Boosting a Japanese Leaders Executive’s Effectiveness with Global Stakeholder

Our client, a Japanese general manager, had built up an outstanding performance, a sterling reputation and solid track record locally. The same style, however, led his colleagues abroad to view him as weak leader with limited influence to execute global strategy in Japan. This affected the efficiency of the Japanese business and also posed a risk to the general manager’s career ambitions.

Through his work with a PFC executive coach, the general manager developed insights about what led to his global colleagues’ unfavorable perceptions of his leadership effectiveness. Recognizing his own communication style during global leadership meetings as a factor, he and his coach developed strategies for building western-style executive presence and style switching when communicating with stakeholders at the company’s global headquarters.

After six months of work, our client regained the confidence of his global counterparts and established a new reputation as a savvy and influential member of the global leadership team. He was later promoted to the company’s board of directors.