Takeaways: Conversation with Suntory Beverage and Food CEO Makiko Ono

On December 9th, I conducted and onstage conversation with Suntory Beverage and Food CEO Makiko Ono for the French and Australia New Zealand Chambers of Commerce in Japan. Below are my takeaways.

1. Resistance to change, conservatism, risk aversion, and fear of failure are common phenomena in French organizations as much as in Japanese organizations, and depend upon circumstances rather than a country’s business culture.
2. A leader should always seek alignment with direct reports first before attempting to change the rest of the organization in order to enlist the help of the leadership team with changing the rest of the organization and avoid passive resistance at the top, whether in France or Japan.
3. Overcoming resistance to change starts with building trust in Japan, France, and anywhere else in the world.
4. Empowerment of local executives and managers is the key to successful integration of businesses acquired overseas, as long as appropriate governance is also put into place.
5. A global mindset is about having a curiosity and interest in the world beyond one’s own boarders, and not just foreign language capability.
6. Foreign language capability aids in expat management roles, but is not absolutely required for success, as long as practical solutions are put in place.
7. Anyone can learn one or more foreign language with effort and discipline, including the Japanese. (Makiko Ono speaks Japanese, English, French, and Portuguese.)
8. An expat executive who can speak the local language with frontline staff goes a long way to engendering trust, whether a Japanese executive speaking French or a French executive speaking Japanese.
9. Rapid and continuous innovation is the key to growth, particularly in a declining market when stealing market share from competitors is critical.
10. Experiences in group companies, even in different industries, can serve as sources of innovation, and long as learning is regularly, proactively, and systematically sought.
11. Women interested in career advancement often face the double challenge of lack of expectation from male superiors and a dearth of role models in management positions. The only way forward is to defy expectations and become the role model for subsequent generations.
12. No large Japanese business today can succeed without at least some engagement with the global market.