Canon India’s Toshiaki Nomura highlights reflection as a core leadership skill
Toshiaki Nomura, president & CEO of Canon India, shared his insights on leadership on LinkedIn, emphasising "reflection" as the most underrated yet essential skill for leaders today. His remarks, made in a widely discussed post, challenge conventional notions of leadership that often prioritise charisma, vision, and strategy.
12 Aug 2025 | 1218 Views | By Prabhat Prakash
Nomura advocates for daily reflection, distinguishing it from annual reviews or off-site sessions. He said leaders regularly ask themselves: "What did I do today?", "Why did it work? Or why it didn’t?", and "What can I do better tomorrow?". According to Nomura, leadership is not forged in grand moments but rather through the consistent discipline of analysing one's decisions, reactions, and results, and actively learning from them. He asserts that this structured thinking enhances judgment and, over time, cultivates clarity, resilience, and trust.
In a world characterised by rapid change, reflection often feels like a luxury leaders don't have time for. However, Nomura argues it is a "game changer," enabling leaders to focus on what truly matters, align their teams with purpose, and respond thoughtfully to challenges rather than reacting impulsively. He concludes that the most effective leaders are not just quick thinkers, but deep thinkers.
Nomura's perspective resonates with many in the professional community, sparking conversations about other critical, often overlooked, leadership attributes.
Toshiaki Nomura was present at the inauguration of the 14th edition of PrintExpo 2024 in Chennai recently.