# Confidential 1:1 Coaching for Japan-Europe Leaders > Confidential 1:1 executive coaching for country managers, expats, and senior leaders navigating cross-cultural challenges between Japan and Europe.… - **Source:** https://www.silkdrive.com/training/japan-executive-coaching - **Cluster:** cross-cultural training A calm one-on-one executive coaching conversation in a private office Executive Coaching For country managers, expatriated executives, founders, and senior leaders navigating Japan-Europe leadership challenges. 6 to 12 sessions, 60 to 90 minutes each. Confidential. Delivered by Takashi Kawatani (Diversity Management Institute). [Book a Discovery Call](/book-a-call) [How it Works](/training/japan-executive-coaching#process) 1:1 Coaching 6 to 12 Sessions 35+ Years Experience 100% Confidential Japan Executive Coaching (1:1) is part of Silkdrive's [Cross-Cultural Training](/training) practice. Takashi Kawatani, President of Diversity Management Institute Silkdrive is the preferred European delivery partner of Diversity Management Institute (Tokyo). Takashi Kawatani-sensei leads the Japan-side curriculum and trains directly; Silkdrive scopes engagements, contributes European-side context, and runs delivery. Co-delivery in Europe began in 2023. [More on the partnership →](/about-us#partnership) ## When Group Training Isn't the Right Tool Some leadership challenges don't belong in a workshop. They need a confidential thinking partner who has seen the same situation 100 times. ### Stalled with the Local Team You've been parachuted into a country leadership role. The team is polite but not following. Performance reviews say things they don't actually mean. You can't tell what's working and what isn't. ### Stuck Between HQ and Subsidiary HQ wants global standards. The local team needs local exceptions. You're translating constantly and burning out. Every conversation feels like a negotiation against yourself. ### Quiet Resistance You Can't Name Decisions get agreed in meetings and then quietly don't happen. The polite version of 'no' looks identical to 'yes' until the deadline arrives. You suspect the issue is cultural but can't articulate it. ### No Safe Place to Process Internal HR is conflicted. Peers are competitors. Spouses are exhausted. You need a confidential thinking partner who knows the corridor and won't show up on a performance review. Our Services ## Coaching Focus Areas Each engagement is custom-built. These are the areas leaders most often work on. ### Leading a Local Team Building trust as a foreign leader, decoding feedback that isn't being said, designing meetings that actually surface dissent, and aligning the team around your priorities. - Trust-building roadmap - Decoding indirect feedback - Meeting design ### HQ-Subsidiary Politics Translating between corporate centre and local reality. Negotiating exceptions, escalating when needed, and protecting the local team without losing HQ’s confidence. - Exception negotiation - Escalation strategy - Communicating local reality ### Posting Onboarding First 90 days of a new country posting. Cultural orientation, network building, calibration on what 'good' looks like locally, and avoiding the common first-quarter missteps. - First 90 days plan - Network mapping - Calibration on norms ### Difficult Conversations Performance management, restructuring, dismissals, and pay conversations across cultures. Designing conversations that land, without burning relationships you still need. - Performance conversations - Restructuring announcements - Pay and promotion talks ### Strategic Decisions Thinking-partner sessions for high-stakes decisions, partnership selection, market expansion, leadership team design, succession. Structured reflection without internal politics. - Decision framing - Stakeholder mapping - Risk and option review ### Leadership Development Long-term identity work. Becoming the kind of cross-cultural leader you want to be, not just managing the immediate problem in front of you. - Leadership identity - Long-term development plan - Reflective practice Why Silkdrive ## Why Coach With Kawatani Three reasons leaders choose this engagement. Senior advisor ### 35+ Years at the Top Takashi Kawatani has coached and advised leaders at multinationals across Asia, Europe, and North America since 1989. Special Advisor to the Japan Overseas Enterprises Association. 100% confidential ### Strict Confidentiality Sessions are 100% confidential. No reports to HR, no shadow notes to the sponsor. The only thing your sponsor sees is the engagement letter. EU↔JP fluency ### Both-Direction Fluency Coaches European leaders posted to Japan and Japanese leaders posted to Europe. Same coach, same framework, both contexts. Our Process ## How the Engagement Works Six to twelve sessions over three to six months. 1 ### Chemistry Call 30 to 45 minute introductory call to confirm fit. No charge, no commitment. We discuss your situation and whether this engagement is the right tool. 2 ### Goal Setting First session is goal setting. We define 2 to 3 outcomes for the engagement, agree the cadence (typically every 2 to 3 weeks), and confirm confidentiality scope. 3 ### Coaching Sessions 60 to 90 minute sessions, typically over Zoom. Each session combines reflection on the previous fortnight, structured frameworks for the issue at hand, and clear next steps. 4 ### Mid-Point Review At session 4 or 6, we review progress against goals and adjust direction. The engagement can extend, contract, or close depending on what's most useful. 5 ### Closure & Handover Final session is a structured closure, what worked, what to keep practising, and a personal development plan for the next 12 months. Optional check-in 6 months later. Results ## Coaching Track Record Selected highlights from Takashi Kawatani's career as an executive coach and advisor to multinationals. Advisory ### Japan Overseas Enterprises Association Challenge Advising senior leadership at Japanese multinationals on overseas operations and cross-cultural leadership. Result Special Advisor role spanning multiple decades, with direct coaching contact across hundreds of senior leaders. JOEA Advisor 100s Leaders Decades Tenure Lecturing ### Sanno Institute of Management Challenge Bringing leadership development to Japanese executives transitioning to global roles. Result Long-tenured lecturer at one of Japan's most respected management institutes. Sanno Lecturer Exec MBA Multi Cohorts Recognition ### Global HR Excellence Award Challenge Demonstrating sustained impact on global leadership development at scale. Result Recognised by the World HRD Congress in 2011 for contributions to global leadership and communication. 2011 Award World HRD Congress Career Honor [Book a Discovery Call](/book-a-call) Expert Trainer ## Meet Takashi Kawatani, 河谷隆司 35+ years helping professionals succeed in Japanese business culture, in partnership with Silkdrive on the EU↔Japan corridor. Takashi Kawatani, Diversity Management Institute, Japanese cross-cultural training expert ### Today - President, Diversity Management Institute (1989 to present) - Founder, Success Japan Initiative - Host of 'Japan Spirit', English-language internet show - Trains Fortune 500 clients, business associations, and government bodies across 20+ countries ### Publications & Recognition - Author of 13 books, incl. Winning Together at Japanese Companies (Beyond-Global, 2015) and titles published by Nikkei, PHP, and SANNO - Creator of 10 e-learning products on Japanese business culture - 13,000+ students enrolled across Udemy courses, 4.4★+ ratings - Global HR Excellence Award, World HRD Congress 2011 ### Background - Lecturer in international business, Sanno Institute of Management - Special Advisor, Japan Overseas Enterprises Association - Visiting researcher, ISIS Malaysia (Institute of Strategic and International Studies) - Doctoral studies, Human and Organizational Development, Fielding Graduate University (USA) Client Success ## What Coaching Clients Say Feedback from senior leaders who completed long-form coaching engagements. Drawn from Takashi Kawatani's career coaching senior leaders across Asia-Pacific. Silkdrive began co-delivering in Europe in 2023; named European coaching client feedback is added with explicit consent only. > “Thanks to this program, I have been able to understand, for the first time, what my Japanese president was thinking. Before the program, we had all kinds of misperceptions about each other that were hard to untie.” Production Control Manager Operations Lead, Multinational, Malaysia > “The combination of frameworks and unstructured reflection was the difference. I came in wanting tactics. I left with a different way of thinking about the role.” Country Manager Country Leadership, European Multinational > “Confidential, candid, and very experienced. The kind of coach you only meet once in a career.” Senior Vice President Asia-Pacific, Global Manufacturer Pricing & Formats ## Formats & Scoping The ladder below covers group training. One-to-one executive coaching is a separate engagement, typically 3 to 6 months, scoped individually and confirmed in writing before it begins. Most Common Multi-session programme From €7,600 4 sessions, 2 groups of 10, over 2 to 4 weeks - €380 per person for the whole programme - Typical engagement €11,400 to €19,000, three to five groups of ten - Online, the format most programmes run in - The sum of its sessions, with no separate minimum Full day on-site From €3,500 6 to 7 hours, one group of up to 10 - €350 per person - Travel and accommodation separate Half-day on-site From €2,700 4 hours, one group of up to 10 - €270 per person - Travel and accommodation separate Half-day online From €1,900 3 hours, one group of up to 10 - €190 per person [Book a Chemistry Call](/book-a-call) ## Who Is This Engagement For? Executive coaching is for senior individuals, country managers, general managers, expatriated executives, founders, board-level advisors, facing a specific cross-cultural leadership challenge they cannot work through in a group workshop or with internal HR. It is equally relevant for European leaders posted to Japan and Japanese leaders posted to Europe. Engagements typically run 6 to 12 sessions over 3 to 6 months, with each session lasting 60 to 90 minutes. Sessions are remote (Zoom) by default, with the option for an opening or closing in-person session in Tokyo, Amsterdam, or another mutually convenient location. What you leave with: a clearer view of the leadership identity you are building, working frameworks for the recurring challenges in your role, a personal development plan for the next 12 months, and the confidence that comes from having thought a problem through with someone who has seen it before, many times. FAQ ## Frequently Asked Questions Common questions about the executive coaching engagement. ### Is this confidential? ### Who pays, me or my company? ### Can I do this in Japanese? ### What if the chemistry isn't right? ### What does it cost? ### Further Reading - [Cross-Cultural Communication Training: Buyer's Guide](/insights/cross-cultural-communication-training) - [Japanese Business Culture: A Working Guide](/insights/japanese-business-culture) - [The Netherlands-Japan Business Corridor](/insights/japan-netherlands-business-corridor) ## Schedule a Chemistry Call 30 to 45 minutes, no charge, no commitment. Find out if this engagement fits your situation. [Book a Discovery Call](/book-a-call) [See Pricing](/training/japan-executive-coaching#pricing) Resources ## Related Programmes [Training](/training/japan-negotiations) ### [Japan Negotiation Training](/training/japan-negotiations) [Group programme on Japanese negotiation principles for deal teams.](/training/japan-negotiations) [Read more](/training/japan-negotiations) [Training](/training/japan-team-communication) ### [Japan Team Communication](/training/japan-team-communication) [Programme for mixed JP-EU teams working together on long-running projects.](/training/japan-team-communication) [Read more](/training/japan-team-communication) [Training](/training/japan-business-culture) ### [Japan Business Culture Training](/training/japan-business-culture) [Foundational cultural training as a complement to 1:1 coaching.](/training/japan-business-culture) [Read more](/training/japan-business-culture)