270: Leaders Are So Key In Business

<p style="font-weight: 400;">Rising in a company in Japan requires talent, but this is often held hostage to time. Your age, longevity and seniority in the system are factors that often trump talent.  The usual internal talent development programme is based on OJT (On The Job Training).  This is fine if your boss is a great practitioner, communicator and coach.  Not many of those floating around Japan.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;">There is also a degree of humility (or is it fear of failure?) in Japan that surprises the gaishikei foreign multi-national company foreign bosses.   Inexplicably, they see potential rising stars decline promotions.  When they ask why they are told because “they don't feel they are ready yet”.  As we move along the demographic trend line of a declining youth population, every company will need more people willing to step up to replace those retiring.  The “I am not ready” mentality needs to shift some gears.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;">Looking at how people rise in organisations in Japan there are some interesting tweaks.  The Personal Development Plan is often a perfunctory process, that is done to keep the HR paper chase happy, rather than a time for self-reflection.  Why don't staff and managers in particular see this process as a career booster?  If we are working on a different elongated “I am not ready” time schedule, then there is not much connection between the idea of planning a career and having a career.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;">This glacial evolution of the leader in Japan has a tremendous consistency.  Generations come up under the same basic regime and it seems like an endless loop.  The lack of role models for planning one's career means there isn't a well developed sense of how to influence your progression up the ranks.  Taking on more complex stretch roles are avoided for fear of failure.  Training isn't seen as a leverage point to boost one's capability and prepare for bigger accountability.  </p> <p style="font-weight: 400;">Patrons are the time-test