The Japanese saying "mikka bozu," or "three-day priest," perfectly captures the common experience of initial enthusiasm quickly fading. People sign up for the priesthood, find it tough and promptly give up. We often begin new endeavours with resolute resolve, but daily challenges diminish our commitment. If you feel yourself teetering on the brink, don't be discouraged. Instead, reassess your goals and focus on what's achievable to build momentum.

It's easy to fall into an all-or-nothing mindset with resolutions, leading to complete collapse and abandonment when reality sets in. We should adopt a more realistic approach by breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable steps with clear milestones.

Prioritize achievable goals to create early wins, as success often fuels further success. Avoid being swayed by the ambitions of others and concentrate on your own pace and methods.

Focus on the fundamentals, the "blocking and tackling" of your field. Take ten minutes to identify and prioritize the basics of your work. This simple exercise can provide a practical roadmap for progress.

Don't give in to the "three-day priest" mentality. We can recover from setbacks by regrouping, recalibrating, and recommitting to our starting point. Remember, as Yogi Berra said, "it ain't over till it's over"

Team presentations differ significantly from solo presentations, where you have complete control. A common mistake is inadequate rehearsal, which can damage personal and organizational reputations. Thorough preparation with multiple rehearsal sessions is crucial.

The order of speakers matters too. The strongest presenters should lead to create a positive first impression, while technical, nerdy experts can present in the middle. Be careful to not allow mechanical slide creation consume all the preparation time; practicing soft skills are also super important. Schedule strict deadlines for early slide completion to allow for plenty of team practice.

During rehearsals, practice transitions like handoffs between speakers to demonstrate unity. Ensure every team member can deliver each section in case someone on the team gets ill and you have to cover for them.

Assign a "navigator" to manage the question-and-answer session. The navigator directs who answers which questions. When encountering nasty, mean or complex ones they can provide some margin to allow the designated expert time to formulate the best response. They might also ask for a question to be repeated to provide the expert with some thinking time, but this should be used only once.

Ultimately, successful team presentations require expert preparation, a clear strategy, and tons of rehearsals.

In Japan, the common response of “We’ll think about it” often comes after a salesperson’s second meeting with a client. The first meeting focuses on establishing trust and understanding the client’s needs, while the second involves presenting a proposal and trying to close the deal. However, the reality is different: many Japanese salespeople jump straight into pitching their product’s features without fully understanding the client’s needs, leading to this vague response. This happens because they often miss out on clarifying the client’s true objections, which could be hidden or unspoken.

To handle this, we should accept that the client might need time to think, but also aim to clarify why. Using a strategy from Victor Antonio, salespeople can probe by asking whether the client is truly interested but unsure or simply not interested at all. If the client is interested but uncertain, further questions should explore if the product’s fit, functionality, or finances are an issue.

In Japan, though, pressuring the client is risky, as the decision-making process involves internal discussions, not just one person’s opinion. The buyer may agree with the proposal but still need to align with other departments or stakeholders. Instead of pushing for an immediate answer, it’s better to address potential internal concerns. Salespeople should ask if there might be resistance from other teams or if functionality or finance might cause problems. By doing so, they guide the client to anticipate objections from others, while reinforcing the proposal’s value. When hearing “we’ll think about it,” salespeople should stay calm, set up a follow-up meeting, and avoid pushing too hard, maintaining the trust they’ve built.

Holding people accountable is essential for any leader, yet many struggle with it, leading to missed deadlines, poor performance, and incomplete work. Often, this happens because people aren’t deliberately failing; they’re simply lacking the structure and guidance needed to perform at their best. As leaders, we must start with ourselves, particularly in managing our time effectively. Poor time management causes unnecessary stress, impacting both our own performance and the mood of the team. Stress is contagious, and a leader's mood can easily affect the entire workplace atmosphere.

A major challenge is not properly defining priorities and overloading ourselves with tasks. This occurs because we avoid delegation due to previous bad experiences or fear of mistakes. However, delegation is crucial for team growth and career development. It’s also a way to leverage the team’s potential, allowing us to focus on tasks that only we can do, like coaching.

Delegation is not about dumping tasks but teaching others the 'Why,' 'What,' and 'How' of their responsibilities. By doing this, we empower the team to take ownership, ensuring better accountability. As leaders, we must spend time coaching and holding team members accountable for their work, ensuring they understand the bigger picture and the importance of their contributions.

If we manage our time well, we create space for coaching, monitoring progress, and checking milestones. This proactive approach minimizes unpleasant surprises and ensures the team stays on track. Ultimately, being an effective leader requires a balance of good time management, coaching, and accountability. By creating better habits and delegating effectively, we improve not only our own leadership but also the performance and growth of our team.

Getting Japanese clients to agree to share case studies can be tough due to their cautious approach to divulging company information. The “no” response often feels final, and persuasion can fall short because company policies prevent employees from deviating from established rules. It’s not uncommon for clients to fear favoring one provider over another, which leads to reluctance in making exceptions. This reluctance may seem frustrating to outsiders, but it’s a challenge that requires creativity and strategic thinking.

Instead of giving up on case studies altogether, we can create two types of stories: verbal and print versions. These should be concise, focusing first on the positive outcomes and then detailing how the solution was implemented. By beginning with the results, we immediately engage potential buyers, showing them the benefits of the solution in a relevant way. This grabs attention and establishes credibility.

Once the outcome is presented, it’s important to tell the story of the problem in a relatable manner. Describing the people involved, the challenges faced, and the emotional toll can help listeners connect on a deeper level. For example, explaining how stress and health issues impacted a client can make the situation more relatable.

Following the problem, the solution should be described, focusing on both the technical details and the impact on the team. The goal is to not only showcase the solution’s features but also emphasize how those features helped improve the client’s situation. Even without naming the client, a well-crafted, emotionally engaging story can resonate with potential buyers and make them feel connected to the solution.

Good storytelling can transform dry case studies into memorable and persuasive sales tools, helping clients visualize the benefits of a product or service in a way that’s both relatable and impactful.

Running a successful business requires sharp focus on cost control, maintaining quality, building the brand, staying alert to competitors, and appealing to stakeholders. However, a growing challenge in today's business world is managing people. In Japan, there’s a rising concern about attracting and retaining qualified staff. The once abundant pool of candidates is shrinking, with more industries facing staffing shortages. Employees now have multiple job options, making it essential for businesses to stand out and ensure they keep their employees satisfied.

People don't leave companies, they leave bosses. With the rise of online reviews, job seekers can easily evaluate potential employers before applying. A poor workplace culture or mistreatment by management can lead to high turnover. Engaged employees, on the other hand, feel valued and are less likely to leave. Middle managers play a crucial role in maintaining employee engagement and ensuring a positive work environment.

The leadership challenge is evolving, requiring middle managers to treat staff well, communicate effectively, and provide timely, specific praise. Flexible work arrangements and understanding personal needs, like family care, are becoming more important, as traditional HR models are evolving. Additionally, the importance of innovation and delegation is growing. Senior leaders should focus on coaching and developing their staff, fostering a culture where employees feel appreciated and motivated to contribute ideas.

To retain top talent, businesses must invest in creating a positive work culture. Leaders must recognize that their staff's well-being and engagement are as critical as business performance. Middle managers need to adapt to the changing expectations of the workforce, and companies must acknowledge the growing importance of people management for sustained success.

When delivering a great presentation, it's easy to feel satisfied, especially when the audience is soaking up your content. But the challenge comes when things are going well, and you want to elevate them to the next level. I recently attended a presentation where the speaker nailed it: the content was relevant, the room was packed, and the delivery was top-notch. But even with all these elements in place, there was still one thing missing that could have made the presentation even more powerful.

The speaker did a fantastic job presenting broad industry trends and future projections, which kept the audience engaged and excited. However, the talk could have been even better if it had connected those big-picture trends to the daily challenges faced by the audience. While discussing the future direction is essential, it’s equally important to show the audience how they can apply that information in their day-to-day work.

Rather than just presenting theories and predictions, offering practical, actionable takeaways would have made the presentation even more impactful. These could have been a few steps that the audience could start using right away to adapt to the changes coming in their industry. By linking macro-level trends to the micro-level actions people can take, the speaker would have made the talk more relevant and valuable.

When preparing an "inform" style presentation, try to focus on five key takeaways. Offering too many steps can overwhelm the audience, while five actionable points are manageable and memorable. These takeaways give the audience a sense of accomplishment and leave them feeling more prepared for the future. So, next time you're presenting, consider adding those concrete steps to help your audience take immediate action and feel empowered.