72: Shinzo Yotsumoto, Senior Counselor, Kiduki Architect & ex Managing Director, Schaeffler Japan

Shinzo Yotsumoto shared great insight from his extensive
leadership career in the manufacturing industry in various
multinational companies including Japan, the US, France and
Germany. After graduating from Waseda University, Mr. Yotsumoto
entered Kobe Steel where his manager inspired him to work
overseas. He worked in the German operation of Kobe Steel from
1985 to 1989 which he recalls as a life changing experience and
calls Germany his second home. Mr. Yotsumoto was then head hunted
to become the Key Account Executive for Michelin Japan working
with Toyota for 12 years. Mr. Yotsumoto then moved on to TRW
Automotive Japan as a Representative Director, and then to
Schaeffler Japan as the Managing Director. After retiring from a
full-time permanent position, Mr. Yotsumoto worked as an Advisor
to Roland Berger and then most recently as Senior Counselor to
Kiduki Architect.


 


Having managed several multinational companies, Mr. Yotsumoto
found that each country and company has a very different culture
and working style. Working in Germany where employees were more
vocal in their opinions, Mr. Yotsumoto found a need to
communicate and understand his counterpart on a deeper level. Mr.
Yotsumoto found this a challenge but an eye-opening experience
coming from Japan where people mainly followed instructions. Mr.
Yostumoto experienced this firsthand when he moved from Kobe
Steel to Michelin. He noticed that the leaders were dedicated to
the philosophy of the company to develop tires for a wide range
of customers and pushed employees to be equally committed to
their vision. Leadership at Michelin encouraged open discussions
and welcomed differences in ideas. Mr. Yotsumoto himself, who
recalls not being too vocal with his opinions in a Japanese
company to become more open and speak up in this new engaging
environment.


 


After Michelin, Mr. Yotusmoto joined TRW Automotive’s Japan
operation as their country manager, leading a team of 250 people.
Since the company had just gone through M&A, Mr. Yotsumoto’s
major task was to bring all the different business units together
to create a “one-team atmosphere.” He began by interviewing all
250 of his employees to understand their desires and expectations
and how to bring them towards a single direction. This enabled
the business units to deliver consistent, united messaging to
their Japanese manufacturing partners such as Toyota, which
helped create more trust and strengthen the reputation of TRW.
Mr. Yotsumoto found that listening to his team and taking quick
action based on their input helped him gain trust from his team.
For example, Mr. Yotsumoto convinced the American headquarter of
TRW to create an R&D Centre in Japan. This action showed his
Japanese employees that the US headquarter will listen to the
needs of the Japanese customers, which boosted team engagement.


 


Mr. Yotsumoto was then head hunted to Schaeffler in 2012 as their
Japan operation’s Representative Director, leading a team of 300
people. At Schaeffler, Mr. Yotsumoto also held group meetings to
listen to his employees and there, he understood that people were
ready to embrace change. He encouraged his team from the
bottom-up to speak up more to German headquarters on how to grow
the business with Japanese customers and provide technical
solutions and invest in the local engineering capability.


 


Working in a multinational corporation, Mr. Yotsumoto says the
key to success is to have a sense of curiosity and a desire to
further understand stakeholder needs. When faced with a conflict
in opinion, Mr. Yotsumoto asks further questions to try to
understand why the difference exists. In monthly meetings, Mr.
Yotsumoto would pose as a role model by asking simple questions
or admitting his mistakes. In doing so, he hopes to create a
psychologically safe atmosphere for others to voice their
opinions. Mr. Yotsumoto believes that leadership is a “positive
influencer” of an organization that creates an atmosphere that
encourages people to take on challenges and continue to grow.


 


To newcomers leading in Japan, Mr. Yostumoto recommends
understanding the needs of the Japanese customers to gain trust.
In order to build trust, Mr. Yostumoto emphasizes honesty,
consistency and accountability. He notes: “we need to sometimes
say no to Japanese customers. That's good, but we need to explain
why. So that kind of [honest] conversation and explanation can
create trust with the customers.” Lastly, Mr. Yotsumoto advises
newcomers to “enjoy” Japan including the uncomfortable situations
and take it as a learning opportunity.