9: Paul Hardisity Ex-CEO, Adidas Japan

Once you walk the talk over a given period of time as a
leader, you gain trust, and then people will follow you, instead
of just doing what you say. Then you start getting buy-in and
ideas and you can work cross-functionally.



 


On engagement surveys, if you are giving a very low score,
then you should not be coming into the office. If you are not
going to be part of the solution, then you should reconsider your
career and job. Engagement scores however tend to coincide with
big decisions, e.g. head count freezes has a negative impact on
scores, but bonus time has a positive impact. It is also not
helpful to compare countries against other countries. It is about
trends and patterns and feedback. You are always going to get
people who score low, but it is when you see big swings that you
know there is an issue.



 


I used to think that my job was to find a local leader to
replace me once I moved on, but I have realized we are an
international company and rotation is a better solution, so
succession plans are not just country-based, they are global.



 


While it may not be a fantastic analogy, chopping the tree
down from the top takes a long time. If you wedge things in the
tree all the way up, the tree will fall the way you want it to
fall.



 


The unwillingness to change in Japan is strong. We have long
had an innovations/idea box and you can put your name on it or
not, but we would offer prizes and that encouraged people to put
their names on it. But then we received feedback that the idea
then became the responsibility of the person who suggested it,
and yet often it was not even about their own division. So we
created a business development department that reported directly
to the CEO, and they can then tackle any strategic ideas that
need to be implemented cross-functionally. It was a great tool to
get ideas out of heads and onto paper and then to receive quick
feedback on that idea by a specialist department who was
responsible for it.



 


Employee meetings are held quarterly and they are mandatory
to the extent I myself would walk the floor to see who was not in
attendance. There would be various presentations but it was
designed as a forum for communicating what needed to be
communicated.



 


I used to have a pizza lunch every 3 weeks with the newcomers
where they would have to answer 5 questions and I would have to
answer the same 5 questions honestly. It helped build trust and
exposure. My door was always open. I would meet with anyone and
everyone.



 


Sharing personal stuff really helps brighten engagement. I do
it because it is just me and how I am but especially in Japan, I
realized it was seen as a really big deal. My view is you do not
need to be a rock or some kind of impenetrable individual. You
are a human, you have a family, you have a dog, you have issues,
so its okay to relate to people and have them relate to you. You
should not stop a weekend activity you have been enjoying for
decades just because you are the CEO or whatever.



 


I think it is important to be careful what you wish for
because changing things that are inherent to a culture, even if
they sometimes cause frustration, would fundamentally change the
country. Manage the business with the environment you have. Use
it to your advantage.



 


Do not be brainwashed by some of the things you have been
told about Japan either by foreigners who are new to the country
or who have been there a long time. There are as many challenges
in Japan as they are in any other countries. Focus on the good
and where there are growth opportunities. Yes, it can be a flat
market in general but pick your battles and look for areas you
can innovate in. You need to think and you need to ask for help.
Consultants can often give you insights into the market from a
bigger picture and help you develop those plans, as well as point
out where you can hit to grow your business, grow your career and
grow your family. So be open-minded, draw your own conclusions
and enjoy the ride.