Episode 25 w/Mike Alfant - CEO Fusion systems - Business is a Team Sport

Mike Alfant, Group Chairman and CEO at Fusion Systems and
Chairman and CEO at Binfinity AG delves into his experiences
leading in Japan. Mr. Alfant previously held the position of
President for The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and
recently finished his term as the President of the Tokyo American
Club. In addition to this, he is also on the Board of Newport,
Pasona Tquila and Healios KK, and has also advised at Stanford
University and lectured at Keio Business School, Kyoto University
and Temple University.   Mr. Alfant’s wide range of
experiences clearly shows that he is true leader in the fintech
industry of Japan. 


Mr. Alfant originally grew up in Brooklyn, New York and worked on
Wall Street for roughly 10 years in the technical side of
investment banking with his Computer Science background. Mr.
Alfant became fascinated with Japan after a business trip,
prompting him to move to Tokyo to start his first company, Fusion
Systems.  Mr. Alfant explains the difference in work culture
and leadership style between the US and Japan, in which he
describes the former to be achievement oriented, and the latter
to be process oriented. He explains, “what I needed to do [in New
York] was clearly articulate a goal and essentially get out of
the way. What I found in Japan was that I really needed to flush
out the process and the process would then enforce itself based
on the characteristics of the employees and the culture
here.” 


Mr. Alfant additionally points out that Japan-based leaders need
to have a long-term mindset like a marathon-runner to achieve
definite results.  In order to increase employee engagement
and motivation, Mr. Alfant tries to avoid interjecting and let
others take initiative. He also makes many of his employees
shareholders of the company so that they feel more ownership
within the company. In order to build trust with his employees,
Mr. Alfant talks about being consistent with his behaviour, and
understanding how people pay attention to action rather than just
words. He also adds leading a healthy lifestyle with meditation,
exercise, and eating well has helped him achieve this.  


Lastly, Mr. Alfant leaves excellent advice for those who wish to
successfully lead in Japan. He advises newcomers to “limit the
scope of your vision and goals” and focus on achieving one or two
business goals. Secondly, he advises people to have thick skin,
and accept that Japan is a unique culture that will not easily
change. Thirdly, Mr. Alfant advises people to explore the
beautiful places in Japan as “the real Japan is not Tokyo. The
real Japan is outside.”