About
ten years ago, when I was working as a consultant for a pharmaceutical company
in Japan,
I arranged a series of meetings for managers from various departments who
normally did not work together to share experiences. As expected, the managers
were polite, but suspicious. They did not initially seem to see the value of
exchanging opinions and ideas with colleagues whose jobs differed from their
own. However, after they had met a few times, the managers almost unanimously
agreed that the meetings were meaningful. Through them, the managers were
better able to understand how their own jobs fit into the overall flow of
business and better understand the challenges and pressures faced by
colleagues.

I
strongly encourage experience sharing because none of us will ever be able to
experience the many different types of jobs that must be performed in a
multinational business. Even a fast-track employee who is deliberately being
rotated through the organization for development purposes, will only experience
three or four functions at the very most. Below, I share the ten top Life
Lessons I have learned during the decade that I have lived and worked in Japan. Some of
them are not new. Far more famous individuals than I have shared some of the
same lessons. I state them here as a reminder because I believe they are
powerful truths that will serve you well.

Life
Lessons

1.     Perseverance will take you further than
potential—Never Give up!

2.     Treat others the way you would like to be
treated yourself

3.     Surround yourself with talented people and
learn from them.

4.     Life is like playing the stock market. You
succeed by ignoring the daily ups and downs, focusing your energy on the
long-term trend.

5.     Learn from your failures. They are the best
teachers you will ever have.

6.     Model the behavior. Showing people makes a
greater impact than telling them.

7.     Flexibility is key. Life is not about being
right all the time but about get along.

8.     Relationships are important. Invest time and energy in
others.

9.     Pursue your dreams even in the face of opposition from
those around you.

10.             
Take
calculated risks.

A merger or acquistion is just beginning when the transaction is finalized. The challenging part is transforming the new entity in order to achieve business goals. A key part of this transformation process is developing the human capital of the firm. As a long-time resident of Japan doing business here, I have seen one multinational after another fail to do this effectively, if at all, with disastrous results. For this reason, I wrote the book Japan’s Millenial Challenge a few years ago. Though we are now into the second decade of the new millenium, most of the recommendations I make in this eBook are still relevant. To succeed in Japan, foreign companies must create the appropriate global infrastructure, which includes a unified corporate culture, a clearly communicated strategy, change management and human-asset management processes, and unstructured problem-solving systems. Moreover, Japanese employees must be taught global business skills that include self-directed learning, leadership behavior, effective communication, and negotiation know how. They must also transition to a global lifestyle that appropriately balances work and personal life to maintain vitality in the long term. My book Japan’s Millenial Challenge outlines concrete strategies for addressing these issues. As such, it is a must read for any company serious about succeeding in Japan.

For information on how to purchase a copy of this eBook , please contact info@global-c.biz.

日本に住んで、既に１０年以上が経ちました。それでも、まだ日本人の高いスタンダードに日々、驚かされます。先月、アメリカに帰国したときに、スターバックスに寄りました。私が購入したコーヒーが日本のスターバックスと同じほど美味しかったですが、店員の態度やマナーが悪く、テーブルも日本のスターバックスの床より汚かったのです。やっぱり、日本の基準が高い。完璧主義といっても過言ではないです。これは一般的にいいことだと思いますが、英語で相手とコミュニケーションとなると、阻害になりがちなのです。まず、発言する前に、長い時間をかけて、頭の中で完璧な文章を作ると、相手はいらいらしがちです。また、自然にやり取りをすることができなくなります。そして最悪なのは、相手はゆっくりと完璧的に話そうとする日本人と接するときに、外国人はその日本人が冷たいと勘違いことが少なくありません。そのため、外国人と英語でいいコミュニケーションを取りたいなら、完璧主義をやめ、言いたいことを頭に浮かぶように話した方がよいです。私のような英語の母語話者でも時々間違うので、多少間違っても問題ないです。格言が示すように、誤りは人の常。

Before an M&A advisory analyzes your business, you should analyze it yourself. To maximize the value of working with an M&A advisory firm, you should be clear about the purpose, scope and other conditions related to your company’s intended business expansion. The questions below, which Global-C uses to assess the needs of new and prospective clients, will help you do so.

1. Why are you interested in establishing or expanding operations in Japan through an M&A? What is the overall purpose of the anticipated merger? To acquire existing accounts in Japan from the target firm? Acquire a turnkey operation in Japan? Have you considered other alternatives to am M&A to achieve your goals?

2. How would you describe your company’s business model? How would you describe your core competence?

3. Who are your major global competitors? Major competitors in the Japanese market?

4. Who are your key suppliers?

5. What size target company are you interested in terms of:   A. Annual Revenue;  B. Number of employees;  C. Price to acquire?

6. Do you have a preference regarding location in Japan? As you are probably aware, economic activity in Japan is heavily concentrated in Tokyo. For this reason, some acquirers prefer targets in the Kanto area.

7. Do you intend to send headquarters staff to Japan to manage the company or do you plan to leave local management in place following the merger? In either case, would you need transition-period management services?

8. How do you plan to finance the acquisition?

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For more information, contact Joseph Gabriella (j-gabriella@global-c.biz)