65: Paul Dupuis, Chairman & CEO, Randstad Japan

Paul Dupuis is the CEO and Chairman of Randstad Japan, a global
human resources consulting firm. Originally from Windsor, Ontario
in Canada, Mr. Dupuis always had a passion for Asia, starting
from his love of martial arts. Mr. Dupuis arrived in Japan in
1990 with just $300 and slept on a bench on his first night. He
then began teaching English in Osaka in a language school, and
then moved on to teaching in a public high school. After moving
back to Canada and contemplating a career in teaching and hotel
management, Mr. Dupuis returned to Japan as the Assistant
Director of International Education Programs at Osaka Kunei
Jogakuin, an all-girls school in Osaka. There, Mr. Dupuis ran
international study abroad programs in Canada and New Zealand
where he got to see how education can be combined with business
and developed an interest in the corporate sector. Mr. Dupuis
then started his own company, OIC K.K. focusing on bridging
Canadian and Japanese businesses. Mr. Dupuis then landed an
opportunity to set up a recruiting company with a partner and
opened up Wall Street Associates (currently part of en world) in
Osaka. From there, Mr. Dupuis’ career in the recruiting business
began. After growing Wall Street Associates, the company was
acquired by en Japan and Mr. Dupuis led the rebranding of the
company to en world beginning in Singapore. In 2013, Mr. Dupuis
moved back from Singapore to Tokyo to head Randstad’s Tokyo
office as the Managing Director, then to India, and returned to
Japan this year in 2021 as the Chairman and CEO of Randstad
Japan. In addition to his extensive global career, Mr. Dupuis is
also the author of three books on leadership – The E5 Movement,
The Rule of 5, and Empty Your Cup. All books are available on his
website: https://pauldupuis.net/my-books


 


Recalling his early leadership experiences of starting a company
and opening up an office in Osaka, Mr. Dupuis learned the
importance of becoming a role model and having to “walk the talk”
as a leader – being honest, supportive, motivating and
consistent. He believes that people trust leaders when they are
listened to, supported through the good and bad times and are
given opportunities to continue developing. Mr. Dupuis also
learned the value of having a diverse team and connecting with
people who are different from himself and letting their qualities
shine.


 


Although at first Mr. Dupuis struggled to connect with people who
were different from him, he has learned overtime to communicate
in various ways to build trust. Currently at Randstad Japan, Mr.
Dupuis holds discussions at all levels of the organization and
tries to understand the different values and motivations people
have by taking an “omni-channel approach.” For example, when
meeting with sales employees Mr. Dupuis makes sure to tap into
their competitive mindset by offering rewards when meeting a set
goal. When talking to risk and compliance teams, Mr. Dupuis will
keep in mind their purpose to protect and enable and asks if the
team is doing everything to protect the organization, while
enabling the business to grow. He adds: “when you listen more
than you speak, ideas are born…it also starts with asking the
right questions.” His initiative to hold one-on-one conversations
with his employees, which he calls compass meetings, has given
him great insight into learning more about the actual people who
are doing the groundwork in the organization. Mr. Dupuis is
currently planning another initiative in which people are
encouraged to present their ideas to a panel and get recognition.
Additionally, Mr. Dupuis puts significant emphasis on learning
and development opportunities at Randstad Japan, as he believes
investing in people also leads to trust and development of the
company itself.


 


On the challenge of recruiting people to foreign companies, Mr.
Dupuis explains: “People don't join a brand. They join people and
people stay because of people. They also leave because of people.
So I realized pretty quickly that ultimately I had to be the one
that was going to attract people to join.” Thus, Mr. Dupuis has
made sure when talking to prospective employees to share his
values and his insight in recruitment, which had been an
unfamiliar concept in Japan 10 years ago.


 


On his advice to newcomers in Japan, he recommends coming to
Japan with an open mind and connecting with the people in the
field using active listening skills. He also advises to talk to
other expats who have gone through similar experiences and have
been successful in Japan. Mr Dupuis thinks learning basic
Japanese – even 10 words - is a great idea as it sends out a
message to the organization that you are ”walking the talk” as a
leader, trying to learn and better connect with Japanese people.
He lastly advises newcomers to spend time with employees outside
of the office. Mr. Dupuis points out: “There is something in the
office environment. People are hesitant to speak up, but the
moment you go offsite…that’s where you have the best
conversations.”