This time, Inamori* spoke about the above motto in Kyocera philosophy.
What Inamori said is quoted with “”.
“ In the course of work, we must clearly distinguish between our personal and professional items. We must strictly refrain from bringing up personal matters during work hours and from using our professional positions to accept entertainment from business partners. This is why we prohibit making or receiving personal phone calls during work hours, and why gifts received through work are shared among everyone, rather than kept for personal use.
This is because even a small mix of personal and professional life can lead to a decline in morals, and ultimately poison the entire company. We must clearly distinguish between our personal and professional lives, and strictly discipline ourselves even for minor items in our daily workflows. “
The reasons why Inamori stressed this motto are as follows.
1. Concentrate on each one’s duty
2. Not to make staff despicable
3. Share the universal value
Let me elaborate one by one.
1. Concentrate on each one’s duty
“ At the company, everyone works seriously with the careful attention I mentioned earlier. At such times, if a friend calls you about something personal, you can just take the call and say, “Let’s hang out next Sunday.” That’s not how you get work done. I need people to work hard and seriously during work hours. That’s why I’m very strict about separating work from private life. “
→ Mr. Inamori also said, “Speak with your soul.” He said that he speaks with his soul and injects his energy into his staff, so when he finishes speaking, he feels exhausted and like an empty shell. If you’re that focused in your work, you don’t think about your days off or what you’ll do after work. I realized that I am still on my way to concentrate and work hard.
2. Not to make staff despicable
“ Once you experience such perks, it becomes a habit and you gradually become spoiled or despicable. In other words, poisoned or despicable people are raised in companies. I think that they are vile people who are treated as the lowest level of human beings. . . We must not do anything to raise vile people, who are the most despised human beings. ”
→ I think that people who take it for granted that they receive something from others or who ask money and valuables without any reasons are vile people. This is something that you very frequently see and hear not only in Japan but in all countries around the world. Ultimately, I think this is about how you treat yourself as a person. Do you treat yourself as a vile person, or do you value your dignity as a person and think that you are not a person who greedily takes money and valuables without a justifiable reason? I will always look back on myself and try not to do anything immoral.
3. Share the universal value
“ (At one of Kyocera group companies in the US) we discovered that the sales manager had actually received kickbacks from vendors, saying, ‘If you want a retailer for our products, give me this much kickback.’ I immediately fired the sales manager. “
→ There was a Hollywood movie called “The Devil Wears Prada.” The editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine has her secretary take care of her children, arrange private trips, and there are many scenes of extreme mixing of public and private affairs. Why is this kind of mixing allowed? I think it’s because of the underlying American culture: as long as you’re making money, no one can complain. This is because the logic that you can do whatever you want simply because you’re making money. This looks the culture and value spread in the US or even in the world.
No matter how much money you make, no matter how much sales and profits you make for the company, if you do something despicable as a human being, sooner or later, you will be rejected by society and the world. I would like to be aware of the culture behind mixing of public and private affairs, work hard, and fulfill my role.
To sum up, I think that drawing a clear line between work and personal life is very important to increase work efficiency, improve the humanity of staff, and acquire the value of being a good person. I want to look back on my past and keep reflecting on what I have done.
* 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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