Organizational Development Policy Building a “Challenging Organization – NPO Red Look Fully Implements a Coaching Culture

Coaching

Building a “Challenging Organization” – NPO Red Look Fully Implements a Coaching Culture

— Creating a virtuous cycle of global challenges and skill empowerment through coaching culture —_

Introduction

NPO Red Look supports both Japanese individuals seeking opportunities abroad and foreign nationals aiming to build careers in Japan. Under the slogan “Making World Connection With Skills”, our mission is to create a society where everyone can take on global challenges and enrich their lives through skill-based opportunities.

At the core of our activities lie two major pillars: Global Challenges and Skill Empowerment. To sustain these, it is essential that our own staff members embody the same “challenger mindset” that we advocate.

As a result of internal discussions among our HR and organizational development teams, we decided that starting October 2025, NPO Red Look will fully integrate coaching principles into our organizational development strategy.

This approach aims to help each member define their personal axis (“self-axis”), leverage their unique strengths, and contribute authentically to solving global and social issues through our programs.

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Why We Introduce Coaching

The foundation of Red Look’s work rests on two axes — “Global Challenge” and “Skill Empowerment.” For both to thrive, members themselves must be active challengers.

So why coaching?

Coaching is the art of facilitating dialogue that draws out one’s inner values, motivations, and authentic goals. While still emerging in Japan, coaching has already become a major movement overseas. For example, the career coaching market is projected to reach USD 6.8 billion by 2032, life coaching USD 5.28 billion by 2029, and leadership development coaching USD 206.08 billion by 2032 (estimated at ¥150 per USD).

Over the past two and a half years, Red Look has experimentally introduced coaching within the organization. The results were tangible — staff members experienced notable growth, and external partners gave highly positive feedback.

The purpose of introducing coaching internally is to help each staff member verbalize their goals and desires, enabling them to act with self-driven purpose. If we — an organization supporting global challengers — are not challengers ourselves, our mission loses authenticity.

This realization led us to focus on nurturing the “self-axis,” defined as the alignment of one’s values, goals, and emotions. Cognitive science recognizes that this alignment produces the highest motivation and energy for action.

Key reflective questions include:

• What skills and strengths do I recognize in myself?
• What are my short- and long-term goals?
• What do I truly want to try or achieve?

These questions are core to coaching — empowering individuals to act with purpose and clarity. Red Look’s mission is to institutionalize this approach as a cultural foundation, creating an environment where “those who support others are supported themselves.”

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How We Foster the “Self-Axis” Within the Organization

Below are three practical steps NPO Red Look implements to nurture this self-driven, coaching-based culture.

1. Focusing on the Process of Self-Understanding

The foundation of a “challenging organization” begins with defining one’s personal axis.

Each member reflects on their values, goals, and emotions, discovering what kind of contribution feels most authentic to them. We provide structured opportunities for reflection through coaching sessions and self-analysis sheets.

For instance, in our internship program, participants begin their first week by completing a self-analysis sheet — identifying their strengths, interests, and aspirations to share with staff mentors.

Learn more about our internship program

“Who are you, and what do you want to do?”

“How can your skills and strengths contribute to solving social issues?”

By engaging with these questions, members transform from task executors into self-motivated challengers.

2. Connecting Individual Purpose to Collective Mission

After clarifying one’s personal axis, the next step is connecting it with Red Look’s social mission.

We encourage members to align their strengths and interests with meaningful activities:

• Those skilled in languages: international partnerships
• Passionate about education: career program design
• Interested in global cultures: research and field interviews
• Skilled in design: communication and outreach
• Interested in media: storytelling and global exchange

This approach creates a win-win relationship between individual growth and organizational contribution.

3. Building a Continuous Coaching Environment

Coaching is not a one-time event but a continuous process embedded in daily practice.

We implement:

• Monthly reflection sessions (self-review + goal setting)
• Access to internal coaching support
• Peer-to-peer coaching across teams

As one of our in-house coaches often says:

“A coach’s life experience is as valuable as their technical skill.”

By fostering a culture where members coach and are coached, Red Look aims to create a sustainable cycle of learning, growth, and mutual empowerment.

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A Major Strength: The Presence of Professional Coaches

One of Red Look’s greatest assets is the presence of professional coaches within the organization.

Among them, Hayato Fujiwara, a long-time supporter of Red Look since its early community stage, has trained over 10 entrepreneurs within 18 months and coached clients both in Japan and abroad. He provides science-based personal coaching grounded in cognitive psychology, inspired by scholars like Daniel Kahneman and Carol Dweck.

His evidence-based approach empowers members to learn while growing, and grow while supporting others — creating a tangible, virtuous cycle within the organization.

With such experienced professionals, Red Look continues evolving from a mere “support organization” into a growth-driven institution of coaching expertise.

Read Hayato Fujiwara’s message here

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Coaching Programs Offered by Red Look

Beyond internal development, Red Look offers public coaching programs to expand this culture globally.

Our ongoing “Global Challenge × Self-Axis Discovery” online course pairs participants with internationally experienced coaches in 1-on-1 sessions to:

• Discover personal strengths
• Design a global career path
• Build concrete, actionable plans for future goals

Red Look’s coaching goes beyond skill training — it cultivates the power to design one’s own life.

We also provide the “Red Path Light Plan”, a program integrating English coaching, global career coaching, and personal axis coaching, helping individuals align vision and skill for international success.

(The Red Path program has since ended. To talk about your next step, please use our free consultation.)

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Looking Ahead: The Future of Red Look

Red Look is evolving from a “supporting organization” into a “challenging organization.”

Our future plans include expanding global challenge programs in Sagamihara and Machida cities, revitalizing local communities, and strengthening partnerships with public, educational, and corporate sectors across Japan.

At the same time, we will deepen internal coaching practices to ensure every staff member believes in their own potential and supports others’ challenges — creating a chain reaction of growth and empowerment across society.

“A challenging organization begins by challenging itself.”

Under this principle, Red Look will continue walking alongside those who aim to connect their skills and self-axis with the world.

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Written by: NPO Red Look Organizational Development Team