What Two Japan Business Leaders Taught Me About Trust

Some of the most important lessons I learned about business in Japan came from meetings with Naoki Iwamitsu, Morimoto Kazunari and the team around them. I arrived as a recruiter with much to learn. I left with a deeper appreciation of how trust is built, and why it matters when things go wrong.

I am Murray Clarke, Founding Partner of Aspiring Partners. After five formative years at Boyd & Moore, I spent four years with WorkBrain Japan. The final two overlapped with two years of in-house recruiting at VMware. Those experiences helped me become a much better business partner to my clients.

The people behind the commercial relationship

At WorkBrain Japan, I partnered with Naoki Iwamitsu, who had built several technology businesses in Japan, including Cognos. With former Cognos colleagues, we helped vendors develop their Japanese partner businesses.

I brought several vendors into meetings with Naoki and Morimoto Kazunari, whom I knew as the president of Fujitsu Middleware. Those conversations taught me far more than a presentation about market entry could have done.

They talked about business, but they also reminisced, told stories and spoke openly about things that had not worked. I could see a relationship built through years of experience together.

Honesty mattered when the business was difficult

Naoki spoke about genuine mistakes he had made and businesses that had struggled. He did not pretend that every decision had been right.

What struck me was the warmth and respect Morimoto-san and the Fujitsu team continued to show him. From what I saw and heard in those meetings, they valued his honesty and sincerity. The relationship endured through difficulties.

Naoki brought multiple technology vendors into those relationships, including WorkBrain and Cognos. He was one of many country managers who worked with Morimoto-san, but listening to their history helped me understand how people had built important parts of the technology business in Japan together.

A relationship gives people confidence in how you will respond

The lesson I took was that a commercial proposition is only part of the decision. People also need confidence in the person who will stand behind it.

When something goes wrong, will that person tell the truth? Will they take responsibility? Will they stay involved and help resolve the problem?

In the relationships I witnessed, that human trust provided reassurance that a proposal or contract alone could not provide. It did not make mistakes harmless or remove the need for sound commercial terms. It gave people a reason to keep working through problems together.

I would not reduce every Japanese business relationship to one rule. But these meetings showed me why personal credibility and continuity can matter so much when a technology vendor is building its business here.

What this means when hiring a Japan leader

A country manager’s value includes their ability to earn trust with customers, partners, their own team and headquarters. A useful assessment asks how they have built those relationships and how they behaved when results fell short.

I want to understand the substance behind a claimed network. Who has worked with the person over time? What did they do when a commitment became difficult to fulfil? What have they learned from a mistake? Why would a partner choose to work with them again?

Those questions can tell a client more than a confident presentation or a list of familiar company names. Relationships have value when they are supported by conduct people can trust.

I remain grateful for the chance to learn

I was naive about much of the commercial work when I joined WorkBrain Japan. The team knew it, but they also knew I was sincere and supported me despite my shortcomings.

I am forever indebted to Naoki and Morimoto-san. They passed away within a few years of each other during the Covid period. They were wonderful, generous people who sincerely wanted to contribute to the next generation. I feel humbled by the time I had with them.

Those four years, together with the overlapping VMware experience, changed how I listened to clients and understood the work behind their hiring needs. The lessons still shape the questions I ask in executive search today.

If you are considering a Japan leadership hire, contact me to discuss the business and relationships that leader will need to build.

Read the wider WorkBrain Japan and VMware story →

Read how these experiences inform my conversations with leaders →

Written by Murray Clarke, Founding Partner of Aspiring Partners. These reflections are based on my personal experience.