The Leadership Japan Series By Dale Carnegie Training Japan

We Need Help   The changing role of Executive Assistants and Secretaries reflects the dominance of the keyboard and a DIY approach to work content creation by leaders. Once upon a time, the majority of boss content output was produced by others, a magical time of delegation ruling the world. The secretarial pool only lives in the memory of the few or has been briefly glimpsed in black and white movies. We replaced the system, but as leaders have we really fully adjusted to the change?   We are more “efficient” because brigades of women (and they were all women), have been liberated from the boredom of typing out the boss’s work. Today the boss is the one typing content into a computer keyboard, usually destined to appear in an email, a word document, a powerpoint slide or a spreadsheet. The modern normalisation of the sheer volume of communication ensures the secretarial function is only going to be there for the very upper echelons of large organisations.   The DIY outcome has had a negative knock-on effect,

The Devil Is In The Detail   “The Devil Is In The Detail” saying, reflects ancient wisdom about taking careful notice of small things. The semi-amusing reflection on this saying is that it was created centuries ago, when we can imagine life was substantially less complex than it is today. E-mail surges, flat surfaces groaning under the weight of paper, meetings back to back from dawn to dusk, ring tones, beeps and assorted intrusions from digital devices we carry on our person 24 hours a day - this is the modern life. How easy it is for us to become overwhelmed by all the detail and in the process unknowingly unleash a number of Devils. The best answers to these types of dilemmas is to work on our time management, especially prioritisation and that other partner in crime – delegation. Surprisingly, many of the executives I train or coach do not sufficiently plan their days. They do not have written down lists of what should occupy their valuable time, in order of priority and executed starting with the task o

The Negotiation Process     “Winning is not a sometime thing. You don’t do things right once in a while…you do them right all of the time”. This is a great quote from the famous American football coach Vince Lombardi and we can apply this idea directly to negotiations. Any business undertaking does better when there is a structure, a process that is capable of creating consistent outcomes. As negotiators, if we don’t manage the process, we risk becoming passive, reactive spectators to events as they unfold. Purposeful behavior is the key to influencing win-win outcomes.   There are four stages of the negotiation we should prepare for:   Analysis We need to identify possible alternatives available to us in reaching an agreement. There are many levers we can pull in negotiating an agreement and finding added value through those levers requires clarity around the full picture of what we are trying to achieve.   We need to see the negotiation from the point of view of our counterparty. For this we need informati

Characteristics of Successful Negotiators     We can’t control the issues which arise during a negotiation or the attitude of the buyer, but we can control our own skill level and approach. The more we understand and manage our own behavior, the greater the influence we will have with others. To be successful we need to behave in a way which influences the interaction by moving it along a collaborative continuum.   Good reputation with good intentions People may forget the finer points of the negotiation but they will remember how we treat them. Burning people, being too sharp, too cunning creates a negative reputation for fair dealing. The aim is to win in business and one deal is only one deal. Winning the battle and losing the war is for short-term transactional types. We aim to be around a long time, so our approach will reflect that intention.   Respectful, trusting and trustworthy Getting to a mutually satisfactory and beneficial outcome is the goal. Along the way, we treat the counter party with respec

Negotiation Fails   Former American President John F. Kennedy left us with a great quote: “Let’s never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate”. Actually, we do fear to negotiate though, don’t we. We worry about asking for too much or too little. We usually imagine a “negotiator” as someone totally unlike ourselves, a tough individual with ice coursing through their veins.   Ironically, we are all negotiating everyday within our families, circle of friends and companies. Decisions have to be taken, a direction has to be chosen and we need others to agree with our idea. This often requires compromise or even giving up our idea, in preference to competing suggestions. We are not taught how to negotiate though and so we are mainly unschooled amateurs flailing around.   This “negotiation” issue is a big topic, so let’s narrow the focus to common mistakes we may be making right now, which we should eliminate forthwith.   Negotiating price before details There are many elements usually involved in

Pummel Procrastination   We know we should do that project or piece of work but we resist. We may even be bold and get it into our To Do list, maybe even attach a high priority number to it, but still fail to start. Why? We are all pretty clever about avoiding pain and some projects have pain written all over them. Maybe we may have to think – gasp! Or maybe, it is going to require a lot of time and we feel too time poor to get into it. It could be it is complex and will require a lot of effort, sapping our strength for other competing easier projects. Hopefully, we are not just plain lazy, like Dilbert’s cartoon character “Wally” – a serial work avoider.   Our inner dialogue could also be an issue. We are talking ourselves out of doing the work because of what we are saying to ourselves about the prospect. Here are some ides on changing the inner conversation to slip the chains of procrastination and assist us to get the hard bits completed.   “I need to do it perfectly” This is a great one in japan, because

Getting More Done Faster   “The first thing is to make sure you are in the moment” says ten time tennis Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic. “That is much easier to say than to do. You have to exclude all distractions and focus on what you are about to do. In order to get into that state of concentration, you need to have a lot of experience, and a lot of mental strength. You are not born with that. It is something you have to build by yourself”.   Leaders are busy people and it is difficult to find time during the day to be “in the moment”. Phones ring, email floods in without mercy, staff want a piece of you, meetings suck the life force out of your day, business social media beckons with its siren song of “look at me, look at me”, imminent deadlines loom. Consequently, you often look back on the day and are bewildered as to where the time went and become frustrated with how little actually got done.   Excluding distractions and focusing on what you need to be doing are learnt skills. It is astonishing to me h

Today We Need Persuasive Leadership   The tried and true leadership model of “do what I say or else” is a personal favourite of people who actually can’t lead. This is the military model, which works when the bullets fly and your death is a requirement to achieve the broader objective. This is a ridiculous model for business and yet it lingers on. Death is not imminent but following idiots probably does shorten our lives. Higher degrees, certification, specialisations, longevity, technical knowledge etc., are all relied on for authority, to convince others that we should be in charge. But should we be in charge?   Leaders and managers have different roles. Managers are there to manage the processes of the organization, to make sure what needs to be done is completed, in a timely fashion and correctly. Leaders do all of that too, but they have an additional role and that is to develop people. This is where the “my way or the highway” breaks down.   We respect knowledge and ability more than we respect position

Making It Happen     Beginnings are important in business. It might be the start of a new calendar year, a new financial year or the launch of a new project or initiative. Often we get straight into the launch and problems arise. Those we didn’t anticipate are particularly annoying. We may not be able to eliminate all the issues associated with initiatives, but we can always do a better job in the pre-launch phase.   Here are three handy questions to contemplate in the early planning stage, as you toss around some ideas for the next big thing:   Are your team members ready? Everyone is usually busy and many feel “I am busy enough already thank you very much!”. Their attitude to doing more may be negative and resistant. Just dropping another new project into their laps, may not garner the commitment we need to see the task completed, in the time frame and within the budget.   You personally may be highly motivated, mainly because it is your idea and you have a really strong grasp of the WHY behind the initia

Do The Right Thing In Japan, Always   Reputation in business is critical. Being honest, law abiding and treating business partners in a fair manner is the best policy for enhancing our reputation. Japan is a hard place in which to get into trouble, but that doesn’t stop some from trying.   The obvious thing to avoid is crime. You are probably thinking this is not an issue, and hopefully you are correct. Surprising things happen though. I had met a fellow Aussie businessman socially when I was Consul General in Osaka and the next time I saw him, was in the pokey. As a word of caution, those unfamiliar with how Consulates work might imagine that their Government is somehow going to get the loved one out of jail. Sadly, the Consular vehicle won’t be backed up to the compound wall to spring their national. All Embassies will do is make sure you are treated equally under the law and inquire whether you would like them to let your family know you are now a jailbird in Japan.   In this case, my Aussie compatriot di

The Devil Is In The Detail   This “The Devil Is In The Detail” saying, reflects ancient wisdom about taking careful notice of small things. The semi-amusing reflection on this saying is that it was created centuries ago, when we can imagine life was substantially less complex than it is today. E-mail surges, flat surfaces groaning under the weight of paper, meetings back to back from dawn to dusk, ring tones, beeps and assorted intrusions from digital devices we carry on our person 24 hours a day - this is the modern life. How easy it is for us to become overwhelmed by all the detail and in the process unknowingly unleash a number of Devils. The usual answers to these types of dilemmas is to work on our time management, especially prioritisation and that other partner in crime – delegation. Surprisingly, many of the executives I train or coach do not sufficiently plan their days. They do not have written down lists of what should occupy their valuable time, in order of priority and executed starting with the

Hustle Baby Hustle   Smart people in sales are a problem. They have expansive brains, intellectual curiousity and strategic depth. They are quick to spot the big picture solutions for clients. Internally they are a system police, fantastic on urging the fixing of the sales structures and suggesting necessary improvements. With Excel macro skills to burn, they can transform a simple spreadsheet information capture into a formidable machine. They are not what we need in the sale’s team. We need “good hustle” from our salespeople. Not “hustle” in the sense of tricking clients into arrangements to secure a big commission or a fat bonus. “Good hustle” is about focus on getting commitments from buyers to proceed, that will benefit the buyer, because it will improve their business. This is usually not about long-term massive interventions but about the practical improvements that can be executed quickly, that produce an immediate outcome. Getting the client to that point of agreement requires energy, lots of energy.

Five Success Steps for 2016    Calendar year endings and beginnings are often out of kilter with corporate Financial Years, however they are still a useful tool for us to use. In our busy lives, time for reflection seems limited and if we are not careful we can miss the chance to grow year by year. Do we want one year of experience twenty times or twenty years of experience? The answer to the latter is to make each step along the path a winner by maximizing the learning we gain each year. Here are five steps to take us forward for a great 2016.   Step One – Capture The Good Rather than beating yourself up and remonstrating with yourself, switch mental gears and capture the things which you did well in 2015. What wins, no matter how small, did you have? What projects did you complete? Which clients did you acquire, retain or grow? Create a list of the things that worked that were new developments or were established things done in a different, better way? Reflect and then write them down.   Step Two – Nominate

Idea Generation Best Practice   How to best tap into the idea potential of our work teams? We know that the success of the organisation will be determined by the quality of the ideas we generate and the capacity to execute those excellent insights. Gathering folk around the white board and having a free form pitchfest of ideas is more often destructive than creative. Dominant personalities always hog the white board content. There is usually only one speed of idea creation being employed – fast, which is the easiest but most lightweight.   Researchers are questioning whether the group idea creation model actually works best at all, so how should we involve the team when producing ideas?   Here are the steps: ensure there is a facilitator to run the activity so the process is followed correctly. Use Green Light/Red Light thinking to maximise the opportunity to build up our idea bench strength. In the Green Light phase we promote idea free flow without impediment. This means no critiquing of ideas as they emerg

Mr. Kurokawa’s Real Japanese Customer Service   I am sure you have you seen notices explaining that this location is going to close while the building is being reconstructed and that it will reopen at a specified day in the future? Given the increasingly stringent earthquake code here in Tokyo, we are seeing many businesses opting to re-build their premises. One notice however has become much talked about amongst Japanese retailers. Toraya are a famous traditional Japanese sweets manufacturer and retailer. Mr. Mitsuhiro Kurokawa is the 17th generation of his family to lead the business and his “we are rebuilding” notice is considered outstanding, even in a country where omotenashi is renowned.   Most such notices tell facts, supply relevant data and provide the obligatory greetings about serving us again when they reopen. Kurokawa san did all of that but much more. He put the current change in historical perspective, noting the business started in Kyoto in 1586 toward the end of the Muromachi (1338-1573) peri

Have The 3Es In Place Or Get Off The Stage     Not everyone should be a presenter. We don’t need higher levels of boredom or disinterest than we have already. A big “No thank you” to those conspiring to waste our precious time. This does not mean that only a few super talented individuals can be presenters. We can all learn to become competent and become better presenters. This is “nurture” not “nature” in action. The key point is your motivation, why are you doing this?   Dale Carnegie pioneered business public speaking when he launched his first course in 1912. He proffered the 3Es as a solid requirement before we contemplate being a speaker and it still applies today. Those Es are “earned the right”, “ excited” and “eager” to present.   We have earned the right to speak to others about our subject because we have studied the subject and we have relevant experience. It is not limited to our direct experience, because we could be drawing on the experience of others. We should be a subject matter expert with

HQ Invariably Gets It Wrong About Japan   One of the dubious delights of running an international business in Japan is dealing with the Mother Ship or it’s Regional Hub spin off. Trying to explain Japan to those who don’t know Japan, has always proven tremendously character building for me. Having left the corporate treadmill to work for myself, I mistakenly thought I had kissed goodbye to all that pathetic nonsense. Alas, the long arm of Japan ignorance continues to reach out and challenge me. Today, I live the frustration vicariously through my clients here in Japan, who have to deal with their own version of hell - HQ or Regional Hub know nothings located outside Japan.   Joint ventures and partnerships are a fun feast. Japan is low on the detailed contractual side of the equation. The basic idea in Japan is we don’t need reams of lawyer speak, because the venture will be a success or won’t be a success, based on how well we can trust each other and work collaboratively. If it doesn't work out then we shou

Go Ahead, Motivate Me  “Motivate me” must be one of the saddest requests a leader can receive. The request may not be so bluntly articulated, but the underlying assumption that the boss is there to motivate the staff seems to linger. “If only I had a better boss, I would be better”. “If only this company got its act together, I could get mine together”. “If only these other staff weren’t so hopeless, I would do better here – these people are holding me back”. The search for salvation located in the responsibility of others is a big fail. Many religions offer salvation, but they all seem to require something from us to deserve that salvation. The world of mammon is no different.   Motivation, loyalty, accountability, effort, responsibility, engagement – probably every boss is expecting these from their staff. They are all outcomes from inputs. Inputs from both the boss side and the staff side. We know what level of staff motivation we want as leaders, but how do we achieve it?   Some favoured leader methodolog

Atarashi San And The Big Japan Breakthrough Ever heard that a training course changed somebody's life? "It was good", "I enjoyed it", “I learnt something new”, maybe.  Warren Buffett, the famous American billionaire investor is a huge Dale Carnegie fan and often mentions in TV interviews how the Dale Carnegie course changed his life.  Being in Japan, it is great to hear a leading local businessman like Mr. Masami Atarashi say the very same thing. He is very well known in Japan and spends his time writing, adding to the 40 books he has already published and giving public speeches as well as training to executives.  Previously he headed up Johnson & Johnson, Philips, and Hallmark in Japan as President.  Last Thursday evening, he gave a brilliant talk at our graduate party on being successful in business in Japan. He also shared with me how the course impacted him, "The Dale Carnegie Course changed my life. When I was asked to make a speech to an audience or to a customer etc., I trembled with fear and I was