Haruka Mera has helped 250,000 people raise 3.86 billion yen to achieve their dreams through her crowdfunding business and website ReadyFor<\/a><\/span>. How amazing is that? What\u2019s more, she started the business when she was just 23 years old and was the youngest Japanese participant at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2012. I was honored to have the opportunity to interview Haruka via video conference and fully agree with her encouragement for more people to say what they want and ask for help to achieve it.<\/p>\r\n I want to be able to communicate effectively with different types of people. For example, in my company there are two types. There are people like me. They\u2019re idealistic. They want their life and society to be a certain way. For those people, I simply give them the high level of what we\u2019re aiming for and they\u2019re fine. Then there\u2019s another type. They work toward the goal immediately in front of them. I need to explain to them in more detail my role, the company\u2019s role, and what type of society we\u2019re aiming for. When they see that clearly, they can work toward that.<\/p>\r\n This is linked to what I just said and it comes from a failure. Originally I wanted to grow, but didn\u2019t have a specific image. I wanted to create value in life and be an entrepreneur. I thought highly of myself and thought everyone thought the same about themselves. When I started my company and it was still small, people had the same mindset. But when the company grew, it changed. I needed to change the way I communicated with my team. It was easy to talk to those who wanted the best quality and were motivated to improve. I\u2019ve been in business since I was in my 20s. I\u2019ve seen many successful people and patterns that focus on growth. I looked at how I could change or impact the world. There were lots of young members in the company. They could contribute value regardless of their age or gender. My success was that for those who were unlike me \u2013 those who needed a clear goal in front if them \u2013 I learned to explain clearly where they were, what skills they needed, and exactly how to reach the goal.<\/p>\r\n At first I didn\u2019t know that I needed to explain step by step in detail to some people. They didn\u2019t know what to do next and became quite anxious. This meant the quality of work suffered.<\/p>\r\n We have a team of 50 or 60 people now, and I realized this about six months to one year ago. We have four levels in the organization. The executives and managers are easy to communicate with, but it\u2019s difficult to talk one-on-one with people below that. I realized that I wasn’t getting the results that I wanted. I was more hands-on before when the company was smaller.<\/p>\r\n ReadyFor Inc. 1st year anniversary celebration<\/p><\/div>\r\n I changed two things. First, I increased our communication. I started to understand that background is important, so I increased communication about that and encouraged more casual communication to close the gap and make it easier for colleagues to speak with each other. We spend a lot of time at work, so it\u2019s important that we share personal information to understand what type of people we are and what we want. We introduced more nomikai (going for drinks) and coffees. Second, I made it clear what the next action should be.<\/p>\r\n I want to create a type of society that\u2019s like nothing we\u2019ve seen before. This excites me! But some people aren\u2019t motivated because they can\u2019t picture that. It\u2019s challenging to communicate something that no one has ever seen before.<\/p>\r\n We started using\u00a0StrengthsFinder<\/a><\/span> (an online assessment to help people uncover their talents) in the company. It\u2019s good for us to get to know each other and understand each other’s preferences.<\/p>\r\n I realize how difficult communication is. My company is a communication service. I help people to achieve their dreams. My company makes it possible for people who don’t know each other to communicate and support each other. They can create a group of friends. I think this is important and will become even more important. My role is to create this type of collaborative society. Communication is essential. I think lots of people want to achieve something. But not many people communicate this clearly \u2013 especially Japanese. If you do tell people clearly what you want to achieve, the resources and opportunities come to you. If you want to do something, find friends and a story that people can empathize with, and then spread the story. I really encourage you to communicate with others and tell them what it is that you want to achieve, so that you can do that.<\/p>\r\n * \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0 *<\/p>\r\n Sasuga! Tips for You<\/u><\/a> –\u00a0<\/b>Practical techniques and uplifting stories on\u00a0leadership, communication,<\/b>\u00a0and making the most of your\u00a0time<\/b>\u00a0and<\/b>\u00a0energy<\/b>\u2014delivered every two weeks. For less effort and more impact in your work and life,\u00a0click here and subscribe<\/u><\/a><\/b>.What kind of communicator do you want to be?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n
What is one communication success that you can share with us?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n
What is one communication failure that you can share with us?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n
When did you realize you needed to do things differently?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n
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What did you change?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n
What is most challenging for you in communication right now?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n
What communication skill, resource, or advice would you recommend to our readers?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n
What else do you want to say to Sasuga! readers?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n