by Helen Iwata | Oct 31, 2023 | All, Communication Skills, Personal Growth
What do you do when you’re feeling down? How do you handle your own negative thinking or low energy? I take time to acknowledge how I’m feeling and consider the cause (so that I can do something about it if it’s within my control). Then, here are 9 things I find...
by Helen Iwata | Oct 10, 2023 | Communication Skills, Other Topics, Personal Growth, Productive Meetings
I was on a call to confirm details about an upcoming corporate speaking engagement. Since we were meeting online for the first time, everyone briefly introduced themselves. I was struck by how each of the Japanese women immediately apologized or put themselves down in...
by Helen Iwata | Oct 3, 2023 | All, Communication Skills, Managing Conflict, Other Topics, Personal Growth
Well, this story certainly got a laugh from the audience at our recent event. Around 30 years ago (!!!), I was working as a Coordinator for International Relations at Yokohama City Hall. I’d been asked to show some important foreign visitors around the city. When I...
by Helen Iwata | Sep 26, 2023 | All, Communication Skills, Personal Growth
I lied. I was HORRIFIED because I like to think of myself as an honest person. But the lie just plopped out of my mouth before I could even think. While ordering lunch from a Thai food truck near my office in Ginza, I told the vendor that I’d just got back from...
by Helen Iwata | Sep 19, 2023 | All, Communication Skills, Other Topics, Personal Growth
Thank you to everyone who emailed me about last week’s Sasuga! Tips For You newsletter: How can you apply “less effort” in your work? If you missed it, you can read it here on the Sasuga! blog or on LinkedIn articles. One lovely lady wrote: Thank you for explaining...
by Helen Iwata | Sep 12, 2023 | All, Communication Skills, Personal Growth
If you hear “less effort,” what does that mean to you? Is it positive or negative? Some people interpret “less effort” as lazy or unrealistic if you want to succeed in a demanding business environment. Makes sense. That’s because it’s drummed into many of us from...
