LiB Consulting Co., Ltd. provides management consulting accompanied by execution. With the mission of increasing “companies that make the world better 100 years from now,” the company strives daily with clients to deliver new value to the world through consulting. The company’s characteristic is its consulting style of “back-and-forth motion between strategy and execution” aligned with its mission. By running alongside clients and sometimes executing strategies in their place, they deepen knowledge of other industries and also develop new businesses. Beyond this new business development style, they also have organizational structures where employees can work with high engagement. As a result, they have been selected as a Best Company in the “Great Place to Work” certified companies ranking for 10 consecutive years. We asked about the company’s passion for its mission, working enthusiastically with clients.
Shingo Takeyama
After graduating from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Economics, joined Fast Retailing in 2017 after Mitsubishi Corporation and Boston Consulting Group. As HR Director of the company, led global headquarters organizational structure reform, HR system planning, and management talent development. Then joined LiB Consulting as CHRO.
Returning to the origin of consulting by doing both strategy and execution
——First, could you tell us the mission your company values?
We’ve set the mission of increasing “companies that make the world better 100 years from now.” I think this is also an antithesis to the consulting industry. Many consulting firms recently have set missions and visions, but few organizations are truly aware of them. Of course, each firm works toward solving client challenges, but I don’t think it’s OK if the organization grows just by solving problems. I want to do more essential consulting that looks at clients changing through consulting and enriching people’s lives.
——So returning to the origin of consulting.
Yes. In line with this mission, we actively take on cases that are difficult in terms of profitability. For example, large corporate strategy planning or system development is stable and profitable. However, we mainly do consulting for mid-sized, SMEs, ventures, and startups. We aim to realize our mission by supporting managers who challenge with an eye toward the future—SMEs wanting to support local areas or niche industries, ventures and startups wanting to surprise the world with their services. Recently, needs are also increasing from large corporations challenging businesses that create new value. We get more opportunities to be relied upon—large corporations empathizing with our vision, or consultations from next-generation leader layers in their 30-40s with an eye toward the future. As project ratios, SMEs are 50%, ventures/startups 20%, and large corporations 30%, supporting diverse clients.
——Specifically, do you do strategy formulation?
No, our consulting style is characterized by “back-and-forth motion between strategy and execution.” Many consulting firms call formulating IT strategies and doing system development/operation/maintenance “end-to-end,” but we formulate strategies in non-IT areas too, translating them into tactics and plans, and executing them with client employees or in their place. By committing to clients to this extent and guaranteeing visible changes and results, we create a revenue structure where companies of any size can pay fees. Also, by stepping into execution, our resolution of value shifts, trends, and customer/competitor movements happening in client industries increases, and feeding that back to strategy increases precision. The back-and-forth motion between strategy and execution comes alive in management too, raising the management level. To create this virtuous cycle, our relationships with clients become longer—not in 3-6 month projects but in years. Initially we need much time catching up to understand client industries, but as relationships lengthen, that time shortens and our profitability rises.
——Committing to both strategy and execution is reassuring.
I think going as far as execution is a very important part in moving clients. When starting something new, what ultimately moves people is the human part—conviction or emotional heightening. People don’t move in parts unrelated to strategy, like armchair theories that can’t be translated to the field, or distrust from short time spent together. By moving ourselves, we raise on-site resolution and ensure clients have the mindset to execute. Also, doing both strategy and execution enables flexible response even in rapidly changing times. 10 years ago, a good strategy might have been a source of advantage for months to years, but now strategies can become obsolete in months. Of course, formulating a good strategy initially is very important, but how to brush it up will be required going forward. When strategy and execution are separated by sections or teams, coordination is difficult, but at our company the same person handles both, creating efficient brushing-up cycles.
Challenging new areas like GX business, not just existing businesses
——You’ve also started GX (Green Transformation) business.
Currently, we handle new business development for enterprise companies. For clients challenging business strategy formulation in the GX area, we supported business and marketing strategy formulation related to “EVX (EV Transformation),” which we defined using our unique strengths. We originally had relationships with mid-sized companies in the housing and mobility industries, and often supported them while coordinating with car dealers. A major strategic pillar in car dealers in recent years is “how to sell EVs and increase customer unit price.” While supporting this, our company accumulated knowledge and know-how of mobility × energy. In 2021, we defined the new market emerging in the modern era where mobility and energy business changes centered on EVs are activating as “EVX,” and actively communicated information by publishing books.
——Support in the mobility industry connected to a new area.
Yes. As another example of expansion into new areas, we also handled a reuse storage battery business construction project.
Regarding rising demand for reuse storage batteries with EV adoption, a major electric power company was considering reuse storage battery business development. However, due to lack of industry knowledge, they couldn’t proceed with business launch.
——So you diverted mobility industry knowledge to the power company’s business.
Leveraging mobility industry knowledge accumulated through strategy and execution, we supported the major power company by doing research toward storage battery business launch. The project lasted about 4 months, including business hypothesis examination and PoC model proposal construction, raising client resolution on reuse storage batteries and the mobility industry, creating a foothold for business launch. The ability to develop knowledge from one industry to others like this is also our strength.
——So you use existing businesses as footholds to challenge new areas.
While dedicating ourselves to existing businesses, we multiply knowledge gained there to create new areas—so-called business development we do internally too.
Also, we have knowledge in housing beyond mobility, so we have a team mainly focused on real estate tech company clients. The housing industry is one of Japan’s most analog areas, but many startup and venture real estate tech companies are trying to change this status quo. Because we handled housing business before, we can clearly understand the feelings of managers trying to change the housing industry. In the past 3 years, our team supporting real estate tech companies has grown to about 20 people, and we support them daily hoping to become the one-of-a-kind presence close to real estate tech companies.
Drawn to “work creating a second Uniqlo,” joined LiB Consulting
——Next, please tell us about Mr. Takeyama’s career.
I joined a trading company as a new graduate, but doing segmented work in a large company didn’t suit me, so I transferred to a foreign strategy firm. I was there for 6.5 years. The first 2-3 years I was satisfied with work with great discretion and enjoyed working, but gradually feelings of “does my work have meaning?” grew. Companies that can pay major firms requiring high compensation are mostly successful large Japanese corporations—I struggled with whether we were creating any new value. Also, while maintaining high status and recognition domestically, Japanese companies’ presence is declining globally. With such background, I continued self-questioning whether things could continue this way.
——While holding such questions, you chose Fast Retailing next.
When I was growing up, Uniqlo was a rising venture from Yamaguchi Prefecture. Seeing the company grow rapidly impressed me, and I dove in. After joining, I felt it was a company giving positive impact to the world and enriching people’s lives, and felt I’d bury my bones there.
——What led you to choose your current company?
One day, a headhunter asked, “I know Mr. Takeyama loves Uniqlo. But what would you do if there were a consulting firm trying to create a second or third Uniqlo?” I was greatly drawn to those words but also doubtful. From previous experience, consulting companies receive compensation from already successful large corporations. A second or third Uniqlo seemed like a gamble.
However, hearing about the back-and-forth motion of strategy and execution and the internal business development derived from it, my heart raced. I also felt that the relationship between employees and our company of “if you join, we’ll develop you into a one-person consultant” connected to realizing LiB Consulting’s mission.
Hiring with high compensation, and if it doesn’t go well, hiring again at high cost is the method other major firms take. But knowing LiB Consulting has organizational structures viewing individual-company relationships long-term, which connect to mid-to-long-term relationships with clients and the company, I felt strongly attracted to its sustainable revenue structure even though not a large company.
——You could notice this precisely because you experienced major consulting firms and operating companies.
At major companies, work is segmented or the work entrusted by large corporate clients is fixed, so what you can do is limited. However, the motivation for many young people aiming for the consulting industry is, rather than high compensation or work-life balance, simple and honest desires like wanting to do meaningful and valuable work and tackle essential challenge resolution. By honing skills in both strategy and execution, I think we can respond to such desires.
By honing strategy and execution skills, I think you can become talent active in the future generative AI era. Areas consultants excelled at, like logically stacking facts, will probably be done with higher precision by generative AI. What will be required of us consultants is human aspects like drawing future visions and moving people’s hearts. By committing not just to strategy formulation but to execution, you become talent that won’t be replaced by generative AI.
A structure where all employees can aim to be “one-person consultants”
——What aspects of your company do you think were evaluated for being selected as a “Great Place to Work”?
With many people joining consulting firms without experience, individuals feeling they continue to fulfill their desire to “become a one-person consultant” connects to working with high engagement. We focus on employees being able to become full-fledged and do various initiatives. Let me introduce two of them.
One is the trainer system. By name alone, many companies adopt this, often with trainers for half a year to a year until people get used to work and the company. But we have trainers for 2-3 years until the target person becomes a one-person consultant. In addition, we’re thorough about trainer-target communication methods to promote growth. We do 1-on-1 meetings of 1 hour weekly, having targets verbalize events and emotions like “why did it go well/not well?” “why could/couldn’t I work enjoyably?” so they can notice learnings themselves.
——I think this communication flow is what you do with clients—doing it internally too.
Yes. By verbalizing your own realizations and learnings, it connects to actions like “then what should I do next,” and you can grow to do reproducible work. Also, since this activity burdens trainers, we set up a trainer role salary system and pay compensation. In exchange, they engage seriously, and to manage activities, trainer gatherings exist, sharing situations so trainers themselves can level up.
The trainer system inevitably has gaps in enthusiasm—caring people use much energy, others don’t commit much. Creating the system I mentioned ensures no variance among trainers.
——What’s the second initiative?
Developing personnel while giving detailed feedback on evaluation systems. While many companies do this with 5-6 rough evaluation items, we have “25 skills, 11 mindsets, and 20 basic actions necessary to become a one-person consultant” and evaluate semi-annually. For the 25 skills, since they’re divided into 1-8 levels, evaluators can’t give feedback on feeling or whim. You also know what you lack to rise to the next level, so there are no detours in growth. By clarifying the path to becoming a one-person consultant, we enable working with high engagement.
——Finally, please tell us what kind of people you want to work with.
Those with pure desires—wanting to leave good value for the world and society through work, wanting to try things that connect to the next generation beyond just themselves—are suited. Our clients are passionate talents with high aspirations—SMEs, ventures, startups, and next-generation leaders of large corporations willing to bear risk to challenge new businesses. To be trusted by such people, it’s not work performance but the base of “what value do you want to provide through work”—without will here, they see through you.
Our employees are also passionate people with pure desires, so talking about dreams together connects to engagement. Of course, there are people without concrete dreams at our company. But if the foundation of “wanting to do meaningful work” is the same, you can surely engage enjoyably with work. Going forward too, we want to passionately talk with clients and leave many values to society through work.
[Interview Postscript]
Executive Officer Takeyama’s words “work creating a second Uniqlo” embodied a passion that could be called consulting’s return to its origin—wanting to raise Japanese companies’ presence globally again. The thorough “back-and-forth motion between strategy and execution” and the educational system where trainers accompany trainees for 2-3 years until they become one-person consultants are proof of overwhelming commitment.
Through the interview, I was deeply impressed by the sincere development policy that allows no detours in growth. There’s pure enthusiasm of all employees facing the mission straight, and precisely because of the generative AI era, they value human values of “drawing visions and moving people’s hearts.” For those who want to “dedicate themselves to meaningful work to make the world better 100 years from now,” no stage is more fitting. Please grasp the joy of leaving value to society through work here.
ConsulNext / Senior Consultant
Masahito Tsukada
LiB Consulting Co., Ltd. Company Information
| Company Name | LiB Consulting Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Business | Comprehensive management consulting Planning and operation of education/training programs related to corporate management |
| Founded | July 2012 |
| Group Employees | 330 (July 2024) |
| Representative | Representative Director: Iwao Seki |
| Officers | Managing Director: Kazushi Gonda Director: Yu Kato |
| Head Office | 103-6029 Tokyo Nihombashi Tower 29F, 2-7-1 Nihombashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo |
| Other Locations | Thailand (Bangkok) |
| Affiliated Companies | Proucel Inc. Impact Venture Capital Inc. LiB Consulting (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Goofy Inc. |
| Overseas Partners | ISKRA Consulting Inc. (Korea) |
