Jeremy Sampson, Managing Director of Robert Walters Japan, originally started his career at Hilton Hotel in Australia, before moving to Japan to teach English. He joined Robert Walters as an Associate in 2005. In 2008, Mr. Sampson became the team manager specializing in manufacturing and heavy industries, coinciding with the Global Financial Crisis.
Looking back, Mr. Sampson thinks of this difficult time as a “year of learning” in which he worked to instil “great habits, great processes, and great discipline.” This put his team in a strong position when the market rebounded in 2010, making them one of the highest performing teams among all offices in Japan. During this time, Mr. Sampson explains how he learned the importance of being a leader that leads by example, working hard and setting clear expectations to earn the trust of his employees. He says: “if you're doing the same things that you're asking others to do, I think that is quite powerful and impacts people…[to] follow suit.” He also explains the power of accountability: “I think when people know that you would be checking in to see how something went, it creates accountability and there's more responsibility to do what's asked.”
To grow his team and organization, Mr. Sampson worked to further specialize in the manufacturing, chemical and energy industries. The division grew from 20 people to over 50 people by 2018, at which point Mr. Sampson had become Managing Director. In managing a larger team, Mr. Sampson talks about learning to lead through other people, welcoming feedback, and being consistent with his communication to ensure it reaches all levels of the organization. To make this possible, Mr. Sampson takes part in all first day training for new hires and communicates his leadership principles throughout the induction training process. He also has coffee with the new employees in small groups after their first month to check in with them and reinforce the organizational values. The company also has offsite meetings to have brainstorming and feedback sessions, which Mr. Sampson and the other directors review at a later time.
In retaining his employees, Mr. Sampson sticks to his simple philosophy of “hiring good people, developing them well and keeping them happy.” This not only includes financial rewards and promotions but being a genuine leader that provides a caring work culture. Mr. Sampson constantly communicates to his employees how he is there to help them in their careers and develop their skills, providing necessary training. As a result, Robert Walters has been ranked 16th in the Great Place To Work Institute Japan ranking in 2019, winning the best company award. When explaining how he keeps his employees happy, Mr. Sampson claims, “it's the simple fun things from company parties to drinks on a Friday afternoon, [as well as] actual initiatives.” For example, the organization has a voluntary wellness committee that plans activities related to health and wellbeing.
For newcomers to Japan, he advises them to learn the Japanese culture and landscape first. Secondly, building trust and engagement among employees especially during a time of labour and talent shortage. Lastly, he highly recommends building a networking in Japan’s international business community, which he assures is very welcoming.
