The importance of Attitude to the Japanese ‘Ko-ko-ro-ga-mae’

Attitude with an ‘A’.

When I was a child, my mother taught me an easy way to remember when to use a capital letter on a word. She simply said, “Use it when it’s something important”.

So, I’ll apply Mum’s teaching here and will emphasize the importance of Attitude to the Japanese people by writing with a ‘capital A’ throughout this article!

You don’t need to be in the service industry in Japan to have the right Attitude. ‘Kokorogame’ (心構え) is directly translated and interpreted as ‘heart Attitude’. It remains critical in all industries in Japan, regardless of the nature of the industry.

In Japanese culture and society, having the right Attitude is the be-all-and-end-all to success. Martial artists both in and out of Japan know that no matter how perfect one’s form may be, you do not stand a chance against an opponent who has mastered Kokorogame.

The very first thing employers in Japan are judging is the applicants' Kokorogame and regardless of how technically fitting for the position they may be, regardless of what impressive skillset they may have, without the right Attitude, they will not be employed.

Even if they are hired, the right Attitude must continue throughout their employment, otherwise, they won’t be promoted and they will simply become ‘deadwood’ in the organization.

Just as someone in the West not melding with the culture of a company, not applying the right Attitude in Japan will see you out the door.

When Japanese businesspeople meet their Western counterparts for the first time, they are making judgments on whether or not they want to pursue a relationship with them or not based on their counterparts' Kokorogame.

So Westerners are generally at a disadvantage if they are unaware of this point when seeking to engage in a business relationship with a Japanese company.

So what is the right Attitude?

Well, naturally that’s subjective given the content and nature of the interaction, but generally speaking, it’s following the expected norms of society in Japan: Showing (even feining if necessary) interest, being humble, polite, cooperative, putting others first, and lastly, being patient.

The importance of having the right Attitude is of course not exclusive to Japan. If you did a global study you’d likely find it is up there in societal importance in every country in the world.

So it’s worth noting from the Japanese playbook and working on improving our Kokorogame.

I think you’ll probably agree that the chances of speaking to a Japanese person with a lousy Attitude are slim!

So, is your Kokorogame setting you up for your success?

Short story #4 from the series ‘7 Secrets of Japanese Success’.

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