Already planning to catch some games in March at Roger Dean Stadium, the spring training home of the Miami Marlins and St Louis Cardinals, I was pleased to see that the Miami Marlins made a dip into the free agency pool to bring on Ichiro Suzuki. For those less familiar with baseball, Ichiro Suzuki is arguably the most famous and most successful Japanese national to transition from Japanese Professional Baseball to Major League Baseball. Ichiro is a no-doubt first ballot Hall of Famer, and despite his age, is an asset to any MLB team.
Being based in Tokyo, and having recruited senior executives in the Japanese market for over 16 years, I was struck by how much Western corporations could learn from the Miami Marlins about hiring Japanese talent! What did Ichiro say in his introductory press conference to give me that impression?
“From the beginning, this organization has approached me with a deep sense of enthusiasm and commitment,” Ichiro said. “I was drawn into it and felt compelled to respond to it. That feeling only intensified when I got to meet their executives face to face last night. Any player wants to feel needed, and this organization has gone to great lengths to express that to me. I value such actions and they have definitely been a great driving force in my decision to sign. They’ll also be a good motivator as I go about preparing to be the best player I can for them.”
Let’s also keep in mind that the Miami Marlins took the unusual step of holding this introductory press conference in Japan, rather than at or near their home ballpark, so as not to interfere with Ichiro’s off-season workout routine. My point is that such shows of sincerity and personal touches go a long way toward successfully hiring and signing candidates of any nationality, and in my experience, much more so with Japanese.
Japan has a dwindling pool of management candidates thanks in no small part to its decreasing birthrate. This means that, just like Ichiro, the top Japanese candidates have multiple employer options. Therefore, Japanese candidates often choose to work with companies whose values are most aligned with their own. In Japan, the penultimate value is loyalty. Candidates will choose to work with companies exhibiting loyalty and commitment to the Japanese market over positions with potentially higher paying companies.
But why is that? The Japanese market is fraught with difficulties and roadblocks for any new business entering here. There is no end to the list of companies who enter this market with optimism, but leave before allowing enough time for their business to flourish. Japanese candidates are well aware of these stories, making recruiting here such a challenge. That said, sincere, personal touches to Japanese candidates underscore the commitment any company will make to Japan, identifying you as the employer of choice for years to come.