Episode #65: Paul Dupuis, Chairman & CEO, Randstad Japan

Paul Dupuis is the CEO and Chairman of Randstad Japan, a global human resources consulting firm. Originally from Windsor, Ontario in Canada, Mr. Dupuis always had a passion for Asia, starting from his love of martial arts. Mr. Dupuis arrived in Japan in 1990 with just $300 and slept on a bench on his first night. He then began teaching English in Osaka in a language school, and then moved on to teaching in a public high school. After moving back to Canada and contemplating a career in teaching and hotel management, Mr. Dupuis returned to Japan as the Assistant Director of International Education Programs at Osaka Kunei Jogakuin, an all-girls school in Osaka. There, Mr. Dupuis ran international study abroad programs in Canada and New Zealand where he got to see how education can be combined with business and developed an interest in the corporate sector. Mr. Dupuis then started his own company, OIC K.K. focusing on bridging Canadian and Japanese businesses. Mr. Dupuis then landed an opportunity to set up a recruiting company with a partner and opened up Wall Street Associates (currently part of en world) in Osaka. From there, Mr. Dupuis’ career in the recruiting business began. After growing Wall Street Associates, the company was acquired by en Japan and Mr. Dupuis led the rebranding of the company to en world beginning in Singapore. In 2013, Mr. Dupuis moved back from Singapore to Tokyo to head Randstad’s Tokyo office as the Managing Director, then to India, and returned to Japan this year in 2021 as the Chairman and CEO of Randstad Japan. In addition to his extensive global career, Mr. Dupuis is also the author of three books on leadership – The E5 Movement, The Rule of 5, and Empty Your Cup. All books are available on his website: https://pauldupuis.net/my-books

Recalling his early leadership experiences of starting a company and opening up an office in Osaka, Mr. Dupuis learned the importance of becoming a role model and having to “walk the talk” as a leader – being honest, supportive, motivating and consistent. He believes that people trust leaders when they are listened to, supported through the good and bad times and are given opportunities to continue developing. Mr. Dupuis also learned the value of having a diverse team and connecting with people who are different from himself and letting their qualities shine.

Although at first Mr. Dupuis struggled to connect with people who were different from him, he has learned overtime to communicate in various ways to build trust. Currently at Randstad Japan, Mr. Dupuis holds discussions at all levels of the organization and tries to understand the different values and motivations people have by taking an “omni-channel approach.” For example, when meeting with sales employees Mr. Dupuis makes sure to tap into their competitive mindset by offering rewards when meeting a set goal. When talking to risk and compliance teams, Mr. Dupuis will keep in mind their purpose to protect and enable and asks if the team is doing everything to protect the organization, while enabling the business to grow. He adds: “when you listen more than you speak, ideas are born…it also starts with asking the right questions.” His initiative to hold one-on-one conversations with his employees, which he calls compass meetings, has given him great insight into learning more about the actual people who are doing the groundwork in the organization. Mr. Dupuis is currently planning another initiative in which people are encouraged to present their ideas to a panel and get recognition. Additionally, Mr. Dupuis puts significant emphasis on learning and development opportunities at Randstad Japan, as he believes investing in people also leads to trust and development of the company itself.

On the challenge of recruiting people to foreign companies, Mr. Dupuis explains: “People don't join a brand. They join people and people stay because of people. They also leave because of people. So I realized pretty quickly that ultimately I had to be the one that was going to attract people to join.” Thus, Mr. Dupuis has made sure when talking to prospective employees to share his values and his insight in recruitment, which had been an unfamiliar concept in Japan 10 years ago.

On his advice to newcomers in Japan, he recommends coming to Japan with an open mind and connecting with the people in the field using active listening skills. He also advises to talk to other expats who have gone through similar experiences and have been successful in Japan. Mr Dupuis thinks learning basic Japanese – even 10 words - is a great idea as it sends out a message to the organization that you are ”walking the talk” as a leader, trying to learn and better connect with Japanese people. He lastly advises newcomers to spend time with employees outside of the office. Mr. Dupuis points out: “There is something in the office environment. People are hesitant to speak up, but the moment you go offsite…that’s where you have the best conversations.”