Leveraging an ‘Atypical’ Background in the Corporate World
Lessons from Women Athletes
On January 17th, 2019, around 30 women gathered to our new venue Tokyo Chapter in Akasaka for the first time to hear Dr. Yumi Tomei, former Japan national team football player, and Janelle Sasaki, Japan Area Leader for EY’s Women Athletes Business Network (WABN) to talk about how to leverage an ‘atypical’ background in the corporate world
After the general announcements by FEW President Riya Rapp, Janelle Sasaki introduced the audience to what WABN is doing, with some statistics concerning women in business as well as athletes in business and the amazing skills they bring to the table.
One of the former athletes that WABN has been supporting is Dr. Yumi Tomei, former member of the Japanese National Football team and now Associate Professor of the Department of Business in Kanto Gakuen University. She is an expert on leadership, communication, and team-building. Tomei gave the audience the first lesson right in the beginning of her part – she shared how nervous she was with the audience, which in turn is a great way to calm yourself down a bit.
Tomei started playing football for rather practical reasons – her older brother was also playing the game, so the parents enrolled their daughter, too. Football became the hobby and passion of the whole family – the parents learned to play as well to understand the interests of their children and be able to support them better.
“I try to take that same perspective with my own daughter. If there is something that she wants to try out, there is no “you can’t” mentality, Tomei said.
Importance of Mentorship
Both Sasaki and Tomei had strong mentors in their lives to help them get to where they are today. Sasaki’s was a former boss who encouraged her to come to Japan, and Tomei’s was her WABN Mentor who helped her set goals and prioritize.
“It’s important to have an understanding of what you want out of the mentorship relationship and, as the mentee, be the driver when it comes to reaching out and setting expectations”, Sasaki advised those looking for a mentor.
Tomei, whose talk was full of endearing stories and laughter, related her experiences to the features and strengths that helped her become a consultant.
“As a woman playing football, I have come up against prejudices time and time again. As an athlete, I was said that I’m not smart enough to get a PhD, or become a professor, or start a business”, Tomei recalled.
Despite all the criticism, she carried on and believed in herself and her abilities to get through.
“Persistence and grit are important both on and off the field – don’t let people trick you into believing that you’re not good enough”, Tomei leaves the audience an empowering message.
FEW wants to thank Janelle Sasaki and Dr. Yumi Tomei for sharing their expertise, answering the audience’s questions with depth and grace, and staying long after to connect with the attendees. We also want to thank Kiwi Kitchen for helping us feel at home in our new space with the familiar food and drink, as well as our attendees for their rapt attention during the event and great networking afterwards!