[:en]Throw Your Lot in[:ja]誰の側に立つか[:]
[:en]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 Tokyo without knowing that I would never again leave that house the same way. It was only hours later that the massive 3/11 earthquake struck Japan and its deadly tsunami […]
[:en]Strategy? Forget All You Know![:ja]戦略についての従来の常識を忘れること[:]
[:en] 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 an open forum, there is always pushback from at least a few people, particularly in Japan. Some people are even offended! That’s OK. If I am doing my job […]
[:en]The Secret to Persuasive Strategy[:ja]説得力のある戦略とは[:]
[:en]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 or department they oversee. Many managers create long slide presentations with lots of data to justify why their strategy is right. However, the most persuasive managers talk about all the […]
[:en]3 Pillars of Change Traction[:ja]変革を牽引する3つの柱[:]
[:en]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 meet them, and support to help people succeed that a change can take hold. In my experience, a deficit in any one of these three will alter the way any […]
[:en]Motivation is Overrated[:ja]「モチベーション」は過大評価されている[:]
[:en]When a CEO asks me how to better motivate his or her employees to change, the focus is on the wrong thing. Motivation can get a person started, but only discipline can see him or her through to an outcome.
[:en]Automate HR, Proliferate Mediocrity[:ja]人事の自動化は凡庸の始まり[:]
[:en]Machine learning algorithms are no smarter than the humans they learn from, and in most cases not nearly as smart. I am no luddite. I am aware of the power of big data when used with good analytics and artificial intelligence in automating functions like logistics, supply chain management, manufacturing and market intelligence. However, business […]
[:en]Be Unreasonable[:ja]理不尽であれ[:]
[:en]Strategy is about creating the future, not predicting it. You develop strategy by starting with a bold vision of the business in the future and working backwards, not by an understanding of the present business and working forward. The latter merely entices you to compromise your vision. It is only the former that can take […]
Strategy on Your Own Terms
The best military strategists always choose the terrain on which they will do battle, rather than allowing the enemy to choose for them. So, in business, why would you possibly allow others to define the topography of your business environment instead of choosing the topography yourself? Yet, that is often precisely what business people do.
[:en]There is No Japanese Mindset[:ja]日本人特有の考え方などというものはない[:]
[:en]Nationality and national culture are not granular enough to explain behavior. There is no “Japanese mindset.” I have traveled to more than twenty countries, and lived outside my native United States for almost my entire adult life. I speak Japanese and French fluently, and just enough Italian, German, and Mandarin Chinese to get myself into […]
[:en]Empathy Trumps Projection[:ja]投影ではなく共感をすること[:]
[:en]Projection and empathy are not the same thing, but they are often confused. Empathy is the ability to understand how someone is thinking, whereas projection is presuming a person thinks like you. Be careful not to project when it is empathy that you intend.