Can Japanese to be the country head??

Hi all.

I have a question for all the business people in Japan.

"How do you compete with young, motivated and smart fresh graduates?"

About 30 million fresh graduates from India are predicted to be entering the workforce by 2014.

This issue goes beyond India. The Indian market can’t absorb all the fresh graduates therefore about 20 million of them will be hunting for opportunities to work globally.

In the next four years, we are going to see the same number of people from good universities in India.

In three years time, we will be facing serious competition.

Most of those students from India have multilingual capabilities and adaptability to adapt to different cultures.

If we don't have the knowledge and skills to manage those kinds of people, we can't work in the global organization anymore.

Did you know that the head of some global organizations in Japan are not Japanese even though their clients are all Japanese?

For most of those organizations, Japan is an important market.

But Japan is not the ideal place to find those suitable employees and leaders.

Actually, many Indians and Singaporean have already filled those positions.

The global heads of some American companies are French, Norwegian, Dutch and Brazilian.

The nationality of the global head is not an issue for global organizations now but why is it that the Japanese haven’t been able to fill the positions as country head of those global organizations?

I think that there are three reasons behind this.

1. Language capability

2. Adaptability

3. Mobility

Many Japanese business men are not good at English in verbal communication. Most of them are good at reading and writing but they find it difficult to hold a conversation face to face. In the business world, communication is an important role for operation. Without speaking and listening comprehension it will be difficult to do business.

Adaptability is hard to get. It means that we have to understand different cultures and values. There are no right answers but right questions. So business people have to deal with various ideas and perspectives.

Mobility is also hard to get. Japanese have a tendency to stay at one place all the time. They don’t want to move to a new place or city. They love their home town and don’t want to take the risk to move around.

From a management’s point of view, we want to hire the people who can change quickly, adapt new initiatives smoothly and can work every where globally.

The many Japanese who lack these three elements can’t act in an important role.

It is critical for Japanese managers to learn the above three skills.

How can they develop those skills?

I will show you another time.

Regards

Why I am staying the Marriott all the time.

Hi all.

I updated the blog last week so I am trying it this week as well.

How are you doing?

I hope that you all doing well.

As you knew already, I traveled quite a lot.

I stayed at many hotels over 70 nights this year because of my works and holidays.

What are you going to do when you have to organize 70 nights stay in a year?

Location?

Brand name?

Price?

Everyone has own judgment to pick up.

I stayed at Marriott hotels so many nights every around the world and so far they treat me very nice.

Most of hotel I stayed I got the automatically upgrade.

Besides that I can use the executive lounge all the time so I can be a friend with the people working there.

Yes. I can receive the benefits that is one reason.

But I have another good reason to stay there.

That is the safety and urgency procedure.

I will show my story about it.


This year I stayed Chicago Marriott downtown, people in the lounge and concierge are excellent.

They called me first name, give me a hug and cheer me up all the time.

Even when I left there, they gave me a big hug.

During my stay I was a bid nervous because I had to deal with some business issues and had a speech.

Their big warmth welcome and cheered me up gave me a great time in Chicago.

On the day I left Chicago when I reached the airport, I noticed that I left my wallet in the safety in the hotel.

Off course I was in panic.

But I realized that my flight was delayed so I had the time to go back.

I jumped in the cab and rushed back to the downtown.

I called the hotel and told the operator what happened.

The operator on the phone calmed me down and told me that

"Sir when you reach the lobby, call the security and we will check your ID. Then everything is OK we will pass to you your wallet."

"All right."

I hang up and was the chat with the driver on the way.

It took only 30 minutes but for me it felt like couple hours.

To the downtown, I saw so much traffic. I became a little bid hopeless.

I wondered how long it takes to get just one wallet at the hotel.

It could be another 30 minutes, could be 40 minutes.



When I reached the lobby, all concierge were stunned because they saw me.

"What happened,Mr.Ikeda? Everything is all right? Well not all right so you came back"
with big smile on the face.

Then they called the security and the security passed me the wallet because all concierge know who I am.

If this is not the Marriott, story could be different.

They are so nice and super with personal touch I never forget.

I want to go back there when I have the opportunity.


This is the true story about one of my experience in Marriott.

Well, there are so many hotels and resorts out there.


But nice people and professional can make the brand reality.

Once you encountered those experience, we all love them.


I hope that this story show you how great the Marriott hotels are.

What kind of criteria you have when you pick up the hotel?


Regards


Teppei

Find the way around you.

Hi all.

It has been eight months already since last update.

Since then I have been Beijing, Chicago, Frankfurt, Nice, Canne, Munich, Seoul, Yuzhino Shaklinsk and Singapore.

As I said on my last update, I have been many countries.
It meant my projection was right.

Finally I came back to Tokyo and thought back what was actually going on.

I am sure one thing.

We all can see the increasing demands for creating the leaders with global brain.

Many companies need the leaders who knows how to handle uncertain situation.

We don't have any answers for new emerging global issues therefore we have to attack with the flexible and open mindsets.

China became very harsh about the boarders.

Republican won the last election in U.S.

India is still growing.


Well what can we do?

How do we survive in uncertain world?

I know one thing is for sure.


You ask the people around you, they will guide you to the right answer.

So hang around with the friend and people with respect and honor.


They will lead you the way.

But you have to judge on final call.



regards

Three secrets to be successful in Japan

Hi all.

It has been two months already since my last update.

How are you?

And, how is your new year so far?

I started 2010 with a very relaxed trip to Bangkok.


Then followed a business trip to Osaka for a week.

And following this was Chinese New Year.

I feel as though I have not done too much, and yet two months have already passed.


This year I am expecting to travel to many locations, including Singapore, Thailand, China, USA, France and Russia.


There is a growing demand within the business sectors of other countries. Or, perhaps it is my services that are become more popular, I am not sure.


In Tokyo itself we have the head offices of fifty-one Fortune Global 500 companies.

Together, these companies generate more than 2 trillion dollars in revenue.

Two trillion!!!

The wealth generated from these organisations is distributed to their management teams, employees, partners, vendors and shareholders.


It is no wonder that Tokyo remains one of the busiest cities in the world.


And, as in any dynamic metropolis, competition is very strong for every piece of the financial cake.


But I believe that it is possible for you to enjoy a big slice of this prosperity yourself.

How?

Well, there are three secrets to getting your share.

First, be an expert in your chosen field.
It is not important exactly who you are, what you do, or in which sphere.

If you have a specialist knowledge which is in demand, you can have a piece of the cake.


Second, build a strong social network.
Familial connections, community members, friends and colleagues all create a strong foundation of contacts to expand your world into new areas.

Personal referrals are a very common way of sharing business in Japan, so every contact is a possible opportunity to extend your scope of influence.



Third, and perhaps most importantly, you must bring something unique to your personal relations.

If people trust and love you, they will help you.

Many of my business contacts are located in Singapore, a place where I enjoy a success that comes from my ability to use their dialect and also speak English with the same accent.

Many Japanese speak Mandarin but, unlike myself, few can speak Cantonese and Hokkien.

My unique communication abilities help me stand out from the competition and leave lasting impressions to those with whom I do business.

When you can take advantage of these three secrets you can also enjoy a big piece of the cake.

Think about how each is relevant to you.

It is really very simple and just involves stepping outside the old, familiar patterns that so many fall into.

Success in Tokyo, or any big city, can be achieved with a little planning and creative thinking that comes from applying the above secrets to how you do business.


Regards.

Lucks bring the results or actions bring lucks?

Hi all.

How are you?


Tokyo has been getting colder in these last few days.


When people in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving, they may start to feel the year drawing to a close.


But we, as Tokyoites, get the same feeling about the year’s end when we have the Torinoichi festival in November. (I know it was last month)


The big shrines in Tokyo, such as Hanazono and Asakusa Sanja celebrate the Torinoichi festival

This festival is held on Tori Day (The day of the Rooster) in the Japanese traditional calendar.

Most foreigners know about the 12-yearly cycle of animals from Chinese astrology.


But many do not know that we have dates within each year for animals also.
In fact, many young Japanese do not even know about this.


So, each year, when it’s time for Torinoichi, I begin to feel festive.

At the Torinoichi festival there are always so many stalls and delicious food stands.

Vendor stalls sell “Kumade” (which translates to “Bear Claw”) and we decorate these with old coins and treasures.

Because bear hands are broad and strong, they can collect many things; this is why we believe that Kumade can collect prosperity for us.

It is a lucky symbol for Japanese people, bringing us good fortune for the following year.

This is especially so for people in the retail business.

They buy Kumade with wishes for luck and prosperity.


Do you have any special items that you use to bring you luck?


Maybe religious charms, or tokens from festivals, or lucky gifts from friends and loved ones?

But, surely, lucky charms cannot make any great changes in our life, can they?


What can these small treasures do to give you the things you want in the way of career, relationships and health?

Of course, if it feels good to cherish these treasures, then enjoy the happiness they can bring you.

But real, dynamic change can only happen in your life when you take action.



Strategy, planning and diligence are the ways to bring yourself true, lasting transformation.


So, don’t wait for good things in life to find their way to you, make plans today to get out there and make it happen for yourself.



What kinds of action would you take?


What kinds of luck could you bring to your life?






Think about it now!











Regards

What is your working style?

Hi all.

In these last few days Tokyo has been getting much cooler.

How is the weather where you are?


As I told you before, I often travel to the countryside.


Being away from the office, and with poor mobile reception, I am rarely bothered by phone calls.


So far, my assistant has been handling my urgent mails and calls at the office back in Tokyo.


I have noticed one thing about this situation:

Finding my concentration for work is much easier without phone interruptions.


Most of you know already about the scope of my work.


I run workshops, seminars and speech sessions.


So I am constantly working on updating and revising the contents of these events.


I work with some agencies, like training companies, who are very effective at providing good content to me.


This makes my life easier, however, it sometimes takes a little of the fun out my work.


I love that I can create works with contents that are my own, unique.
The expressions and phrases are copyrighted and belong to me.

Those works are like my baby. They are a part of me.

They come in many forms: games, exercises and quotes.


And they emerge through my everyday work: talking to clients, asking questions and engaging with my audience.


But I find I am always trying to do everything at the last minute.


When I can feel a deadline approaching, my concentration shifts and I find the focus to finish my task.


In that case I find I can produce very good quality and good results.


So, it can be good for me to get away because it is easier to shift my mind to focus on the work at hand.


Since recognizing this I have begun to plan my working schedule to fit in with these out-of-town trips, thus allowing me a better environment to concentrate in.


It maximizes my working time and allows me to work faster and more effectively.

What is your working style?


Are you strong at the last-minute or do you excel when you plan ahead?


I sometimes wish I could be the kind of person who plans ahead but it’s just not my technique.


You might wonder, why is this?


Because I do enjoy the pressures of the last-minute rush!


But I learned this on my latest business trip: my creativity is just a plane ticket away.


To effectively use my time and produce new works, a sanctuary in the countryside is just what I would love.

In theory it sounds like a very good solution.


But, of course, in reality there is a concern with a situation like this:


I wish my wife could understand this kind of behavior!





Regards

Simple thing but difficult to do?

Hi all.

It has been a few weeks since my last update.
How have you been?

A few weeks ago I encountered a something strange:

At my train station a woman was using the ticketing machine.

The machine clearly shows instructions for choosing the type of ticket, a destination, and inserting the required fare.

It is so simple.

But I watched as she tried once, twice, three times unsuccessfully, all the while mumbling to herself, “what is wrong with this machine?!”

Watching her, I could tell that she wasn’t even trying to read the instructions.

Such a simple process was so irritating for her because she would not follow the correct steps.

Wanting to save her anymore frustration, I finally stepped in and showed the woman how to purchase her fare, after which she turned away from me, grunting “hrmm!”


And, without even a single word, she walked away. Gone, just like that!

We Japanese are often regarded as very polite people.

It is one of the strongest impressions we make on visitors from overseas and one of the qualities of which I am most proud to associate with my own country.

But today I encountered a (hopefully!) rare exception to this ideal.

This mature woman had trouble with something so simple and then did not even make the slightest effort to show gratitude to a fellow human being when she was assisted.


Perhaps this example is only small and relatively insignificant.

But I was quite shocked and it got me thinking…

Does it mean something?


Yes, I think it does.


This kind of occurrence appears to be happening more and more. The kindness that I had always come to expect from those around me appears to be slipping away, bit by bit.

It seems to me to be a sign of slowly collapsing Japanese values, perhaps global values also.

Maybe these changes are the result of life’s daily pressures, global influences or even popular media; what do you think?

I strongly believe that it is our good will and kind manners to those around us that help to form the healthy foundation for our community.

Without a collective agreement to respect and consider our fellow citizens we jeopardize this stability.

Common courtesy, manners and kindness should be as important to us now as they ever were.

So, let’s keep these values as vital elements in our daily actions.

How can we do this?

Well, this is what I have decided to do:

Show more affection, more gratitude and more appreciation.

It’s that simple!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blogs.

And thanks for your comments and feedback also.

It means a lot to me to hear about the issues that are important to you.

Talk to you soon.


Teppei