LabStories
Futa Mimoto
Director / Research Manager
Pharmacology Onco and Biologics Analysis Unit
As a key leader, how do you motivate your team?
I believe that people feel motivated when they are trying to meet a meaningful and purposeful challenge. We encourage staff to find a challenge worth meeting for our work and to take it on. We have a slogan “ask forgiveness, not permission”, meaning we want staff to act decisively and apologize for it later than to seek approval to act. We hope that our culture, with this slogan, lets our staff find a new challenge on their own and feel motivated when they meet the challenge.
What are some work skills which you consider important and why?
We handle many projects in our unit, meaning members are working on different projects. That could cause indifference to what each member is doing if we focused on what we are supposed to do. However, we can always improve our productivity and cultivate considerate culture at the same time. If some staff are really busy with an urgent matter on a project, the others could offer support without having an official assignment. This supportive action not only makes our workplace comfortable for staff but also enables us to maximize our potential as a team rather than allows someone to have potential without exploiting it. I am fortunate to see how powerful teamwork spirit is in my unit through actual experience, which makes me realize and firmly believes in the importance of teamwork.
What do you enjoy most about your current role?
It is a reward for me as a Manager to have the opportunity of getting to know each member well. We have lots of staff working with different motivations. It is always an eye-opener for me to know how different we are and fulfilling to think of what I can do for each staff to develop talent and ability. Being useful and helpful for my staff is the source of pleasure in my current position.
How do you enjoy your off-time?
I have three children aged 1, 5, and 7. Playing with them is always the source of my happiness.
What do you like most about CPR?
I love the agile and flexible work style in CPR. We are handling a lot of projects with new concepts, so meeting an unexpected challenge is an everyday occurrence. That is why it is critical for us to overcome challenges efficiently. When we face a challenge, research staff autonomously discuss it to find out how to tackle it rather than waiting for assignment by Managers. If necessary, we ignore boundaries between functions. I love this agile and flexible attitude toward challenges, which is a key driving to promoting a project nobody has ever worked on before.