From July 3 to 4, seven Regional Leaders and seven Regional Mentors who serve as representatives of their regions in Japan participated in the July Training Session, a two-day virtual workshop. The training, which was held under the multi-part TOMODACHI Alumni RISE Leadership Program, gave participants the opportunity to reflect on the Welcome Events held in June, gain new insights, and plan the Theme Events that will be held in the fall of 2021.
The workshop kicked off with participants reflecting on the Welcome Events in small groups. Amid the sharing of their experiences, participants focused on discussing what went well and what needed improvement. After that, each Regional Team came up with goals for the rest of the year that focused on strengthening their respective teams over the remainder of the year.
Twelve Prudential employees with various backgrounds including CSR, sales, and portfolio management, joined the Regional Teams to listen to their Theme Event plans and provide feedback. Yoshiaki Hirayama, Senior Officer, Portfolio Management & CSR, delivered the opening remarks, and Hitomi Fukasawa, Chief of Staff to the President & CEO of PFI’s Japan Insurance Operations, gave the closing remarks. Thanks to the valuable insights and advice from the employees, the Regional Teams gained new insight and the confidence necessary to further refine their Theme Events.
Hiromi Waragai, the Regional Leader of the Hokkaido Region, commented “Prior to the July Training, I thought of the issue of nature and traditional culture as a very local, niche topic. The feedback from a Prudential employee, however, reminded me that the issue is also global and has many similarities with issues in other countries. Listening to others’ perspectives broadened my views and articulated how I communicate about the issue.”
During the creative portion of the workshop, the participants articulated their visions for their Theme Events and created digital collages from various images they found online. Participants commented on each other’s artwork in small groups and engaged in dialogue in order to explore what these collages were expressing. Expressing their visions without logic and words helped them articulate their inner passion, concerns or dreams for the Theme Events. At the end of the session, each Leader and Mentor shared their collages and findings, which helped them promote mutual understanding and articulate their vision as a team.
Mami Kimura, 2021 Regional Leader of the Chubu-Hokuriku Region, commented, “Through deep conversations with my mentor, other Regional Leaders, and Mentors, I discovered what I really want to do and what my personal challenges are.”
The training session allowed the Regional Leaders and Mentors to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to run their events successfully, while simultaneously deepening the trust between themselves and other participants, further strengthening peer-to-peer support networks. The event was held as part of the TOMODACHI Alumni Regional Framework, the TOMODACHI Generation Alumni Leadership Program supported by Prudential.