Yasunori Takeuchi, Advisor & Ex-CEO, Standard Chartered Bank Japan: Episode #85 Japan's Top Business Interviews

Yasunori Takeuchi, Advisor & Ex-CEO, Standard Chartered Bank Japan: Episode #85 (Audio here) (Video here) Japan's Top Business Interviews

After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from the University of Tokyo, Yasunori Takeuchi began his career in the financial sector by working for 12 years with the Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan. This was followed by positions with Commerzbank, The Royal Bank of Scotland, ABN Amro Bank NV, WestLB Tokyo and Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Yasunori joined Standard Charted Bank Japan in 2012 as the Managing Director, Head of Corporate & Institutional Clients and Co-Head of Wholesale Banking, before becoming the current advisor/former CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Japan in 2015.

When reflecting on his career Mr. Yasunori describes his role as a team leader in Japan for European banks partly being that of a translator or interpreter. He explains how many European banks, like the country they originate from, have a very direct culture. This does not always align with the Japanese culture of arriving at decisions through consensus building via official and unofficial methods. Mr. Yasunori states one of his leadership roles was to try and act as a cultural translator between these two conflicting styles.

Soon after becoming the CEO of Standard Chartered Japan, Mr. Yasunori led the company to create a country vision document. At first, they tried doing it amongst the leadership but quickly realised that wouldn’t work and it needed input from across the organisation. Mr. Yasunori explains how, apart from giving some opening comments and instructions, he deliberately excused himself from the process so that junior staff would feel more comfortable sharing their ideas in an open discussion. The result was a productive and interactive process.

In his career in leadership, Mr. Yasunori has tried to develop positive corporate culture by breaking down the divisions within organisations, or silos, and increase interdepartmental interaction. He believes this can be achieved through unofficial means such as Diversity & Inclusion events. Events like International Women’s Day, Mental Health Day, and a charity run that Standard Chartered has been hosting for 10 years that encourage staff participation are all opportunities for staff to engage within various departments.

To foreign executives coming to work in Japan, Mr. Yasunori advises that while their core leadership style does not need to change, they need to understand how Japanese may respond. Are you getting silence in return? What will you do next? He also advises patience and the ability to create an atmosphere where Japanese feel comfortable to talk. On the topic of Japanese language skills, Mr. Yasunori does not believe they are of vital importance for a foreign businessperson - a useful tool but you can certainly get by without it.

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About The Author?

Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Training Japan

The bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery”, “Japan Business Mastery” and "Japan Presentations Masstery" and his new book "The Eigyo" (The営業), 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 publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter

Has 6 weekly podcasts:

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

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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

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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 35 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.