Mitsuyuki Shiiba discusses the importance of recognizing differences among people from various cultures and backgrounds who work at Rakuten. He explains that putting oneself in another's shoes and making assumptions can lead to hidden expectations and misunderstandings. Shiiba advocates for more open communication to explore differences and avoid making guesses. He also discusses the role of leaders in setting a vision and direction for the team while acknowledging individual differences, and argues that good leaders embrace failures as opportunities to learn and improve.

1. Rakuten Technology Conference Osaka LT
Nov 9, 2019
Mitsuyuki Shiiba
EC Incubation Development. Dept.
Rakuten, Inc.

2. 2
Self Introduction
Mitz
• A web application engineer
• Almost 10 years at Rakuten
• Supporting engineers, leaders and managers
Twitter: @bufferings

3. 3
Topic: Differences
A variety of people working at Rakuten.
I’m working with people from
Mexico, France, Canada, Philippines, UK, China, Japan
It’s so important to recognize differences.

4. 4
You are not me. Is this obvious?
Maybe you don’t understand it, if you have these thoughts:
• “I can’t understand today’s young people”
• “My manager doesn’t understand me”
• “He should get angry about this”

5. 5
Hidden Expectations / Guesses
when we don’t recognize the differences.

6. 6
Stop putting yourself into the other person
because you are not me.

7. 7
Start more communication
• Making your thoughts in words to avoid hidden expectations.
• Asking other people’s opinion in words not to guess
• A discussion isn’t a fight, but is to explore our differences.

8. 8
For Japanese People
• We value sense of unity
• We identify ourselves with the other people
• Differences are something to be ashamed
I love these Japanese culture. But it’s better to separate these
feelings when we have business communications.

9. 9
Doubt our common sense
The hidden expectations and guesses are coming from our
instincts (本能).
It’s also a good opportunity to understand our culture.

10. 10
Recognizing differences is
• to avoid hidden expectations and guesses
• and to have more communications
Now we got a good foundation of the team!

11. 11
“Leaders for the future”
Visions and directions on top of the differences.
https://tech.rakuten.co.jp accessed on 5th Nov.

12. 12
“Leaders for the future”
Visions and directions on top of the differences.
• Visions: where we would like to go
• Directions: how we head for the vision

13. 13
Without Visions & Directions
the team goes nowhere.

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Leader’s Responsibility
is to have the team
• recognize differences
• understand visions & directions

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BTW, it always fails in the end
All the decisions would reach to the failure at the end.
Otherwise, he’s doing something wrong.
So please don’t be afraid of making mistakes.

16. 16
Failure, failure, failure
We never stop at a successful state,
but we go forward until we reach to a
failure and learn something from it.

17. 17
And it is success
The state to keep failing is the success.

18. 18
Good Leaders are
those who make failures the most in the team.

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Summary
Recognizing differences is
• to avoid hidden expectations and guesses
• by having more explicit communications
Leaders are those who
• show his vision and direction on top of the differences
• and make failures the most in the team

20. 20
Differences & Failures
Let’s make your thoughts in words and make a lot of failures!
Then you will be a good leader!
Thank you!