(I028) Rooted in Heritage: Leading in a Digital Age

The Real Edge in Today’s AI-Driven World Might Just Lie in the Paradox of Preserving Tradition

Join Me to Experience where Leadership meets Traditional Japanese Culture

Not long ago, I found myself sifting through stories—my mother’s memories, my Jiichan’s quiet teachings—pulling on threads that time had almost forgotten. It started as a simple curiosity. A question here, a conversation there. I wasn’t trying to prove anything. I was just… listening.

And then something unexpected happened.

With the help of AI tools—transcription, photo enhancement, digital archives—I began uncovering details my mom had forgotten. Whole stories began to resurface. Places and people that had been tucked away in the corners of memory were suddenly in front of us again.

What struck me wasn’t just the content of the stories—but the way I had found them. Tradition met technology. And instead of clashing, they intertwined. Just like the roots of the tree I was writing about.

When Curiosity Meets Complexity

Like many leaders stepping into this new era, I’ve wrestled with the pace of change. The pressure to adopt, adapt, accelerate. To digitize. Automate. Optimize. But in that rush, there’s often a quiet fear: Will we lose what matters?

It’s a question I’ve been sitting with as I build my practice as an executive coach rooted in Japanese cultural wisdom—an approach I call the Ensō Mindset. It blends the resilience of nature with the clarity of presence, and it honors the slow, essential work of inner growth.

I recall a conversation with David Cory, founder of The Emotional Intelligence Training Company (EITC), where he shared the title of his upcoming keynote at the national SHRM conference in Nashville: “EI-AI-O: The Critical Role of Emotional Intelligence in the AI-Powered Workplace.”

It was clever—a playful nod to that old childhood song we all know, now repurposed for a profoundly modern message. But beneath the humor was something deeply timely: a reminder that as workplaces lean further into AI, emotional intelligence isn’t optional—it’s essential.

A nostalgic phrase, reimagined to speak directly to the future of work. And maybe, like the song, it sticks with us for a reason. It was playful. But powerful.

Because that’s the paradox, isn’t it?

The more we automate, the more essential our human skills become.

Empathy. Self-awareness. Presence. These are not “soft skills.” They are essential survival skills in a tech-saturated world—skills that, as I explore more deeply in this article, act as the stabilizing roots that allow leaders to grow, adapt, and thrive amidst constant change.

The Turning Point: Wisdom in the Paradox

That conversation with Cory—and my own journey into my Japanese family’s past—led to a profound realization: The future isn’t about choosing between innovation and tradition. It’s about learning to lead from both.

Japan has modeled this beautifully for generations. Where else can you step into a 400-year-old Zen temple and meet Mindar, a humanoid robot monk delivering sermons on the Heart Sutra? Kōdai-ji Temple in Kyoto has done just that—welcoming AI into sacred space, not to replace wisdom, but to extend its reach.

That image—the ancient and the emerging, side by side—feels like the metaphor we need now.

Because the leaders I work with? They’re not looking for hacks or hustle anymore. They’re looking for wholeness.

And wholeness happens when we honor the full spectrum: roots and reach, heart and logic, tradition and transformation.

Join Me to Experience where Leadership meets Traditional Japanese Culture

Permission to Embrace the Paradox

So here’s my invitation: Don’t be afraid of the paradox. Live in it. Lead from it.

Use technology to amplify what matters.
Let tradition guide your direction, not weigh you down.
And remember: the real edge isn’t just about staying ahead.
It’s about staying human.

If this message resonates with you—if you’re ready to stop choosing sides and start leading from wholeness—then I invite you to join my next free webinar, “Japanese Inspired Leadership Webinar & Learn The 4 Pillars to Ensō Mindset”

You’ll walk away with tools, stories, and a renewed sense of possibility. And maybe, just maybe, the permission you’ve been waiting for.

Come join me. Let’s lead the paradox together.