[Selection for selecting the Top of Tops who will lead in the future]
*Text excerpts from the Nihon Keizai Shimbun digital edition with some additions.
Only daredevil challengers could survive…
It's a story of the past now. Let’s change. Managing change is in the essence of management.
Practice the courage to believe in your subordinates, empower them and allow them to learn from their mistakes - Colin Brooks
He names Alex Ferguson who is the manager of the Manchester United FC of the English Premier League as the leader he admires, and he pays him a compliment by saying, “He is superb in developing the strength of each individual player. He understands the essence of forming a team and he undertakes the role of holding each individual player accountable for achieving and exceeding the team's performance”.
<The value of your life increases as you overcome hardships>
Probably, due to his business experience in a few countries, Mr. Brooks chooses words very carefully when he talks about employees in Japanese companies and Japanese customers. Perhaps, this is because he is fully aware that a careless remark uttered by a high-rank officer has an important adverse effect on business. However, deliberately, I asked him about what he thinks about the characteristics of the Japanese market.
"It takes a very long time before a decision is reached by Japanese companies and, in the meantime, many meetings are held. It looks as if many companies are unwilling to become the first company to adopt the latest technology and prefer to take the attitude of see and wait until test results of other companies and the effect thereof have been verified. I do not say this is good or bad, but rather I say that this fact should be taken into consideration by Western companies as well”.
Mr. Brooks asserts, however, "It is not a question of better or worse". This is because there are actually many cases as with Japanese companies in which a decision taken after a careful decision making process ensures a smooth running of business operation subsequently.
"It is true that there is a tendency at the root of corporate culture in Europe and the United States to encourage such challenges as being innovative and having a different lifestyle from others. This does not allow us, however, to impose our culture on the Japanese market. A number of Western companies have failed in the Japanese market and a large part of their failure can be attributed to their obstinacy to their values. It is necessary for us to make efforts to understand the "difference" of each culture and bring them closer to each other - I think it is most important to achieve universal solutions in order for us to work as a global company.
However, there is no doubt that it is considerably difficult to direct business as a leader in a country with a different culture and background. When I asked Mr. Brooks to the effect, he replied by saying
“A good manager is someone who knows how to make the most of his team. A good leader is someone who can lead by making a decision and moving forward. It so happens that a decision is reached late because many people try to find a solution to satisfy all people. Unfortunately, a decision taken after a long time cannot satisfy anybody. A good leader judges the situation and takes a firm action. In addition, a good leader is someone capable of recognizing a wrong decision and renewing a decision”.
There are some reports that the economy is picking up. However, IT investment by Japanese companies remains sluggish. It is difficult for Mr. Brooks who has to steer his business under difficult conditions to manage the required targets of the corporate under today's economic climate. However, he said he's looking forward to 2020 because of the recent upward trend of economy. What plays the important role here is still “Universal Solutions”. – This is possibly the keyword to bear in mind for the foreign leader who has been playing a key role in a foreign country.
One of the most difficult things about developing a team is to facilitate the acknowledgment that "the decision was wrong”. I would like to provide opportunities to have experiences and learn lessons from them for the future by being tolerant of mistakes (Mr. Brooks).
A global working environment is a jungle or a battlefield.
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