After spending 70+ hours over a two-week period, it was finally time for Masami Takahashi to present his strategy to Uber's COO, Ryan Graves. Besides the normal nerves that come with presenting a detailed plan like this, Masami hadn't even got the job yet. This was just part of the interview process. Little did Masami know that the 90-minute session he was about to walk into would change both the trajectory of his career and how he approached hiring new teams.

For the final round of the interview, he came up with a 34-page go-to-market strategy to demonstrate that he would be able to hit the ground running if he were chosen for the role. The session entailed a presentation for that strategy followed by a Q&A. To prepare, Masami worked on the presentation day and night for 2 weeks, consulting with lawyer friends, conducting surveys, and brainstorming with peers. He got the job and went on to lead successful operations in Japan, launching Uber Eats and managing the Rides business in Tokyo.

Today, Masami Takahashi is a trailblazing international expansion leader and current President of Scrum Studio. He says, “The formula for high-performing local teams is putting together people who work efficiently together and have complementary skills.” When it comes to building effective local teams, where do you start? 

Here, we will discuss the strategies that Masami used from his experience at Uber to build high-performing local teams and craft a successful expansion strategy. We will also discuss the Global Class Team Building Framework, which according to Masami, is an exhaustive tool that identifies the traits and skills needed to succeed in new markets.

RELATED: Are you looking for help in identifying the traits and skills needed to succeed in new markets? Book a consultation so we can walk you through the process

Uber at the time wanted to penetrate the lucrative Japanese market, which was also considered one of the most challenging markets to expand to. As Uber’s President in Japan, Masami knew building a high-performing launch team had two dimensions:

1. Hire a strong local team who can effectively localize the business

2. Set up structures to ensure that there is an effective collaboration between HQ and the local teams

How Uber Hires The Best Candidates

Uber Rides works on a two-faceted operating model: one focuses on getting as many drivers and the other focuses on marketing the app as the best ride-hailing option for users. 

Masami adds, “Uber is a platform that matches demand and supply. Unless you have sufficient supply, you're not going to meet demand. So, the problem that we first addressed is, ‘How do we maximize supply?’” They found that the key to finding a solution is to break the business problem down into a funnel and then assign people as it scaled. 

To illustrate this, Masami gave the example of his own Uber team. Back then, the team was just comprised of 3 people: one person worked on supply, the second one on demand, and the third was the city’s General Manager. 

As the business scaled, they hired more on each side of the funnel. “Someone would be looking at the top of the funnel, which is getting as many leads as possible. Another person would be working on the conversion of the funnel to get them through onboarding. And then someone else will be working on retention because otherwise, you’ll have to keep looking for more drivers.” 

Using Candidate Presentations in the Interview Process

How Masami got hired at Uber is a major influence on the way he hires today. During his job interview, he came up with a comprehensive go-to-market strategy deck to demonstrate his competency for the role. This process also allows a fast-growing company like Uber to evaluate the job seeker’s skills, talents, motivation, and behavior, leading to faster and more consistent hiring decisions.

As a best practice for future hires, Masami now requires applicants to also make a presentation. The topic depends on the role with a time constraint of just 72 hours to complete.  He says, “I came out of the Uber hiring experience excited to actually execute the plan I had created. I then realized that the exercise I did also had other benefits. It can showcase someone’s passion for the role, their communication skills, and analytical skills.” 

Skills and Traits Employers Should Look For When Hiring A Local Team

Every executive will have their own hiring mantra. For Masami, he looks for 3 specific traits in a job applicant: strong communication skills, problem-solving skills, and proactiveness. He also said that an important thing to note is that scaling partnerships and sales processes tend to depend on a person’s network. 

Having a local network is included in the Global Class Team Building framework under “Company Knowledge.” It points out that the best candidate has strong relationships with influencers and stakeholder groups in their local market.

If a company is looking for a tool that evaluates criteria for building a cohesive team, not just an individual candidate, the Global Class Team Building framework is what they need. When Masami saw the Team Building Framework, he agreed that it covers all the components of building the right team. The framework takes into account all aspects of what is required to accelerate through the market entry and market growth stages. 

As another important note on what makes up effective teams, Masami also believes it’s about putting people first. “It’s important to acknowledge each team member’s unique strengths and motivations, and not make assumptions based on their titles. Building trust requires patience. It's not just about saying the right thing or being logical and efficient. It’s more of being able to relate human to human, and how well you listen, give feedback and build positive reinforcement. Creating a successful business at a global scale comes down to people and connecting with them to help solve problems and make things better.”

How To Break Down The Barriers Between the Local Teams and HQ

To get the job done, it’s not just about the team on the ground but also about building effective collaboration between local teams and HQ. “Local teams will die on the vine without access to core,” Scott Coleman, former Head of Growth and International Product at Pinterest once said. It is essential that “Feedback Loops,” defined as two-way learning and innovation, between HQ and the local team are established. This multi-directional nature of feedback, communication, and translation is crucial. Otherwise, HQ will not understand the key learnings and progress being made in the new market, and the local team will not get the direction, resources, and feedback from HQ to support scaling.

Masami made sure that structures are in place to establish clear communication lines with HQ. He says:

“Japan was unique from a regulatory and cultural perspective, so I communicated those differences in weekly meetings, regional meetings, and every chance I got when we had a visitor to Japan from HQ. I actually learned the importance of this when I lived in France as an expat with Sony. Spending time showing HQ visitors around town providing commentary about the market and its consumers, and wining and dining with them definitely paid off to get more support for the French business.”

An essential key to getting that support and leadership buy-in is to build a rapport with the right stakeholder. It might not always be obvious in the organizational chart but it’s important to identify who has the influence to make decisions and mobilize resources within the company.  Masami adds: “Each market fights over who gets prioritized in terms of resources and funding. The ultimate decision-maker might be too busy to communicate with on a day-to-day level but someone close to them may be more approachable.”

The 5 Strategies For Building Trust And Improving Team Dynamics 

In summary, Masami shares these 5 strategies for building trust and improving team dynamics:

1, Hire talent that will complement the team and its culture

2. Lead with empathy and understanding while also navigating the cultural differences between HQ and the local market

3. Hire with an understanding of the people who can solve the task at hand, as well as when the company scales

4. Develop a robust communication and feedback structure

5. Align team with company mission and values during meetings