23: Markus Baron, President & Representative Director of SGL Carbon Japan

Markus Baron, member of the Board of Directors of the German Chamber of Commerce, and President and Representative Director of SGL Carbon Japan, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of products from carbon, talks about his journey from the IT world into sales and leadership. In 2003, while still a university student studying Mechanical Engineering in Germany, Mr. Baron founded the start company Eastbeam Co., which expanded to Japan, then founded Wazap AG in 2006. These early experiences working in both Germany and Japan gave Mr. Baron a strong foundation to be the leader of a multinational enterprise.

Mr. Baron is half-German, half-Japanese and speaks both the native languages as well as English. Through his experiences and his heritage, Mr. Baron shares his insights about the cultural and corporate differences between his two mother countries. Mr. Baron explains how in Germany, people have a strong sense of responsibility toward their own work and function according to their job description whereas in Japan, “the general principle is to basically be on one ship and help each other…but not always constructive in terms of how the company achieves it goals.” Mr. Baron also talks about overcoming the challenge of being a young leader and building credibility through his IT background and language skills. He additionally seeks advice from senior leaders within and outside of the company, including members of the German Chamber of Commerce.

Furthermore, with SGL being a small company of 55 people, Mr. Baron discusses his experiences of gaining trust from his staff through transparency, delegation and supporting employee engagement.  He is mindful of giving praise and showing appreciation to create a safe space for innovation. Mr. Baron is also careful to take a step back from leadership when necessary so that his staff can take charge themselves.

Mr. Baron advises newcomers in Japan to learn the language and any form of Japanese art such as martial arts or sado to gain a deeper understanding of the culture and Japanese mindset. He also recommends interacting with local Japanese people by going to places like Shimbashi to find out “what the average employee talks about after five.”