Diversity – The Importance of Role Models

I joined a US investment bank as a new graduate and was fortunate to work under many female leaders.

These included an accomplished Japanese female leader, one who left her young children at home in London and traveled regularly to Tokyo, and another who balanced parenting with significant responsibilities in New York after childbirth.

During cab rides to client visits or while sharing meals, I heard about their challenges, joys, and attitudes towards work. I learned so much from them, and they significantly influenced my subsequent career.

The presence of “role models” is incredibly important. I believe a major challenge in Japan’s corporate world is the lack of visible, successful female role models.

Without someone to look up to, thinking, “I want to be like them,” it can be hard to maintain motivation and overcome insecurities.

While the circumstances and scale differ, I recall a sense of overlap with my own experiences. I joined this US investment bank, which hadn’t been in Japan for long, as a new graduate who couldn’t speak English. There were hardly any Japanese seniors who had joined as new graduates above me. As I progressed in my career, I felt uncertainty about my career path and future.

Later, as I took on more significant responsibilities, I referenced the female leaders who had guided me in the past as potential role models, tailoring their stories to individual situations, and shared them with my female team members.

Once, a candid female team member from the Hong Kong office told me laughingly, “Shigeki, simply put, men and women each make up half of the world!” I always remember those words.

In the market for products and services, naturally, it’s 50% male and 50% female. The workforce should reflect the same.

Especially since men and women are different, businesses must incorporate both perspectives in product and service development. Otherwise, they’ll lose competitiveness.

This extends beyond gender to include diversity in age, language, nationality, work experience, and culture.

With this understanding, the direction a company should take and its future objectives become clear. I believe it goes beyond mere superficiality or numbers.