Mickey’s Voice

Insights from our CEO

  • Many of us are physically separated from our colleagues: We need an open mindset to hear suggestions and criticisms and make the best possible decisions.
    December 7, 2020 3 min read

    Mindset, skills and knowledge: Inside Insights on Business-Do

    Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. At Rakuten, we are deliberately reconnecting to our core principles. Every week, we are holding a reading and Q&A session to explore a principle from Business-Do, the book I wrote to capture these core principles for success. This grew out of our efforts to welcome new recruits during the early stages of the pandemic. To ensure they could connec

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  • Speed is one of Rakuten's core values, but even as society and business continue to advance, patience remains an essential tool.
    November 24, 2020 3 min read

    Balancing patience and speed

    Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. We live in an era of instant gratification. We want everything to be fast — shipping, profits, communication, fashion, food — everything. So when something doesn’t happen swiftly, we are quick to criticize, even if that experience is far faster than it used to be. We are conditioned to value speed. Of course, I’m no different. In fact, you cou

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  • True innovation often emerges from reimagining how old ideas or systems can – with a creative application – be redeployed with new results.
    October 27, 2020 3 min read

    Why innovators can find inspiration in the everyday

    Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. As a global innovation company, we never stop looking for new ways to tackle challenges and achieve our goals. New business models, new services, new ways of empowering society and connecting communities around the world. It can be easy to become obsessed with “the new.” However, a great innovator can often find inspiration, not just by

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  • Mindfulness, exercise and entertainment: Rakuten CEO Mickey Mikitani on why we must explore new ways to engage our mental energy while working from home.
    September 18, 2020 3 min read

    Engage your mental energy

    Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. Perhaps it wasn’t obvious until it was absent, but we draw a lot of our work-related energy from interaction with our co-workers. On any given day, before the pandemic hit, we might have found ourselves at our desks, perhaps losing focus, mind wandering. But a quick check-in with teammates or a casual chat with a nearby colleague and we were snapped

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  • Why JANE’s representative director Mickey Mikitani is calling for a review of Japan’s COVID-19 entry restrictions for foreign nationals.
    September 7, 2020 3 min read

    Why reviewing Japan’s COVID-19 entry restrictions opens our doors to diversity and innovation

    Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc.Representative Director, JANE The impact of COVID-19 is making us re-examine many social and working norms. Companies who have moved with agility to reposition their workforce and challenge existing norms have found ways to thrive. It’s during times lik­­­e these that we need to draw on all our resources and talent. That’s why I called for a rev

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  • We all have the potential to emerge from our current crisis better equipped to tackle the future says Rakuten CEO Mickey Mikitani.
    August 19, 2020 2 min read

    Finding windows to work on your weaknesses

    Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. What are your weaknesses? Outside of a job interview, it’s not a question we’re often asked to face. Indeed, we are often schooled in the art of hiding our weaknesses, of avoiding the issues that are holding us back. Pro athletes, for example, are known to hide injuries. They’ll adjust training, rely on their strengths and try to skirt the problem a

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  • I've long been a proponent of rules – not for controlling individuals, but for connecting people in an organization through clear principles & shared values
    July 7, 2020 3 min read

    Re-examining Rules For Success

    Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. As countries reopen and work on restarting their economies, we find ourselves in a new world — one where there is much debate about the right way forward. Will we ever return to the way things used to be? Or is the world forever changed? And if so, what is the new normal? We don’t yet have the answers to those questions, but we can start by thinking

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  • What will the new normal look like? As many of us begin to emerge from the initial stages of pandemic lockdown, it’s clear that we’ll need a new way to think about business.
    June 19, 2020 3 min read

    Emerging From Lockdown: How Will Business Change?

    Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. As many of us around the world begin to emerge from the initial stages of pandemic lockdown, it’s clear that we’ll need new ways to think about business in the months and even years ahead. Yes, re-opening is exciting and a source of optimism for many, but we need to be smart and realize that we are not going back to old ways — at least for a while.

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  • Advice for executives, managers and team leaders still adjusting to the new work from home reality – especially those who, like me, prefer a physical office space.
    May 11, 2020 3 min read

    Managing from home: How to lead your team remotely during a pandemic

    Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. I’ve always been a big proponent of coming into the office to work. I believe the right office setting can be a strong catalyst for creativity. I even designed our own headquarters to promote collaborative, in-person work. There are few walls in the HQ and none in my office. Whether I’m in Rakuten Crimson House in Tokyo or Crimson House

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  • In order to prioritize employee safety, Rakuten welcomed this year's new grads with a video conference call featuring a personal message from Mickey Mikitani.
    April 2, 2020 3 min read

    Rakuten welcomes 2020 new grads with online video conference and remote training due to COVID-19 concerns

    Due to concerns for employee safety arising from the spread of COVID-19, Rakuten postponed the annual spring entrance ceremony planned for the approximately 700 new graduate employees that joined the company on April 1. Instead, Rakuten held a video conference call for this year’s new grads joined in person by Rakuten CEO Mickey Mikitani. In addition to the virtual welcome, Rakuten is one of

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