[:en]Stop focusing on the yen exchange rate! Your best hedge is innovation![:ja]為替ばかり気にするのはやめ、イノベーションによるリスク回避に努めましょう[:]
[:en] Many business executives are fretting about the weakening, and a lot of them were present at a yen forecast briefing I attended yesterday. Lots of charts and graphs, elaborate assumptions, and caveats. In the end, it boils down to the yen could up, or then again it could go down.
[:en]February 11 is National Foundation Day in Japan[:ja]建国記念日によせて[:]
[:en]On this date in 1946, General MacArthur approved Japan’s draft constitution. It is also the date of a historical holiday for the founding of Japan by the Emperor Jimmu.
[:en]Much ado about Piketty[:ja]ピケティ騒動[:]
[:en]Thomas Piketty, French economist, and intellectuel célèbre, was recently in Japan to speak about his much talked about book Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Piketty is on record supporting most aspects of Abenomics, and hence the interest. A flurry of opinion pieces on Piketty’s controversial work ensued as there always is whenever there is serious […]
[:en]Takeaways from lunch with Jim Thompson, Billion Dollar Entrepreneur[:ja]ビリオネア起業家、ジム・トンプソン氏との昼食会で学んだこと[:]
[:en] On February 5th, I organized a lunch with Jim Thompson, CEO and founder of Crown Worldwide. The lunch, hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, was fully booked with twenty people in attendance. You may not have heard of Crown Worldwide, but they are one of the largest logistics, international relocation and […]
[:en]The Art of the Stomach and Pitfalls in Communicating with the Japanese[:ja]腹芸、そして日本人とのコミュニケーションにおける落とし穴について[:]
[:en] Haragei （腹芸）in Japanese is “the art of the stomach.” Many Japanese people have not heard of this expression, but all Japanese are surely familiar with what it represents. Haragei is the art of understanding what someone means in conversation without his or her having to say it aloud. Haragei also means conveying meaning without […]
[:en]If you had a magic third arrow, what would you use it on?[:ja]あなたなら、魔法の第三の矢を何に使いますか？[:]
[:en] I ask that question to CEOs I meet. All have clear targets, from relaxing of import regulations to freeing up the labor market–a full quiver. Abe’s problem is not a lack of third arrows, but a lack of a third bow to launch them. Expectations may be low, but what if Mr. Abe succeeds? […]
[:en]More Thinking Driven Processes, Less Process-Driven Thinking[:ja]プロセス主導の考え方から、考えることを大切とするプロセスへ[:]
[:en] Too many companies in Japan are dominated by processes-driven thinking when what is really needed is thinking-driven processes. Process-driven thinking is all about adherence—following a process meticulously and consistently—something that the Japanese are particularly good at. Thinking-driven processes, on the other hand, are all about contingence—what you do is contingent upon the situation, and […]
[:en]The Middle-Aged Mid-Level Japanese Male Manager: The Bane of Business Leaders[:ja]日本の中年中間層男性マネージャー達：ビジネスリーダーの衰退[:]
[:en] No creativity or innovative ideas. Overly risk-averse. Fearful of change or anything new. Just going through the motions of their jobs, often working late, but more often just working slow. They’re not hungry! They are not assertive! They’re indecisive!. They’re afraid to speak up—afraid to say something with which others might disagree. Abominable at […]
[:en]Four Characteristics of a Great Employee[:ja]優秀な社員の4つの特徴[:]
[:en] I am often asked what separates great employees from the merely good and mediocre. My answer frequently surprises. Below are four characteristics of a great employee.
[:en]Find the most disloyal people possible, and to hire as many of them as you can[:ja]何故できるだけ会社に忠実でない社員を多く雇うべきか[:]
[:en] Your best employees are the ones who are confident they can always get good work elsewhere whenever they want and have no qualms doing so. They stay with your company because they want to stay and are among the most committed. Employees who are sticking with your company because they are afraid to leave […]
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