Really Understand Your Expectations Of Your Sales Team
We hire people, expect instant results, then churn the headcount when numbers lag. In Japan's tight market, that revolving door is costly. Here's how to realign expectations with reality.

Q: Are you hiring farmers when you need hunters?
A: Farmers maintain; hunters create. In Japan, farmers are more common. Ask candidates where their current clients came from. Leads, handoffs and orphan accounts signal farming; proactive prospecting and conversions signal hunting. Neither is "better"—mismatch is expensive.
Mini-summary: Hire for the outcome; verify hunting in the interview.

Q: How fast should new reps ramp?
A: Replace hope with evidence. Build a ramp curve based on your last 5–10 years of records. Track monthly revenue for the first four quarters, drop the best/worst outliers, average the rest and set quarter-by-quarter goals and coaching.
Mini-summary: Use your data to set realistic ramp benchmarks.

Q: Do your incentives drive the right behaviour?
A: If maintenance and net-new pay the same, you'll get farming. In risk-averse Japan, high base salaries dull prospecting. Shift the mix to a sensible base, fair commission and a kicker for first-time wins—simple, transparent, predictable.
Mini-summary: Pay for hunting if you want hunting.

Q: How do you set targets that motivate?
A: Stretch, don't snap confidence. Break the annual number into weekly leading indicators—conversations, meetings, proposals, follow-ups. Coach to those, diagnose bottlenecks and avoid moving goalposts weekly.
Mini-summary: Lead with indicators; keep confidence intact.

Bottom line: Audit recruiting, ramp benchmarks and incentives, then align them with the growth you want—from new and existing clients. That's how you stop the churn and stabilise performance.

About the Author
Dr Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is a veteran Japan CEO and trainer, author of multiple best-sellers and host of the Japan Business Mastery series. He leads leadership and presentation programmes at Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo.

Accountability In Your Team
We all want accountable teams, yet deadlines slip and quality wobbles. People don't plan to fail—but vague ownership and weak rhythms make it easy to miss. Here's how leaders in Japan turn "own it" into a daily standard.

Q: Where should leaders start?
A: Start with time. Time discipline sets tone. Make planning visible, prioritise crisply and protect deep work for the tasks only you can do. When leaders respect time, teams respect commitments.
Mini-summary: Your calendar sets culture; model time discipline.

Q: Why do leaders become time-poor?
A: Priorities are fuzzy and too much is done solo. Many tried delegation once, hit friction and reverted to "it's faster if I do it myself." That caps output and stalls succession.
Mini-summary: Weak prioritisation and poor delegation create time debt.

Q: How do you make delegation actually work?
A: Delegate outcomes, not tasks. Frame the Why (intent), What (results & quality), and How (options, resources, guardrails). Ask for the plan back to confirm understanding. Set check-ins, decision rights and an escalation path.
Mini-summary: Transfer outcomes with Why/What/How and agreed checkpoints.

Q: What's the role of coaching in accountability?
A: Orders create compliance; coaching builds ownership. Give context and constraints and use milestones so progress is observable. If accountability lags, increase coaching before pressure.
Mini-summary: Coaching converts assignment into ownership.

Q: Why are milestones critical in Japan?
A: Milestones surface slippage early and keep alignment warm in consensus-driven environments. Without them, bad news arrives at the worst time—right before reviews or audits.
Mini-summary: Milestones are the heartbeat that prevents surprises.

Q: How should leaders handle shifting scope?
A: Publish a clear definition of "done." If scope changes, explain the trade-off and reset the plan. Accountability thrives on clarity and dies in ambiguity.
Mini-summary: Protect clarity; declare and reset when scope changes.

Q: What habits make accountability stick?
A: Replace heroics with habits: weekly three must-wins; a delegation cadence with coaching; short, rhythmic milestone reviews; mood management—guard sleep and script the first 30 minutes.
Mini-summary: Small weekly habits scale accountability and results.

Bottom line: Change how you manage time, delegate, coach and review progress. Accountability becomes how we work; trust compounds and results stick.

About the Author
Dr Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is a veteran Japan CEO and trainer, author of multiple best-sellers and host of the Japan Business Mastery series. He leads leadership and presentation programmes at Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo.

Why Do Speeches Often Go Too Long?
Speakers love their words, but audiences only want what matters. The danger comes when speakers keep talking past the emotional high point. Once engagement peaks, attention begins to fade.

Mini-summary: Speeches lose power when they drag past the point of maximum engagement.

What Is the Risk of Having No Time Limit?
When organisers set a limit, discipline is forced. But when speakers control their own slot, they often run long. Without boundaries, self-indulgence creeps in, and the speech becomes tiring.

Mini-summary: Lack of limits tempts speakers into rambling and overstaying their welcome.

How Should a Speech Be Designed?
A well-structured speech builds toward a climax and then ends quickly with a call to action. The final words should land while the audience is emotionally primed, not after their interest has waned.

Mini-summary: Design speeches to peak with emotion and finish with a crisp call to action.

Why Is Discipline Essential in Speechwriting?
We get attached to stories and opinions, padding talks unnecessarily. Discipline means cutting until only what supports the key message remains. It's better to leave audiences hungry for more than overfed and bored.

Mini-summary: Ruthless editing ensures clarity, impact, and memorability.

What's the One Key Question Every Speaker Should Ask?
"What is the single message I want them to remember?" Anything unrelated should be cut. This forces clarity and ensures the speech drives action instead of drifting.

Mini-summary: A clear central message should be the speech's anchor.

So What's the Right Length for a Speech?
It isn't measured in minutes but in impact. A short, sharp message at peak engagement beats a long-winded performance. The right length is always "long enough to inspire, short enough to leave them wanting more."

Mini-summary: The best speeches end on impact, not on time.

About the Author

Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results.

He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).

In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.