Yatte Minahare: The Japanese Secret to Courageous Leadership (and Parenting)
If you’ve never heard the phrase yatte minahare, you’re in for a treat.
It’s a Japanese saying that roughly means “Go on, give it a try!” But it’s not the half-hearted “try your best, dear” kind of encouragement. No, this one’s got fire in it. It’s an attitude, a way of approaching life that says, “Stop overthinking and start doing.”
The whisky mogul Shinjiro Torii, founder of Suntory, made yatte minahare his company mantra. Everyone thought he was mad to make whisky in Japan, but he did it anyway. And that’s the spirit I want to talk about today: bold curiosity. The courage to act before the path is guaranteed.
Because let’s be honest, most of us have had that moment where we didn’t take the leap. We waited for the plan to be perfect. We wanted the data, the certainty, the guarantee. We told ourselves we were being sensible… when really, we were being scared.
Yatte minahare is the antidote to all that.
Leadership Needs More “Let’s Just Try It” Energy
The best leaders I’ve met aren’t the ones with flawless strategies. They’re the ones with a twinkle in their eye and a healthy disregard for “how things have always been done.” They don’t wait to be told it’s safe, they create the safety by leading through action.
Think about it. Innovation doesn’t come from endless meetings and risk registers. It comes from the person who says, “What if we tried it this way?”
The world of work moves fast. If you’re a leader waiting for full certainty before you act, you’ll be left behind by the ones who’ve already experimented, failed, learned, and moved on.
That’s yatte minahare in action, doing before you’re ready.
Parenting: The First Leadership Role
Now, let’s take that same spirit home. Parenting is leadership on steroids. You’re not just managing a team, you’re shaping a human.
And yet, we often do the opposite of yatte minahare with our kids. We want to protect them from failure. We tidy up their mistakes. We hover.
But here’s the thing: every time we rescue them from risk, we steal a little of their courage.
What if instead, we gave them permission to try, fall, and get back up?
When your child says, “I’m not sure I can do it,” instead of swooping in, say, “Yatte minahare, give it a go!”
You’re teaching them that confidence doesn’t come from knowing it’ll work. It comes from knowing they can handle it if it doesn’t. That’s resilience. That’s grit. That’s leadership training in miniature.
A Little Challenge for You
Next time you’re faced with a choice, a pitch, a project, a scary conversation, pause before the fear takes over. Then whisper to yourself: yatte minahare.
Because life’s richest rewards rarely come gift-wrapped in certainty. They come from leaping, learning, and sometimes landing on your backside, then laughing and trying again.
And if you’re raising little humans, teach them the same. Let them experiment. Let them fail safely. Let them see you try new things too. Children don’t listen to lectures; they copy courage.
So whether you’re leading a team or a toddler, remember this: Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s the decision to move anyway.
And if all else fails… pour yourself a whisky or a peppermint tea, and say it with me: Yatte Minahare!
P.S Are you a woman in leadership juggling too much? Let’s fix that. Book a quick chat with me here.