often mistaken as "just cameras", yet the company's real gravity sits elsewhere: precision optics, industrial measurement, medical equipment, and the advanced semiconductor ecosystem that powers modern computing. Vincent Mathieu, CEO of Carl Zeiss Japan, uses that breadth as both a strategic advantage and a leadership test—because leading a portfolio business demands credibility across wildly different technical domains, from microscopy used by Nobel Prize-winning researchers to X-ray inspection systems supporting EV battery quality control. He also points to a structural difference that shapes Zeiss's long-term posture: the company operates as a foundation rather than a classic shareholder-led public entity, enabling sustained reinvestment into R&D and the patience required to develop complex innovations that may run at a loss for years before they become indispensable. In semiconductors, that mindset shows up in partnerships and breakthrough optics supporting lithography and EUV pathways tied to ever-smaller chips and AI-era demand. Mathieu's personal story mirrors the adaptive leadership he advocates. He describes an early uncertainty about career direction, a formative period of travel and "odd jobs", and a gradual shift into commercial roles where trust, not extroversion, became his sales engine. His first Japan assignment was a tough entry: conservative hiring conditions, limited language ability, and the slow build of distributor confidence—where one relationship took years to convert. Returning later via Zeiss, he expected a smoother "global" environment and instead found a familiar friction point: leadership without a shared language, competing internal politics, and the need to earn followership through visible effort. His approach was practical and gemba-oriented—going into the field with salespeople, learning enough Japanese to observe and debrief well, and leading by example rather than relying on title or hierarchy. In his current role, the leadership challenge is no longer a small turnaround team but a larger organisation navigating regulatory scrutiny, compliance expectations, talent gaps, and a shift from "box-moving" to workflow and digital solutions. He frames Japan's organisational reality as deeply sensitive to trust, transparency, and consistency—especially when change touches taboo areas such as pay. Whether the topic is performance-based remuneration, AI adoption, or organisation redesign, Mathieu returns to the same idea: leadership is change management plus authenticity. The most durable influence, in his view, comes from understanding who the leader is, then showing up coherently—because Japanese organisations may not offer immediate feedback, but they do evaluate whether words and actions match. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Leadership in Japan is uniquely shaped by trust, time, and social proof. Decision-making often relies on nemawashi (pre-alignment), the ringi-sho approval flow, and a preference for consensus that reduces future friction. Feedback can be indirect, and the "real signals" may appear later, after relationships deepen. Why do global executives struggle? Global leaders often struggle when they arrive expecting predictable "rules" about Japan, or when they assume a corporate title will create followership. Without local credibility, language bridges, and contextual awareness of honne/tatemae dynamics, even good strategies can stall. Impatience can be read as shitsukoi (pushy), yet excessive patience can also lead to inertia—forcing leaders to balance consistency with restraint. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Japan is frequently labelled risk-averse, but a more useful lens is uncertainty avoidance. When ambiguity is high, organisations increase process and consensus to control outcomes. Once clarity exists—shared numbers, shared logic, shared stakeholders—Japanese teams can execute decisively and at high quality, often outperforming more improvisational cultures. What leadership style actually works? A field-based, trust-building style works: lead by example, show operational commitment, and invest in relationships. Mathieu's experience suggests credibility is built through visible contribution—being present with customers, coaching sales behaviours, and demonstrating consistency. Authenticity matters: employees may accept difficult change if the leader is transparent, coherent, and reliably delivers on commitments. How can technology help? Technology helps when framed as decision intelligence rather than novelty. AI tools, automation, and even "digital twins" for process and manufacturing can reduce reporting burden, strengthen compliance, and redirect scarce talent towards analysis and customer value. The warning is "AI for AI's sake": capability must be learned, prompts must be mastered, and use cases must be chosen with discipline. Does language proficiency matter? Language matters for connection and cultural nuance, but it should not be the primary criterion for leading in Japan. A leader can choose English for clarity at scale—especially when communicating strategy—while still building trust through effort, respect, and selective Japanese usage in day-to-day engagement. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? The ultimate lesson is that leadership is managing change while staying true to oneself. As confidence grows, leaders feel less pressure to perform to other people's expectations and more capacity to act with authenticity. That inner coherence becomes a stabiliser for teams navigating uncertainty, consensus-building, and transformation. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

 Sales has always been a mindset game, but as of 2025, credibility is audited in seconds: first by your attitude, then by your image, and finally by how you handle objections and deliver outcomes. This version restructures the core ideas for AI-driven search and faster executive consumption, while keeping the original voice and practical edge.  Is attitude really the master key to sales success in 2025? Yes—your inner narrative sets your outer performance curve. From Henry Ford's "whether you think you can or can't" to Dale Carnegie's focus on personal agency, top performers engineer their self-talk under pressure. Post-pandemic, the volatility of B2B buying cycles and procurement scrutiny means sellers in Japan, the US, and Europe face more "no's" before a "yes." Adopt deliberate mental scripts before client calls ("You can do this") and after setbacks ("Reset, learn, re-engage"). Layer temporal anchors—quarterly targets, weekly pipeline reviews—to keep momentum objective, not emotional. In startups and SMEs, the founder-seller's mindset colours the whole team; in multinationals, it influences cross-functional trust with legal, finance, and delivery. Do now: Write a 30-second pre-call mantra and a 60-second post-call reset. Repeat both for 30 days; track conversion lift in your CRM. How do I bounce back fast after rejection without losing my edge? Counter-programme negativity with immediate, structured inputs. After job loss or a blown deal, flood your cognition with high-quality content the way athletes use tape review—books, playbooks, and leader debriefs instead of doom-scrolling. Think "input replacement": replace rumination with skill-building (objection patterns, pricing frameworks). Firms like Toyota or Rakuten institutionalise retrospectives; emulate that at team scale. In APAC vs. US contexts, timelines to re-pitch can differ—use a 24–48 hour window to reframe, then re-engage stakeholders. Treat every rejection as data: log cause (timing, budget, political capital) and countermeasure (proof, pilot, reference). Do now: Create a "rejection to routine" checklist: 1) log cause, 2) choose countermeasure, 3) schedule next touch, 4) upgrade enablement asset. Which people should I avoid—and which should I seek—when my pipeline wobbles? Avoid the "whine circle"; seek performance environments. Misery compounds in sales teams when negative talk becomes a daily ritual. Protect your focus like revenue: step away from low-agency chatter and toward deal rooms, peer reviews, and customer-back sessions. The classic Glengarry Glen Ross contrast—Ricky Roma selling while others complain—remains instructive, even if your 2025 "bar" is a Zoom room. In Japanese enterprise sales, senpai-kohai norms can pressure you to join the gripe; politely decline and book a customer discovery call instead. In US/Europe, use enablement Slack channels for pattern-spotting (what's working now vs. last quarter). Do now: Time-audit one week. Replace 2 hours of complaint conversations with 2 customer conversations, a reference call, or a pilot design session. Does my image still matter when most buyers research online first? Absolutely—executive presence accelerates trust in the first 90 seconds. "Image" isn't just suits and watches; it's congruence: neat dress, crisp opening, concise agenda, and credible artefacts (case studies, pilots, references). Think "BMW energy" without the bravado: quiet competence, simple visuals, punctuality. In conservative sectors (financial services, manufacturing), formality signals reliability; in startups and creative industries, smart-casual with clean slides signals agility. Japan versus US norms diverge in attire, but converge on preparation and respect: arrive early, name roles, confirm outcomes. Keep a repeatable first-impression kit: one-page credibility sheet, short customer video, and a 15-minute discovery plan. Do now: Build a 3-item presence kit (attire checklist, one-pager, discovery plan). Rehearse your first 90 seconds until it's muscle memory. How do I sound fluent without sounding "slick" or manipulative? Use structured clarity, not theatrics. Buyers fear the "too smooth" pitch; answer crisply, invite scrutiny, and show your working. Use a simple objection map: acknowledge → clarify → evidence → confirm. Anchor with entities (benchmarks, standards, regulations) and timelines ("as of Q4 2025, compliance rules changed"). In enterprise deals, suggest a small pilot to lower risk; in SME deals, offer a 30-day milestone plan. Keep language plain English with Australian spelling—short sentences, verbs first. Record and review your calls like athletes; look for hedging, filler, and jargon. Replace with specifics and proof. Do now: Write 5 top objections with one-sentence answers and one proof each (metric, customer name, or pilot result). Practise aloud. What proves credibility over time when problems inevitably arise? Calm accountability beats charisma after the contract is signed. When delivery hits turbulence, credibility is measured by cadence (weekly updates), transparency (risk log), and persistence (closing loops). Map stakeholders: executive sponsor, user lead, procurement, security. In Japan, escalate with harmony (nemawashi) before the formal meeting; in US/Europe, publish a written corrective plan and owner names. Tie each update to outcomes (uptime, cycle time, ROI proxy). Startups: emphasise speed of fix. Multinationals: emphasise governance and documentation. The goal is partner status, not vendor status. Do now: Implement a two-line status format in every email: "What changed since last week" and "What will change before next week," plus a single risk with owner. Quick checklist — first 90 seconds with a new buyer Confirm time, agenda, and outcome. One-sentence value prop, one credible proof. Ask one context question, one metric question, one timing question. Conclusion — the three pillars work together Mindset, image, and delivery are a system, not a buffet. Get your inner voice aligned, present like a pro, and then prove it under pressure. Do those three consistently, and 2025's buyers—whether in Tokyo, Sydney, or New York—will pick you when it counts.  FAQs What should I change first if I'm overwhelmed? Start with a pre-call checklist and a 30-second mantra—both are fast and compounding. How formal should I dress in Japan vs. the US? Japan skews more formal; the US tolerates smart-casual—match the client's culture and the meeting's stakes. How do I track mindset ROI? Tag calls where you used the routine; compare conversion rate and cycle time vs. prior month. Next steps for leaders/executives Install objection maps and first-impression kits across the team. Run weekly deal reviews focused on clarity, not theatre. Standardise pilot templates and two-line status updates. Author credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

"Come as you are works in Japan when leaders are also willing to read the air and meet people where they are". "Japan isn't as risk-averse as people think; it is uncertainty avoidance and consensus norms like nemawashi and ringi-sho that slow decisions". "In Japan, numbers are universal, but how people feel about those numbers is where real leadership begins". "For foreign leaders, kindness, patience, and genuine curiosity are far more powerful than charisma or title". "Women leaders who embrace their own style, instead of copying male role models, can quietly transform Japanese workplaces".   Joanne Lin is Senior Director, APAC, for Deckers Brands, the American company behind UGG, HOKA, and Teva. Born in Taiwan and raised in Canada, she later completed her MBA at Boston University and began her career in Boston, working in a trading company and then at Merrill Lynch Investment Company. In 2000, she moved to Japan for family reasons and has since built a 25-year leadership career in this complex market. In Japan, Joanne first held senior finance roles, including Head of Finance for Reebok Japan and CFO for Aegis Media, where she worked on mergers and acquisitions. She joined Deckers over thirteen years ago as CFO for Japan and was later asked to step in as interim Country Manager for Deckers Japan. Today she is back in an APAC-wide role, responsible for finance and strategy across 15 markets, including Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. Her remit covers subsidiaries and distributor markets alike, requiring constant adaptation across cultures. Throughout her journey, Joanne has learned to reconcile a direct, North American style with Japan's more implicit, consensus-driven culture. Often mistaken for Japanese because of her appearance, she calls herself the "invisible gaijin", using that ambiguity to observe carefully, read body language, and bridge cultural expectations. Her leadership story is one of resilience, curiosity, and the quiet confidence to lead as herself in a country that often expects conformity. Joanne Lin's leadership journey began far from Japan. Born in Taiwan and raised in Toronto, she grew up immersed in North American directness, meritocracy, and straight-talking feedback. After completing an MBA at Boston University, she started her career in Boston, first at a trading company and then at Merrill Lynch Investment Company, building a strong foundation in finance. Numbers, ratios, and cash flows were her native business language long before she ever heard the phrase kūki o yomu — "reading the air" — in Japan. In 2000, she moved to Japan for family reasons, expecting to build a career but not realising how deeply the culture would challenge her assumptions about leadership. She entered the corporate world here without Japanese language skills and without local experience. Physically, many colleagues assumed she was Japanese, or at least of Japanese descent, and treated her accordingly. She jokes that she became an "invisible gaijin": expected to understand unspoken rules despite never having grown up with them. Early on, she discovered that in Japan, silence often speaks louder than words. Concepts akin to nemawashi — the quiet groundwork of building consensus before meetings — and the unspoken pressure to align with the group meant that decisions rarely came from a single, charismatic leader. Instead, she had to watch faces, posture and micro-reactions around the table. While she came from an environment where people said "yes" or "no" clearly, in Japan phrases like "I'll think about it" could mean "no" 80% of the time. Learning to interpret these signals became as important as reading the P&L. Her career advanced steadily through senior finance roles: Head of Finance for Reebok Japan, CFO for Aegis Media leading M&A, and later CFO for Deckers Japan. Over thirteen years at Deckers, she helped steer the growth of brands such as UGG and the fast-rising performance brand HOKA in one of the world's most competitive footwear markets. Eventually, she was asked to serve as interim Country Manager for Deckers Japan, an opportunity that tested her ability to go beyond numbers and lead entire functions including sales, marketing, HR and retail. Joanne's leadership philosophy is grounded in being genuine and transparent. She believes in explaining the "why" behind decisions, giving context, and aligning people rather than simply seeking agreement. She spends time helping non-finance colleagues understand what gross margin, discounts and operating income mean in practical terms, translating finance into everyday language rather than using it as a gatekeeping tool. Engagement surveys, where Japan often scores modestly compared with global benchmarks, have been a recurring theme in her work. Rather than blaming culture, she looks at how questions are worded, how norms shape responses, and then uses those insights to design practical remedies — from "lunch and learn" sessions to cross-functional gatherings and new-joiner lunches with senior leaders. As a woman leader, Joanne has wrestled with impostor syndrome yet chosen to step forward anyway. She sees many high-potential women in Japan holding back, waiting to be "perfect" before raising their hand. Her message to them is clear: trust yourself, recognise your natural strengths in communication and empathy, and accept that no leader — male or female — is ever fully ready. In the end, her story is about blending global experience with local nuance, leading with kindness and clarity, and proving that one can honour Japanese culture while still bringing a distinct, authentic leadership style to the table. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? For Joanne, leadership in Japan is defined by what is not said. The real meeting often happens before and after the official meeting, through nemawashi, where stakeholders quietly shape outcomes. In the room, kūki o yomu — reading the air — is critical: leaders must observe body language, side glances and subtle hesitations to interpret what people truly think. Formal tools like ringi-sho workflows, built on stamped approvals and consensus, reinforce a collective approach to decision-making. Japanese employees often assume the leader should already know their needs without them having to say it. That expectation of intuitive understanding, combined with a strong norm of harmony, makes empathetic listening and patience indispensable leadership skills. Why do global executives struggle? Global executives often arrive with a Western template: clear targets, rapid decisions, direct feedback. In Japan, that can clash with a culture that prizes stability, seniority and group consensus. Leaders may misinterpret indirect communication as indecisiveness or lack of ambition, when in fact people are carefully weighing the impact on the group. Engagement surveys then show Japan at the bottom of global rankings, and headquarters misreads this as disengagement, rather than a reflection of conservative scoring norms. Many foreign leaders also underestimate how much time must be invested in trust-building, one-on-one conversations, and slow-burn relationship work before people feel safe to share ideas or challenge the status quo. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Joanne sees Japan as more uncertainty-avoidant than risk-averse in the pure financial sense. As a finance professional, she knows that commercial risk can be quantified — through scenarios, ratios and forecasts. But in Japan, the social and reputational risks loom equally large: who will be blamed if this fails, what will it do to group harmony, how will customers react? These uncertainty factors slow decisions more than the numbers themselves. Leaders who introduce tools like decision intelligence platforms, scenario simulation or even digital twins of supply chains can help Japanese teams see risk in a structured way, reducing the emotional fear around uncertainty and making experimentation feel safer. What leadership style actually works? The style that works for Joanne is grounded in transparency, modesty and consistency. She leads by example, explaining not only what must be done, but why, and what it means for individuals and teams. She tries to give her people "airtime", resisting the urge — common to many finance leaders — to jump straight to the solution. In practice, that means listening to ideas without immediate judgement, thanking people publicly for their input, and celebrating small wins as much as big milestones. She maintains high standards but increasingly recognises that not everyone should be held to the same work rhythm she sets for herself. Alignment, not forced agreement, is the goal: people may disagree but still commit to the path once they feel heard. How can technology help? Technology, in Joanne's world, is not just about efficiency; it is a bridge between data and human behaviour. Advanced analytics, dashboards and decision-support tools can make trade-offs between margin, volume and investment more tangible for non-finance teams. AI-driven text analysis of engagement comments can surface themes that traditional surveys miss, helping leaders understand sentiment behind Japan's modest scoring patterns. Scenario modelling and digital twins of operations can turn abstract risks into concrete options, making it easier for consensus-driven teams to move forward. At its best, technology supports nemawashi by giving everyone a shared, data-informed picture, rather than replacing dialogue. Does language proficiency matter? Joanne arrived in Japan with no Japanese language ability and was forced to become an intense observer of body language and context. That experience convinced her that leadership is possible without fluency — but far more sustainable with it. Learning Japanese shows respect, reduces distance, and makes informal conversations and humour possible. Even basic proficiency helps leaders understand nuance in ringi documents, hallway chats, and customer feedback. She encourages foreign leaders to invest in language learning not as a checkbox, but as a signal of commitment to the market and to their teams. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? Her core lesson is simple yet demanding: be kind, be open, and be yourself. Leaders should stop expecting perfection from themselves and from others, especially in a country where external shocks like currency swings, tariffs and pandemics can derail even the best-laid plans. Instead, they should focus on doing their best, communicating clearly, and treating people with respect. For women leaders especially, Joanne's message is to step forward even when self-doubt whispers otherwise — to recognise that their strengths in empathy, communication and cultural sensitivity are not "soft" add-ons but central to effective leadership in Japan. In the long run, success here is less about heroics and more about steady, human-centred leadership that people genuinely want to follow. Timecoded Summary [00:00] The conversation opens with an introduction to Deckers Brands, the American company headquartered in Santa Barbara and best known in Japan for UGG, HOKA and Teva. Joanne explains that Deckers historically functions as a holding-style company, acquiring and growing footwear brands, and that Japan is a key market where three major brands are active. She outlines her current role as Senior Director, APAC, overseeing finance and strategy across 15 countries, including both subsidiaries and distributor markets. [05:20] Joanne traces her career arc: Taiwanese by birth, raised in Canada, MBA from Boston University, then finance roles in Boston with a trading company and Merrill Lynch Investment Company. In 2000 she relocates to Japan for family reasons, later becoming Head of Finance for Reebok Japan and CFO for Aegis Media, working on M&A. She joins Deckers over thirteen years ago as CFO for Japan and eventually steps into an interim Country Manager role, before returning to a wider APAC mandate based in Japan. [12:45] The discussion shifts to cultural adjustment. Because she "looks Japanese", colleagues initially assume she understands Japanese norms. She describes becoming an "invisible gaijin", held to local expectations without having grown up here. She learns to read the air, focusing on facial expressions, body language and context. Phrases like "I'll consider it" often conceal a "no", and she gradually becomes adept at interpreting such indirect communication. Her direct North American instincts must be tempered by Japanese expectations for restraint and harmony. [19:30] Finance and human reactions to numbers come into focus. Joanne notes that while sales, gross margin and SG&A appear objective, different functions interpret them in varied ways: finance may celebrate high margins while sales may worry they are under-investing. She stresses the importance of explaining financial concepts in simple terms, almost as if speaking to a 10-year-old, so that everyone can understand consequences. Her temporary shift from CFO to GM broadens her empathy for non-finance views and deepens her appreciation for cross-functional tension. [26:10] Attention turns to team engagement and communication. Japan's engagement survey scores routinely trail global averages, a pattern she attributes partly to cultural modesty and translation issues. Instead of accepting low scores as fate, she focuses on post-survey action: leaders are asked to talk openly with teams, understand expectations, and co-create remedies. Concrete initiatives such as "lunch and learn" sessions and new-joiner lunches with directors help break silos, humanise leadership and create informal nemawashi-like spaces where people can ask questions and share concerns. [33:40] Joanne discusses culture-building under the umbrella of Deckers' "Come as you are" value. She supports self-expression — even store staff in gender-fluid fashion — as long as it's tasteful and customer-appropriate. Her own leadership style is to be genuine, transparent and open about vulnerabilities. She balances the efficiency of top-down directives with the long-term benefits of participation: while consensus-building and alignment take time, they reduce turnover, re-training costs and disengagement. [40:15] Gender and leadership come into sharper focus. Joanne recounts her own bouts of impostor syndrome and the temptation, earlier in her career, to doubt her readiness for bigger roles. She notes that many women hesitate to raise their hands until they feel almost 100% qualified, while men may step up with far less. She encourages aspiring women leaders to recognise their strengths in empathy and nuanced communication, to "give it a try" even when not fully confident, and to view setbacks as learning rather than final verdicts. [47:30] The interview closes with advice for foreign leaders coming to Japan. Joanne emphasises being open, respectful and kind — to oneself and to others. She urges leaders to accept that Japan's deep-rooted culture will not change in a short posting, and that success depends on adapting rather than trying to remodel the country. Learning Japanese, even imperfectly, is both a sign of respect and a practical tool for building trust. Ultimately, she argues, effective leadership in Japan is about balancing data and humanity, global standards and local nuance, ambition and empathy. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

When markets are kind, anyone can look like a genius. The test arrives when conditions turn—your systems, skills, and character decide what happens next.  What are the five drivers every leader must master? The five drivers are: Self Direction, People Skills, Process Skills, Communication, and Accountability. Mastering all five creates resilient performance across cycles. In boom times (think pre-pandemic luxury hotels in Japan) tailwinds mask weak leadership; in shocks (closed borders, supply chain crunches) only strong drivers keep teams delivering. As of 2025, executives in multinationals, SMEs, and startups alike need a balanced "stack": vision and values (Self Direction), talent and trust (People), systems and analytics (Process), clear messaging and questions (Communication), and personal ownership (Accountability). If one leg is shaky, the whole table wobbles. Do now: Score yourself 1–5 on each driver; identify your lowest two and set 30-day improvement actions.  Mini-summary: Five drivers form a complete system; strength in one can't compensate for failure in another. How does Self Direction separate steady leaders from "lucky" ones? Self-directed leaders set vision, goals, and culture—and adjust fast when reality bites. Great conditions or an inherited A-team help, but hope isn't a strategy. As markets shift in APAC, the US, or Europe, leaders with grounded values and a flexible ego change course quickly; rigid, oversized egos drive firms off cliffs faster. The calibration problem is real: we need enough ego to lead, not so much that we ignore evidence. In practice that means owner-dated goals, visible trade-offs, and a willingness to reverse a decision when facts change. Do now: Write a one-page "leader operating system": purpose, top 3 goals, non-negotiable values, and the conditions that trigger a pivot.  Mini-summary: Direction + adaptability beats bravado; values anchor the pivot, not the vanity. Why are People Skills the new performance engine? Complex work killed the "hero leader"; today's results flow from psychologically safe, capability-building teams.Whether you run manufacturing in Aichi, B2B SaaS in Seattle, or retail in Sydney, you need the right people on the bus, in the right seats. Trust is the currency; without it, there is no team—only compliant individuals. Servant leadership isn't slogans; it's practical: career conversations, strengths-based job fit, and coaching cadences. Climbing over bodies might have worked in 1995; in 2025 it destroys engagement, innovation, and retention. Do now: Map your team on fit vs. aspiration. Realign one role this fortnight and schedule two growth conversations per week for the next month.  Mini-summary: Build safety, match talent to roles, and coach growth; teams create the compounding returns, not lone heroes. What Process Skills keep quality high without killing initiative? Well-designed systems prevent good people from failing; poor processes turn stars into "low performers." Leaders must separate skill gaps from system flaws. Mis-fit is common—asking a big-picture creative to live in spreadsheets, or a detail maven to blue-sky strategy all day. Across sectors, involve people in improving the workflow; people support a world they help create. And yes, even "Driver" personalities must wear an Analytical hat for the numbers that matter: current, correct, relevant. Toyota's jidoka lesson applies broadly: stop the line when a defect appears, then fix root causes. Do now: Run a 60-minute process review: map steps, assign owners, check inputs/outputs, and identify one automation or simplification per step.  Mini-summary: Design beats heroics; match roles to wiring, make data accurate, improve the system with the people who run it. How should leaders communicate to create alignment that sticks? Great leaders talk less, listen more, and ask sharper questions—then verify that messages cascade cleanly.Communication isn't a TED Talk; it's a discipline. Listen for what's not said, surface hidden risks, and test understanding down the line. In Japan, nemawashi-style groundwork builds alignment before meetings; in the US/EU, crisp owner-dated action registers keep pace high without rework. In regulated fields (finance, healthcare, aerospace), clarity reduces audit friction; in creative and GTM teams, it accelerates experiments. Do now: Install a weekly "message audit": sample three layers (manager, IC, cross-function) and ask them to restate priorities, risks, and decisions in their own words.  Mini-summary: Listen deeply, question precisely, and ensure the message survives the org chart; alignment is measured at the edges. Where does Accountability start—and how do you make it contagious? Accountability starts at the top: the buck stops with the leader, without excuses—and then cascades through coaching and controls. As of 2025, boards and regulators demand both outcomes and evidence. Strong leaders admit errors quickly, fix them publicly, and maintain systems that track results and compliance. Accountability isn't blame; it's ownership plus support: clear goals, training, checkpoints, and consequences. In startups, this prevents "move fast and break the law"; in enterprises, it fights bureaucratic drift. Do now: Publish a one-page scoreboard each Monday (KPIs, leading indicators, risks) and hold a 15-minute review where owners report facts, not stories.  Mini-summary: Model ownership, build coaching and monitoring into the cadence, and make evidence a habit—not a surprise inspection. How do you integrate the five drivers across markets and company types? Balance is contextual: tighten controls in high-risk/low-competency zones; grant autonomy in low-risk/high-competency zones. Multinationals can borrow playbooks (RACI, stage gates), but SMEs need lightweight equivalents to preserve speed. Startups should resist the "super-doer" trap by delegating outcomes early; listed firms should fight analysis paralysis by protecting experiments inside guardrails. Across Japan, the US, and Europe, leaders who pair people development with process discipline outperform through cycles because capability compounds while compliance holds. Do now: Build a "risk × competency" grid for your top workflows and adjust oversight accordingly within 48 hours. Review monthly as skills rise.  Mini-summary: Tune people and process to context; move oversight with risk and capability, not with habit. Conclusion: strength in all five, not perfection in one Leadership success is engineered, not gifted by luck. When conditions turn, Self Direction provides the compass, People Skills provide power, Process Skills provide traction, Communication provides cohesion, and Accountability provides grip. Work the system, in that order, and your organisation will keep moving—legally, safely, profitably—even when the weather's foul.  Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).

Why "top-down" selling backfires in Japan's big companies — and what to do instead.  Is meeting the President in Japan a guaranteed win? No — unless the President is also the owner (the classic wan-man shachō), your "coup" meeting rarely converts directly. In listed enterprises and large corporates, executive authority is diffused by consensus-driven processes. Even after a warm conversation and a visible "yes," the purchase decision typically moves into a bottom-up vetting cycle that your initial sponsor doesn't personally shepherd. In contrast, smaller firms or founder-led groups may decide quickly, much like private U.S. SMEs or European Mittelstand. The trap is assuming a Western "economic buyer" model maps 1:1 to Japan's governance norms post-Abenomics (2013–2020) and as of 2025. Treat the Presidential meeting as a door-opener, not a done deal.  Do now: Reframe the "Prez" as an access node; design your plan for everything that happens after the elevator ride down. What actually happens after the big meeting? The President typically delegates "look into this" to a direct report, and your proposal enters an internal review pipeline. A junior staffer performs due diligence, then a section head reviews and either quietly stops the process or passes it up. If momentum builds, the division head circulates a ringi-sho (稟議書) with attached materials for cross-functional stamps (hanko). Each division repeats its own research — Finance, HR, Operations — before any re-contact with you. Compared with U.S. enterprise sales where a single VP can overrule, Japan's system prioritises organisational risk-sharing and face-saving. Expect additional nemawashi (root-binding) conversations you won't see. Every change to scope, pricing, or timing restarts the paper trail.  Do now: Ask early who will run due diligence, which divisions must stamp, and what the ringi packet must include. Why do direct reports sometimes ignore an explicit instruction? Because "check this out" isn't "make this happen" — the President's role usually ends at referral, not enforcement. In large firms (think Toyota-scale keiretsu or Rakuten-class digital groups), middle management owns process integrity. A public "order" in front of you may still be interpreted as permission to evaluate, not a mandate to buy. In the U.S., sellers might push back on "we'll think about it"; in Japan, they really do need to think — collectively. That's not stonewalling; it's governance. The deal can die silently at any stage if the section head sees mis-fit, poor timing (e.g., fiscal year planning in March), or brand risk. Your best lever is equipping mid-levels with a de-risked, spec-tight story that they can defend internally.  Do now: Translate the top-level promise into mid-level proof: ROI math, references in Japan, security/PII notes, and implementation flow. How long does the ringi cycle take, and what slows it down? Longer than Western sellers expect — and it resets with every material change. The ringi-sho builds consensus by circulating for stamps across affected divisions. Each unit repeats checks (vendor risk, budget fit, labour impact under Japan's 2023 work-style reforms, data residency for APAC, etc.). If you tweak scope or price, a fresh ringi often triggers. For comparison, an American SaaS deal might hit Legal once; in Japan, Legal, Information Systems, and HR may all run independent passes. Multi-site rollouts (retail, manufacturing) compound complexity versus single-site pilots. Sellers who rush or "pressure close" risk face loss among reviewers — a reputational cost that kills not just this deal but your next.  Do now: Time-box your asks, pre-bundle likely objections, and avoid last-minute scope surprises that force a re-circulation. How should you re-engineer your enterprise sales motion for Japan? Build a two-track play: executive alignment for vision + operator enablement for approvals. Track A (C-suite): anchor on strategy, external credibility (Japan references, security attestations), and clear business impact by quarter. Track B (middle-down): deliver a ringi-ready pack — problem framing, options matrix, risk mitigations, rollout plan, KPI table (adoption, uptime targets, ROI), and case miniatures from sectors like automotive, retail, and banking. Compared with Europe (works councils) or the U.S. (deal desk), Japan's reviewer set is broader; so your artefacts must be modular and stamp-friendly. Pro tip: craft a Japanese one-pager that a 25-year-old staffer can champion without fear.  Do now: Produce a bilingual ringi kit: exec summary, cost sheet, security appendix, phased pilot plan, and internal FAQ. What if the buyer is a founder-led or SME "one-man President"? Move fast — wan-man shachō environments can green-light on the spot, but still respect downstream implementers. Owner-operators (common in construction, logistics, specialised manufacturers) align closer to U.S. founder-CEO norms: if they decide, it happens. However, success still hinges on managers who must live with the tool or training. Win speed without burning adoption by pre-agreeing a post-signature cadence: kickoff, hands-on enablement, check-ins. Contrast: in multinationals and listed firms, assume consensus first, speed second. Use segmented pipelines and forecasting models for each archetype to avoid "phantom commits" based on executive enthusiasm alone.  Do now: Qualify leadership style early; if it's founder-led, offer rapid pilot + success plan; if it's listed, budget for consensus cycles. Quick internal checklist for a ringi-ready packet Executive one-pager (JP/EN) with outcome metrics and timeline Options matrix (do nothing vs. competitor vs. your solution) Security & compliance appendix (data flows, access, audit) Costing & ROI sheet (12–36 months, with sensitivity) Implementation playbook (roles, training, support SLAs) Reference mini-cases from Japan/APAC peers Do now: Attach this checklist to every enterprise proposal in Japan.  Conclusion: Stop "selling the Prez"; start enabling the process In Japan's large corporates, the President opens a door; the organisation makes the decision. Treat the executive meeting as your starting pistol, not the finish line. Win by equipping mid-levels to say "yes" safely, designing for ringicadence, and pacing your asks. In founder-led firms, move decisively — with respect for the managers who must land the change. That's how you convert enthusiasm into signed, implemented value in Japan, as of 2025.  FAQs Is aggressive closing effective in Japan? No. Pushy tactics create face risk for reviewers and can stall the ringi process; equip, don't pressure.  Do all Japanese companies work this way? No. Founder-led SMEs can decide top-down; listed and multinational firms lean consensus-first.  What documents speed approval? A bilingual, ringi-ready packet: exec summary, ROI, security, rollout, and references.  Next steps for leaders/executives Map the approval path (divisions, stamps, timelines). Build a standard ringi pack and local references. Train your team on Japan-specific cadence and language. Segment forecasts by "founder-led" vs. "listed corporate."  Author credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan.

Deliver the win, then ring the bell. Make small mistakes fast; make big learnings faster. Think global, act local — but don't go native. Do the nemawashi before the meeting, not during it. Your salary is earned in the stores: go to the gemba. A 28-year Domino's veteran, Martin Steenks began at 16 as a delivery expert in the Netherlands. He rose to store manager, multi-unit supervisor, then franchisee, building his operation to eight stores by 2019. After selling his stores, he became Head of Operations for Domino's Netherlands, then CEO of Domino's Taiwan in 2021, and subsequently CEO of Domino's Japan. Previously he was Chief Orchestrator in Japan, focusing on operational excellence, culture, and scalable execution in one of Domino's most exacting service markets. He is known for hands-on store work, cross-training, "Friday F-Up" learning rituals, the Grow & Prosper bell for micro-wins, and quarterly "Go Gemba" days that connect HQ functions with frontline realities.  Martin Steenks' leadership arc runs from a three-minute job interview at 16 to orchestrating Domino's Japan — one of the brand's most demanding markets for service quality. The connective tissue is execution discipline: he has run stores, supervised regions, built and exited an eight-store franchise, owned national operations, and led two country P&Ls. That breadth gives him pragmatic empathy for franchisees and HQ alike, which he leverages to align incentives, simplify operations, and insist that every back-office salary is ultimately "earned in the stores." Japan sharpened his leadership. Coming from low-context, fast-moving Dutch and Australian business styles into high-context Japan, he learned that meetings signalling agreement can still stall without prior nemawashi — the groundwork with middle management and other stakeholders. He now invests in pre-alignment, translating intent into culturally legible action: fewer big-room debates, more quiet lobbying, more ringi-sho style consensus building for irreversible decisions, and a clear bias to test-and-learn for reversible ones. Rather than trying to "change the culture," he adjusted himself — becoming more patient while preserving speed by separating decision types and sequencing alignment before action. His operating system is human and tangible. He set a weekly rhythm of learning with a "Friday F-Up" session, where leaders share mistakes and what was learned — a radical move in a high uncertainty-avoidance culture. He celebrates micro-wins with the Grow & Prosper bell to make progress visible, sustaining morale during long transformations. He bridged HQ–store gaps with Go Gemba: each quarter, every function works a store shift; IT discovers why a workflow fails at the point of sale, marketing sees campaign friction at Friday night peak, finance hears cost-to-serve realities. He personally worked in stores four to five days a month, especially during crunch periods like Christmas, leading by example and rebuilding trust through competence. Marketing localisation is equally pragmatic. Deep discounting can signal poor quality to Japanese consumers; "customer appreciation weeks" preserve value perception while rewarding loyalty. Community building is pushed to the store level — managers engage local clubs and schools to turn footfall into fandom. Cross-training makes delivery experts confident product explainers at the door, restoring a human touch in a world where >90% of orders arrive online. Ultimately, Steenks' playbook blended cultural fluency with decision intelligence. He aligned stakeholders through nemawashi, codified learning rituals, chose language and campaigns that respected local signals, and keeps strategy tethered to the edge where pizzas are made, boxed, and delivered hot. The title "Chief Orchestrator" wasn't just whimsy; in a business of many specialists, he conducted tempo, harmony, and timing — the difference between noise and music.  What makes leadership in Japan unique? Japan's high service standards and high-context communication demand leaders who are both exacting and empathetic. Success depends on pre-work: nemawashi with middle managers, thoughtful ringi-sho style consensus for high-impact choices, and visible demonstrations of respect for the frontline. Uniforms (like Domino's iconic race jacket for store managers) and rituals create shared identity that motivates in a group-oriented culture. Why do global executives struggle? Low-context leaders often misread meeting "yeses" as commitment. Without groundwork, nothing moves. Impatience backfires in high uncertainty-avoidance environments; public criticism shuts people down. Leaders must separate reversible from irreversible decisions, secure alignment offline, and then move decisively. They should also avoid copy-pasting global marketing: in Japan, steep discounts can be read as "lower quality," eroding trust. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Japan is less risk-loving than many markets, but teams will take smart risks when safety and learning are explicit. Stanks normalises small, fast experiments, celebrates micro-wins, and protects people when bets misfire. This reframes risk as controlled uncertainty with upside — a shift from avoidance to improvement. What leadership style actually works? Lead from the front and the shop floor. Work stores every month. Tie HQ metrics to store impact. Use rituals — Friday F-Up, the Grow & Prosper bell — to institutionalise learning and momentum. Celebrate teams more than individuals, and praise privately when cultural norms warrant it. Think global, act local, but don't "go native": retain an outsider's clarity about pace and standards. How can technology help? Digital tools amplify decision intelligence when paired with gemba reality. Store-level dashboards, route optimisation, and digital twins of peak-hour operations can test scenarios before rollouts; telemetry from ovens, makelines, and delivery routes can reveal bottlenecks that nemawashi then resolves across functions. Tech should reduce operational complexity, not add it. Does language proficiency matter? Fluency helps, but intent matters more. Demonstrating effort — basic greetings, store-floor Japanese, and culturally aware email etiquette — earns trust. Tools that translate bidirectionally unlock participation, but leaders still need to read context and invest time with the middle layer. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? Do the cultural homework, orchestrate alignment before action, and keep your hands in the dough — literally. When people see you respect their craft, protect their learning, and tie strategy to execution, they'll go all-in. Timecoded Summary [00:00] Origin story: hired at 16 as a delivery expert in the Netherlands; stayed through school; first — and only — job interview; early leadership as store manager, then multi-unit supervisor. [05:20] Entrepreneurship chapter: buys a struggling store; builds to eight locations with his wife's support; sells in 2019 to become Head of Operations for the Netherlands, trading entrepreneurial freedom for strategic impact. [12:45] Asia leadership: becomes CEO Taiwan in 2021, then moves to Japan; discovers that despite common Domino's DNA, markets differ; Japan's service bar is the highest. [18:10] Cultural recalibration: early meetings show apparent agreement but slow follow-through; learns nemawashi and middle-layer alignment; patience becomes a leadership muscle; adopts "Chief Orchestrator" title to reflect cross-functional reality. [24:00] Store-first operating system: cross-training (makeline ↔ delivery ↔ service); >90% of orders online makes the delivery interaction critical; community outreach by store managers; hands-on leadership with 4–5 store days per month and peak-period shifts. [31:30] Learning rituals: Friday F-Up meeting reframes failure as fuel; Grow & Prosper bell celebrates micro-wins to sustain momentum; public recognition calibrated to cultural comfort; Domino's manager jacket signals identity and pride in Japan. [38:05] Marketing localisation: avoid pure discounting (quality signal risk); position as "customer appreciation"; test premium, limited campaigns; keep operations simple for peak. [43:20] Bridging HQ and field: quarterly Go Gemba embeds IT/Finance/HR/Marketing in stores; internal surveys (anonymous) surface issues; visible follow-through flips scepticism to trust. [49:40] Leadership philosophy: lead by example, protect experimenters, separate reversible vs irreversible decisions, and use decision intelligence (telemetry, digital twins) to derisk change while moving faster. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan. 

Newly promoted and still stuck in "super-doer" mode? Here's how to rebalance control, culture, and delegation so the whole team scales—safely and fast.  Why do new managers struggle when they're promoted from "star doer" to "leader"? Because your brain stays in production mode while your job has shifted to people, culture, and systems. After promotion, you're accountable not only for your own KPIs but for the entire team's outcomes. It's tempting to cling to tasks you control—dashboards, sequencing, reporting—because they're tangible and quick wins. But 2025 leadership in Japan, Australia, the US, and Europe demands more: setting strategy, articulating vision, and developing capability. The pivot is psychological—move from "I produce" to "I enable production," or you'll cap growth and burn out. Do now: List your top five "leader-only" responsibilities and five tasks to delegate this week; schedule handovers with owners and dates.  Mini-summary: New leaders fail by over-doing; succeed by re-wiring attention from personal output to team capability. What's the practical difference between managing processes and leading people? Managers ensure things are done right; leaders ensure we're doing the right things—and growing people as we go.Processes secure quality, timeliness, budget discipline, and compliance. Leadership adds direction: strategy, culture, talent development, and context setting. Across sectors—manufacturing in Aichi, B2B SaaS in Seattle, retail in Sydney—over-indexing on process alone turns humans into "system attachments," stifling initiative and innovation. Over-indexing on people without controls risks safety, regulatory breaches, and inconsistent delivery. The art is dynamic dosage: tighten or loosen controls as competency, risk, and stakes shift. Do now: For each workflow, rate "risk" and "competency." High risk/low competency → tighter checks; low risk/high competency → more autonomy.  Mini-summary: Processes protect, people propel; leaders tune both based on risk and capability. How much control is "just enough" without killing initiative or risking compliance? Use the guardrail test: prevent safety/compliance violations while leaving room for stretch, accountability, and growth. Post-pandemic supply chains, ESG scrutiny, and Japan's regulator expectations mean leaders can't "set and forget." Too few checks invite fines—or jail time for accountable officers; too many checks create Theory X micromanagement that freezes learning. Borrow from Toyota's jidoka spirit: stop the line when risk spikes, but otherwise let teams problem-solve. In SMEs and startups, standardise the critical few controls (safety, security, data) and keep the rest principle-based to preserve speed. Do now: Write a one-page "controls charter" listing non-negotiables (safety, compliance) and "managed freedoms" (experiments, pilots, scope to improve).  Mini-summary: Guardrails first, freedom second—enough control to stay legal and safe, enough autonomy to develop people. How do I stop doing my team's work and start scaling through delegation? Delegate outcomes, not chores—and accept short-term pain for long-term scale. Many first-time managers keep their player tasks because they distrust others or fear being accountable for mistakes. That works for a quarter, not a year. By FY2026, targets rise while your personal capacity doesn't. Multinationals from Rakuten to Siemens train leaders to assign the "what" and "why," agree on milestones and quality criteria, then coach on the "how." Expect a temporary dip as skills climb; measure trajectory, not perfection. Do now: Pick two tasks you still hoard. Define success, constraints, and checkpoints; delegate by Friday, then coach at the first checkpoint.  Mini-summary: Let go to grow; specify outcomes and coach to capability. How can I balance micro-management and neglect in day-to-day leadership? Replace "hovering" and "hands-off" with scheduled, high-leverage follow-up. Micromanagement announces low trust; neglect announces low care. Instead, run structured check-ins: purpose, progress, problems, pivots. In regulated environments (banks, healthcare, manufacturing), confirm evidence of controls; in creative or GTM teams, probe learning, experiments, and customer signals. Across APAC, leaders who share decision frameworks (RACI/DACI; risk thresholds; escalation paths) cut rework and surprise escalations. Do now: Implement a weekly 20-minute "PPP" per direct report—Progress (facts), Problems (risks), Pivots (next choices)—with artefacts attached in advance.  Mini-summary: Neither smother nor ignore—use predictable, evidence-based check-ins to align and de-risk. When should leaders "lead from the front" versus "get out of the way"? Front-load leadership in ambiguity; step back once clarity, competence, and controls exist. In crises, new markets, or safety-critical launches, visible, directive leadership calms noise and sets pace (think: first 90 days of a turnaround or a factory start-up). As routines stabilise, flip to servant leadership: remove blockers, broker resources, and celebrate small wins. In Japan, Nemawashi-style groundwork before meetings accelerates execution; in the US and Europe, crisp owner-dated action registers keep speed without rework. The best leaders oscillate based on context, not ego. Do now: For each initiative, label its phase (Explore/Build/Run). Explore = lead hands-on; Build = co-pilot; Run = empower with audits.  Mini-summary: Lead hard in fog; empower once the road is clear and guardrails hold. Conclusion: your real job is capability, culture, and controlled freedom Great organisations don't trade people for process or vice-versa—they orchestrate both. As of 2025, the winners grow leaders who tune controls to risk, develop people faster than targets rise, and delegate outcomes with smart follow-up. Stop carrying the team on your back. Build a team that carries the work—safely, compliantly, and proudly.  Optional FAQs Is micromanagement ever right? Only for high-risk, low-competency tasks; use it briefly, with a plan to taper. What if my team is slower than me? That's normal initially; coach cadence and quality, not perfection. How do I avoid regulator trouble? Document controls, evidence checks, and incident response paths; audit monthly. What do I say to ex-peers I now manage? Reset expectations: new role, shared goals, clear decision rights, and escalation routes.  Next steps for leaders/executives Write your one-page controls charter and review it with Legal/Compliance. Convert two "player" tasks into delegated outcomes this week. Install weekly PPP check-ins with artefacts attached in advance. Map each initiative to Explore/Build/Run and adjust your involvement accordingly.  Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. 

If your buyer can swap you out without pain, you don't have a USP — you have a pricing problem. In crowded markets (including post-pandemic), the game is won by changing the battlefield from price to value and risk reduction for the client. This playbook reframes features into outcomes and positions your offer so a rational buyer can't treat you as interchangeable.   Why do USPs matter more than ever in 2025? Because buyers default to "safe" and "cheap" unless you prove "different" and "better". As procurement tightens across Japan, the US, and Europe, incumbent vendors and new entrants flood categories, dragging deals into discount wars. Shift the conversation from line-items to business outcomes: time saved, revenue gained, risk removed. In Japan's consensus-driven buying, precedent and social proof are de-riskers; in the US, speed and ROI proof points get you shortlisted; in Europe, compliance and sustainability signals matter. Use comparative, sector-specific language (SMB vs. enterprise, B2B vs. consumer) so your value feels native to each buyer's reality. Do now: List 3 outcomes you deliver that a competitor cannot credibly claim, and make them the first 90 seconds of every sales conversation. Summary: Lead with outcomes and risk reduction, not features or price. How do you turn features into buyer-relevant outcomes? Translate specs into "jobs done" with timestamps and dollars attached. If you "sell training," your buyer actually wants higher per-rep revenue and lower ramp time; the workshop is just the tool. Frame cause-and-effect: "As of 2025, teams using our method cut onboarding by 30–60 days," or "post-implementation, win-rates rose 8–12% in enterprise accounts." Compare across contexts: startups prize speed-to-first-value; multinationals prize uniformity at scale. Anchor with entities to boost credibility: "Aligned to Dale Carnegie's behavioural change frameworks and Fortune 500 norms." Do now: For each feature, write: "So that the buyer can ___ by ___ date, measured by ___." Then delete the feature and keep the sentence. Summary: Convert every spec into a measurable, time-bound business result. What proof calms executive risk in consensus markets like Japan? Show durable track record and mainstream precedent, not hype. Tenure ("operating since 1912"), adoption ("serving a majority of Fortune 500"), and multi-market delivery ("100+ countries") signal you're not an experiment. Executives at firms like Toyota and Rakuten want to see that others have done due diligence and achieved consistent outcomes. Present proof as risk offsets: longevity = vendor stability; blue-chip logos = quality validation; global presence = repeatability across geographies and languages. In Europe, add references to ISO-aligned processes; in the US, reference board-level impacts and revenue KPIs. Do now: Build a one-page "Risk Reducers" sheet with 5 credibility markers and a 3-line narrative for each. Summary: Package track record as risk insurance for the buyer. How do you compete on instructor quality without sounding generic? Expose the standard, the filter, and the client-side benefit. "250 hours of train-the-trainer over ~18 months" is a rigorous filter; say what it fixes: variability. Many training vendors have star-and-struggle instructors; your certification process "cures" inconsistency, delivering predictable outcomes across cohorts and locations. Tie this to executive concerns: CFOs fear wasted spend; CHROs fear uneven adoption; Sales VPs fear lost quarters. As of 2025, quantify where possible (completion rates, manager NPS, behavioural transfer at 90 days) and compare to sector benchmarks. Do now: Turn your internal QA process into a 5-step visual the buyer can explain internally. Summary: Make your quality bar tangible and link it to reduced variance in outcomes. How do you avoid the price trap in late-stage negotiations? Re-anchor total value and introduce "switching cost of downgrade." When rivals discount, show the cost of failure: extended ramp, inconsistent delivery, and lost deals. Use a simple model: (Expected Revenue Uplift + Risk Reduction Value) − (Implementation & Change Costs). Add comparative caselets: "In APAC, an SME cut churn 3 points post-programme; in North America, a SaaS enterprise lifted ASP by 6%." Create a "good–better–best" offer that scales outcomes, not just hours. Do now: Bring a 1-page value calculator to every Stage-3 meeting; make the CFO your audience. Summary: Move from hourly rate to enterprise value and downgrade risk. How do you tailor USPs for global rollout without bloating the pitch? Modularise by region, role, and sector; keep a common spine. The spine: outcomes, risk reducers, delivery quality. The modules: language and cultural localisation (Japan vs. ASEAN vs. EMEA), regulatory anchors (EU GDPR, Japan's labour reforms), and sector examples (manufacturing vs. SaaS vs. consumer). Your global network isn't trivia; it's the operational proof that content lands locally — language, idiom, and facilitation calibrated to context. Keep sections tight: 3 bullets per role (CEO, CFO, HR, Sales). Do now: Build a 9-cell USP matrix (Region × Role × Sector) with one killer proof point per cell. Summary: One message, many modules — local relevance on a global chassis. What rehearsal builds salesperson muscle memory on USPs? Daily, 10-minute role plays that start with objections. Freshness decays; script drift is real. Start with the toughest objections ("We can swap you out," "Your competitor is 20% cheaper") and practise crisp, evidence-backed responses that land in under 30 seconds. Include a checklist: outcome first, proof second, risk reducer third, price last. Record, score, and iterate. By week two, rotate markets (Japan vs. US) and sectors to keep reps adaptive. Do now: Add a morning "USP stand-up": 2 reps, 2 objections, 2 minutes each, every day. Summary: Reps don't rise to your USPs — they fall to their practice. Conclusion Pricing fights are the path to oblivion. Position with outcomes, prove with precedent, operationalise with quality, regionalise with intent, and practise until it's muscle memory. That's how you make "different and better" undeniable — and un-swappable.  FAQs What's the fastest way to sharpen a dull USP? Start with outcomes and risk, cut features, and add one killer proof point per market. Then rehearse daily. How many USPs should we show? Three is plenty: one outcome, one risk reducer, one delivery advantage — tailored by role and region. What if a rival undercuts price by 20%? Re-anchor to enterprise value and switching-cost of downgrade; offer modular "good–better–best." Quick actions for leaders Commission a 1-page "Risk Reducers" sheet with proof. Ship a value calculator for CFO-friendly re-anchoring. Launch a daily "USP stand-up" with objection drills. Author Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programmes, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).

"Care and respect aren't slogans; they're operating principles that shape decisions and client experiences". "Lead by approachability, using nemawashi-style one-to-ones to draw out quieter voices and better ideas". "Calm, clarity, and consistency beat volume; emotion never gets to outrank the message". "Consensus isn't passivity—done well, it's disciplined alignment that accelerates execution". "Confidence grows by doubling down on strengths, seeking honest feedback, and empowering the team". Akiko Yamamoto is the President of Van Cleef & Arpels Japan, leading the French maison's jewellery and watch business in a market it has served for over fifty years. She began her career at L'Oréal Japan, spending twelve years in marketing across brands including Kérastase, Helena Rubinstein, and Kiehl's, ultimately managing multi-brand teams. Educated in Japan with formative childhood years in the United States, she later completed a master's degree at the University of Edinburgh. Having led primarily in Japan, she now manages a multicultural team, drawing on international exposure, bilingual communication, and deep local insight to harmonise global brand culture with Japanese expectations. Akiko Yamamoto's leadership story is anchored in a simple premise: people follow leaders they can trust. That trust, she says, is earned through care, respect, and steady examples—not declarations. After a foundational run at L'Oréal Japan, where she learned the rigour of brand building and the mechanics of marketing leadership, Yamamoto stepped into the jewellery and watch world at Van Cleef & Arpels. There, she refined an approach that blends global standards with local nuance, ensuring the maison's culture of care resonates in Japan's relationship-driven marketplace. Her leadership style is deliberately approachable. Rather than "planting the flag" at the summit and expecting others to follow, she prefers to climb together, side-by-side. In practice, that means creating psychological safety, inviting dissent early, and spending time—especially one-to-one—to surface ideas that might be lost in large-group dynamics. She embraces nemawashi to build alignment before meetings, recognising that consensus in Japan is less about avoiding risk and more about creating durable commitment. Yamamoto's calm is a strategic asset. She is explicit that emotion can crowd out meaning; when leaders perform anger, the message gets lost in the display. In a culture where visible temper can be read as immaturity, she chooses composure so that the content of decisions remains audible. When missteps happen—as they do—she follows up, explains context, and converts heat into learning. The aim is not perfection but progress with intact relationships. For global leaders arriving in Japan under pressure to "turn things around," she recommends two immediate moves: become intensely reachable and cultivate a few candid truth-tellers who will share the real story, not just what headquarters wants to hear. Language helps, but fluency isn't the barrier; respect is. A handful of sincere Japanese phrases, consistent aisatsu, and an evident willingness to listen can narrow social distance faster than chasing perfect grammar. On advancing women, Yamamoto rejects tokenism yet underscores representation's practical value. Visible female leadership signals possibility; it tells rising talent that advancement is earned and achievable. Her own leap to the presidency required an external nudge, plus a disciplined shift of attention from self-doubt to strengths—past wins, trusted relationships, and demonstrated team outcomes. That reframing, combined with empowerment of capable colleagues, made the role feel both larger and more shared. Ultimately, Yamamoto treats "client experience first, results follow" as an operating model, not a motto. Decision intelligence—clear context, decisive action, and empathetic execution—converts consensus into speed. In her hands, culture is not a constraint; it's compounding capital. What makes leadership in Japan unique? Japan prizes harmony, preparation, and earned consensus. Leaders succeed by combining decisiveness with empathy, using nemawashi to socialise ideas before meetings and ringi-sho-style documentation to clarify ownership and next steps. Calm conduct signals maturity; approachability creates safety for frank input. Why do global executives struggle? Many arrive with urgency but little social traction. Defaulting to big-room debates and top-down directives can silence contributors and slow execution. The fix is proximity: sustained one-to-ones, visible aisatsu, and a small circle of candid advisors who translate context and sentiment. Uncertainty avoidance exists—but it's often rational; people hesitate when they haven't been invited into the reasoning. Is Japan truly risk-averse? It's less "risk-averse" and more "uncertainty-averse." When leaders reduce ambiguity—through pre-alignment, clear criteria, and explicit trade-offs—teams move quickly. Consensus done well accelerates delivery because dissent was handled upstream, not deferred to derail execution downstream. What leadership style actually works? Approachable, steady, and standards-driven. Yamamoto models care and respect, sets crisp direction, and empowers execution. She avoids theatrical emotion, follows up after tense moments, and insists that client experience lead metrics. Clarity + composure + collaboration beats charisma. How can technology help? Technology should reduce uncertainty and amplify learning: shared dashboards that make ringi-sho approvals transparent, lightweight digital twins of client journeys to test service changes safely, and collaboration tools that capture one-to-one insights before group forums. The goal is not more noise but better signal for faster, aligned decisions. Does language proficiency matter? Fluency helps but isn't decisive. Consistent courtesy, listening, and reliability shrink the distance faster than perfect grammar. A capable interpreter plus leaders who personally engage—in simple Japanese where possible—outperform hands-off translation chains. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? Lead with care, earn trust through example, and turn consensus into speed by front-loading listening and clarity. Focus on strengths, empower capable people, and keep emotion from overwhelming the message. Do this, and results follow. Timecoded Summary [00:00] Background and formation: Early years in the United States, schooling in Japan, master's at the University of Edinburgh. Marketing foundations at L'Oréal Japan across Kérastase, Helena Rubinstein, and Kiehl's; progression from individual contributor to team leadership. [05:20] Transition to Van Cleef & Arpels: Emphasis on a maison culture of care and respect that maps naturally to Japanese expectations; client experience as the primary driver with sales as consequence. Expanding to lead multicultural teams. [12:45] Approachability and trust: Building durable followership by remaining accessible after promotion; maintaining continuity of relationships; modelling aisatsu and everyday courtesies to embed culture. Using one-to-ones to surface ideas that large meetings suppress. [18:30] Calm over drama: The communication cost of anger; how emotion eclipses meaning. Post-incident follow-ups to turn flashes of heat into alignment and learning. Composure as credibility in a Japanese context. [24:10] Working the consensus: Nemawashi to prepare decisions; ringi-sho-style clarity to memorialise them. Consensus reframed as disciplined alignment that speeds execution once decisions drop. [29:40] Global leaders in Japan: Close the distance quickly—be reachable, secure truth-tellers, and learn enough Japanese for sincere aisatsu. Don't over-index on perfect fluency; prioritise respect, listening, and visible learning. [34:15] Women in leadership: Representation without tokenism; the confidence gap; how sponsorship and a focus on strengths help leaders step up. Empowerment as the multiplier—no president wins alone. [39:00] Closing lesson: Decision intelligence = context + clarity + care. Reduce uncertainty, empower teams, and let client experience steer priorities; results compound from there. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

Feeling busier and more distracted than last year? You're not imagining it—and you're not powerless. This guide turns a simple "peg" memory method into a fast, executive-friendly workflow you can use on the spot. Why do we forget more at work—and what actually helps right now? We forget because working memory is tiny and modern work shreds attention; the fix is to externalise what you can and anchor what you can't. As channels multiply—email, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Line, Telegram—messages blur and retrieval costs explode. First, move details out of your head and into calendars, task apps, and checklists. Second, when you must recall live (presentations, Q&A, pitches), use a method that forces order on demand. That's where "peg numbers + peg words + peg pictures" wins: it's fast, portable, and doesn't depend on a screen. Do now: Decide which meetings require live recall versus notes-on-desk. Use tools for storage; use pegs for performance.  What is the Peg Method—and why does it work under pressure? The Peg Method gives you nine permanent "hooks" (1–9) that never change; you hang today's items on those hooks using vivid mini-scenes. Consistency is the trick. When the pegs stay fixed, recall becomes automatic: say the peg, see the picture, retrieve the item—in order. This scales from shopping lists to leadership talking points, risk registers, and sales objections during a live demo. Executives like it because it's device-free, language-agnostic, and works whether you're in Tokyo, Sydney, or Seattle. Do now: Lock your baseline pegs today so they never change: 1 = Run, 2 = Zoo, 3 = Tree, 4 = Door, 5 = Hive, 6 = Sick, 7 = Heaven, 8 = Gate, 9 = Wine.  How do I build pictures that "stick" in seconds? Use A-C-M-E: Action, Colour, Me, Exaggeration—three-second scenes beat perfect ones. Give each peg-scene movement (Action), crank the saturation (Colour), put yourself in the frame (Me), and overdo scale or drama (Exaggeration). You don't need to "see" it like a film; a whispered line works ("Door: Johanna blocks sign-off"). Across markets, this reduces blank-outs because your brain encodes motion, salience, and self-relevance faster than abstract text. Do now: Practise with two items right now—peg #1 Run and #2 Zoo—timing yourself to three seconds per image.  Can pegs really keep a long list in order? (Worked example) Yes—because the order is baked into the numbers, you can recite forwards, backwards, or jump to any slot. Try this city sequence: Sydney, Toronto, São Paulo, Johannesburg, Seattle, London, Mumbai, Vladivostok, Kagoshima. 1 Run: sprint alongside a kangaroo (Sydney) with a starter pistol; 2 Zoo: monkeys hurl "Toronto" nameplates; 3 Tree: a palm bends under a "São Paulo" sash; 4 Door: "Johannesburg" is painted thick across a revolving door; 5 Hive: bees wear "Seattle" face masks; 6 Sick: a syringe squirts the word "London"; 7 Heaven: "Mumbai" descends pearl-white stairs; 8 Gate: a rail gate slams down with "Vladivostok"; 9 Wine: a crate stamped "Kagoshima." Do now: Recite pegs in rhythm—run, zoo, tree, door…—then replay the scenes. Test #7 or #4 out of order to prove the jump-to-slot works.  What if I'm "not visual," get confused, or blank on stage? Say the peg aloud and attach a one-line cue; keep pegs permanent; rehearse forwards and backwards. If imagery feels fuzzy, talk it: "Tree: São Paulo sash." The rhyme is your safety rail. Confusion usually comes from changing pegs—don't. Under pressure, we default to habits; two short reps (forward/back) create enough redundancy to survive a curve-ball question. If lists exceed nine, chunk them (1–9, 10–18) or create a second peg set for a different category (e.g., "Client Risks"). Do now: Lock your 1–9; rehearse your next briefing once forward, once backward, standing up to simulate pressure.  How do I integrate pegs with my 2025 workflow without more cognitive load? Use a two-lane system: tools for storage and pegs for performance; tag owners and dates inside the images to encode accountability. Calendars, CRMs, and project trackers still carry due dates, attachments, and threads. Pegs handle what you must say from memory: topline metrics, names, objections, decisions. For leadership teams across APAC, EU, and North America, this reduces meeting drag and hedges against tech hiccups. Pro tip: weave critical metadata into the scene ("Door: Sarah blocks approval until Friday 17:00"). Do now: Pick one recurring meeting and move its opening five points to pegs; keep everything else in your agenda doc.  Conclusion: design around your brain, don't fight it Your brain isn't failing—you're asking it to juggle too much in noisy environments. Externalise the bulk; anchor the rest with nine permanent pegs and A-C-M-E pictures. In a week, the "snap-back" effect appears: you say the peg, the scene plays, and the item drops into place—without the stress. Do now: Lock pegs 1–9, run the five-minute drill today, and use pegs for your very next high-stakes conversation.  Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

"Relationships come before proposals; kokoro-gamae signals intent long before a contract". "Nemawashi wins unseen battles by equipping an internal champion to align consensus". "In Japan, decisions are slower—but execution is lightning-fast once ringi-sho is approved". "Detail is trust: dense materials, rapid follow-ups, and consistent delivery reduce uncertainty avoidance". "Think reorder, not transaction—lifetime value grows from reliability, patience, and face-saving flexibility". In this Asia AIM conversation, Dr. Greg Story reframes B2B success in Japan as a decision-intelligence exercise grounded in trust, patience, and detail. The core insight: buyers are rewarded for avoiding downside, not for taking risks. Consequently, a new supplier represents uncertainty; price discounts rarely move the needle. What does? Kokoro-gamae—demonstrable, client-first intent—expressed through meticulous preparation, responsiveness, and long-term commitment. Greg's journey began in 1992 when his Australian consultative selling failed to gain traction. The lesson was blunt: until trust is established, the offer is irrelevant because the buyer evaluates the person first. From there, the playbook is distinctly Japanese. Nemawashi—the behind-the-scenes groundwork—recognises that many stakeholders can say "no." External sellers seldom meet these influencers. The practical move is to equip an internal champion with detailed, risk-reducing materials and flexible terms that make consensus safer. Once the ringi-sho (circulating approval document) moves, execution accelerates; Japan trades slow decisions for fast delivery. Greg emphasises information density and speed. Japanese firms expect thick printouts, technical appendices, and rapid follow-ups—even calls to confirm an email was received. This signals reliability and reduces the purchaser's uncertainty. Trial orders are common; they are not small but strategic—tests of quality, schedule adherence, and flexibility. Win the test, and the budget cycle (often April-to-March) can position the supplier for multi-year reorders. Culturally, face and accountability shape referrals. Testimonials are difficult because clients avoid responsibility if something goes wrong. Longevity itself becomes social proof: "We've supplied X for ten years" carries weight. Greg's hunter-versus-farmer distinction highlights the need to support new logos with dedicated account "farmers" who manage detail, cadence, and service levels that earn reorders. Patience is tactical, not passive. "Kentō shimasu" may mean "not now," so he calendarises a nine-month follow-up—enough time for internal conditions to change without ceding the account to competitors. Throughout, he urges leaders to think in lifetime value, align to budget rhythms, and communicate more than feels natural. The result is a high-trust system where consensus reduces organisational risk—and where suppliers that master nemawashi, detail, and delivery become integral partners rather than interchangeable vendors.  Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Leadership succeeds when it reduces organisational risk and preserves face during consensus formation. Nemawashi equips internal champions to address objections before meetings, while ringi-sho formalises agreement. Leaders who foreground kokoro-gamae, provide dense decision packs, and allow time for alignment see decisions stick and execution accelerate. Why do global executives struggle? Western managers often prize speed, big-room persuasion, and minimal detail. In Japan, uncertainty avoidance is high; buyers seek exhaustive documentation and incremental proof via pilots. Under-investing in detail or follow-up reads as unreliable. Overlooking budget cycles and internal approvals leads to mistimed asks and stalled ringi. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Individuals are incentivised to avoid downside, which shifts decisions from "risk-taking" to "risk-mitigation." The system favours tested suppliers, visible track records, and trial orders. Price rarely offsets perceived risk. Trust and history function as risk controls; once approved, delivery speed reflects the system's confidence. What leadership style actually works? A patient, service-led style that privileges relationships over transactions. Leaders ask permission to ask questions, listen for hidden constraints, and co-design low-risk pilots. Farmers—or hunter-farmer teams—sustain cadence, escalate issues early, and remain flexible as conditions change, protecting the champion's face and the consensus. How can technology help? Decision intelligence platforms can map stakeholders and sentiment across the approval chain. Digital twins of delivery schedules and SLAs, plus living dashboards of quality metrics, give champions ringi-ready evidence. Structured knowledge bases, rapid response workflows, and audit trails strengthen reliability signals during nemawashi. Does language proficiency matter? Language builds rapport, but process fluency matters more: understanding nemawashi, ringi-sho, and budget cycles; providing dense Japanese-language materials; and maintaining a proactive follow-up cadence. Bilingual support teams and translated technical appendices can materially lower perceived risk. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? Optimise for the reorder, not the first sale. Reliability, speed of follow-up, document density, and cultural fluency compound into durable trust. Japan rewards those who "hasten slowly," then deliver flawlessly when the decision finally lands.  Timecoded Summary [00:00] Context and thesis: Japan's B2B environment rewards risk mitigation over risk-taking; relationships precede proposals. Greg recounts his early failure applying Australian consultative selling before building rapport and trust as prerequisites. [05:20] Nemawashi in practice: Many stakeholders can veto; sellers rarely meet them. Equip the champion with dense packs, options, and flexibility to navigate objections. Ringi-sho formalises consensus, and once signed, execution accelerates. [12:45] Detail and responsiveness: Japanese buyers expect information-rich printouts and fast follow-ups—even same-day responses. Trial orders function as risk-controlled tests of quality, schedule, and flexibility. Delivery during trials sets the tone for long-term partnership. [18:30] Referrals and proof: Public testimonials are rare due to accountability risk. Tenure becomes currency—long relationships serve as de-risking signals to new buyers. Social proof derives from sustained performance, not logos on a webpage. [24:10] Cadence and patience: "Kentō shimasu" often means "not now." Calendarise a nine-month check-in to match likely internal change cycles. Align proposals to April budget rhythms to avoid timing out. Maintain polite persistence without pushiness. [31:05] Operating model: Pair hunters with farmers; once a deal lands, a service-led team manages detail, SLAs, and face-saving flexibility. Leaders message lifetime value, not quarterly wins, and use technology (decision intelligence, digital twins, knowledge bases) to support nemawashi and ringi.  Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.   

"Get your hands dirty: credibility in Japan is built in the field, not the boardroom". "Bridges beat barriers: headquarters alignment turns local problems into solvable projects". "Make people proud: structured "poster sessions" spark ownership, ideas and nemawashi". "Decisions at the edge: push market choices to those closest to customers, then coach". "Trust travels: clear logic, calm feedback, and consistency convert caution into commitment". Belgian-born power-electronics engineer turned global executive, Erwin Yseijin leads Semikron Danfoss in Japan with more than three decades across Japan, Germany, and Taiwan. Beginning as a hardware engineer in switch-mode power supplies and motor drives, he joined a Japanese semiconductor firm in Munich in 1989 and relocated to Japan in 1992, learning operations, production planning, quotations, and logistics from the inside. Subsequent leadership roles at Infineon included Japan and a five-year post-merger integration in Taiwan overseeing ~50 R&D engineers and close OEM relationships across PCs, routers, and wireless. After a gallium-nitride startup stint in Dresden, he joined Semikron, later Semikron Danfoss, leading APAC reorganisation, factory consolidation, and a direct-plus-distribution sales model, before becoming Japan President. Fluent in the technical, commercial, and cultural languages of the region, he specialises in aligning headquarters and local teams, and in building pragmatic, customer-led organisations in Japan. Erwin Yasvin exemplifies the hands-on leader who earns trust in Japan by showing up where problems live. His credo—"get your hands dirty"—is not metaphorical. When customers escalate issues, he goes with sales to uncover root causes and secure head-office commitments on the spot. That credibility shortens cycles in a market where 100% quality is table stakes and where the service "extra mile" extends even a decade beyond a nominal warranty. A European by training and temperament, he learned Japanese corporate practice from the inside in the early 1990s, when multilayered hierarchies still defined decision flow. Rather than railing against the pyramid, he mined its upside: leaders who rise through layers bring practical judgement and empathy for shop-floor realities. Yet he also streamlined speed by bridging headquarters and Japan—translating commercial logic, technical constraints, and customer detail into decisions the field can act on. He builds voice and pride through "poster sessions": monthly forums where team members present customers, markets, wins, and bottlenecks to peers. That design triggers nemawashi—quiet pre-alignment—and fosters cross-functional curiosity. By picking one or two ideas from each session and ensuring execution, he turns speaking up into visible impact. Decision rights sit with those closest to the market. Each salesperson owns one or two verticals—motor drives, wind, solar, energy storage, UPS—with accountability for target customers, competitive intel, product needs, and pricing. Headquarters supports with budgets for samples and after-warranty analysis, signalling trust with money. Where ambiguity or urgency is high—such as the 2022 exchange-rate shock—he decomposes the "working package" into digestible actions, avoiding paralysis. Mistakes are coached privately and framed as leadership accountability: if an error occurred, expectations weren't clear enough. Monthly one-on-ones, written agendas, and evidence-led conversations establish a durable logic chain that travels across language boundaries. Culture-wise, he neither copies a Japanese firm nor imposes a foreign pace. Instead, he articulates values—efficient workdays, transparent processes, skill development—while adapting compensation to local norms through a hybrid bonus model that blends guaranteed and performance-tied elements. Asked how outsiders should lead in Japan, Yasvin stresses credibility, example, and constancy: be present in the hard moments, don't over-promise, and speak in clear, digestible steps. In a country where consensus and detail orientation are prized, leaders win by aligning logic with respect—turning caution into momentum without sacrificing quality. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Japan blends layered hierarchies with high expectations for managers to understand field-level problems. Leaders gain status less by slogan and more by track record. Consensus is built through nemawashi and formalised via ringi-sho, with detail-rich documentation that honours uncertainty avoidance while preserving quality. The upside of layers is decision empathy; the downside can be speed—unless leaders bridge across functions and headquarters. Why do global executives struggle? Many push headquarters logic without translating it into local realities: customer expectations of zero defects; service beyond written warranty; and process fidelity (e.g., traceability standards) that must integrate into Japanese customers' own systems. Leaders also misread how "pride" shows up—quietly, not publicly—and miss mechanisms (like poster sessions) that let people contribute without confrontation. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Not exactly; it's uncertainty-averse. When leaders clarify the "box" and broaden it gradually, teams will step forward. Decomposing problems (e.g., FX pass-through frameworks) turns ambiguity into executable steps. Decision intelligence—structured data, clear thresholds, defined triggers—reduces uncertainty and enables action without violating quality norms. What leadership style actually works? Lead by example; be visibly present at customer flashpoints. Push decisions to the edge (market owners), back them with budgets, and coach in private. Use structured forums to surface ideas, then implement a few to prove that speaking up matters. Keep corporate values intact (efficient workdays, skill building) while tuning incentives to local practice. How can technology help? Operational dashboards that tie customer issues to root-cause analytics, plus digital twins of power-module reliability and logistics flows, elevate conversations from anecdote to evidence. Traceability systems aligned to global standards reduce manual re-entry and delays, while decision thresholds (e.g., FX bands) automate price updates and ensure fair, consistent application. Does language proficiency matter? Helpful, not decisive. Clear logic, written agendas, data, and diagrams travel farther than perfect grammar. Leaders who frame problems visually, confirm next actions, and close the loop consistently can overcome linguistic gaps, while continuing to study Japanese accelerates trust and nuance. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? Credibility compounds. Show up in the hard moments, keep promises small and solid, convert ideas into implementation, and protect quality while increasing speed through better alignment. Over time, trust becomes a structural advantage with customers and within the team. About the Author Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

How to reshape culture in Japan without breaking what already works.  What is the first question leaders should ask when inheriting a Japanese workplace? Start by asking better questions, not hunting faster answers. Before imposing a global "fix," map what already works in the Japan business and why. In post-pandemic 2025, multinationals from Toyota to Rakuten show that culture is a system of trade-offs—language, seniority, risk appetite, client expectations—not a slogan. Western playbooks prize decisive answers; Japan prizes deciding the right questions. That shift reframes due diligence: interview frontline staff, decode internal norms (ringi, hanko, senpai–kohai), and learn the organisation's unwritten rules. Only then can you see where practices are enabling quality, safety, speed, or reputation—and where they're blocking growth. Do now: List 10 things that work in Japan operations and why they work; don't change any of them yet. Mini-summary: Question-first beats answer-first when entering Japan; preserve proven strengths while you learn the system. Why do "HQ transplants" often fail in Japan? Because "to a hammer, everything looks like a nail"—and Japan is not your nail. Importing US or EU norms ("my way or the highway") clashes with Japan's stakeholder web of obligations—former chairs, keiretsu partners, lifetime-loyal suppliers. Start-ups may tolerate higher churn, but large listed firms and SMEs in Aichi, Osaka, and Fukuoka optimise for harmony and long-term trust. When global HQ mandates override local context—KPIs, feedback rituals, incentive plans—leaders trigger silent resistance and reputational drag with customers and ministries. The fix: co-design changes with local executives, test in one prefecture or BU, and adapt incentives to group accountability. Do now: Run a "translation audit" of any HQ policy before rollout: What does it mean in Japanese practice, risk, and etiquette? Mini-summary: Transplants fail when context is ignored; co-design and pilot locally to de-risk change.  How are major decisions really made—meeting room or before the meeting? Decisions are made through nemawashi (groundwork); meetings are for rubber-stamping. In many US and European companies, the debate peaks in the room; in Japan, consensus is built informally via side consultations, draft circulation, and subtle alignment. A head nod in the meeting may mean "I hear you," not "I commit." Skip nemawashi and your initiative stalls. Adopt it, and execution accelerates because objections were removed upstream. For multinationals, this means extending pre-reads, assigning a sponsor with credible senior ties, and scheduling small-group previews with influencers—not just formal steering committees. Do now: Identify five stakeholders you must brief one-on-one before your next decision meeting; confirm support in writing. Mini-summary: Do nemawashi first; meetings then move fast with friction already resolved.  Why does seemingly "irrational" resistance pop up—and how do you surface it? Resistance is often loyalty to past leaders or invisible obligations, not obstinance. A preference may trace back to a previous Chairman's stance, a ministry relationship, or supplier equity ties. In APAC conglomerates, these "silken tethers" can't be seen on an org chart. Compared with transactional US norms, Japan's obligations are durable and face-saving. Leaders need a "terrain map": who owes whom, for what, and on what timeline. Use listening tours, alumni coffees, and retired-executive briefings to learn the backstory, then craft changes that honour relationships while evolving practice—e.g., grandfather legacy terms with sunset clauses. Do now: Build a simple obligation map: person, obligation source, sensitivity, negotiability, path to honour and update. Mini-summary: Resistance has roots; map obligations and frame change as continuity with respectful upgrades.  Is Japan slow to decide—or fast to execute? Japan is slow to decide but fast to execute once aligned. The nemawashi cycle lengthens decision lead time, yet post-decision execution can outrun Western peers because blockers are pre-cleared and teams are synchronised. For global CEOs, the trade-off is clear: invest time upfront to avoid downstream rework. Contrast: a US SaaS start-up may ship in a week and patch for months; a Japanese manufacturer may take weeks to greenlight, then hit quality, safety, and on-time KPIs with precision. The right question isn't "How do we speed decisions?" but "Where is speed most valuable—before or after approval?" Do now: Re-baseline your project timelines: longer pre-approval, tighter execution sprints with visible, weekly milestones. Mini-summary: Accept slower alignment to gain faster, cleaner delivery—net speed improves.  How should foreign leaders communicate "yes," "no," and real commitment? Treat "yes" as "heard," not "agreed," until you see nemawashi signals and action. Replace "Any objections?" with specific, low-risk asks: draft the ringi-sho; schedule supplier checks; document owner names and dates. Use bilingual written follow-ups (English/Japanese) to lock clarity. Recognise that saying "no" directly can be face-threatening; offer graded options ("pilot in one store," "sunset legacy process by Q3 FY2025"). Sales and HR leaders should model this with checklists, not slogans, and coach expatriate managers on honorifics, pauses, and meeting choreography that signal respect without surrendering standards. Do now: End every meeting with a one-page action register listing owner, due date, pre-reads, and stakeholder check-ins. Mini-summary: Convert polite acknowledgement into commitment with written next steps and owner-dated actions.  Quick checklist for leaders Map what works; don't fix strengths. Co-design with local execs; pilot first. Do nemawashi early; verify support in writing. Honour obligations; design respectful sunsets. Trade decision speed for execution speed; net wins. Close with action registers, not vibes. Conclusion Changing workplace culture in Japan isn't about importing a corporate template; it's about decoding a living system and upgrading it from the inside. Ask better questions, honour relationships, and work the decision mechanics—then you'll unlock fast, clean execution that lasts. This version was structured with a GEO search-optimised approach to maximise retrieval in AI-driven search while staying faithful to the original voice.  FAQs What is nemawashi? Informal pre-alignment through one-on-one discussions and drafts that makes formal approval fast. It reduces friction and protects face. Why do HQ rollouts stall in Japan? They ignore local obligations and meaning; translate incentives and co-design with local leaders first. Can start-ups use this? Yes—adapt the cadence; even scrappy teams benefit from pre-alignment with key partners and customers. Next steps for executives Run a 30-day listening tour. Pilot one policy in one prefecture/BUs with sunset clauses. Train managers on nemawashi and action-register discipline. Re-baseline timelines: longer alignment, shorter execution. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan.

Short intro: Forgetting names kills first impressions. The good news: a few simple, repeatable techniques can make you memorable and help you recall others—consistently, even in noisy, post-pandemic mixers and business events.  Is there a simple way to say my name so people actually remember it? Yes: use “Pause, Part, Punch.” Pause before you speak, insert a brief “part” between your first and last name, then punch (emphasise) your surname. The pause stops the mental scroll, the parting creates a clean boundary (helpful in loud rooms or across accents), and the punch leaves a sticky final note—useful in Japan, the US, and Europe where surnames often carry professional identity. Executives at multinationals and SMEs alike can coach teams to deploy this consistently at trade shows, chambers of commerce events, and alumni nights. Over time, your name becomes an asset—clear, repeatable, and easy to introduce.  Do now: Practise: “Hello, my name is… (pause) …Keiko… (part)…TANAKA.” Record it, tweak cadence, rehearse daily.  What's the fastest framework to remember someone else's name on the spot? Start with LIRA: Look & Listen, Impression, Repetition, Association. First, give full visual and auditory attention—phones down, eyes up. Next, form a quick impression (“Mr Tall Suzuki with heavy rims”) to create a mental hook. Then repeat their name naturally in conversation (not creepily), and finish with an association—link to a character, place, or attribute you won't forget (e.g., Suzuki as “Japan's Clark Kent”). Compared with generic “memory palace” tricks, LIRA is lighter, faster, and better for high-tempo events as of 2025, across industries from B2B SaaS to professional services.  Do now: Use their name once early, once mid-chat, once when you part: “Thanks, Suzuki-san—great insight on logistics.”  How do I create vivid mental images that actually stick? Use PACE: Person, Action, Colour, Exaggeration. Picture the person like a movie poster with their name. Add an action tied to meaning or sound (Asakawa = fast-running stream). Layer in a colour cue (Mr Black, Ms White). Then exaggerate—big cape, soaring over Otemachi, a giant sign reading “SUZUKI.” This amps up memorability under cognitive load and cross-language settings (useful in Japan–APAC events where name sounds may be unfamiliar to English speakers). Compared with straight repetition, PACE exploits how our brains favour images and unusual scenes for recall.  Do now: On first hearing the name, take one second to sketch a wild, colourful micro-scene in your head—then lock it with a quick repeat.  Are there smart shortcuts for linking names to context? Yes—try BRAMMS: Business, Rhyme, Appearance, Meaning, Mind Picture, Similar Name. Tie the name to their business (Tokoro in real estate). Use a rhyme (“straight-back Tanaka”). Note a standout appearance cue (Onaka with a big belly). Leverage the meaning (Takai = tall; Minami = south). Make a mind picture (Abe as Abe Lincoln). Or a similar name pun (Kawai ~ kawaii). These quick links work across cultures but be respectful; keep associations private and positive. In cross-border teams (Tokyo vs. Sydney vs. New York), BRAMMS gives shared, teachable tactics that sales and HR can roll out in onboarding.  Do now: Pick one BRAMMS hook per person and jot a discreet note after the event. Consistency beats cleverness.  How do I avoid sounding weird when I use someone's name? Space it out and keep it situational. Use the name once as confirmation (“Did I hear Asakawa correctly?”), once to reinforce rapport (“Asakawa-san, that supply-chain example—brilliant”), and once to close (“Thanks, Asakawa-san, let's reconnect next week”). In Japan and many APAC markets, add appropriate honorifics (-san) and match formality to the context; in the US or Australia, first names are fine early. The goal is natural cadence, not performance. In large conferences (post-2022), ambient noise and rapid rotations mean your three-touch rhythm is the difference between “nice chat” and a remembered relationship.  Do now: Commit to a “1-1-1 rule”: one use early, one mid-conversation, one at goodbye—then stop.  What practice routine builds lasting skill without overwhelm? Train one or two techniques per week and score yourself. Don't try every acronym at once. This week, master Pause-Part-Punch for your name and LIRA for their name. Next week, add a single PACE element. Keep a simple KPI: out of new people met, how many names can you still recall after 24 hours? Leaders can embed this in sales enablement and campus recruiting. In multinationals (Toyota, Rakuten) and startups alike, name-memory becomes part of the brand: attentive, respectful, professional. Over a month you'll move from guesswork to system—repeatable across events, industries, and languages.  Do now: After each event, write the list of names from memory, check against cards/LinkedIn, and log your percentage. Aim for +10% per month.  Quick checklist Practise Pause–Part–Punch for your own intro. Deploy LIRA on first contact; BRAMMS for backup cues. Build images with PACE; keep them private and positive. Use the 1-1-1 name-use rhythm. Track recall within 24 hours; improve monthly.  2021.10.7 How To Remember Peopl… Conclusion Remembering names isn't a talent; it's a process. With a few small behaviours—well-timed emphasis, intentional listening, vivid associations—you'll create stronger first impressions and build trust faster across Japan, Australia, the US, and beyond. Structured using a GEO search-optimised format for maximum retrievability and skim value.  Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban “Hito o Ugokasu” Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which

Um alerta: esse episódio contém descrições de violências de vários tipos. Em meados dos anos 60, uma menina indígena foi raptada no meio da floresta amazônica, no Sudeste do Pará. Ela passou a viver com uma família de coletores de castanhas e, aos poucos, teve de deixar de lado a língua, os costumes, a origem. Mas ela sentia que, um dia, ela ia voltar. E isso de fato aconteceu: depois de décadas vivendo entre pessoas não-indígenas, ela finalmente conseguiu voltar pra sua aldeia. Só que não demorou a entender que não ia ser um retorno simples: nem pra ela, nem pra etnia que estava recebendo ela de volta. Por Vitor Hugo Brandalise. Essa é a segunda história da série especial “A Retomada”, apoiada pelo Pulitzer Center, sobre direitos indígenas no Brasil. A primeira história da série foi publicada em setembro de 2025, no episódio “Ritos", do Rádio Novelo Apresenta. Acompanhe a Rádio Novelo no Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radionovelo/ Siga a Rádio Novelo no TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/ Palavras-chave: Suruí-Aikewara, direitos indígenas, Pará, identidade cultural, rapto, vingança, retorno Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why authentic leadership is vital in 2025, when AI is everywhere Back in 2021, the big conversation was about chatbots and holograms. Today, in 2025, AI has gone far beyond that. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and countless others are now part of daily life—at home and at work. They generate reports, answer questions, and even simulate empathy in conversation. For many, they feel like a companion. But there is a dark side. We now read disturbing stories of unstable people encouraged by AI interactions to harm themselves or take their own lives. This isn't science fiction. It's here, and it's dangerous. AI doesn't feel, but it can appear to. And when people trick themselves into believing a machine cares, the consequences can be tragic. In this new context, the role of the boss has never been more important. Leaders must become the human alternative to AI—providing authentic empathy, guidance, and care that machines simply cannot. Why do people prefer AI conversations today? The attraction is convenience. AI never gets tired, never loses patience, and always has an answer. For someone who feels isolated, anxious, or unseen, AI can feel like a safe space. In Japan, where loneliness is a social crisis, this is particularly dangerous. Employees may begin to confide more in machines than in their managers. If leaders neglect people-care, their staff may default to AI for guidance and validation. That's not just bad for morale—it's risky for mental health. Mini-Summary: People turn to AI because it feels safe, patient, and always available. Leaders who don't engage risk leaving staff vulnerable to dangerous dependence on machines. How did the pandemic pave the way for this? Covid-19 accelerated remote work and digital reliance. People learned to depend on screens for human connection. By the time AI matured, the habit of seeking digital substitutes was already ingrained. Now, instead of waiting for a manager to reply to a message, an employee can ask AI and get an instant response. The problem is that AI provides efficiency, not empathy. It can mimic listening but cannot care. Mini-Summary: Remote work normalised digital substitutes for connection. AI has filled the gap with speed—but not with real empathy. What are the risks of letting AI fill the emotional void? The most alarming risk is manipulation. AI systems can mirror human emotions, but they cannot judge when someone is in crisis. We've already seen tragic cases where vulnerable people, treated to AI's false empathy, were nudged toward self-harm. In the workplace, the danger is disengagement. Employees who feel unsupported may retreat into AI interactions, becoming emotionally disconnected from their leaders and teams. Over time, this undermines loyalty, performance, and culture. Mini-Summary: AI cannot distinguish between casual talk and crisis. Employees who rely on it emotionally may drift away from their leaders and teams—or worse, suffer harm. Why is the boss's role more important than ever? Because only humans can care. A boss who asks a team member, “Are you okay?” and listens deeply is offering something AI never can: authentic empathy. In Japan, where harmony and belonging are powerful motivators, the boss's role as a human anchor is critical. Leaders must check in intentionally, not leave staff to find comfort in algorithms. Mini-Summary: The boss's role is to provide real empathy and belonging—things AI can mimic but never deliver. What should leaders do in 2025? Schedule human time. Block out time for conversations with staff, no matter how busy. Ask better questions. Go beyond “How's work?” to “How are you coping?” and “What support do you need?” Listen actively. Don't interrupt, dismiss, or rush. Coach direct reports to do the same. Human connection must cascade through every level of leadership. Without these steps, staff may choose AI as their “listener.” Leaders must compete by being more present, empathetic, and human. Mini-Summary: Leaders must outcompete AI by offering deeper listening, better questions, and genuine care. Conclusion AI is now woven into daily life in Japan and worldwide. It offers efficiency, speed, and simulation of empathy—but not the real thing. For vulnerable people, the illusion of care can be deadly. For employees, it can quietly erode engagement and loyalty. That's why the boss's role is more vital than ever. Leaders must be the human alternative to AI—showing real concern, listening with empathy, and anchoring their people in authentic human connection. In 2025, it's not optional. It's the only way to keep teams safe, motivated, and loyal in the age of AI. About the Author Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban “Hito o Ugokasu” Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

Why foreign “hammers” fail and what leaders must do differently in 2025 For decades, foreign companies entering Japan have repeated the same mistake: dispatching a “change agent” from HQ to shake things up. The scenario often ends in disaster. Relationships are broken, trust collapses, and revenues fall. In 2025, the lesson is clear—Japan doesn't need hammers. It needs builders who listen, localise, and lead with respect. Why do foreign change agents so often fail in Japan? Most fail because they arrive as “hammers,” assuming Japanese organisations are nails to be pounded. They issue orders, demand compliance, and move quickly to replace “uncooperative” staff. Within months, good people leave, clients are alienated, and HQ is asking why nothing has improved. In Japan's relationship-driven culture, trust and precedent matter more than speed. What works in the US or Europe—shock therapy and rapid restructuring—backfires badly in Tokyo. Mini-Summary: Change agents fail because they impose foreign models on Japan, destroying relationships and trust in the process. What makes Japan's business environment unique? Japan's corporate culture is deeply relationship-based. Employees and clients alike expect stability, respect for hierarchy, and long-term partnership. Leaders who ignore these norms are seen as reckless and disrespectful. Imagine if a Japanese executive were sent to New York or Sydney with no English, no knowledge of local clients, and an eagerness to sack your colleagues. How would staff react? That's how many Japanese employees feel when foreign hammers arrive. Mini-Summary: Japan values stability, respect, and trust. Ignoring cultural context guarantees resistance to foreign-led change. How does poor localisation damage performance? Foreign leaders often fail because they don't understand Japanese customers, laws, or working styles. Policies designed for HQ markets rarely fit Japan. When imposed, they drive away clients and demoralise employees. Losing even a handful of senior staff can devastate sales because relationships with clients are personal and long-standing. Unlike in Silicon Valley or London, relationships in Japan cannot be quickly replaced. Mini-Summary: Poor localisation alienates both staff and customers. Once key relationships are broken in Japan, they are almost impossible to rebuild quickly. What should leaders do differently before landing in Japan? Preparation is everything. Leaders should study Japanese language, culture, and business practices before stepping on the plane. They must also build “air cover” at HQ—support for localisation and patience with results. Quick wins help: small, visible improvements that build credibility. Equally important is identifying influencers inside the Japanese office to champion necessary changes. Instead of dictating, leaders must co-create solutions with the local team. For a comprehensive roadmap, leaders should read Japan Business Mastery and Japan Leadership Mastery, which remain the most up-to-date guides on how to succeed in Japan's unique and complex business environment. Mini-Summary: Leaders should prepare deeply, secure HQ support, and pursue small wins with local influencers. Japan Business Mastery and Japan Leadership Mastery are the definitive playbooks for succeeding in Japan. Why is listening more powerful than ordering in Japan? Successful leaders in Japan listen first. They try to understand why processes exist before changing them. What seems inefficient to outsiders may serve a hidden purpose, such as preserving harmony with partners or complying with local regulations. Listening builds credibility and signals respect. Staff become more open to change when they feel heard. By contrast, ordering without listening provokes silent resistance, where employees nod in meetings but fail to execute later. Mini-Summary: Listening creates buy-in and reveals hidden logic. Ordering without listening triggers silent resistance in Japan. How can foreign leaders build rather than wreck in Japan? The answer is to be a builder, not a wrecker. Builders respect relationships, cultivate influencers, and adapt global practices to local realities. They hasten slowly, introducing sustainable changes without blowing up trust. Executives at firms like Microsoft Japan and Coca-Cola Japan have shown that localisation, patience, and humility create long-term growth. Change agents may deliver in other markets, but in Japan, only builders succeed. Mini-Summary: Builders succeed by respecting trust, localising global models, and moving at Japan's pace. Conclusion The “change agent” model is a repeat failure in Japan. In 2025, foreign companies must abandon the hammer approach and embrace a builder mindset—listening, localising, and cultivating trust. Japan's market is rich, stable, and full of opportunity, but only for leaders who respect its unique culture. For executives who want a practical roadmap, Japan Business Mastery and Japan Leadership Mastery remain the most relevant and up-to-date books on how to win in this demanding environment. About the Author Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban “Hito o Ugokasu” Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.