This time, Inamori* spoke about the above motto in Kyocera philosophy.
What Inamori said is quoted with “”.
“ This is not a question of the amount of money involved. The problem is whether the basic principle of keeping the rules is maintained or not. Breaking the rules cannot be tolerated even though it is minor, cosmetics, or with a small amount. No matter how small the injustice is, it is never allowed. That is how rules work. When I explain this principle, everyone agrees, but soon people start making their own judgments and deviate from the principle. Therefore, it is necessary to place a fair-play spirit at the core of a company’s discipline and to clearly show both inside and outside that our company must be operated under this principle. “
Recently, I have been involved in cases where I must think a lot about how we interpret fair play. I think the following small details are necessary for us to be well aware of the fair play spirits.
1. Do not tolerate even small lies
2. Do not accept money or gifts
3. Have and demonstrate a clear judgment
Let me explain them one by one.
1. Do not tolerate even small lies
“ To those who hide themselves in the back and justify their position, I must tell them not to lie, simply because they just wanted to avoid fighting on the frontline, staying on the back to get the big picture of the battle field sounds an excuse…… You can manipulate the accounting figures with just one invoice. If this often happens, the reported sales figures are totally fake. “
→ When people are cornered, they lie because they want to escape from the When I was a child, I lied to get out of troubles and even when I was working, I did not pay attention to lying for minor matters. I regret that it was shameful behavior as a human being.
My reporting line manager at the time told me that lying is never allowed no matter what the situation. I think he was absolutely right. Lying about even the smallest things can lead to very big troubles. Maintaining an honest attitude also leads to fair play, and if you avoid lying, I think you can sensitively find even the smallest lies when others try to cheat you.
2. Do not accept money or gifts
” I think that the lowest level of human beings are those who expect entitlement without any efforts. “
→ When I work in the courts, I often find people those who are used to receiving money and things for free, without any reasons or efforts. They take them for granted to get money and goods for free. Some people start fake businesses simply to get the subsidized money. This kind of attitude makes people mean-spirited. Their life obviously ends up with misery. I think that we must not create such mean-spirited people.
3. Have and demonstrate a clear judgment
“ It is important to create an atmosphere where even new employees can confidently say, ‘I have seen many times such a practice is happening in the company, but isn’t this wrong?’ “
→ I just do not want to regret in my life. Therefore, I have no hesitation to tell others what I believe should be said or communicated at the time. No matter how much it may annoy our counterpart or sound unpleasant to him/her, I think I must tell them. The more people criticize others, the more lenient they tend to be on themselves. However, by pointing things out to others, I find that I can also openly listen to criticism and scoldings directed at me.
In summary, it is very important to maintain a fair attitude with full concentration.
We must always speak out our judgments about what is right and wrong to the other person, while avoiding even small lies as well as becoming a mean-spirited person.
* 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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