Leadership Takeaways — CEO Conversation with Ray Zhang, Lenovo Japan
On June 4, 2026, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (CCIFJ) Entrepreneurship Committee hosted an on-stage conversation with Ray Zhang, President of
On June 4, 2026, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (CCIFJ) Entrepreneurship Committee hosted an on-stage conversation with Ray Zhang, President of
Toshifumi Suzuki, the founder of Seven-Eleven Japan and the man most responsible for turning the konbini into a cornerstone of daily Japanese life, died on
A reporter from The Telegraph in the UK contacted me for my views on the challenges of market entry in Japan. What follows is my
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is moving to raise the thresholds required for activist shareholders to propose resolutions at company annual general meetings. If you
I run a monthly, private CEO Roundtable for my best clients and business leaders in the community whom I choose to invite and share the
Many CEOs I meet in Japan lament that their sales teams are underperforming. They see it in the behaviors and the results. Yet what to
Honda just announced its first net loss since listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1957. The company cancelled three EV models it had been
When it comes to identifying their own successor, CEOs of foreign companies in Japan whom I know often find themselves in exile in a land of no good options. Yet it does not have to be so.
Think in terms of pressure. Not mechanics. That way, when you get into aerobatics and find yourself on your back, you won’t be confused.
The first question I ask when leading a strategy development session is: “Which profitable business line do you intend to cut to make room for growth?”
Most leaders are not expecting that question.
On April 9th, I had the honor of conducting an onstage conversation with Per Rasmussen, President and Representative Director of Millet Mountain Group Japan, for
If I offered you more money for results, would you change anything that you are doing now? I have asked this very question to numerous
Below are my list of the top twenty-one practices that accelerate your success as a leader based on the most successful business leaders I know.
On the morning of March 11, 2011, I picked out a tie, checked myself in the mirror, and then left the house to go to
On March 12th, I hosted an onstage conversation with Jasper Westerink, outgoing CEO of Philips Japan and Senior Vice President of Royal Philips, for the
Below are seven pieces of advice I give to business leaders based on the most successful strategy practices I know. Whenever I discuss these in
Imagine enquiring about membership at a local gym, and a staff member asks, “What health problems do you suffer from, morbid obesity or something else?”
I once cured my lifelong phobia of spiders by moving to Australia. When I stepped off the plane in Sydney, my phobia was instantly transformed
An ex-pat CEO of the Japanese subsidiary of a global European company intimated to me that he intends to leave his job. He was already
All senior level executives and managers are asked to develop and present a strategy, whether global strategy, regional strategy, or simply strategy for a team
If you want traction for change among individuals in your organization, it is only when there are clear standards of performance or behavior, accountability to
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