281 Accountability In Your Team
The Japan Business Mastery Podcast By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Release Date: 12/25/2025
281 Accountability In Your Team
The Japan Business Mastery Podcast By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Q: Why do dynamic leaders often struggle to listen well? A: Because they’re focused on making things happen. They drive decisions, push through obstacles, and can turn conversations into monologues rather than dialogues. Mini-summary: High drive can crowd out listening. Q: Why can this become worse in Japan? A: Getting things done in Japan can require extra perseverance, especially for entrepreneurs and turnaround leaders. The “push hard” style becomes the default operating procedure. Mini-summary: Japan’s hurdles can reinforce a push-only habit. Q: What’s the hidden cost of poor...
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280 Build Your Presenting Style
The Japan Business Mastery Podcast By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Creating Your Personal Style When Presenting When people hear you’re speaking, do they say, “I need to attend that talk”? Style can be built on purpose—by choosing what you’ll be known for and practising it in public. Q: Can you really create a personal presenting style? A: Yes. Decide your signature—energy, data, stories, razor-clear analysis—then build toward it. Borrow from role models and subtract anything that isn’t you. Mini-summary: Style is deliberate: choose a signature and subtract the rest. Q: How do you build a following without constant stage time?...
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279 Stop Forcing Fit: Only Sell What Solves Client Problems
The Japan Business Mastery Podcast By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Stop Forcing Fit: Sell What Solves Client Problems Square-peg selling destroys trust and lifetime value. Here’s how to redirect, realign and customise so the solution fits the client—not the quota. Q: What’s the #1 mistake salespeople make? A: Poor listening. They talk too much, miss cues and push their agenda. Start with questions and let the buyer lead briefly if small talk stalls. Mini-summary: Ask first, listen fully, then steer. Q: How do I get the conversation back on track? A: Redirect: “May I ask what outcome matters most right now?” Map goals,...
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278 Your Face Is the Firm: Master Persuasive Speaking
The Japan Business Mastery Podcast By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Leaders Be Persuasive We’re judged by what we say and how we say it. In a video-first world, every leader is a Q: Why must leaders master presenting now? A: Everyone carries a camera, and rivals publish nonstop. Hiding means your brand fades while theirs compounds. Speaking is now table stakes for credibility. Mini-summary: Visibility is constant; skill must match. Q: Isn’t technical competence enough? A: No. “Good enough” communication stalls influence. The market hears the difference between average and outstanding—and rewards polish. Mini-summary: Competence...
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277 From Invisible to In-Demand: Speaking Grows Your Brand
The Japan Business Mastery Podcast By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
How To Use Speaking To Promote Your Personal Brand We live in a publisher’s world. If you want speaking gigs that grow your brand in Japan, stop waiting to be discovered and start creating searchable proof of expertise. Q: Where do I start with speaking if I’m not a writer? A: List ten buyer problems you hear repeatedly. Record short answers if writing is hard; transcribe later. Clarity beats polish. Mini-summary: Begin with your clients’ questions and answer them clearly. Q: What is a flagship article and why create one? A: Stitch related posts into one...
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Hire Hunters, Not Hope: Setting Realistic Sales Expectations
The Japan Business Mastery Podcast By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Really Understand Your Expectations Of Your Sales Team We hire people, expect instant results, then churn the headcount when numbers lag. In Japan’s tight market, that revolving door is costly. Here’s how to realign expectations with reality. Q: Are you hiring farmers when you need hunters? A: Farmers maintain; hunters create. In Japan, farmers are more common. Ask candidates where their current clients came from. Leads, handoffs and orphan accounts signal farming; proactive prospecting and conversions signal hunting. Neither is “better”—mismatch is expensive....
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275 Delegate Outcomes, Not Tasks: The Accountability Playbook for Japan
The Japan Business Mastery Podcast By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Accountability In Your Team We all want accountable teams, yet deadlines slip and quality wobbles. People don’t plan to fail—but vague ownership and weak rhythms make it easy to miss. Here’s how leaders in Japan turn “own it” into a daily standard. Q: Where should leaders start? A: Start with time. Time discipline sets tone. Make planning visible, prioritise crisply and protect deep work for the tasks only you can do. When leaders respect time, teams respect commitments. Mini-summary: Your calendar sets culture; model time discipline. Q: Why do leaders become time-poor?...
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274 What Is The Right Length For Your Speech
The Japan Business Mastery Podcast By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Why Do Speeches Often Go Too Long? Speakers love their words, but audiences only want what matters. The danger comes when speakers keep talking past the emotional high point. Once engagement peaks, attention begins to fade. Mini-summary: Speeches lose power when they drag past the point of maximum engagement. What Is the Risk of Having No Time Limit? When organisers set a limit, discipline is forced. But when speakers control their own slot, they often run long. Without boundaries, self-indulgence creeps in, and the speech becomes tiring. Mini-summary: Lack of limits tempts speakers into...
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273 Presenting Manufactured Products
The Japan Business Mastery Podcast By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Why Are Industrial Product Presentations Often So Dull? Industrial products are technical and specification-heavy. Salespeople often present them in dry, functional ways that mirror catalogues. Buyers tune out because they don’t just buy specs—they buy confidence, trust, and belief. Mini-summary: Specs alone don’t sell; buyers connect with confident, engaging salespeople. How Can Salespeople Move Beyond Features? Features are important, but benefits are what matter. A durable machine saves downtime and repairs. An easy-to-install product reduces disruption and costs. Linking benefits...
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272 Why Bosses Must Keep Learning to Lead
The Japan Business Mastery Podcast By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Education doesn’t end with graduation. Leaders may attend induction sessions, compliance programs, or even prestigious executive courses overseas, but these experiences are too infrequent to sustain long-term growth. In Japan and globally, too many bosses stop learning once they hit senior ranks, focusing only on routines that keep the business running. But standing still in today’s world is as dangerous as making mistakes. Continuous learning is not optional—it’s the fuel that keeps leaders, teams, and companies alive. Why isn’t one-time executive training enough? Business schools...
info_outlineQ: Why do dynamic leaders often struggle to listen well?
A: Because they’re focused on making things happen. They drive decisions, push through obstacles, and can turn conversations into monologues rather than dialogues.
Mini-summary: High drive can crowd out listening.
Q: Why can this become worse in Japan?
A: Getting things done in Japan can require extra perseverance, especially for entrepreneurs and turnaround leaders. The “push hard” style becomes the default operating procedure.
Mini-summary: Japan’s hurdles can reinforce a push-only habit.
Q: What’s the hidden cost of poor listening?
A: Opportunity cost. Vital information isn’t being processed when a leader is only pushing out and not drawing insight in. Missing subtle clues, hints, and references can block chances you never notice.
Mini-summary: Poor listening quietly denies you opportunities.
Q: How does low self-awareness show up in these leaders?
A: They miss the signals in the room. They don’t notice the listener’s frustration at being hit with energy, passion, and commitment that may be far more interesting to the speaker than the audience.
Mini-summary: If you can’t read the room, you can’t adjust.
Q: Why is listening a leadership “sales” skill?
A: Leaders are selling a vision, direction, culture, plan, and values. “Selling isn’t telling.” If you steamroll people, you may get surface agreement, but you won’t get genuine buy-in.
Mini-summary: Influence requires dialogue, not domination.
Q: What should leaders do instead of steamrolling?
A: Slow down and ask questions. When the other person can contribute, it becomes a dialogue and you gain new perspectives. You also build the relationship by showing respect.
Mini-summary: Questions create engagement and learning.
Q: What happens to staff when leaders do all the talking?
A: Staff are trained not to contribute. They become passive and wait for the next “feeding session” from the boss, rather than taking ownership and offering ideas.
Mini-summary: Over-talking trains passivity.
Q: How do you rebuild contribution and trust?
A: Make questioning a consistent operating procedure, not a one-off. Staff need to see the pattern repeated before they risk speaking up. Your reaction is critical: if you cut them off or dismiss them, they’ll go quiet again.
Mini-summary: Consistency and respectful reactions unlock opinions.
Dr Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is a veteran Japan CEO and trainer, author of multiple best-sellers and host of the Japan Business Mastery series. He leads leadership and presentation programmes at Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo.