375 Mentoring Under Pressure: How Bosses in Japan Make Change Work
The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Release Date: 11/02/2025
384 Japan’s Ageing Workforce: Why “Recruit and Retain” Must Include Seniors
The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
What problem is Japan actually facing with its ageing population? Japan is ageing rapidly, and most of the attention goes to welfare, health, and pension systems. The less-discussed problem is what to do with the “young” oldies—people reaching 60, the retirement age, while still having decades of life ahead of them. Because many are healthy, active, relatively digital, and well-connected, therefore they do not fit the old model of “retire and disappear”. They also believe the government pension system will break down under the weight of their cohort’s numbers, therefore they do not...
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383 Screen-Based Strong Messaging: How to Sound Credible on Remote Calls
The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
What makes screen-based messaging harder than in-person presenting? Most people already struggle to get their message across in a room, and the screen makes that challenge harder. Because remote delivery removes many of the natural cues we rely on in person, a mediocre presenter can quickly become a shambles on camera. The danger is that people imagine the medium excuses weak messaging or amateur delivery, but it does not. If you have a message to deliver, you need to do better than normal, not worse. The screen also pushes you into a close-up. The audience sees your face more than your...
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382 Consensus Selling: The Invisible Decision-Makers Behind The Meeting Room Wall
The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Why does a request for a proposal in Japan not always mean you are winning? In Japan, reaching “please send a proposal” can feel like major progress, because it sounds like interest. But the request can also be a polite way to avoid a direct “no”. Because Japan is a very polite society, a blunt refusal is often uncomfortable, so people use indirect ways to close a conversation without confrontation. Therefore, if you automatically treat the request as a buying signal, you can waste hours producing a proposal that was never going to be acted on. The practical takeaway is to treat the...
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381 Why Japan’s Talent Crunch Makes Retention a Core Strategy
The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Why is “recruit and retain” becoming the central talent strategy in Japan? Japan faces a demographic crunch: too few young people can meet employer demand, and this shortage has persisted for years. Since 2015, the shrinking youth population has pushed competition for early-career talent higher. With a smaller talent pool, every hiring decision carries more risk, and every resignation hits harder. Turnover among new recruits has started climbing again. A few years ago, more than 40% of new recruits left after training; the figure now sits around 34%, and it may rise further. Companies...
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380 Control the Narrative: What Buyers See Before You Meet
The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Why do clients “check you out” online before the first sales meeting? Buyers now assume that everything about us is only a few mouse clicks away, so online “checking you out” happens before the calendar invite becomes real. Because this scrutiny is routine and increasing, therefore your credibility is being scored before you speak a word in the meeting. The script frames this as a certainty for salespeople: prospects will look at your social media and search results to decide who you are and whether you are worth their time. Because the check happens before the conversation, therefore...
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379 Why Your Posture Is Important When Presenting
The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Why does posture matter for presenters on stage and on camera? Answer: Posture shapes both breathing and perception. A straighter posture aids airflow and spinal alignment, while signalling confidence and credibility. Because audiences often equate height and upright stance with leadership, slouching erodes trust before you say a word. Mini-summary: Straight posture helps you breathe better and look more credible. What posture choices project confidence in the room? Answer: Stand tall with your chin up so your gaze is level. Use intentional forward lean and chin drop only when...
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378 The Foreign Leader In Japan
The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Why do “crash-through” leadership styles fail in Japan? Force does not embed change. Employees hold a social contract with their firms, and client relationships are prized. Attempts to push damaging directives meet stiff resistance, and status alone cannot compel people whose careers outlast the expatriate’s assignment. Mini-summary: Pressure triggers pushback; relationships and continuity beat status. What happens when a foreign boss vents or shows anger? Answer: It backfires. Losing one’s temper is seen as childish and out of control. Credible leaders stay...
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377 Curiosity, Then Context: The Smart Short Pitch
The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Why use a one-minute pitch when you dislike pitching? Answer: In settings with almost no face-to-face time—especially networking—you cannot ask deep questions to uncover needs. A one-minute pitch becomes a bridge to a follow-up meeting rather than a full sales push, avoiding the “bludgeon with data” approach. Mini-summary: Use a short bridge pitch when time is scarce; aim for the meeting, not the sale. When is a one-minute pitch most useful? Answer: At events where you are filtering many brief conversations to find prospects worth a longer office meeting. You do not want...
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376 In Japan, Should Presenters Recycle Content Between Talks?
The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Yes—recycling is iteration, not repetition. Each audience, venue and timing change what lands, so a second delivery becomes an upgrade: trim what dragged, expand what sparked questions, and replace weaker examples. The result is safer and stronger than untested, wholly new content. Mini-summary: Recycle to refine—familiar structure, higher quality. How can you create opportunities to repeat a talk? Answer: Negotiate for tailoring rather than exclusivity. Many hosts want “unique” content; offer contextualised examples, revised emphasis and organisation-specific language...
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375 Mentoring Under Pressure: How Bosses in Japan Make Change Work
The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show By Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
In Japan, why is “capable and loyal” no longer enough? Answer: Technology, the post-1990 restructuring of management layers, and globalisation have reshaped how work moves in Japan. Because hierarchies compressed and expectations widened, teams now face faster cycles and more frequent transitions. AI will add further disruption, so stability must be created by leadership rather than assumed from tenure. Mini-summary: Hierarchy compression + globalisation + AI = persistent change; leadership provides the rhythm that tenure used to provide. In Japan, what should managers do first...
info_outlineIn Japan, why is “capable and loyal” no longer enough?
Answer: Technology, the post-1990 restructuring of management layers, and globalisation have reshaped how work moves in Japan. Because hierarchies compressed and expectations widened, teams now face faster cycles and more frequent transitions. AI will add further disruption, so stability must be created by leadership rather than assumed from tenure.
Mini-summary: Hierarchy compression + globalisation + AI = persistent change; leadership provides the rhythm that tenure used to provide.
In Japan, what should managers do first to stabilise teams?
Answer: Become organised mentors. Because time chaos at the top cascades downward, protecting calendar space for one-to-ones and guidance is essential. The “oxygen mask” analogy applies: secure your time so you can support others. When managers allocate attention reliably, change feels navigable, not overwhelming.
Mini-summary: Protect time → deliver mentoring → convert uncertainty into a manageable sequence.
In Japan, how should career expectations be reset?
Answer: Because organisations are flatter and a demographic wave is cresting, there are fewer classic top roles at the traditional time. Life expectancy is rising, so people will likely work into their seventies; seventy-five may feel young. Set expectations around longer arcs and slower title movement while emphasising capability that compounds.
Mini-summary: Fewer rungs + longer careers → plan for slower promotions and longer compounding.
In Japan, what happens around age sixty and why does finance matter?
Answer: Many “retired” employees move to annual contracts at roughly half pay. Because public health funding strains, individual medical cost burdens increase, and support prioritises those on lower incomes. Therefore, financial preparation and investment literacy become urgent well before sixty.
Mini-summary: Contract shifts + rising health costs → start financial planning early.
In Japan, how do relationships and visible expertise replace lifetime employment?
Answer: The single-employer model is fading. Because younger professionals will move more, they need broader networks and stronger relationships to get things done. AI and robots remove routine tasks, so genuine expertise—and making sure others know you have it—becomes decisive. Training is the hedge against automation.
Mini-summary: Build bigger networks; pair real expertise with visibility to stay valuable.
In Japan, how should younger professionals calibrate ambition?
Answer: “Start at the top” is unrealistic. Because two-year job-hopping weakens skills and ties, patience becomes the deciding factor. Go broad initially to learn the field, then go deep to build automation-proof expertise through exposure and experience.
Mini-summary: Depth + patience beat nomadism for durable credibility.
In Japan, how will demographics affect leadership composition?
Answer: Worker shortages and limited immigration will increase female participation; “the boss is a lady” will become normal. Because capability leads outcomes, teams should align expectations with this reality quickly.
Mini-summary: Treat women leaders as normal; structure work so capability thrives.
In Japan, what do global matrices and language require day-to-day?
Answer: Cross-border leadership will be common in both directions, often remotely. Translation technology helps, but human-to-human interaction still needs direct fluency; machines will not replace that soon.
Mini-summary: Reliable, clear communication plus real language skill underpins trust.
In Japan, what stance should leaders take at this inflection point?
Answer: Be a mentor to both older and younger staff entering unfamiliar terrain. Because AI is a wild card without road maps, managers who adapt processes and expectations will recruit and retain more easily; those who do not will feel increasing pressure.
Mini-summary: Organise time, set honest expectations, model steady adaptation.
Author Bio
Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, he is certified globally across leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programmes, and has authored multiple best-sellers including Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery, alongside Japanese editions such as Za Eigyō (ザ営業) and Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人). He publishes daily blogs, hosts six weekly podcasts, and produces three weekly YouTube shows including The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show.