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The Leadership Japan Series

The Leadership Japan Series

De : Dale Carnegie Japan
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 Leading in Japan is distinct and different from other countries. The language, culture and size of the economy make sure of that. We can learn by trial and error or we can draw on real world practical experience and save ourselves a lot of friction, wear and tear. This podcasts offers hundreds of episodes packed with value, insights and perspectives on leading here. The only other podcast on Japan which can match the depth and breadth of this Leadership Japan Series podcast is the Japan's Top Business interviews podcast.© 2022 Dale Carnegie Training. All Rights Reserved. Economie Management Management et direction
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    Épisodes
    • How Leaders Can Motivate Their Teams

      How Leaders Can Motivate Their Teams
      Feb 18 2026
      Leaders don't need to be Hollywood-style hype machines to motivate people. In modern workplaces—especially in bilingual environments like Japan—effective motivation is more personal: diagnose what's really blocking performance, then respond with education, training, coaching, clarity, or genuine intrinsic motivation. Do I need to be a charismatic leader to motivate my team? No—charisma is optional; precision is essential. The myth of the rousing locker-room speech doesn't translate well to most modern organisations, especially across languages and cultures. In Japan-based teams where English and Japanese are both in play, persuasion often depends less on "big speeches" and more on consistent one-to-one conversations. In 2025-style hybrid work, people don't experience motivation as a group event; they experience it in the moments where their boss notices what's stuck, removes friction, and helps them win. Think of leadership more like a coach in elite sport: individual feedback, role clarity, and targeted support—not constant emotional theatre. Do now: Replace "pep talk leadership" with "diagnostic leadership": meet people individually, ask what's blocking them, then match the fix to the real issue. When someone underperforms, is it always a motivation problem? Often it isn't motivation at all—it's confusion, missing skills, or low confidence. Leaders sometimes label non-performance as "they don't care," when the person actually doesn't know what to do, doesn't know how to do it, or doesn't believe they can do it. In fast-moving environments—post-pandemic, AI-accelerated work, constant tools and notifications—people can fall behind silently. The key is to stop guessing. Treat performance gaps like a troubleshooting process: identify whether the barrier is knowledge, skill, belief, clarity, or willingness. Only the last one is truly a motivation issue; the rest are leadership system issues. Do now: Before you "motivate," run a five-part check: Know what? Know how? Believe I can? Know why? Want to? What if my team member says, "I don't know what to do"? That's a knowledge gap—solve it with education and better onboarding. Many organisations do a perfunctory onboarding, then dump people into "figure it out" mode with thin on-the-job training. In a high-pressure Japan HQ or APAC regional role, that can create quiet failure: people look busy, but don't actually know what "good" looks like. Fixing this isn't about speeches—it's about auditing what they're missing. Map the role: key responsibilities, expected outputs, who approves what, which systems matter, and what "done" means. Then schedule consistent boss time to close those gaps. Do now: Do a simple onboarding audit: list the top 10 things they must know, then verify what they truly understand—don't assume. What if they say, "I don't know how to do it"? That's a skills/process gap—solve it with training and clear steps. Even experienced hires struggle when your company's systems, compliance rules, customer expectations, and internal decision-making rhythms are different. In multinationals, the gap can be brutal: global standards plus local realities, especially in Japan where stakeholder alignment and risk sensitivity can slow execution. The leadership move here is to break the work into steps and teach the method. Training isn't a one-off event—it's guided repetition until the person can execute unassisted. If you want speed later, you invest time now. Do now: Write the "steps to succeed" as a checklist for the task, walk through it once together, then watch them do it and coach the gaps. What if they say, "I don't believe I can"? That's a confidence gap—solve it with coaching and capability proof. Organisations change: mergers, restructures, new tech stacks, shifting customer demands. A person who was winning in 2019 may feel out of their depth now. When results drop, self-belief drops—and then performance drops further. Coaching means helping them rebuild belief through small wins: tighten the goal, shorten the feedback cycle, and show evidence of progress. Confidence is not "positive thinking"; it's earned through repeated success with support. Leaders who ignore this tend to get blame, fear, and avoidance. Do now: Create a 30-day confidence plan: one measurable goal, weekly check-ins, and a visible record of wins (even small ones). What if they say, "I don't know why we're doing this"? That's a purpose/clarity gap—solve it by making the "why" explicit and local. Executives often assume the "why" is obvious, but it frequently doesn't travel past middle management. In 2024–2026 workplaces, employees want context: how does this task connect to customers, risk, revenue, brand trust, or team success? Your job isn't to deliver a slogan—it's to co-create meaning. Explain what changes if this doesn't get done. Show the trade-offs. Link the task to real-world outcomes: customer churn, quality ...
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      12 min
    • The Coaching Process: A Practical Seven-Step Framework for Leaders

      The Coaching Process: A Practical Seven-Step Framework for Leaders
      Feb 11 2026
      Coaching is the real work of leadership once you start managing other people. In modern workplaces—especially post-pandemic and in hybrid teams—your job isn't just delivering results; it's building capability so results keep happening even when you're not in the room. This guide breaks down a Seven Step Coaching Process leaders can use to develop team members through everyday, on-the-job coaching, not just HR training programs. It's designed for busy managers in SMEs, multinationals, and fast-moving teams where skills, tools, and customer expectations change constantly. How do leaders identify coaching opportunities in day-to-day work? Coaching opportunities show up through observation, self-awareness, external feedback, changing business needs, and sudden situations. Leaders who wait for formal training cycles miss the daily moments where performance can lift quickly with small, targeted coaching. In practice, there are five classic triggers. First, you notice a gap—someone lacks a skill, hasn't been trained, or is moved into a new task with no reps. Second, the staff member flags it themselves, either because they're stuck or ambitious and want growth. Third, customers, vendors, or outsiders complain or comment, which is often the clearest real-world signal that training hasn't landed. Fourth, the business changes—new technology replaces old ways (think "Telex to email" as the metaphor), so yesterday's competencies become irrelevant. Fifth, situations force change, like promotions, role shifts, or remote work onboarding. Do now: Create a weekly "coaching log" with 5 headings (Boss, Self, Customer, Change, Situation) and write one example under each. What's a real example of a "customer complaint" coaching trigger? Customer feedback often reveals tiny skill gaps that quietly damage trust—especially in service culture. Leaders should treat complaints as coaching gold, not just quality problems. A simple example is telephone etiquette in corporate settings. In Japan, one common frustration is when staff answer the phone by stating only the company name, without their own name—creating awkwardness for the caller if they ask for someone and discover the person answering is that individual. The fix is not expensive training or a big workshop; it's a repeatable micro-skill: answer with "Company name + your name." This is the essence of practical coaching—catch a pattern, define the desired behaviour, practise it, and reinforce it until it becomes normal. This same principle applies across markets. In the US or Australia, the equivalent might be email tone, response time, or how staff handle returns. In B2B environments, it might be meeting preparation or follow-up discipline. Do now: Pick one customer friction point from the last 30 days and turn it into a 2-minute coaching drill. What should the "desired outcome" of coaching look like? Coaching only works when both people can clearly picture success and agree it matters. If the outcome is fuzzy—or owned only by the boss—it becomes compliance, not growth. A strong coaching outcome is behavioural and observable: "They can do X task independently, to Y standard, in Z timeframe." That clarity matters even more in remote or hybrid work, where leaders can't rely on informal monitoring. The outcome should also be jointly owned: the team member needs to want it, not just tolerate it. That means the leader's role is to define what good looks like, show why it matters (customer impact, team efficiency, career growth), and confirm the person buys in. In startups, outcomes often focus on speed and adaptability. In large organisations, they may be tied to compliance, brand, or consistency. Either way, "success" must be visible, measurable, and shared. Do now: Ask: "What would 'great' look like here in two weeks?" Write the answer as one sentence you both agree on. How do you establish the right attitudes for effective coaching? Coaching accelerates when the leader understands the person's motivations and role fit. Without that, even good advice lands badly—or gets ignored. Attitude isn't about pep talks; it's about context. How well you know your team determines how quickly you can judge whether you have the right people in the right roles—"the right bus and the right seats." Some people are motivated by mastery, others by recognition, autonomy, stability, or future promotion. A leader who understands this can tailor coaching so it feels supportive rather than corrective. This is especially important across cultures. In Japan, people may avoid direct self-promotion, so ambition can be hidden. In Australia or the US, staff may be more comfortable stating career goals openly. In both cases, leaders need genuine curiosity: "What do you want to get better at, and why?" Do now: In your next 1:1, ask one question: "What part of your job gives you energy, and what drains it?" Use the answer to guide coaching. What resources ...
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      12 min
    • Performance Appraisals

      Performance Appraisals
      Feb 4 2026
      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, ...
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      12 min
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