75: Tom Whitson, former Partner, KPMG Japan

Originally from the US, Mr. Whitson’s background in Accounting,
Japanese and Korean language opened him up to many opportunities
in international business as a new graduate. After entering KPMG
in 1975, Mr. Whitson was first assigned to work in Los Angeles to
audit many Japanese companies that were entering the US market
and American companies going to Japan. His clients included major
companies such as Honda and Mazda Motor. Mr. Whitson then left
for Korea and what was originally intended to be a short posting
turned into over three years. Afterwards, Mr. Whitson went back
to the US for a year in various types of training before becoming
partner at KPMG Japan in Tokyo.


 


Mr. Whitson’s first few years as a junior staff in Korea allowed
him to gain important accounting and client management
experience. He had a supportive boss who enabled him to learn
from his mistakes and learn how to handle difficult foreigner
clients.


 


During his first years of leadership in Japan, Mr. Whitson
quickly noticed how compared to other parts of the world, Japan
values team work as opposed to being independent minded. Mr.
Whitson has also noticed that certain Japanese people who have
international experience act differently depending on the
situation – in a more international environment, they will act
outgoing and assertive whereas when surrounded by more Japanese
people, they will become more consensus oriented and soft.


 


Hence, Mr. Whitson is careful to listen to those who are less
vocal or are not fluent in English but are adding value to the
organization and giving them recognition. He explains that active
listening shows respect to the other party, which leads to trust.
Not jumping to conclusions about people or things is important in
Japan – which is a trap many foreign leaders fall into when first
arriving. Moreover, giving challenging assignments with clear
expectations and support is another way Mr. Whitson shows trust
in his team. By delegating and providing more accountability to
his staff, Mr. Whitson believes they will become more engaged in
their work and the organization as a whole. When handling
mistakes, Mr. Whitson is careful not to blame the person but
instead focus on fixing the problem.


 


On innovation, Mr. Whitson says diversity is a key element in
working with creativity. Upon setting up a transaction practice
at KPMG, 60% of the hires Mr. Whitson made were women, which was
a rare situation at the time when the organization was made up of
90% men. Mr. Whitson noticed that his female employees excelled
in intervieweing their clients and understanding their needs and
challenges to help them make informed decisions. Mr. Whitson has
carried through this lesson in diversity and creativity into his
other projects including the Japan Market Entry Committee.


 


To new foreign leaders coming to Japan, Mr. Whitson advises to
have high cultural sensitivity. He adds, leaders should learn how
Japanese society functions from various sources. Secondly, Mr.
Whiston recommends learning some Japanese as it provides valuable
insight into the way Japanese think and present ideas. Thirdly,
Mr. Whitson advises to take time to get to know the Japanese team
as in many cases, decisions are made through a longer process
than compared to the west.


 


To Mr. Whitson leadership is about setting goals for the
organization and communicating with people to help them
contribute in the best way possible to achieve those goals.