History Being Made: "Japan Leadership Mastery" Now Released

History Being Made: "Japan Leadership Mastery" Now Released

I have never even seen a book about leading in Japan in English.? A check just now on Amazon proved the point - nothing on the subject.? Why is that?? Japan had gone out of fashion after the economic growth “Bubble” burst in the late 1980s.? China became the darling and do you remember those headlines about Japan was being “passed”.? So there were lots of books on doing business in China and almost none being written on business in Japan.

Here we are thirty years later and Japan is well and truly back. International business has realised there are issues around the rule of law in China, free flows of data in and out of the country, the heavy thumb of the Chinese Communist Party and the dictatorship of the proletariat that don’t come up here in Japan.?

One of the biggest fans of Dale Carnegie training is Warren Buffett and he single handedly reignited interest in investing in companies in Japan, when he bought shares in Japan’s Sogo Shosha trading companies.? Today, the largest buyers of Japanese stocks are now non-Japanese companies and organisations.? Good job Warren!

I wanted to get Japan back into the frame for international businesses and my books have all had that same aim.? My target audience, by the way, is an extreme niche.? My readers are people who are:

1.? Interested in business in Japan

2. Interested in the subject matter, as it applies to Japan, be it sales, doing business here, presenting or leading.

I have been kept busy (and like many others, stressed) these last few years dealing with the global pandemic and its impact on my training business in Japan. Regardless, my books on doing business in Japan have come out at regular intervals:

Japan Sales Mastery, 2017

Japan Business Mastery 2019

Za Eigyo (ザ営業), 2021

Japan Presentations Mastery, 2021

Stop Wasting Money On Training, 2023

Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo, 2023 (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするは止めましょう)

Anata Mo Purezen No Tatsujin, 2023 (あなたもプレゼンの達人)

?Now in 2024, I can release “Japan Leadership Mastery. Your Complete Leadership Toolbox For Japan” and then I will get to work re-writing it for a Japanese audience, getting it ready for translation.

When I wrote Japan Sales Mastery, I noticed there hadn’t been a book on selling in Japan for thirty years.? In the research stage for that book, I also found that there were no up-to-date books on doing business in Japan either.? I found lots of videos on handing over meishi, business cards and where to sit in the room, but not much more than that.?

I wasn’t planning to write a book on doing business in Japan, but I thought “why not fill in the gap?”. I realised I could help people who have rediscovered Japan and who want to understand how things work here.? That is how Japan Business Mastery came about.

By the way, if you are being sent to Japan as an expat by your firm, then definitely read the last Chapter #36 - Japan Is A Graveyard For Change Agent Leaders.? Do this before you accept the assignment, and you will negotiate a much better Japan posting arrangement with your boss!

My new book, Japan Leadership Mastery, is broken up into seven sections.?

In Section One, we delve into the Leadership Mindset needed for a leader to be successful in Japan.?

In Section Two, we look at Leading Yourself. This makes sense. ?If we expect others to follow us, we had better know what we are doing.?

Section Three is on Leadership Coaching.? This is one of the most underutilised aspects of leadership.? I make the ironic observation that the leadership coaching tool is always in pristine condition because it is so rarely employed.?

Section Four covers Staff Engagement.? APAC is always at the bottom of the global surveys on staff engagement, and Japan is at the bottom of APAC. We get into why that is and what we can do about it.?

Section Five covers the Leader Toolbox.? This is a very important section for the book on the “how to” aspects of leadership.? We focus on the most practical needs of the leader and provide a lot of structure to guide the reader to success when leading teams here.?

Section Six is on Leading Teams Virtually.? You might be thinking, “Greg, we don’t need a chapter on that now, because the pandemic is over”.? Actually, I am mainly covering leading in the remote matrix, as Japanese companies buy up foreign enterprises.? The decline in the domestic market is forcing them to keep expanding outside Japan. How to lead when the boss is in one country and the staff are scattered around the world?? I also do look at how to lead in the virtual environment here, when staff are no longer in the office five days a week.

Section Seven covers Project Leadership.? It is ironic what we are all involved in projects in our business life, but most people are never trained on how to lead a project team. We explore how to lead a project team here in Japan.

This book combines our Dale Carnegie leadership curriculum content, my own lessons over the last 45 years since I first arrived here in 1979 and from the multiple mistakes I have made leading here, plus my experiences in the mud and the blood of the trenches on the front line of business in Japan.?

I started with one staff member in Nagoya and got up to 550 staff at the Shinsei Retail Bank Platinum Division.? I have been the Country Head of four organisations here and am still struggling and learning every day.? I hope my book can help others to avoid the mistakes I have made and to speed up their success leading their organisation In Japan.

I would estimate that 90% of the content of this book is universal and will apply to leading teams anywhere in the world. That other 10% is the cream on the leadership cake for leading here in Japan. As I often say, “leading is different here” and that is what I wanted to assist everyone with, so that you can be successful in Japan too.

Be honest – are you a great leader or are you a mediocre leader? How can you become a leader people actually want to follow? How can you be the leader whose team gets results? Do it yourself trial and error wastes time and resources.There is a perfect solution for you- To LEARN MORE click here (https://bit.ly/43sQHxV )

To get your free guide “How To Stop Wasting Money On Training” click here ( https://bit.ly/4agbvLj )

To get your free “Goal Setting Blueprint 2.0” click here (https://bit.ly/43o5FVK)

If you enjoy our content then head over to www.dale-carnegie.co.jp and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs.

About The Author

Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training

Contact me at [email protected]

Bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery” (the Japanese translation is "The Eigyo" (The営業), “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Mastery".? He has also written "How To Stop Wasting Money On Training" and the translation "Toreningu De Okane Wo Muda Ni Suru No Wa Yamemashoo" (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのは止めましょう) and his brand new book is “Japan Leadership Mastery”.

Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations.?He leads the Dale Carnegie Franchise in Tokyo which traces its roots straight back to the very establishment of Dale Carnegie in Japan in 1963 by Mr. Frank Mochizuki.

He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter

Has 6 weekly podcasts:

1.?????Mondays -??The Leadership Japan Series,

2.????Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series

Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え

3.????Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series

4.????Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series

Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト

5.????Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show

6.????Saturdays – Japan’s Top Business Interviews

Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube:

1.?????Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show

Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV

2.????Fridays – Japan Business Mastery

3.????Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews

In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development.

Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 39 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo.

Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan.

Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.

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