How Findy Tackled the Difficulty in Transforming Talented Players into Great Managers

A startup is the place where young talented people have the opportunity to step up into managerial roles. However, young managers often struggle with management challenges due to lack of experience. To tackle this problem, Findy decided to work with the Value Up Team (VUT) of Global Brain (GB), a team that specializes in supporting GB’s portfolio companies. Thanks to the VUT’s coaching support, the three managers at Findy are successfully overcoming their challenges.

We sat down with the CEO and the three managers who underwent coaching to find out what they learned and what changes they experienced. They are: Kazuma Tagashira,　General Manager of the Findy Freelance Division; Mitsuhiro Suemoto, General Manager of the Findy Division; Hisaya Uchida, Assistant Manager of the Findy Team+ Division; and CEO Yuichiro Yamada. We were joined by the VUT’s Venture Partner Naoki Sadakuni who conducted the coaching.

(The names of departments and roles may have changed after the interview.)

The “challenge” that confronted the three to-be executives

──Yamada-san, I heard you also underwent Sadakuni-san’s coaching before the three members did.

Yamada: Yes, my coaching program started about three and a half years ago. Back then, I was struggling to work effectively with a new joiner we had hired and feeling that I had to improve my management capabilities. I went to consult Sadakuni-san since VUT had been helping us out with our business for some time. He assisted me in various ways, from explaining my challenges in words to advising me how to give feedback to my members.

──You then decided to have Tagashira-san, Suemoto-san, and Uchida-san all go through the same coaching program. Why did you make that decision?

Yamada: The reason is very simple. I prioritize nurturing young talent. My view is if you want your people to play active roles at your startup company for a long time, you need to offer not only good wages and stock options but a feeling of growth.

I faced many management challenges when I worked for a startup called RareJob. I did not have any mentors I could go to for help like I do now and it took a very long time for me to overcome my obstacles.

Because of that experience, at Findy I wanted to create an environment where members could grow faster than I did at RareJob. Especially since I expect these three managers to become executive members in the future, I decided to ask Sadakuni-san to coach them so they could step up in their roles as managers.

──What were the management challenges you were facing before the coaching program started?

Tagashira: I was finding it difficult to change my management style which was needed in response to the expansion of our organization. My team grew from 15 to 40 members in a very short time which hindered me from grasping the status of the business and the team. Information was not shared sufficiently, numbers were underachieved, and the team members were not following my lead. It was very tough.

Also, because my daughter was born, I could no longer go to my “last resort” which was to put in long hours. This made things even more difficult.

Suemoto: As for me, I had to step up from a normal manager to a general manager. The business grew and the organization I was responsible for expanded to cover various functions such as sales, marketing, and product. I could push myself and take care of a group of 20 people, but I had never experienced anything more than that.

A bigger team means I have members who I have not spoken with before which makes it difficult to give instructions. I had to find out how I can communicate in a way that makes sense for all the members and to do so, how to become a person with a bigger heart.

Uchida: I resonate with Suemoto-san. My two-member team expanded to 18 people and I was finding it hard to judge “what should be left up to who” and “when I should step in”.

Another problem I had was I expected the team to have the same agility I had when I was a player myself. But of course an organization cannot function the same way I work all by myself, and I was struggling to fill that gap.

Sadakuni: What they all have in common is they are excellent players. Which is why Yamada-san asked them to take on managerial roles. However, you have to change your perspectives when moving on from player to manager. I communicated with each one of them separately to discuss how to overcome their challenges.

Coaching discussions

──In your conversations with Sadakun-san, what left a big impression and what were the takeaways?

Uchida: For me, the most significant change was “my timelines.” I used to be near-sighted and only thought about the coming three months. But after talking with Sadakuni-san, I realized that as a manager I need to at least think about the coming year.

What actually made me realize this was the “Eisenhower Matrix.” Although this is a commonly-known framework, once I laid out my tasks and discussed with Sadakuni-san, I realized that I had not been using enough time on matters that “are important but less urgent.” Visualizing my perspectives helped me notice how one-sided I was in my interests and how short-sighted I was in terms of timeline.

Suemoto: Sadakuni-san and I not only talked about management. I also opened up to him about my weaknesses. I remember very well when I said to him, “I feel uneasy and worried these days and almost feel like giving up.” That started our two-week discussion and analysis on “what makes me want to give up.”

As a result, I found out I feel discouraged when I face “stagnant business growth,” “feeling of not contributing,” and “unreasonable situations” at the same time. However, I also noticed that the odds of all three happening at once is very low which made me feel better.

Sadakuni: I can recall that conversation. I have also experienced a time when I could not make any achievements. Based on my own experience, I said to Suemoto-san, “I had a tough time when this and this happened. How about you?”

──You not only discussed management theories but also worked on self analysis. How about you Tagashira-san?

Tagashira: I realized the importance of opening up to my members about my concerns. Right after I assumed my role as General Manager, I used to think that a leader who attracts others needs to be impeccable. But the more I tried to be perfect, the more people walked away from me.

Sadakuni-san advised me that ** “leadership is not just about sharing a vision and taking the lead”**. He taught me that it is more about sharing your weaknesses with the team, relying on them, and working together. That is what matters. Once I started communicating heart-to-heart with the members, I felt that our relationship changed drastically.

Sadakuni: I believe different people can have different ways of exerting leadership. You could go for motivating others using strong encouraging language, but we agreed that might not be Tagashira-san’s style.

──Sadakuni-san, what do you keep in mind when coaching?

Sadakuni: I scarcely tell upfront what the person should do. Most of the time, I try to pass the ball to the person I am talking to by saying, “Listening to what you just shared with me, this is what I understood. Am I right?** This way, people naturally find the answers themselves.

Also, I have nothing but respect for people working at startups. At the root of my approach is this feeling. They are amazing.

Yamada: Sadakuni-san always talks in a positive tone. Even when we say something negative he always responds positively. I think that is why everyone felt comfortable going to him.

The growth of the three members that surprised CEO Yamada

──After the coaching process, did you experience any moment when you felt your mindset and workstyle changed?

Uchida: This relates to what I mentioned earlier but **the way I use my time changed greatly **. When I plan my actions thinking of the coming whole year, I cannot use my time for something that only concerns the coming three months. I gradually found myself relying on my members for short-term actions.

I consulted Sadakuni-san about our actual work, too. Using the Eisenhower Matrix to organize our tasks according to importance and urgency, he gave me advice saying, “You should leave this up to someone else” or “You should do this yourself.” The most significant change that happened to me was that I was able to change the way I use my time and have a longer-term perspective.

Suemoto: Although it is still work in progress, I am now more mindful of how the members perceive me and the business. I can rephrase that as I now have more perspectives than mine alone.

Someone who joined today and someone who joined six months ago may react differently to the same words. As a player I only needed to have my own perspectives but that is not the case when you are a manager. By paying attention to what words I use, how I use them, and how people regard me, I can now steer the team into a specific direction as the leader.

Tagashira: I have now braced myself as the General Manager. At times when the business was not good, I felt lost thinking, “Why is Findy doing this business?” However, talking with Sadakuni-san helped me acknowledge how wonderful this business is and how fulfilling it is for me.

The big change for me was I was able to shift my mindset and think, “What am I worried about when I am in a position to make important decisions and lead important projects?” After that, regardless of what Yamada-san or the other executives said to me, I was able to stand firm and say, “I think about the business more than anyone else. I will take responsibility for everything so please leave it up to me.”

──Yamada-san, when did you feel the three had changed?

Yamada: I think they have all changed in a very positive way. Uchida used to apply the same standard he had as a player when working with the members but he has mellowed out. Now he handles cross-departmental tasks and tough negotiations that require taking into account other people’s feelings.

As for Suemoto, I had entrusted him with the biggest part of the business on the profit and loss statement, but he stayed strong. I think it was a good experience for his future career. When I talk with Suemoto’s team members these days, some say, “Talking with Suemoto-san made me realize something new.” The fact that members who regularly hear what Suemoto says have positive learnings is proof in itself that Suemoto is changing.

Tagashira has become a very tough person. He has strong love and passion for the business so he always thinks about next steps. The business is growing steadily too, so Tagashira’s team is at the bottom of my list of worries.

The most enjoyable thing about being a CEO is seeing firsthand the growth of my members. It makes me as happy as when we achieve our corporate goals.

Findy in 10, 20 years

──Now that you have experienced change as a manager, how do you plan to handle the organization and the business going forward?

Uchida: As the organization grew, I felt it is important to “keep having high expectations toward the members and the business.”

The moment a person feels others “have low expectations” of him/her, that person may start having difficulties performing well. Moreover, the other members around that person may also feel, “Maybe I am not living up to expectations either,” and end up underachieving. I want to be a manager who not only leave things up to my team members, but one who keeps trusting the members and having high expectations and takes responsibility for the outcome.

Suemoto: I want to steer the organization effectively to make the business bigger.

I believe that having the members stay happy doing their work can be a key part of our strategy. In relation to what Uchida said, motivation has a big impact on the performance of a person. Reading the subtleties of emotions and “managing feelings” is as important as business strategies.

Tagashira: I want to be mindful of keep growing the business so it does not get stagnant.

Recently our Division has had the liberty of taking on some new challenges using marketing budget, and I think this is because the business has grown to a certain extent. On the contrary, when business growth becomes stagnant, you cannot try new things.

Providing value to outside users increases internal opportunities. Now that I know providing value outside and inside the company is interconnected, I want to put all my efforts to continue growing the business as the General Manager.

──Lastly, tell us what value there is for a startup to nurture talent. Yamada-san, what is your takeaway from the coaching?

Yamada: Startups are fun when they are growing rapidly but they can also be tough at many times, which makes coaching and nurturing talent all the more indispensable.

The good thing about working at a startup is that you could become a manager when you are still young. At a large company, you only get to be a manager when you are maybe 40 years old, but at a startup, you have the chance from when you are in your twenties. But because you are young, a lot of people stumble at the beginning. Although people slowly realize that “management is about bringing out the strengths of others” it is a big difference whether it takes you a few years to understand that or only six months. For me it took three years to realize that in my previous job.

If it becomes the norm for well-experienced coaches to help startups learn how to overcome challenges, I believe more and more startups will achieve growth with more speed.

Although it is important for startups to proactively hire experienced members, it is also important for founding members and young talent to stay in the company and step up in their careers. It might seem like the right answer to hire experienced talent if you only think about short-term growth. However, if you look ahead 10 or 20 years and think about continuing to build new businesses, you need both experienced and young talent.

To create more startups that can stay competitive in the long-run and to build bigger startups, helping young talent is extremely important. I would love to ask GB to continue offering this kind of support.