In the early eighties, the business leaders of small to middle size companies in Kyoto asked Inamori* to share his experiences and tips of business administration through a couple of workshops. Inamori wanted to contribute to Kyoto’s economic growth and voluntarily started a small group workshop, which has expanded to Seiwajuku, which has 15,000 members all over the world. The members who started this study group shared some insightful episodes on how Inamori impressed and inspired them.
From their words, I would like to highlight how top leaders can learn from others. In other words, those are the attitudes that leaders demonstrate to expand their business through the learning experiences.
Tips are as follows.
1 Learn how to give a harsh feedback
2 Face with your mental blocks
3 Learn how to reflect yourself
4 Learn how to leave your obsessions
5 Treasure time of yours and others
6 Share what you learn
7 Use your desire and subliminal mind
1 Learn how to give a harsh feedback
During the workshop, Inamori got a phone call from Kyocera and shouted to Kyocera staff over the phone, “If you think that you will call him to your office afterward and privately give him your feedback, that will never work! You would forget what you were about to tell him, right? You should scold him NOW, now when he committed a bad business practice! Do not think about saving his face. Bad is bad. Tell him harsh words even in front of others!” Then Inamori turned to workshop members and said, “Hey guys, are you doing like that in your companies?”
When I was working as a team leader, I was not good at giving my teammates harsh feedback. I could not scold him. That was simply because I did not want to be the nasty one. As Inamori set out “Fulfilling all the staffs materially and mentally” as Kyocera corporate mission, he knows what the most important message for his staff is a caution when that staff is attempting to deviate from the right way as a human.
2 Face with your mental blocks
“Some members of Seiwajuku workshop found little value for them, left this workshop and never came back again. I am feeling it was a pity. All of us are not perfect and struggling with our daily lives. They can have soul mates here, but they don’t even want to look for those opportunities. “
One of the starting up members mentioned.
Psychologically, people unintentionally avoid an event or people which makes them face their hurdles to overcome. Inamori always tells us business philosophy for instance,
Do the right things as human beings.
Judge by the nature of things/events.
Be honest and open minded
Don’t worry too much about what you did
Those are the phrases that most business leaders have to face. However, as they unintentionally know that they were about to touch a sort of taboo in their minds, they naturally stay away from Inamori.
It is always us who can fulfill us or keep our lives difficult. We have been trapped with puzzles that we had created.
3 Learn how to reflect yourself
Inamori said, “I have always been reflecting myself every day. When I blush my teeth, I reflect on what I did today. Before going to bed, I reflect on myself and ask myself whether what I have done today was right or not. Self-reflection is such an important routine.”
Reflection, in Inamori’s case, seems to be a sort of “relief of emotion”. Relief of emotion, under psychology or mental block therapy, works not to create any unnecessary mental blocks. Thus, Inamori was always making his mental condition clear.
Most business leaders have to bear their solitude and can’t expect anyone to give them harsh feedback. Therefore, self-reflection is very important as leaders can care for their minds by themselves.
Further queries or doubts, please email to ytomizuka@abrilsjp.com
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