237: Leaders Make Or Break The Firm

<p>How do you run your business.  Sharp on the cost control, right on top of the quality, working hard on building the brand, watchful of competitors, full throttle on appealing to shareholders and stakeholders?  There is one area that is going to become a bigger headache. That is people.</p> <p> </p> <p>I am not talking about just training them. I am hearing from leaders in Japan that they are growing more concerned about getting staff and keeping them.  In the “good old days”, there were tons of staff to hire and fire as needed by Japanese companies, but that is changing big time. The lack of qualified staff is hitting across more and more industries. </p> <p> </p> <p>There are multiple job openings for new hires from which to choose.  Why would they pick your company and even more importantly, why should they stay?   We know people don't leave companies, they leave bosses.  Today there is so much information about your shop available on-line, they can check you out thoroughly before they even contemplate joining. There are battalions of diligent recruiters out there, busily contributing to Japan's labor mobility by moving people into jobs and around jobs.</p> <p> </p> <p>The idea that we can have an unattractive workplace where people are ill treated by the system or their bosses or both, is clearly out of date.  Position aspirants will read about how the organisation really treats people behind the velvet curtain.</p> <p> </p> <p>Once inside, they will be engaged in direct relation to how they are managed.  The results of the engagement surveys, we have conducted world wide hold up true for Japan as well.  The feeling of being "valued" is the critical piece of the puzzle to get our staff engaged. </p> <p> </p> <p> The only trouble with this construct is that the presidential suite of offices is not where too much mass staff engaging takes place. This is more the wheelhouse, scouring the horizon for opportunities and trouble.  This is where the organisation’s direction and preferred culture are determined.  </