An Investor’s Lesson to Entrepreneurs
Business has the power to impact society for the better. But that doesn't mean entrepreneurs can't go wrong—and investors know that. Entrepreneur and venture capitalist Doug Mellinger shares some tips for realizing meaningful change.
Investing & Diversity: The Changing Faces of Venture Capitalists
Is the venture capital industry embracing diversity in investors? Watch global venture capitalists from around the world discuss the state of things and what needs to be done for a more inclusive future.
Servant Leadership
There's more to leadership than driving a team to profit. In fact, there's a word for looking beyond self-interest to prioritize individual growth: servant leadership. Try this course for a quick breakdown of what that is, how it works, and how it can lead to organizational success.
Organizational Behavior and Leadership
Ever wonder what makes a great leader? Whether your role requires leadership or not, understanding organizational behavior is useful for your career. This course from GLOBIS Unlimited can set you on your way.
Leadership vs. Management
Leadership and management are different skills, but today’s leaders must have both. Try out this course from GLOBIS Unlimited to understand the difference, as well as when and why each skill is necessary for motivation, communication, and value.
Strategy: Creating Value Inside Your Company
Have you ever wondered why certain companies are more successful than others? The answer is strategy: internal processes that control costs, allocate resources, and create value. This course from GLOBIS Unlimited can give you the tools you need for that strategic edge.
Strategy: Understanding the External Environment
To plan strategy on any level, you need to understand your company's external environment. In fact, your level of understanding can impact hiring, budgeting, marketing, or nearly any other part of the business world. Want to learn how to do all that? This course from GLOBIS Unlimited is the perfect first step!
Using Japanese Values to Thrive in Global Business
Japanese companies have unique cultural, communication, and operational challenges. But they also have values that have led to remarkable longevity. Check out this seminar to hear how these values help earn trust from overseas head offices and develop employees.
Turnaround Leadership: The Differences Between Japan and the West
What's the best way for leaders to communicate a shift in corporate strategy? How do you even know when it's time for such a change? This course explains how Japan might have one answer, Western companies another.
Conflict Management
Conflicts in the workplace are inevitable. But they can lead to positive outcomes if they’re managed well. Check out this online course for a two-step process that can help you manage conflict successfully.
Evernote Founder: How Tech Startups Can Break through in Japan
Can startup models from Hollywood and Silicon Valley succeed anywhere? Phil Libin, cofounder and CEO of startup incubator All Turtles, explains how AI can solve everyday problems to bring products to market.
Women Empowerment: Lessons from Cartier
How can women overcome gender inequality and reach their leadership goals? Cartier Japan CEO June Miyachi shares her secret in this special course from GLOBIS Unlimited.
Marketing: Reaching Your Target
Every company works hard to get its products into the hands of customers. Are you doing everything you can to compete? In this course, you’ll find a winning formula to turn a product idea into real sales. Follow along through the fundamentals of the marketing mix and see how companies successfully bring products to market.
Marketing Mix
Seeing good products into the hands of customers is no easy task. The marketing mix can help. It's a collection of strategies and tactics companies utilize to get customers to purchase their products or services, and is an essential part of the overall marketing process.
The Principles of Negotiation
With the proper skills and attitude, anyone can become a successful negotiator. But first, you'll need to learn the basics to prepare for, assess, and respond to offers for the best results. GLOBIS Unlimited can help.
Negotiation: Creating Value
Want to create more shared value between yourself and your negotiation opponent? Discover how cognitive bias affects the judgment of others. Try this course from GLOBIS Unlimited to master the value of negotiation.
Finding Your Life Purpose with Ikigai
Ikigai can guide you in your quest for self-discovery. Listen to Japanese brain scientist Ken Mogi explain why and how.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Want to leverage Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a leader? Try this short course to see how the theory can be applied in practical work scenarios.
Confirmation Bias
We all subconsciously collect information that reinforces our preconceptions. It's natural . . . but it does lead to a kind of flawed decision-making called confirmation bias. To become more objective and impartial, check out this course from GLOBIS Unlimited!
An Investor's Lesson to Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs have the power to transform societies for the better. But how do you attract investors to start or grow a business? Or to sell one? Check out this seminar for the answers to these and more, straight from a master venture capitalist!
Managerial Accounting
Managerial accounting is a powerful way to measure progress, identify problems, and meet your goals. Check out this course to learn how data-backed decisions can help you run your business.
Finance Basics: 1
For a healthy mix of quantitative planning, evaluation, and management, you need solid decision-making. And finance is the secret sauce! Get the essentials of finance in this two-part course from GLOBIS Unlimited.
Basic Accounting: Financial Analysis
Want to compare your performance vs. a competitor? Or evaluate a potential vendor? Then you'll need to conduct a financial analysis. This course will teach you how to use three financial statements and evaluate financial performance in terms of profitability, efficiency, soundness, growth, and overall strength.
Career Anchors
What drives you to be good at your job?
Career anchors are based on your values, desires, motivations, and abilities. They are the immovable parts of your professional self-image that guide you throughout your career journey.
Try this short GLOBIS Unlimited course to identify which of the eight career anchors is yours!
Digital Marketing Psychology to Transform Your Business
How does digital marketing really differ from traditional marketing? How is social media changing things really? And what's going on in Asia?
Pyramid Structure
Having the pyramid structure in your communication toolkit can not only help you approach a problem, but convince others that your solution is valid. Break away from linear thinking and test your logical thinking with this course from GLOBIS Unlimited!
Leadership with Passion through Kokorozashi
The key ingredient to success? Passion.
Finding your kokorozashi will unify your passions and skills to create positive change in society. This GLOBIS Unlimited course will help you develop the values and lifelong goals you need to become a strong, passion-driven leader.
AI First Companies – Implementation and Impact
AI is changing the way companies operate. How do you structure teams to increase efficiency?
Technovate in the Era of Industry 4.0
Is Industry 4.0 is the next step of human evolution human civilization? Dr. Jorge Calvo seems to think so. Join him to learn how the past can help you set goals for an exciting future of digital innovation.
Technovate Thinking
Business leaders of tomorrow need to harness the power of technology and innovation. That means understanding algorithms and how they drive business results. Discover opportunities to make technology work for your competitive edge.
Product Life Cycle
Every product takes a natural course through the market—there's a how, when, and why customers adopt products at different stages. Check out this course from GLOBIS Unlimited to find out how a product you use every day is part of this cycle.
Logic Tree
Logical thinking is the most valuable asset any business professional can have. That's why logic trees are such a valuable tool—they can help you identify a problem, break it down, and build it back up to a solution.
MECE Principle
Using the MECE principle can help ensure you categorize without gaps or overlaps. Check out this course from GLOBIS Unlimited for a practical demonstration of how it works!
Some people are lucky enough to find a mentor early on in their career. For others, the search may take considerably longer, filled with false starts and resets. After all, five-year-plans aren’t what they used to be. Career journeys are rarely linear anymore. It’s not about climbing one ladder, but hopping between many. You need to find the right person to give you advice on your unique professional development.
But the perfect mentor isn’t just going to fall into your lap.
Your first (or second or third) boss might be a nightmare. Your department head or CEO might not be available for day-to-day advice. If you’re in an organization with a flat hierarchy, it might be unclear who these people actually are. In such cases, who do you reach out to? What do you look for? If you do find someone you admire, can you be open about your goals and ambitions and ask for advice right away, or should you build trust first?
Then there are those of us who wonder if a mentor is really necessary (or appropriate) for their chosen career path. Perhaps you feel you get more out of online learning or training programs to accelerate your career. Or you’re building your professional portfolio as a jack-of-all-trades, going from job to job or place to place. That makes it tough to hold down connections with those who inspired your previous career steps, however grateful you may be. You might outgrow the advice of those you looked up to. Past mentors become friends, would-be mentors become irrelevant. Are you wasting your time hitching your wagon to someone who isn’t reaching for the heights you are?
In other words, does everyone need a mentor, or is it better to go it alone?
Rest assured, these are questions most people ask at some point in their careers. And while it might sometimes seem like the very idea of mentors is outdated (particularly with new technology giving us access to just about any answer we might have anytime, anywhere), there are plenty of statistics that show mentorship still has value.
If you’re still feeling a bit lost, GLOBIS University‘s Misato Nagakawa has three tips to help get you make the most of that special someone helping to guide your career.
Next Article
4 Steps to Bring Your Personal Mission to Life
3 Building Blocks for Your Dream Career: Opportunities, Goals, and Values
The Ultimate Kokorozashi Guide: How to Visualize Your Personal Mission
Transcript
1. Don’t Rush It
Misato Nagakawa:
Finding a mentor is a lifelong journey. That’s what I believe.
Unless you talk about yourself, what kinds of opinions you have towards specific social issues, or what kinds of issues you’re facing in your career, nobody can help you or provide the advice that you are seeking. So it’s a lifelong journey. But if you want to have a mentor, you should keep talking and keep sharing what kinds of issues you are facing, and what kinds of opinions you have.
2. Don’t Limit Your Options
Nagakawa:
I think it’s important to have a mentor, but mentors are not the only [people to learn from] around you. [They] can be a supporter or even a junior. You can learn from younger people, too. So it’s good if you have a mentor, but it’s also good if you have a junior or [someone to support you].
3. Understand Your Needs
Nagakawa:
You can only use the advice of a mentor effectively if you understand about yourself. Because in your life, you are the main character. You know your situation, [and] you know about yourself. A mentor can give you advice from their perspective, but they can’t make a decision [for you]. If you want to [apply] their advice effectively, you need to understand about yourself.
And at the end of the day, you are the one who needs to make the decisions.
Related Articles
