Episode #64: Kenji Govaers, Director, Bain & Company
Japan's Top Business Interviews
Kenji Govaers originally grew up in France but has been going back and forth between France and Japan due to his half French and half Japanese background. Mr. Govaers started his career in the 80s bubble economy in Japan as a sales engineer. Afterwards, he moved back to France and went into consulting working for Mars & Co. Mr. Govaers enjoyed the inquisitive and client-based nature of consulting that opened him up to new opportunities and growth. Mr. Govaers then helped open an office in San Francisco where he was inspired by the diversity of people and ideas which were different from his experiences in Europe and Japan. In the late 90s, Mr. Govaers helped open an office for Mars in Tokyo. Mr. Govaers then moved to Bain & Company where he has been for the last 12 years and is currently the Partner and Director of the Tokyo office.
On recruiting new graduates, Mr. Goavers says in addition to considering candidates from the top schools, he also looks at the types of specialties they have studied. For example, at Bain, they will likely consider someone with a strong engineering background. Mr. Goavers also looks for people who have a high sense of lateral thinking, which can be seen in interviews. According to Mr. Govaers, the industry is one of the popular choices among university graduates in Japan. Mr. Goavers thinks that young people are attracted to the project-based structure of consulting that is different from a routine job. Mr. Govaers notes they are drawn to the network of other ambitious and intelligent people they will be working with who will enrich their work experience.
Mr. Govaers highlights the importance of building an engaging culture especially being in the business of consulting. He says: “the purpose of the business in many ways is to change the industry of a client [and] help you grow as a person.” When placing his staff in different projects, Mr. Govaers explains they consider whether the person will be a good fit or not and have the right level of expertise. He also adds they consider these assignments as a development opportunity for the individuals themselves. Mr. Govaers explains that one of the benefits of working in a consulting firm is that “you never stop learning” and you “learn not from a textbook…but from watching what others do…you learn by being put into situations where you have to learn from the experience.” At Bain they also provide training classes on client-facing communication skills where participants learn the basics of consultative selling such as active listening. Mr. Govaers points out that by developing better client communication skills, one can start to recognize certain patterns in the problems the clients are facing from their conversations.
On gaining trust and retaining talented people , Mr. Govaers notes: “At the end of the day, it’s about commitments. If you commit to the mission and if you behave like you are fully committed, then people will trust you…and that commitment is practically just being very spot on [with] the messaging and consistent over the years.” Moreover, he explains the mission should not just be about the client or product but something on a larger scale that people will feel extremely excited to be a part of, such as creating a new IP practice. Secondly, Mr. Govaers recommends leaders to define their business principles. He explains: “What do you value between freedom and accountability?...Between alignment and independence? [Having] these kinds of fundamental business principles, you have to be clear about [them]. You have to be mindful of the different layers of communication that's happening in your Japanese organization.”
On his advice to foreign leaders coming to Japan, Mr. Govaers advises to stay focused on one’s particular mission to bring change in Japan, as it is easy to get comfortable and think one knows everything about Japan. He explains that for many Japanese employees and leaders working in foreign companies, they make the choice because they are looking for something different from a typical Japanese business culture. Thus, Mr. Goavers explains, the leaders should communicate a strong mission that sets them apart from their Japanese competitors. Finally, Mr. Govaers advises foreign leaders to talk to people who have been in similar situations and ask for their insights.