The Leadership Japan Series Podcast Por Dale Carnegie Japan arte de portada

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. Economía Gestión Gestión y Liderazgo
Episodios
  • How Leaders Can Strengthen Relationships With Their Team (Part Three)

    How Leaders Can Strengthen Relationships With Their Team (Part Three)
    Dec 17 2025
    In Parts One and Two, we covered the relationship fundamentals: stop criticising, give sincere appreciation, understand what people want, show genuine interest, smile, and remember names. In Part Three, we move to the final three skills that make those principles work in real leadership: listening, speaking in terms of the other person's interests, and making people feel important—sincerely. 1) Be a good listener and encourage others to talk about themselves Many leaders unintentionally weaken relationships because they listen selectively. If the conversation isn't "useful," they tune out. The problem is that people notice—and they disengage. As the article puts it: "Some people are boring when they talk about themselves and I tune out, because I only want to hear stuff that is of interest to me, like where are the results". That doesn't sound like a good approach to build an engaged team, does it? A better standard is to make learning about your people part of your leadership job. Listening isn't passive; it's the gateway to trust, cooperation, and commitment. The practical challenge is that many leaders don't know what questions to ask—so here is a simple conversation framework the article recommends using a "memory linking technique": Nameplate, House, Family, Briefcase, Airplane, Tennis Racket, Ideas. The listening framework (and how to use it) Nameplate: their name—and whether you pronounce it correctly. The article shares an example where a leader's effort to pronounce a full name properly made the person feel valued, because others had defaulted to an easier nickname. House: where they live now, where they have lived, and where they want to live in the future. Family: family composition and what matters outside work; relationships often deepen through shared life connections (like children attending the same school). Briefcase: the content of their work—the reality of what they do every day. When you understand the details, you better understand their "personal situation" and what pressures they operate under. Airplane: travel experiences, preferences, and recommendations (including places like onsen). Tennis Racket: hobbies and interests. People can sit next to each other for years and never know what the other person truly enjoys—because no one asks. Ideas: what they're noticing in business—market shifts, competitor moves, trends, and information sources worth sharing. Run this framework lightly, not like an interrogation. The goal is simple: learn enough about people that you can lead them as humans, not as job titles. Core takeaway: "Make finding out all about your people your mission and you are sure to find leading your people becomes easier." 2) Talk in terms of the other person's interests This is a leadership multiplier: when you connect your requests to what someone cares about, cooperation becomes easier and resistance drops. But what if you don't know what they care about? The article's answer is blunt and practical: ask more questions—and return to listening. It also points out a reality leaders often forget: people may not reveal what they are interested in immediately because they are still deciding whether they can trust you. You earn the right to understand their interests by showing consistent respect and curiosity. As you ask questions and learn more, you also uncover similarities and shared ground—making trust-building easier and faster. 3) Make the other person feel important—and do it sincerely People want to feel that their work matters and that they matter to the organisation. Yet many leaders stay locked on outcomes and forget the process is powered by humans, not machines. The article states it clearly: "Often, we are working hard but get no recognition for it… We are not machines. Everything we do is driven by our mindset and our commitment. We want to be recognised for that." This is where leadership can go wrong—because recognition can become manipulation if it isn't real. The article highlights that "honesty", "sincerity", and being "genuine" run through these principles for a reason. Without those caveats, the principles become tools for manipulation—and people see through it. Conclusion: Your relationship advantage this week If you want stronger relationships with your team, don't overcomplicate it: Listen better and encourage people to talk about themselves.Ask enough questions to discover what matters to them.Connect your communication to their interests.Recognise people in a way that is honest, sincere, and genuine. Or in the final challenge posed by the article: how will you apply these principles this week to develop stronger relationships and create positive influence?
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    12 m
  • How Leaders Can Strengthen Relationships With Their Team (Part Two)

    How Leaders Can Strengthen Relationships With Their Team (Part Two)
    Dec 10 2025
    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 ...
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    13 m
  • How Leaders Can Strengthen Relationships With Their Team (Part One)

    How Leaders Can Strengthen Relationships With Their Team (Part One)
    Dec 3 2025
    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 ...
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    13 m
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