CURRENT EVENTS
COVID-19
Racial Injustice
Crises Leadership
COVID - 19
How are we experiencing and what are we learning?
We are all impacted by the situation differently and employ different coping mechanism
-
“I used to take every chance to travel – to US, Brazil, India, and Italy. But now, I realized that Japan is ultimately my home. At the same time, I feel how privileged I am to be able to say this because that there are many people who can’t come back to their home country, even if they want to.”
-
“My boyfriend’s restaurant has just laid off employees with 1-2 week notice. I was furious about the layoff, but he told me that their employees said they were lucky because they at least got 1-2 weeks of salary. Knowing about the people who literally live paycheck to paycheck made me realize the privilege I have.”
-
“Some of us are bored to death. But for people with family members, the life just got much busier – taking care of children while juggling to get work done.”
-
“I work for a Japanese company, but the employment is at will. So the whole uncertainty related with corona is making the issue of layoff real to me.”
-
“In the U.S., if people get corona, they would just say “that’s too bad.” But in Japan, people would apologize because they think they become burden to people around them.”
-
“The world is incongruent – all the news I hear says the world is in crises, but if I look out the window, it is just yet another beautiful day.
Our behavior in the normal time determined the options available during crises
-
“My husband and I have been splitting the work equally recently – he does housework, and I get to spend time with my son. While there are various reports about increased divorces, I think we were able to manage this positively because we’ve always talked about this issue.”
-
“Company’s action in regular time helped mitigate the risks. Fidelity in Boston had connected with customers regularly so they were able to reassure them by calling them when the crises happened. Boston Beer Company had reduced debt to near zero so now they face very low risk of going bankrupt.”
-
“Trust built in normal time matters. For instance, some airline companies are laying off their employees but their CEOs worked with a CEO of a grocery chain (which are now hiring due to increased demand) to help those employees get new jobs in a seamless manner. ”
-
“Our consulting firm in Tokyo Office was meeting with a client until last week, while Boston Office transitioned to remote work a couple of weeks ago. The culture of prioritizing client’s request first in Japan remained even during the crises.”
The way we respond to this situation will determine post-covid norm
-
“My company started a casual check-in in the morning on slack. We will share each other’s feeling in emoji in the morning so that we know how everyone is doing and can support each other as needed”
-
“Our company was not prepared for remote work at all – it was only for those who needed to take care of their parents. We still need signatures on papers to make decisions, so we actually need to go to office to get some work done.”
-
“I wonder if this could be an opportunity for Japanese companies to evaluate work based on quality of output, not the amount of time they work”
-
“My organization is not in a mode of survival. They are using this opportunity as a way to expand online learning post crises.”
This is an opportunity to learn about ourselves & start something new
-
“I realized that all I need to be happy is sunshine, food, and exercise. That’s it.”
-
“Cooking has become my new way of expressing happiness and gratitude.”
-
“I used to do cheerleading so it’s so nice to go back to my workout routine!”
-
“We got puppy!! We always wanted to get one and we thought this is a perfect opportunity”
-
“Remote work is very helpful as a woman because I do not need to struggle with pains from periods”
-
“I resumed my coaching training and found joy in being a part of peoples’ journey!”
Inquiry to consider - what will you do differently/ how will you be different as a result of this crises going forward?
Initiatives
Sato composed a piece for Women in Need (WIN) shelter in Midtown.
Please consider donating to WIN to support them.
https://winnyc.org/
June conducted a survey with 1,600 + parents in Japan and published a proposal to the government
https://note.com/macojun/n/n8abfcdc18549?fbclid=IwAR0Bq-JaHLGBZI3TvuydjHU6kW8vBDhnxbOnGVauET0XDybb9_BrxRemEH0
RACIAL INJUSTICE
How can we contribute to create a more just world?
1. What is the best way to “speak up?”
-
Silence is violence, but you also don’t want to “speak up” just for the sake of speaking up. (e.g., changing your Instagram photo to black image). What is the best way to speak up and commit to the actions at individual and organizational level?
-
Problems of Not speaking up
-
It might feel safe not to speak up in this situation for fear of offending others or exposing how uninformed you are. (“As we have seen in the recent case in Japan, unless you are 100% correct, your actions could backfire on you.”)
-
However, as the fact that there were three other police officers who did not stop their colleague from killing George Floyd symbolizes, silence is violence
-
-
Problems of Speaking up as a fashion or as business
-
Many people have changed their Instagram photos to black image to show their support without fully understanding what it is. “But some people even don’t know what they stand for.”
-
Many businesses sent emails to stand with the protesters, but how are they aligning their statement with their actions? “If we see their board members, aren’t they mostly white?”
-
While it may be helpful to raise awareness, some businesses are using this as an opportunity for profit making (e.g., wristband)
-
“How sincere are the businesses? NFL changed their policy recently, but it was too late and mostly to respond to the customers’ pressure.”
-
-
Examples of “speaking up” that we can celebrate
-
The founder of Reddit has stepped down and gave his seat to the person of color
-
While this was an example that we should celebrate, we should also note that his wife is Serena Williams, so he had a personal stake in this
-
So this leads to our next question… how can we have a personal stake to a situation even though we might not be directly impacted?
-
2. How can you own an issue that you are not personally impacted (make it 自分事)?
-
We personally don’t have direct experience of discrimination as an African American in the U.S. While we should be aware of the danger of oversimplification, how might we be able to personally relate with the pain that they are going through and take actions?
-
Relate with your own experiences of pain
-
Even though we may not have the experiences of African American in US, some of us had experiences of overt racism in Japan or US. (e.g., being a Korean/ Chinese in Japan), or other forms of bullying.
-
First hand hand experiences do not entitle us to speak for our community or others. Learning about our own history (e.g., Japanese American Internment camps) is also important.
-
While doing so, we should also make sure to remember that the pain we are feeling is not the same as others. General racism and Anti-blackness is a very different thing.
-
3. How can we have conversation with those who are not open to this topic, especially in Japan?
-
Ironically, those who are listening and talking about these issues are those who are already committed to social justice. However, the biggest impact comes from shifting the minds of those who are not as open. Especially in Japan, where diversity is not visible, we face various social pressure not to discuss these issues. What is the best way to engage in this kind of discussion with such audience?
-
Difficulty in having this kind of conversation in Japan
-
“I used to have a strong sense of social justice when I was studying in US. However, when I came back to Japan, I realized that it is a taboo to talk about this kind of issues here. The current protest reignited that passion I have for social injustice, but I feel that I do not have community to talk about it."
-
“In Japan, when I bring out this kind of topic, people will make fun of me.”
-
-
Have a conversation with your family
-
It is important to have this kind of conversation early on, as you might feel it is risky to talk about these issues the older you become. “I often talk about these issues with my kids. Actually discomfort usually comes from adults so I would urge you not to let your discomfort to not having this kind of conversation”
-
It could also go the other way. “My parents themselves experienced discrimination in Japan, and yet they say things about my black friends that are completely unacceptable. I think we as younger generation have the responsibility to bring up this kind of topic with our parents.”
-
-
Don’t put burden on yourself
-
“My mother is a social activist so having a conversation about justice was a norm at home. She even told me to read Simon de Montfort when I was a kid! But I decided not to talk about these issues with others in Japan, because it was too much for them. And it is too much for me to educate everyone. We should sometimes wait until others are ready to listen.”
-
-
How to frame the discussion
-
On one hand, it is important to position the conversation so that the receiving end does not feel defensive.
-
At the same time, why should those in pain need to consider the pain of the receiving end? Why do they need to change their tones?
-
Some potential ways to reconcile this is a) having a third party who can translate the raw emotions into different tones and b) have this conversation in a subtle but frequent way (“subliminal effect”)
-
Also, try to consider the format (e.g., social media, direct conversation) according to your audience
-
Below are the resources that were shared prior to this discussion:
BLM Resources Directory
Websites
Equal Justice Initiative
https://eji.org/racial-justice/?fbclid=IwAR3EACa8e9-IQZhbMdM1Ks321fJsYAjW4wy1kXexH5qa1ZBXrcQdV_bAqTQ
Articles
Bryan Stevenson on the frustration behind the George Floyd Protests (New Yorker)
It looks like Amy Cooper, the white woman in the viral Central Park video, is a liberal. That's important (Independent)
The Model Minority Myth, Anti-Asian Racism, and Black Solidarity in the Age of COVID-19 (Medium)
Coming Together: Standing Up To Racism - A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall For Kids and Families
Video
Trevor Noah’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4amCfVbA_c&fbclid=IwAR30OM7GIH0bTkRXTlskc0NWHVQKO5mLiHOQR4nH1L0z3-LEFpGLuNMZz_g
Anguish and Action (organized by Obama Foundation)
Trevor Noah and Tomi Lahren
African Americans: many rivers to cross
Other
What happens when white women becomd the face of gender diversity
Asian American PBS Series
CRISES LEADERSHIP
What can we learn from leaders at national, organizational, and individual level?
Background
As individuals and organizations, we will be remembered for what we say and do during this crisis. At the same time, leaders are not born, but made. What can we learn from men and women who made a big, worthy impact on the world? We discussed leadership at a national level, organizational level, and individual level, in terms of their words and actions.
Summary
1) There is no one size fits all leadership style
Choose the style that works in a given situation/audience The right kind of leadership depends on the situation and audience. To identify the right leadership style, we will need to have emotional intelligence, e.g., self-awareness, empathy
-
“I work for a British company, and I was based in Thailand as well as in Tokyo during the crises. I have seen a divergent communication styles from the leadership from different countries, and what struck me the most was the lack of empathy coming from the Japanese leadership.”
-
“There is an article from HBR that resonated very well with me. It talks about six different leadership style -- coercive, authoritative, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, and coaching style -- and it is all about identifying the right leadership style to engage for the right situation and audience”
https://hbr.org/2000/03/leadership-that-gets-results%20/t%20_blank
-
“In the case of corona, the situation was very different depending on countries. Therefore, it would be not fair to assess leadership based on what they did without considering the contexts.”
2) Leadership may be overrated – it is just a means to an end
It might be dangerous for an organization to depend on a single leader and his/her capabilities. It may be better to have a system/ web of people that are leaders by actions, not by roles.
-
“I see parallel between what is happening to Japan in terms of the mission of the company and definition of leadership. In Japan, we used to have a concept of 三方よし (seller, buyer, and society all benefit). On the other hand, driven by capitalism, western society had a concept of shareholder value maximization. Japanese companies try to shift toward a western style, while Western society has recently shifted to a model to pursue both profit and purpose. Similarly, leadership in Japan had a concept where everyone was a leader (e.g., power of genba), whereas western leaders had a more authoritative definition. It may be a time to unlearn recently introduced concept of leadership.”
-
“At the same time, in the case of founder, leadership does matter as they were the ones that set the vision. E.g., Mititani-san from Rakuten and Hori-san from Globis. In that case, what is important for leaders would be succession planning.”
-
“The organization may benefit more by developing a system that does not rely on single individual’s leadership. For instance, many hair salons in Japan used to develop one, star hair stylist. But that was a very risky model because the business may go under if that one person leaves with all the customers. It is better to distribute risks.”
3) Trust built during the peace time determines the effectiveness of leadership in crises
No matter how great leadership is in crises, unless there is a trust between the leaders and the rest of society/organization, he/she cannot be effective. In such situation, leaders are the individuals who lead by actions, not by roles.
-
“I think Japanese political leaders lacked trust from the beginning. For instance, I live with 4 other people, and most people work in public sector. One common sentiment I’ve been sensing is the decreasing confidence/ trust towards the government.”
-
in fact, according to a research conducted in 2015, trust to the government was lowest in Japan https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/58596
-
During corona, the trust to the government declined even more https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASN5F35CHN5DUHBI03C.html
-
Less and less graduates from elite schools are pursuing career in government https://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newseye4000832.html
-
-
“On the other hand, what has been notable is leaders who led not by their role, but by their actions. For instance, Governor Yuriko Koike has been truly effective in leveraging the media to communicate the message. She even did a YouTube interview with a popular Youtuber Hikakin. In addition, Mr. Miyasaka, former CEO of Yahoo and Vice-governor of Tokyo) developed a dashboard to track coronavirus status, which has been praised by officials in Taiwan. This was the time that leadership was determined not by the role but by the action.”
-
“When we think about leadership in crisis, we often think about instances that require urgent attention (i.e. 311, 911, sandy, covid, mass shooting, etc) - but when a certain system is broken for quite some time and the power to maintain status quo is so strong - such situation is one form of "crisis" to my view. In that context, leadership can be exercised by anyone who considers such a situation a "crisis" regardless of whether that person has a formal authority or not.”
Recommended books by the participants
Your Leadership Moment: Democratizing Leadership in an Age of Authoritarianism https://www.amazon.com/Your-Leadership-Moment-Democratizing-Authoritarianism/dp/1642502677
Journey of leadership – lead self, others, and society https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00GU4R8VE/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
Post capitalist populist (on horizontal community)
https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/a-postcapitalist-politics
Other resources
Types (“persona”) of leadership https://www.dhbr.net/articles/-/5907
COVID-19: what makes a good leader in a crises? https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200326-covid-19-what-makes-a-good-leader-during-a-crisis?fbclid=IwAR0Ga7bWNpsW7ORcvK51KOIpIkWYyBdpsQKhpekzz5_GYvC3HE_In72QBTI
Why do female leaders seem so good at tackling the coronavirus pandemic?
Merkel’s speech