What Japanese hospitality can teach us about leadership
Japanese hospitality, or omotenashi (おもてなし), is rooted in the idea of anticipating others’ needs and offering service with sincerity and respect. It is not performative. It is personal.
As a communicator and business owner, I wonder what would happen if every team and worker approached their work this way…not from obligation, but from genuine care for the people they serve.
Listening for the temple bells: what I learned by taking a month off
When I started my business in 2019, I set a goal to be able to work for 11 months of the year. This fall I did something I hadn’t done since I was in my 20s: I took a full month away from work. Our month away gave me the time and space to breathe, and it changed how I think about leadership, communication, and creativity.
When “I’ll get to it soon” becomes “I can’t finish it”
Recently, I hired another small business owner I considered a friend to help with a website project. She assured me it would be done by the end of August. I paid a deposit and trusted her word. Weeks passed. Updates never came. Excuses piled up. Finally, she admitted she could not complete the project and offered to refund only part of my payment because her team had "done some research."