Seven Tips for Effective Self-Branding

This is a takeaway from @sakanoue san.

I just found it very useful 

so I thought it might be a good idea to share this.

Many of us, I suppose, want to look "good" in public and private.

No one wants a bad circumstance and "self-branding" is a way to 

lead a better life. 
However, not all of us
have much time to go through hundred pages of 
Kotler's marketing management.
So, here are seven tips and hope it helps!

Tip 1. 

See yourself with Bird-Eye. 

-You need to see yourself with bird-eye.
You need to recognize yourself objectively. 

Observe. Analyze. and 

Realize what you are trying to do.

- It is very important that you know which mountain to climb

before you start. But, many of us are so unfortunate for not-knowing what it exactly is that we want. 
Don't try to be perfect from the first time. 

-Although you think you know what you like,seek for the deepest source of your passion.

If you like video game, analyze what kind of video game you like, and what particularly your like about the types of video games you like. It gets more authentic as you go deeper.  

Tip 2.

Make sure you know who you are and why you are here.

-It is not about GPS. It is not about the job title or any kind of things that your write in a piece of paper (even though you need to put it down on a paper for resume). 

- Knowing who you are and why you are here is such an important thing. I stated that it is not about the job title or geographical location as such, but remember they are all attributes of who you are to describe where you are at, and perhaps where you are going.

Tip 3. 

Say it aloud. Who you are. To the most important people. 

- The science has not revealed that communication without words. Also, people (especially the ones are most important) do not pay attention to you (or they do, but not as much you want them to be).  So, say it. Say it so you can make it happen. 

Tip 4. 

When is your last time you thought,
"I lost track of time doing..."

- Doing what makes you crush?

Tip 5. 

Friends are the mirror. Many mirrors will help. 

- Friends are like mirror to yourself. 

Your friends are likely to be similar to you. 

So be conscious about your friends, because they reflect you.

Also be active to meet new people. Don't settle. 

Tip 6. 

Stay Positive.

- You can only do it when you think you can. 

(In other words, you will never make it as long as you don't think you can). 

Tip 7. 

Stay True. 

- True brand resides in true self. So don't lie. Stay True.

Brand is something you can recognize within seconds.

Brand is something you can clearly identify among others.

Meet your potential by effective self-branding. 

Work-Life Balance in Japan

Working in Japan is often referred as mere a attraction, besides its economical stability.

People work longer hours than any other countries on this planet, and

they work for incredibly detailed "quality" (let us call it). 

Although it depends on industries and firms of which you work for, 

people work generally 10-12 hours or more. It tends to evaluate the someone's work

by the length of hours worked instead of the content itself.

Cultural background (of self-sacrifice) has something to do with it, maybe.

However, when you look at the data, Japan is not so much of "the hard-working" country.

This article explains how intense the work situation is in South-Korea.

And it seems to have very similar characteristics of "old" Japanese work-environment.

I used to think, that Japan's work environment is bad. Yet given the statistics,
it may not be true. Of course, it does not make it easy by any means. 

I have seen so many westerners who work harder than Japanese.

As Sheryl Sandberg's article suggested (she leaves the office at 5:30), 

it is not easy for people to walk out of office early anywhere anyhow 

(you have to make up for it, if you want to stay or go up).

One thing that I can ask for Japan's work environment is that to open up doors to young workers.

In Japan, where society is well-structured and seniority is the main factor to determine the position in any organization,

it is very rare to get a responsible position (e.g. manager, director etc) in 20's or even 30's.

In a traditional organization, most of C-level slots are filled with50 to 60 year old veterans. And those traditional firms are often the first runner in the industry.

Perhaps this is a good way of managing a matured organization, but leaves a very little space for younger generations. 

Overall, I would like to summarize that 
work-life balance in Japan is not solely bad; it is stable and there are options.
However, it is extremely hard for young generation to find a space where
he/she can fully explore the potential to become a leader. 


The risk of becoming a leader in Japan will be described in upcoming entry.


Cheers!

Don't save your sex till you're old

Warren Buffet once said

Don't save you sex till you're old.I love what I do, and I go to work tap-dancing each morning. 

I cannot agree more. 

I cannot allow myself doing anything else that my heart is not in it.

There's work and there's your life's work. The kind of work that has your fingerprints all over it. The kind of work that you'd never compromise on. That you'd sacrifice a weekend for. 

What is your goal?

What is your biggest fear?
What is gonna prevent you from accomplishing the goal?

I'd like to be myself as follows;

Nothing. That's I get I every morning, that's all I do. 

I know it may sound childish, but I wanna have "passion" on what I am doing.

働きながら、社会を変える。

金融機関に勤める著者は、週末や平日の夜などを利用して
貧困をなくすために立ち上がる。
業務で活かした金融やビジネスの専門スキルを活かし、カンボジアの貧しい村へ
小口融資を行ったり、児童介護施設を改善するために活動する。

彼を突き動かしたのは、"2.4%"という数字と、
ネットなどによるコミュニケーションの（以前と比べて）圧倒的な利便さ、
そして、誰よりも熱いパッションだった。

"2.4%"という数字
経済学者によると、

「極度の貧困を持続可能な形で終わらせるために必要な年間支出は、
先進国の人々の所得2.4%」

だという。これが小さいようで大きな数字だ。
例えば年収一千万円の人が、年間24万円も寄付をするだろうか？
年収500万円の人は12万円寄付する？
この記事（http://jp.blogs.com/2010/03/tax.html）によると
一般的なサラリーマンは、年収に対して約12％の税を納めている
わけだけど、（個人の善意にもよるが）2.4%って、
小さいようで大きい額だ。また、国家の単位になると、
個人で賄うには到底及ばない。
孫さんが100億寄付したとかで話題になったが、
日本の全員の所得の2.4%は流石に1人で負担することは出来ないだろう。
だが、多くの人に賛同してもらえれば、何とかなるかもしれない。
そんな希望を抱くのには十分な数字だといえる。

ネットの利便性
Eメールも、電話も、24時間タダで使えるし、電話会議をする為の
ウェブアプリケーションなどもあるから、実際に一箇所に集まらなくても
打合せ、個人作業は出来るようになった昨今。
こうした利点をフルに活用し、若くて優秀な著者やその仲間たちのような
ビジネスパーソンは、本業の傍ら活動していた。
生産的に、且つ、本業の専門知識を活かして、効率よく
プロのクオリティのものを。
メンバーも、金融、IT,　コンサルタント、など様々。
まるで、一つの会社のよう。
こうして「バーチャル・カンパニー」ともいえるNPOが生まれたのだった。

誰よりも熱いパッション
「もし誰も手伝ってくれなくても自分ひとりでやる」
本書の最後に書かれていたが、激務で知られる外資系金融機関に勤める傍ら
こうした社会貢献をするのには、誰よりも熱いパッションがあるからだ。
在日韓国人である著者。高校卒業するとき、家庭の事情で
大学へ進学できない友人の姿を見て、自分が人一倍頑張ろう
と決意したと書いてあった。思わず、胸が熱くなってしまった。
ニートをしていた時期もあったという。

自分を照らし合わせてみた。同じ思いは、ある。
でも、僕に何ができるだろう？
最後に、貧困という問題が、日本という先進国でも身近にあるということ、
そして、更に深い問題があるのだと考えさせられた言葉を引用する。


「だれからも必要とされず、だれからも愛されていないという心の貧しさ。
物質的な貧しさに比べ、心の貧しさは深刻です。
心の貧しさこそ、一切れのパンの飢えよりも、もっともっと貧しいことだと思います。」
マザー・テレサ

Act Like U Want It

Recently I have been busy mentally.

By mentally, I mean literally the mind of my own, but it is not like

I have been in sick or something. Just, my mind is busy. 

With school-work, work-work, and some other stuff. 

My master program will approaching to the term-end although my dissertation thesis 

has not been developed sufficiently. 

"Topic is tough. I have no time. "

Everyday, the thought comes upon my mind. 

Then I recite this statement like mantra to fight back.

"for all the problems that human being has created, there must be a humanistic solution!"

I have more than one challenge to attend this graduate program.

First of all, I have full-time job at a very fast-changing manufacturing company. 

I work at an HDD manufacturing company. And this is a very fast-changing industry.

Second of all, the research theme I chose (or given?), is totally out of my academic background.

I gained BA (Bachelor of Arts) with Philosophy major. Now I am researching about

Lithium Ion Battery and Statistics. Give me a break...

I need to try much harder to get the things straight. 

I can't do this. I simply can't. This is crazy. This is not going to anywhere. 

Will I be extending my graduation? No, not a single chance. 

For many reasons, I have to graduate in this spring. It's a must.

Some has asked me why I would do this kind of challenges. 

I have no logical answer. Most people goes to school to get somewhere. 

But I am already here and going to school. 

What will I do? 

Where will I be?

What is it that I have learned? 

Resolves the time. 

One of the greatest things in schooling is that I have more options on above-mentioned 

questions, which you ask for yourself all the time. They are lifetime questions. 

It's an option o do what you really want to do.

It's strength that you can. 

It becomes special as years roll on. 

What to do with your life?

With our limited and equally given life-time?

Life in a Restaurant

学生時代、随分と長い時間を飲食業で働く事に費やした。

独特の「空間」と「時間」が心地良かったのだと思う。

もっと割の良いバイトはあったし、もっと勉強しておけば良かったと

今になって後悔することもある。

周りでは、NPOをやっている友達はとても成績が良くて、
性格も良い人たちが多く、

ベンチャーなどに関わっている人は、コネがある人が多かった。

天の邪鬼だからかもしれないが、どこか、人と違うことをしなければ、

と意識していたのかもしれない。

散々、お客さんのオーダーを取ったり、
お客さんの食べたいものを作ったりしてきた

自分なのに、いざ、自分の人生で欲しいものとなると、今ひとつ分からずにいた。

分からないなりに努力はした。本を読んだり、人に聞いたり、学校に行ったり。

でも、どんな本を読んでも、どんな偉い人に聞いても、どんな良い学校に行っても、

答えは無いということが分かった。

例えば、良い本を読めば、ある限定された世界における一つの真実が書いてある。

それは前提が変われば真実ではなくなってしまうし、自分のいる環境に常に適用出来るものではない。

偉い人に話を聞けば、その人がどうやって今の地位まで辿り付いたかを知る事は出来る。

だけど、自分がどうやったらそこへ行けるかはまでは教えてくれない。

良い学校に行けば、沢山の良い本や、偉い人に会う事が出来るし、

自分の欲しいものを手に入れるチャンスはグンと高くなる。

だけど、欲しいものが分かっていなかったら、それは手に入れる事は出来ない。

自分は今も、人生という定食屋にいる。

日々、もっと美味しいメニューは無いか探し続けているし、

そのプロセスを楽しもうと心がけている。

きっと、この「楽しむ」という心がけが、欲しいものを手に入れる確率を高める

一番の秘訣なのでは、と考えている。

Strengthfinder

Here are my top 5 strengths;

1. Maximizer (85%):People strong in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.
   
   Tips to Improve this Strength:
   
   • Maintain your focus on improving working things and not fixing the broken things.
   • Avoid roles that require continual problem solving.
   • You get frustrated focusing on your weaknesses for too long - try to minimize this.
   • You dislike career paths that trade money for veering off your strengths path - avoid them.
   • Seek to lead a task force to investigate company best practices.
   • Participate in or design a program for measuring and celebrating employee productivity.


2. Significance (75%):
   People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.
   
   Tips to Improve this Strength:
   
   • You are not to be overmanaged - you need independence and should let others know this.
   • You thrive on meaningful recognition of your contributions and should let supervisors know.
   • You need the opportunity to stand out and be known - seek appropriate room to maneuver.
   • You like to surround yourself with the best of the best and should continue to do as such.
   • You are good at encouraging other top achievers - you enjoy making others feel successful.
   • Make and keep benchmarks for developing your main strengths.
   • When suffering self-esteem hits, set new goals based on your strengths and go for them!


3. Ideation (65%):
   People strong in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
   
   Tips to Improve this Strength:
   
   • Actively seek out positions where your ideas will be valued and encouraged.
   • Be a designer, sales strategies, marketing guru, or customer service rep for new products and ideas.
   • Search out and request ideas from others to stimulate your thinking.
   • Constantly think of ideas that can improve businesses and the lives of others.
   • You enjoy the power of words; punchy ideas stimulate your thinking - focus and play with this fact.
   • For decisions, you need to know that everything fits together. Be aware and plan for decisions.
   • If a decision seems to stand out as particularly bothersome, then check if it is an exception before worrying about it.


4. Restorative (65%):
   People strong in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.
   
   Tips to Improve this Strength:
   
   • Seek out to identify problems in companies and systems.
   • Seek a position where you are paid to solve problems for the company's best customers.
   • Look for positions where you are the person for the job when things need immediate improvement.
   • Plan and do celebrate the achievement when you solve a problem.
   • Be careful - you may feel defeated if a situation remains unsolved - continually evaluate and ask for help, if needed.


5. Futuristic (60%):
   People strong in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.
   
   Tips to Improve this Strength:
• Seek to share your visions of the future with others and hear others' ideas, too.
• Seek to share your perspectives on company news, meetings, and projects.
• Look for (and digest!) news and articles that cover the future plans of things.
• Work with or on a planning committee and keep up or review its progress.
• Look for roles where you will be pushed to see the future as vividly as possible.
• Actively help others to rise above the present and be excited about the future.

Remaining Results Are (In Order):

Self-Assurance (60%):	People strong in the Self-assurance theme feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives. They possess an inner compass that gives them confidence that their decisions are right.
Communication (60%):	People strong in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.
Focus (60%):	People strong in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act.
Command (60%):	People strong in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.
Arranger (60%):	People strong in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.
Analytical (55%):	People strong in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation.
Harmony (50%):	People strong in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They don't enjoy conflict; rather, they seek areas of agreement.
Strategic (50%):	People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.
Competition (50%):	People strong in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.
Relator (50%):	People who are strong in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
Belief (50%):	People strong in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.
Deliberative (50%):	People strong in the Deliberative theme are best described by the serious care they take in making decisions or choices. They anticipate the obstacles.
Discipline (50%):	People strong in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure. Their world is best described by the order they create.
Developer (50%):	People strong in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.
Activator (45%):	People strong in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.
Learner (45%):	People strong in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
Fairness (45%):	People strong in the Consistency theme (also called Fairness in the first StrengthsFinder assessment) are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. They try to treat everyone in the world fairly by setting up clear rules and adhering to them.
Responsibility (45%):	People strong in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
Connectedness (40%):	People strong in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.
Context (40%):	People strong in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history.
Adaptability (40%):	People strong in the Adaptability theme prefer to 'go with the flow.' They tend to be 'now' people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.
Intellection (40%):	People strong in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.
Positivity (40%):	People strong in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.
Empathy (35%):	People strong in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others' lives or others' situations.
Input (35%):	People strong in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
Achiever (35%):	People strong in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
Woo (30%):	People strong in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.
Inclusiveness (30%):	People strong in the Inclusiveness theme are accepting of others. They show awareness of those who feel left out, and make an effort to include them.
Individualization (20%):	People strong in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.

Career Assessment

Everyone must decide what kind of career he/she wishes to take.

And it is a hard decision. Because no one has the right answer. 

There is no absolute choice here; you have to trade-off something 

in order to get something. 

Perhaps best decision at this kind of situation is to "get to know yourself better". 

Because career development is all about "you". Nothing, nobody else's. 

What kind of business person you are; 

Getting ahead,

Getting secure, 

Getting free,

Getting balanced,

Getting high...

Each one has different attributes of course, and probably you have them all. 

you all have a bit of all but what tendency you are likely to get and 

how you feel about it. how you deal with it. 

Again, there is no answer. 

But life is once and you mind is only mind that you ever come to know.