Oubaitori: Focus on yourself, not others

JAPANESE BUSINESS CONCEPT OF THE WEEK

Oubaitori
(English: Never Compare Yourself to Others)

The ancient Japanese philosophy of Oubaitori comes from the Japanese characters for the four trees that bloom in spring: cherry blossoms, plums, peaches, and apricots. Each flower blooms in its own time, and the meaning behind the idiom is that we all thrive at our own pace (R. Vijayanand, 2021).

In the business context, Oubaitori is a management principle that recognizes and celebrates a company’s strengths and the unique talents of team members instead of comparing one’s success to others. By encouraging an environment where comparisons are minimized, business leaders focus more on creating the best version of their organizations.

As Harvard Business Review contributor M. Jalove put it, the goal of Oubaitori is not to outshine others but to allow each team member to flourish in their own time and way, ultimately bringing their best selves to the organization.
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💡 How to apply Oubaitori in your business

Focus on creating systems that prioritize small but consistent improvements.

This could be in the form of a daily stand-up meeting where team members report on what they’ve learned or a documented and shared growth map for both the company and each team member.

THE HEADLINES
In this week’s edition of U.S.-Japan Weekly:

💰 Bain Capital doubles down on Japan with $34 billion investment

🇺🇸 Lafayette lays foundation for Japanese success

☀️ Japan’s Itochu to boost capacity of U.S. solar power business

NEWS
Bain Capital doubles down on Japan with $34 billion investment

🇺🇸 BOSTON, USA — Bain Capital, one of the world’s leading private investment firms, is planning a significant expansion in Japan by investing approximately $34 billion (or around 5 trillion yen) over the next five years.

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FEATURE STORY
Lafayette lays foundation for Japanese success

🇺🇸 LAFAYETTE, USA — The Greater Lafayette Region and the city of Lafayette in northwest Indiana kicked off 2024 with a string of new investment deals. The region’s and city’s efforts to diversify their industrial base amid rising demand have begun to bear fruit.

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(Editor’s note: This is a sponsored story)

NEWS
Japan’s Itochu to boost capacity of U.S. solar power business

🇺🇸 NEW YORK, USA — Itochu will spend around $8.18 billion (or 1.2 trillion yen) to increase the generation capacity of the solar and other renewable energy facilities it is developing in the United States by 150% to around 10,000 MW by 2030. Itochu is currently developing 27 solar farms in the United States

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MORE FROM GMI POST
U.S. Midwest business report 2024: It’s more than just business

Japan, with around 1,500 companies that have generated more than 150,000 jobs in the region, plays an integral part in the economy of the U.S. Midwest, widely known as the industrial heartland.

READ MORE

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