Jesper Koll is a highly respected member of the Japanese financial scene who has been working in Japan since the mid 1980’s. He came to Japan to do academic research before moving into finance as the Chief Economist for SG Warburg in 1989. He followed this with a succession of high-profile jobs including as the Chief Economist for JP Morgan Japan, the Chief Economist for Merrill Lynch Japan, as the Managing Director for Equity Research at JP Morgan in Tokyo, and he is currently serving as the Global Ambassador and Expert Director for the Monex Group Japan. Mr Koll holds a master’s degree from John Hopkins University and has written three books in Japanese.
When discussing the role of financial analysts, Mr Koll believes it is important for analysts to look beyond the numbers and get to know the people behind the data. Developing this knowledge will allow trust to build in the analyst’s relationships with clients which will in turn allow deeper levels of communication between analyst and client. Mr Koll believes this is what will lead to real success in the relationship for both parties.
According to Mr Koll, the new leader of a team can increase their levels of trust by quickly making their team members look good and demonstrating that they (the leader) will stand up for them when dealing with headquarters, particularly a foreign based HQ that doesn’t understand the local situation. One method to make team members look good is to accompany them to visit a potential client and assist them in closing a deal and then attributing all the praise to the team member. Mr Koll believes defending the local office and staff from headquarters while also promoting its virtues is a very important method of gaining trust. If a leader can make the ‘Japanese way’ on a particular issue the company’s ‘global way’ that will be seen as a very significant win and a sign of trust.
Mr Koll believes a leader is someone who can inspire others to be better than they already are. It is very important for new leaders to quickly get the balance of their leadership team correct. This means identifying good lieutenant/s who will cater for different needs of team dynamics such as a ‘whip-cracker’, some one with a can-do attitude, and someone who makes people feel comfortable.
