Prosperous in species: Philosophy “Devote yourself for others .”

This time, Inamori* spoke about the above motto in Kyocera philosophy.

What Inamori said is quoted with “”.

“The most beautiful and precious action that we can do is to do something for someone else. People usually tend to be selfish, but in reality, everyone has the ability to devote himself/herself to others. We fundamentally have a mind which is most fulfilled when we find that people surrounding you get fulfilled.

Once before, in the middle of winter in the United States, a plane crash occurred and at that moment when a man was about to be rescued, he let a woman who was almost faint saved, and that guy disappeared into the water. All human beings fundamentally have such a beautiful mind. Ultimately, we are connected as peers who can do everything for our friends and subliminally are willing to make all the efforts for others, to be a united group.”

Nowadays, people tend to pay more attention to the values of individualism. This is because Japan has adopted Western culture, ways of thinking, and values.

I must admit I have been influenced by this value and when I feel that I must stand out from others, it’s hard to devote myself to my colleagues. When I feel how we can have the mindset of devoting our efforts to our colleagues, I feel understanding below three points would allow me to conduct altruistic behaviors.

Let me explain one by one.

1 Intertwining among a species

“ Devoting oneself to the world, to people, and to one’s friends is something that a beautiful mind creates, and by doing so, one’s heart becomes even more beautiful and pure. In other words, altruism is a very important attitude to improve one’s personality. “

→ Intertwining among species is the idea that all the creatures do not exist as individuals, but that they have a mechanism that allows them to leave offspring and prosper as a group. For example, in animals, older ones stop eating for the entire group to survive, or one individual can sacrifice itself to save the whole group.

I think Inamori emphasized this motto simply because altruism is a mechanism fundamentally given to all the creatures. I also keep asking myself, whether I am doing my best for my friends and for the next generation.

2 Ultimate fulfillment

“ What is hard to understand for many people about amoeba management is the distribution of results, especially the reward system: amoebas with good performance are not given higher salaries or larger bonuses.

At Kyocera, even if an amoeba contributes to business performance and becomes a driving force for the entire company, it is not rewarded financially with a salary or bonus. The only thing given to the group is praise and admiration from others. “

→ This seems to be deeply related to the question of what ultimately makes humans fulfilled. Let’s say we adopt a performance-based, results-based reward system. Under that system, when the performance has improved, we receive a large bonus. It is true that for a short term, we can feel a sense of superiority and satisfaction.

However, humans always have anxiety behind it. What should we do to keep that winners ‘position? What if this sense of superiority disappears? What if we fall into the loser’s side? We may be immersed in a momentary sense of superiority while harboring such worries and anxieties. On the other hand, we will get most fulfilled when we are thanked for doing our best for our colleagues, get praised for working hard, and be given heartful praise and admiration from others. If you no longer receive praise, you may have to look at yourself and check your mind.

As long as you keep working hard with a humble attitude, someone must admire what you are doing. This brings you great satisfaction. You would be completely fulfilled when someone pays attention to what you are doing. This kind of fulfillment would never be experienced when you chase your own fame and financial rewards.

3 Contribution to the next generation

“ While one business becomes more and more prosperous, another business division will stagnate in inverse proportion. This would never lead a company, as a whole, a success. Even if you encourage the underperforming business division by saying, “You guys should work harder. If your performance improves, your bonuses and salaries will definitely increase,” it may not work.

People tend to try hard for a year or two, and if things don’t go well, they will gradually become sulky and resentful. “

→ I think this is especially true of communication between generations. For the sake of our colleagues, I also mean especially for the younger generation. Either in society or at home, as we get older, we gain more experience. From those experiences, we can do many things for the next generation. Even if younger generations are not willing to accept advice given by former generations, I, personally, would like to pass on what I think is important as a human being.

Mr. Inamori also said, “I told you guys ‘Devoting oneself to the world and to other people is the highest deed a human being can do.’ The first step is to fulfill the people surrounding you: your colleagues, friends, and families. This would lead to helping other people in the world.”

* Mr. Kazuo Inamori, the founder of Kyocera, KDDI (one of the top tele communication companies in Japan) and the top of revitalization project of JAL. As a well-known Japanese entrepreneur, he has been sharing his experiences and management know-how with managements of small to middle companies in Japan.

Further queries or doubts, please email to ytomizuka@abrilsjp.com

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