“Understanding the Mechanism of Temptation” — Philosophy : ‘Uphold the Principle of Double-Checks’

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

What Inamori said is quoted with “”.

 

“The very first double-check system I introduced was the internal control of the corporate seals for contracts.　

I made sure that the person who prepared the documents for the use of the corporate seal and the person who actually executed the document with the seal were not the same person

For example, the finance manager would be entrusted with the company seal. When someone brought a document requesting the corporate seal, the finance manager would review it carefully to determine whether it was appropriate to be executed and then affix the seal with full responsibility.

The finance manager, however, was not allowed to prepare the document himself. At the same time, the seal box was kept under lock and key, and the key was held by someone other than the finance manager.

So, when the finance manager said, ‘I need to execute this document with the corporate seal,’ the keyholder would confirm the document, retrieve the seal box from the safe, unlock it, and hand over the seal.

In this way, we established an internal control system of double and even triple checks in handling the company’s representative seal. This was to prevent mistakes before they happened, and to keep anyone from being placed in a position where they might commit wrongdoing.”

As Inamori explained, this was how he built a double-check mechanism into Kyocera. To reinforce such measures, it is equally important for leaders to be aware in advance of the potential “factors that invite misconduct.”

Interestingly, such factors can also be identified by means of Sanmei-gaku—an ancient Asian study of destiny and fortune. These factors that predispose a person toward misconduct include:

 

 

 

Let me now explore each of these in greater depth.

 

1. Lack of affection

Words of Kazuo Inamori

“Not everyone who has endured hardships will succeed.

A boy who is crushed by hardships will not do well even later in life.

If, overwhelmed by suffering, driven into a wretched, impoverished, and painful state, he begins to resent his parents, resent heaven, resent others, and fall into jealousy and envy—

If he grows up holding a grudge against the world, saying, ‘There are rich families and poor ones like mine; how unfair society is,’ then he will never truly prosper.”

 

— My Commentary —

In psychology, it is well known that a lack of affection can unconsciously lead a person into financial troubles.

Deep down, such a person carries a sense of never having enough love—believing that they must always be given more affection by others. In an attempt to fill this void, they try to substitute love with material things. Money becomes the most obvious tool to measure and obtain what feels like love.

A familiar example is a small child who takes money from their mother’s wallet. The child does not truly want the money itself. What he/she seeks is his/her mother’s attention—her feelings, her heart, her time. By taking the money, he/she is unconsciously asking, ‘Please look at me, please touch me, please love me.’

The same dynamic often persists into adulthood. Those who suffer from a lack of affection will, without realizing it, try to draw others’ time, energy, and emotional attention toward themselves.

When hiring people, it is therefore important to observe the environment in which they were raised, the way they approach tasks, and even the hidden sentiments behind their words (their subconscious). These may reveal whether they carry a deep deficiency of affection.

 

2. A negative view of human nature (inverted disposition)　

Words of Kazuo Inamori

“Small things of this kind, when accumulated, eventually lead to major incidents.

Every human being has moments of weakness.

If someone ends up committing a crime because such a weakness was exploited, then is this not the responsibility of management? If we had built a system in which wrongdoing was simply impossible, that person would not have been led into sin. That is how I see it.

This does not come from the belief that people are inherently evil, and therefore we must impose double checks to prevent them from doing wrong.

On the contrary, I believe that everyone is fundamentally good. But since people can sometimes be overtaken by a fleeting temptation, precisely for that reason we must not allow them to falter, must not allow them to commit sin—and so we implement double-check systems.”

 

— My Commentary —

As Inamori points out, human nature may indeed be fundamentally good.

Yet, depending on the environment in which a person is raised, their innate qualities can sometimes turn negatively—what in Sanmei-gaku (the ancient Asian study of destiny) is called inversion：a reversal of one’s positive traits into negative expressions

For example, suppose someone is born under a star that represents childlike innocence—bright, carefree, selfless, and naturally attractive to others.

However, in order for such a person to fully manifest this bright and selfless quality, they must be sufficiently cherished and nurtured by their parents and surroundings during childhood. If that experience is lacking, the same bright quality will “invert.”

Once inverted, the person may become overly dependent on others in all things, relying on them without gratitude, taking others’ efforts for granted, and behaving like an “adult baby.”

When hiring people, it is important to discern whether such inverted elements may be present in their character.

 

3. Timing within one’s destiny cycle

Words of Kazuo Inamori

“’When we reflect on life, the only true treasure is the growth of our character as human beings.

Our destiny runs as the vertical thread, while the law of cause and effect weaves across it as the horizontal thread.

Life unfolds as these threads intertwine—destiny shifts, bringing both misfortune and blessings.

When adversity strikes, instead of falling into despair, one should live with an attitude of gratitude—even to the point of saying, ‘Thank you, Heaven, for giving me this hardship. Thank you for letting me endure this suffering.’ Few people can reach such a state of mind, but at the very least, one must refrain from complaints, endure with patience, and overcome.

Conversely, when good fortune comes, one must not boast, nor take it for granted, nor indulge in extravagance. It is as simple as that.

The mindset to hold in times of misfortune, and the mindset to hold in times of blessing—these two alone are the most important things in life.

And yet, no one teaches this—not at school, not anywhere. Though it is such a simple truth, parents do not confidently teach it to their children.

Even if parents do say it, today’s children often dismiss it, refusing to listen. Despite being an undeniable and universal truth, it is rarely spoken of—neither in families, nor schools, nor society.

Among intellectuals with university degrees, it is even treated as a taboo. And because of this, nearly all of them end up ruining their lives.”

— My Commentary —

Even for those who do not suffer from a lack of affection, and even for those whose destiny charts show no inverted elements, there still exists what can be called a “period of temptation.”

What Inamori is pointing out here is that during such periods, if one does not remain vigilant, one’s words and actions can lead to negative consequences in life.

In Sanmei-gaku, such periods of temptation can in fact be foreseen.

To give a personal example: when I was in the upper grades of elementary school, my father fell victim to a fraud, which forced him to give up the shop he had been running.

Now that I study Sanmei-gaku, I can see from my father’s destiny chart at that time that he was under an influence described as “losing one’s grounding, losing clarity of mind”—in other words, a fated period in which he was vulnerable to temptation.

During such times, even ordinary work may unexpectedly lead to misfortune.

Because these periods can be anticipated, leaders and managers can pay special attention to staff members who may be entering such vulnerable phases.

When someone is in a “period of temptation,” measures can be taken in advance: for instance, refraining from assigning them overly aggressive activities, or instead advising them to reflect upon their past.

 

 

 

* 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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