As we enter the month of October, have we've got a lot in store for you!

First, for this month's newsletter, you'll notice that we've given it a complete redesign to both make it easier to  find information and so it's a bit easier on the eyes.

Second, you may have noticed our new tagline "The #1 Gateway for Asia-Pacific Coaching Opportunities & Knowledge".  This new tagline more accurately captures and communicates one of our core differentiators in that we are focused on bringing the best paying coaching and consulting opportunities to our members as well as specific and timely regional and local market knowledge that you just can't find anywhere else.

Third, we want to make it clear again that the APCA is completely agnostic about coaching styles. Some members may prefer one particular coaching certification or style over another while some others may feel the same way about a particular coaching accreditation. 

To us, it's all good because there is no single "best" way to coach. We all learn from each and other and actually recommend that our members learn as many different coaching styles and methodologies as possible for each one brings something to the table and allows,  you, the coach to bring something unique and of value to each and and every one of your clients.

Sincerely yours,

By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, SiliconEdge


That Japan like any country, be it developing or developed, has her share of problems is not in the least bit surprising or at least it shouldn't be.

However, what has surprised me over the years is how many foreign "Japan watchers" and "Japan pundits" always seem to miss the crux of what's really going on on the ground in Japan and more importantly what's going on in the mind of the Japanese.

When articles are written or comments made about the supposed dearth of Japanese startups, the author or speaker almost always boils this down to several factors such as Japan's Shima-guni mentality (Island Nation / 島国), the so-called Galapagos Effect (which as I've continually pointed out is really just a misnomer for an industry or marketplace rife with ossified, rent-seeking incumbents and regulatory capture), Japan's supposed lack of talent, Japan's supposed lack of diversity and Japan supposed lack of creativity.
...
...
With that said,  there is another popular myth and meme that comes up regarding the lack of Japanese startups and that is the idea that the Japanese have an almost in-born fear of failure.

I'm not here to argue that Japanese don't have a fear of failure because they do. We all do. Just as most other peoples around the world do, including those in the US and even including those working in Silicon Valley.

People fear failure. 

But to hear the pundits tell it, "Japanese need to get over failure and embrace it". These pundits act like the fear of failure in Japan is simple a psychological construct* like it is in parts of the West like in the US.

APCA Editor's Note:
Traditionally, there has been a view that coaching is something that coaches do. However, in recent years more and more evidence is pointing to the fact that coaching is something that great managers do; That it's extremely difficult to be a great manager without being a good coach.  This is why, at APCA, we are finding more and more interest from professionals who are not just looking to coach full time, but who are professionals in managerial or human resource positions and who are finding that having a strong coaching ability allows them to perform better at their job while helping their direct reports or staff do likewise.

You Can’t Be a Great Manager If You’re Not a Good Coach
by Monique Valcour  |   1:00 PM July 17, 2014
  

If you have room in your head for only one nugget of leadership wisdom, make it this one: the most powerfully motivating condition people experience at work is making progress at something that is personally meaningful. If your job involves leading others, the implications are clear: the most important thing you can do each day is to help your team members experience progress at meaningful work.

To do so, you must understand what drives each person, help build connections between each person’s work and the organization’s mission and strategic objectives, provide timely feedback, and help each person learn and grow on an ongoing basis. Regular communication around development — having coaching conversations — is essential. In fact, according to recent research, the single most important managerial competency that separates highly effective managers from average ones is coaching.

Strangely, at most companies, coaching isn’t part of what managers are formally expected to do. Even though research makes it clear that employees and job candidates alike value learning and career development above most other aspects of a job, many managers don’t see it as an important part of their role. Managers think they don’t have the time to have these conversations, and many lack the skill. Yet 70% of employee learning and development happens on the job, not through formal training programs. So if line managers aren’t supportive and actively involved, employee growth is stunted. So is engagement and retention.

Can you teach old-school, results-focused line managers to coach their employees? Absolutely. 

By James Santagata
Executive Director, Asia-Pacific Coaching Alliance

APCA  Executive Director, James Santagata,  spoke at the 2014 AfterJet Conference held at the Pacifico Yokohama in Yokohama, Japan.

The conference attracted over 390  very energetic and ambitious participants.

According to Ryder's CEO, there's a downside to being at the very top of the food chain. You hae no boss. And this is where executive coaching can add value and structure.

We talked to Bill about re-inventing business & aligning yourself with the new energies of the marketplace, specifically the "conscious redesign of business".

It's no secret that the market has change dramatically over the last  2, 3 even 4 years in that there's now so much information and so many iterations out there that everything is diluted with the end result being that the market has become completely numb.

Our talk with Bill should be of great interest to many in the coaching field as the market has become very crowded with the net result being that many coaches are now simply resigned to surviving rather than thriving.

These are the questions that we posed to Bill:
1) You say that the energy of business has changed with the advent of content marketing, social media, social networks, mobile devices and people connected 24/7. Can you discuss this in more detail?

2) How can (and should) coaches and business respond or react to this?

3) You mentioned a new definition for branding, what is this? [heart / creative (presence) vs mind / cognitive (branding)]

4) What are the mechanics and the step by step process for brand or presence development?

5) Can you walk us through your definition and the process of your no-pressure, heart vs mind-based sales process?

6) Can you explain what you mean by "not selling" but "inviting" and then maybe walk us through an example?

7) Give us an example of a hard close script using your process.

8) You mentioned there's a key difference between a customer and a client. What is it and what does it matter?

The questions that we posed to Bill during our time together:

1) Bill can you please describe what a Business Vision Mentor is and does?

2) The coaching marketing is becoming / seemingly very crowded today. How can coaches stand out from crowd and reach the people they can best serve and make a difference in the world?

3) What trends have you seen in the market since the 1990's, 2001 when you enter coaching and now  today?

4) What do you say to strong (certified) coaches who can't develop a solid book of business while some coaches with no certification have developed a strong book of business? What's the difference? What can they do?

5) How do you define a brand?

6) What do you say to people who don't feel comfortable in selling or marketing themselves? Is there a way around that? Is there another way?

7) You talk about having a pressure free sales technique because "there is no sale to make". What are the mechanics of that?
(hint: Presence, Attraction, Invitation, Collaboration)

8) What does the psychographic category "group cultural creative" mean and why should coaches care?

9) What is an Enlightenpreneur?

10) What do you mean "the energy of business has changed" 
and why do you say that? Please give us some examples?

11) How can coaches re-align themselves to the new energy of business and the new marketplace?

Runa Magnus (based in Iceland) is a Personal Branding & Transformational Expert, the CEO & founder of Connected-Women.com,  the co-founder of BRANDit the EU Awarded Personal Branding program, the creator of the Awarded Best Practice Leadership Program of the Year 2013 “Discover Your X-Factor” and the founding & Steering Committee member of ATL Europe, the Association of Transformational Leaders in Europe.

The questions that we posed to Runa during our time together:

1) Run, please introduce yourself to our audience. 

2) As a personal branding expert in Northern Europe and Continental Europe, when referring to personal branding, what is the important mind-set that you're embracing?

3) In Northern Europe and Continental Europe, when referring to personal branding, what tools do you recommend to your clients and why?

4) What social media would you recommend to your clients for their personal branding?

5) Are there any personal branding trends that you have noticed?