Work & Management

• Time to Stop Calling Male Subordinates “-kun”: How Honorifics Distort Evaluation and Relationships 2025-09-05
  In many Japanese workplaces, men are addressed with the diminutive '-kun' while women are called '-san.' I unpack why that seemingly harmless habit warps evaluations and relationships, and why every subordinate deserves the same level of respect.
• What to Know Before Your First Promotion: A Title Is a Role, Not a Status 2025-09-05
  Many first-time managers equate their new title with higher social status. I unpack why that illusion is dangerous, how it corrodes character, and what mindset protects you when you eventually step down.
• What Aptitude Does Management Really Require? The Power to Put Yourself on the Shelf 2025-09-04
  Conventional wisdom lists the traits of a good manager, yet everyday reality demands something less glamorous: the ability to set aside your own shortcomings and keep the organization moving. I explain why this uncomfortable skill matters and how it differs from mere arrogance.
• Every Job Ends When the Deadline Arrives: A Lifeline from a Burning Project 2025-09-03
  “No matter how endless the work seems, the deadline will arrive.” A respected CTO told me that during an IT project that had gone completely off the rails. I unpack the literal and deeper meanings of deadlines and offer this mindset as medicine for people being crushed by work.
• The Dilemma of Developing Subordinates: Should You Invest in Top Performers or Lift Up Strugglers? 2025-09-01
  Managers agonize over whether to spend time on their strongest people or on those who lag behind. Drawing on my own failures and organizational theory, I explain why I now focus my time on those who can already perform—and how that approach ultimately lifts the whole team.
• What Is Management? Why Managers Fail Without a Definition 2025-08-31
  Management is every activity that keeps an organization achieving its goals. I clarify how it differs from leadership, why ESG and CSR are environmental constraints rather than new purposes, and why managers who lack their own definition always fail.