This time, Inamori* spoke about the above motto in Kyocera philosophy.
What Inamori said is quoted with “”.
“(For me, around that time), even though I graduated from the university, it was really difficult to work for a so-called blue chip company. I had no choice but to work for that small company. Under such circumstances, I started devoting myself to the research(of ceramics). Although I worked for a company who was often in delay in paying salaries, I realized that complaints never worked to change my life. Therefore, I started focusing very seriously on my research work. As a result, my research progressed smoothly, and I was able to produce wonderful results.
As I cleared away all negative thoughts and devoted myself to a single research project, I started to be enlightened. Based on what I found during my career as the top leader, we created what we call the Kyocera Philosophy. At the same time, I understand that such a view of life, or philosophy, is extremely important and determines the results of my life as well as the future of Kyocera.”
→ Quite recently, I had a discussion with a certain person (Mr. A) regarding the contents of the service outsource agreement. As Mr. Inamori stresses the importance of the pricing, we offered Mr. A the best terms and conditions. However, Mr. A looked unhappy with the conditions and asked for the revision of terms. I have explained in detail why we are proposing these conditions by demonstrating figures. Mr. A, without any convincing reasons, kept asking to change conditions favorable to him. I have sincerely responded to all the queries he raised, but in the end, Mr. A decided not to do any business with our company. I respected his decision and we terminated our discussion.
Looking back at all the correspondences, I found out again that having philosophy is so important in our life to overcome the following deficits that Mr. A demonstrated to us.
1 Pride in negative ways
2 Victim mentality
3 Money driven mentality
I am going to elaborate on each point.
1 Pride in negative ways
Mr. A stressed that he was capable, diligent and a hard worker. Of course, I respect his enthusiasm, however, I found his capability was far less satisfactory. To compensate for this deficit, our company, which is responsible for moving forward with the entire project, has to spend a considerable amount of money. This is included in the terms and conditions.
I thought that, several decades ago in my career, maybe I used to behave as did Mr. A. I reflected on myself and also humbly checked my status quo. I ask myself if I am humble enough to assess my own capability.
2 Victim mentality
When I worked for a company, I always found myself to be underestimated and a victim.
Now that I have been managing a company, I can clearly understand: my past employers had provided the best options to me for my career development.
Given my past experiences, I totally agree with the saying: “You reap what you sow”. You are always the one to fulfill you and also to make yourself miserable. I reflected on myself when I was in an employee position: I did not pay attention to what other people did for me. I should have found considerations from others and have carefully noticed those supports.
It took decades, but I am now deeply grateful for companies and people who have helped me so far. With this kind of humble attitude, people may be able to stay away from such mentality of victims.
3 Money driven mentality
No matter how unsensible your request sounds, if you passionately keep stressing your desire, someone might accept your request. We have seen this kind of unreasonable compromise not only in business negotiations but also in diplomacies. However, at the end of the day, those who pushed the arguments across the arena often end up having unsatisfactory results.
They tend to lose important points while pursuing only their own economic benefit. What Mr. Inamori repeatedly asks us is thinking about what ultimately fulfills us. If you believe that money can solve everything, you would end up losing the fulfillment in your life.
Regarding the discussions over this agreement, I incorporated a lot of conditions on behalf of him, Mr.A. However, it is really a pity that he asked for the deletion of all those terms. Probably he thought that his responsibility looks too much. If he had looked into conditions from different angles, he could have understood his benefit. Under a money driven mindset, people are easily occupied with short term views and overlook the ultimate consequences. This gave me a lesson of how people got trapped with the trick made by themselves.
To summarize, it is important to think about the value which navigates our lives, to recognize that our mindset drives everything in reality, and to be aware of our own selfishness and obsessions. I believe those thoughts essentially help fulfill our lives.
Further queries or doubts, please email to ytomizuka@abrilsjp.com
News Letter subscription is here
