Koji Higashino's new show to revive struggling comedians was quite the consulting session

I know I need to change.
But I don't know where to start.

I have seen many business owners like that in the field of consulting.
The other day, I was watching Koji Higashino's new show and it struck me.

This is quite similar.

A project to revive struggling mid-career comedians.
"Higashino-ri Revival Improvement".

Higashino was facing the 28-year veteran comedy duo "Headlight".
But halfway through, I started watching it thinking that this is less about comedians and more about business management.

By casting Koji Higashino as the revival agent, you've already half-won

This show started in March on Kansai Television.
It's a project to revive struggling mid-career comedians.

Casting Koji Higashino as the revival agent.
At this point, you've already half-won.

Higashino is not just a comedian who is good at being an MC.

In the Kansai region, on "Marco Polori!" he has been
teasing struggling comedians,
turning their quirks and weaknesses into laughter,
and ultimately establishing their characters.

Nagano.
Nadal.
Kuro-chan.

Recently,
Aoyama Fall-gachi from the group Nelson's.
While being teased by Higashino for having "flat-stage yips,"
he is starting to establish his character,
including his awkwardness and high pride.

Looking at those achievements, Higashino's "ability to draw things out" is quite strong.

Needless to say, it is a famous story that Chidori's breakthrough was triggered by Higashino's self-pitched segment "Go Home... Chidori" on Ametalk!, even though they hadn't fully sold out yet.

In short, Higashino has a track record of doing this many times in the field.

Thinking about it, I believe this "Higashino-ri Revival Improvement" is not a suddenly born project, but rather a show that has extracted the "revival" work Higashino has been doing in the field.

The first guest is a 28-year veteran with a monthly income in the 10,000 yen range

The comedy duo "Headlight".

28 years in the business.
A duo who were college classmates.

The reality is quite harsh.

The salary statement that appeared on the show showed a monthly income of 19,000 yen.
His partner's was 13,000 yen.

Both are married with families.
One of them even has a 3-year-old child.
They are currently supporting their lives through part-time jobs.

It's quite tough.

Even so, the atmosphere of the show doesn't get too heavy.
The show's title is not "Revival Factory" but "Higashino Nori Revival Improvement."
It's arranged to be a bit more pop.
Including the setting of a late-night Japanese-style room talk, the way they create the entry point is skillful.

Higashino also enters without any sense of intimidation from the start.
He loosens up the room by lightly making fun of himself.

But from there, he gets to the core quickly.

"What do you want to become?" was, first of all, coaching itself.

What Higashino asked first was,

"What do you want to become?"

The answer that came back was,

"I want to earn an average living..."

It's good that it doesn't end there.

Do you want to be on TV?
Do you want to do skits?
Is it improv comedy?
Is it being on the panel?
What do you want to make a living doing?

While repeating questions, he makes the goal concrete.

That's where this came out,

I want to go around doing gigs with manzai

was the answer.

Furthermore, the amount needed is

200,000 yen per month.

This part is quite important.

He doesn't fuel dreams.
He doesn't let it end with just a vague longing.
What do you want to do?
Where do you want to earn money?
How much do you need?

He articulates those points and shapes their goals into something concrete.

This is quite like coaching.
Instead of forcing answers on them right away,
he organizes their thoughts through questions.

On top of that, Higashino continues to ask more questions.

Are you guys actually funny?

And then,

If there were ten groups, where would you rank?
In terms of first-string, second-string, and third-string, where do you fit?

These are very probing questions.
Even so, the way he asks them doesn't come across as harsh.

He teases them, but he doesn't let them off the hook.

Solidifying reality with quantitative data, and digging into the essence with qualitative insights

What I thought while watching this was that what Higashino is doing
is very close to the structure of consulting.

On the quantitative side, he eliminates ambiguity.

Pay stubs.
A sense of ranking in the industry.
And the goal of '200,000 yen per month'.

While basing things on numbers,
he presses them in a way they cannot escape.
That is why reality is shared.

What was impressive was
the part where he asked what rank they think they are.

Which rank of live shows would call for you?
Higashino didn't let them escape this point.

The one with high pride
answers, 'We are second-string.'

Then Higashino immediately retorts.

Second-string comedians get paid more than that!

This remark was sharp.

He corrects their vague self-assessment on the spot.
Moreover, instead of crushing them emotionally,
he brings them back to the reality of the market while mixing in laughter.

In the end, the person themselves also
"That's true."
admitted it.

This is significant.

It's not about their own perception, but where they stand in the market.
He makes them face that directly.

I think it's the same for business owners.

They don't face reality, they talk about groundless optimism, and
in the end, they don't try to change.
Such scenes are not rare in the field of consulting.

That is precisely why I think what is needed for revival is not encouragement, but
first facing one's current position.

In terms of qualitative aspects, he was throwing questions from multiple angles.

What do you want to do?
What is your selling point?
Where do you think you are misaligned?

By repeating questions, he gradually visualizes the essence of the problems and strengths that the individuals themselves had not been able to articulate.

Solidify reality with quantitative data, and dig into the essence with qualitative data.
Higashino was doing that very naturally.

It's the same in management.
Sales, profits, cash flow.
The actual balance sheet.
First, look at reality.
Only from there can the next move emerge.

If you only think by yourselves, nothing will change.

Listening to the conversation, the situation with Headlight was quite clear.

They have about five routines.
Some are from 20 years ago.
They have always created them themselves.
They haven't changed their style much either.

In other words, they have been polishing the same thing all along.

That in itself is important.
Polishing one's strengths is necessary.

But that alone can lead to a dead end when the environment changes.

Higashino's suggestion was simple.

"Why don't you have someone else write your routines?"

Thinking by yourselves won't change anything.
That's why you bring in outside knowledge.

What was interesting here was the difference in the two's reactions.

One agreed honestly.
The other was bewildered.
They made excuses.
They resisted slightly.

I felt like I saw the bottleneck for their revival here.

They know themselves that they have to change.
But changing also means letting go of the way they've done things until now.

Even when the right move is visible, what ends up getting in the way is often, surprisingly, pride.

I see this often in consulting as well.
Even when they know they should incorporate outside opinions,
there are not a few business owners who struggle to change.

Polishing existing strengths is important.
But that alone can lead to a dead end when the environment changes.

Incorporating outside knowledge.
Mixing in different perspectives.

Revival might just be
whether or not you can look outward while simultaneously polishing your own strengths
after all.

Higashino is not a manzai comedian. But the essence is the same.

There is another interesting point here.

Koji Higashino is a solo comedian.
He is not a manzai comedian.
Of course, he is not someone who writes sketches either.

That was even pointed out in the show.
I certainly think that's true.

That is what makes it interesting, conversely.

Higashino is not teaching manzai.
He is not fixing the details of their sketches either.

What he is doing is,

organizing the current situation.
verbalizing the goal.
pointing out the discrepancies.
connecting external knowledge.
creating the next move.

In other words, he is organizing the structure.

Consulting is the same.
They are not experts in the client's actual core business.
But, looking from the outside, they organize the bottlenecks, strengths, and the next move.

The positions are quite similar.

He doesn't do their main job for them.
But he sets up a structure that makes their main job work.

He's not just analyzing. He has the power to draw things out.

I think Higashino's ability to make comedians shine owes a lot to his own natural qualities.
But more than that, I think it's something he can only do because he has affection for comedians.

If he were just coldly analyzing, it wouldn't turn out like that.
Even while teasing them, there's a part of him that wants to 'somehow make them shine'.
That comes across to the viewer.

Just conveying objective facts that seem like sound arguments doesn't lead to behavioral change.
Unless you remove the thorns from their hearts and flip the switch for intrinsic motivation, people won't move.

What's needed, I think, is a process where the person can truly accept it for themselves.

What you say is important.
But just as much, who says it matters just as much.

Character.
Track record.
Choice of words.
Sense of distance.

Higashino functioned by including all of that.
That's why it led to their actions, rather than just being persuasion.

Thinking about it that way, it reminded me of pro wrestler Tatsumi Fujinami.

A maker of great matches.

Instead of stepping forward and taking everything for himself, he draws out the opponent's strengths, and as a result, makes the entire match shine.
I feel like there's something in Higashino that resonates with that.

He accompanied them until implementation, getting them into a state where they could act

Furthermore, Higashino's greatness lies in the fact that he doesn't end with advice.

'Get someone to write your material.'

That's the advice part.
But there's more beyond that.

He actually makes them call someone.
He creates the flow to get the material written.
He even assigns homework for the next action plan.

In other words, he doesn't end with criticism.
He breaks it down into implementation.

And on top of that, his sorting is fast.

What is the problem?
Where is the misalignment?
What needs to be changed?
Who should they be connected to?

His assessment is quick.

Furthermore, the duo Headlight changed significantly within the short time of the program.

Grasp the reality.
Recognize the issues.
Clarify the course of action.
Organize thoughts.
And leave in a state where they can take action.

This is what's amazing.

He didn't just encourage them.
He didn't just lift their spirits.

In a short time, he finished organizing their thoughts and designing the actions necessary for their revival.
It was basically consulting itself.

Revival is not about encouragement

Watching this show, I thought about that.

Revival is not about encouragement.

It's about seeing reality.
Acknowledging your current position.
Putting into words what you are aiming for.
And if you hit a dead end on your own, bringing in outside knowledge.

Companies are the same.
Comedians are the same.

The reason for struggling isn't just a lack of effort.
Often, the structure itself is clogged.

That is why what is needed for revival is,
more than spirit, an assessment.
more than guts, a question.
more than an extension of the inside, a connection to the outside.

Watching Koji Higashino's new show, I was reminded of such obvious things.

The information is there.
But it cannot be fully organized.
There is no breathing room.
The resolve is not set.

In management, there are times when such time is necessary.

Just as Higashino organizes the structure of comedians, I look at the structure of management together with them. Connecting outside knowledge, asking questions that promote deepening, and being a sounding board to organize information and sensibilities.
I believe that is also one of the jobs of UK Partners.

If there are any managers who feel that such time is necessary, please feel free to reach out.