On August 28 (U.S.), the USJC Women+ Forum was excited to hold its second program of 2023, “Demystifying Leadership Coaching: A U.S.-Japan Cross-Cultural Perspective.” The event consisted of an engaging panel discussion between Yasuko Inaba, an independent organizational development consultant, facilitator and executive/business coach based in Japan, and Wendy Nakamura, Leadership Consultant & Coach at FORESIGHT Leadership Development. It was moderated by USJC Women+ Forum member Chiyo Okita (former Head of Japan, Executive Recruiting for Amazon), and was followed by intimate networking breakout sessions with each of the event speakers.
The panelists first set the stage with their own pictures of what leadership coaching is and how having a coach can positively impact your career in both the United States and Japan. The discussion then went into a deep dive with the speakers highlighting their own personal experiences and sharing insight from past coaching engagements, focusing on challenges and strengths shared amongst Asian women in leadership. Both speakers then compared their stories with each other and discussed the similarities and distinctions between them. Each story demonstrated a different lesson, and the dialogue was both practical and inspirational. The panelists then generously stayed to lead networking breakout sessions, answering the burning questions of USJC members. Those who attended noted that the event did a fantastic job targeting their unique demographic and the intricacies of their challenges and that the advice given was applicable and helpful to individuals of all backgrounds and demographics.
The USJC Women+ Forum thanks the speakers for their insightful comments and the attendees for their strong engagement! We hope to see you all at our upcoming event on September 27 (U.S.) / September 28 (Japan) for our Fireside Chat with our USJC Co-Chairs Kathy Matsui and Susan Morita.