The reason why Kyocera has achieved success is precisely because the benchmark for kyocera management judgment is not "as Kyocera, what is correct", let alone "as a person, what is correct", but "as a person, what is correct".
Because it is universal, it can be shared with all employees, and this is the reason for Kyocera's success.
--Kazuo Inamori
01
Why does business require philosophy?
First of all, in most companies, no manager has asked employees the question of "what is right to be a human being" question.
The so-called philosophy I am thinking about is the answer to this question. At the same time, this is also the most simple principle of being a person taught by parents and teachers in childhood, to be upright, not to deceive, lie and so on.
Do such a minimum things still need to be talked about in the enterprise? Some people may be surprised, but it is precisely because of the failure to abide by the above-mentioned principles of being a person that various corporate scandals have arisen.
The second reason, the so-called philosophy, is used to indicate the purpose of the enterprise, that is, what kind of enterprise to run. At the same time, this philosophy should also show what kind of thinking is needed in order to achieve the company's wishes.
When Kyocera was first born, there were less than a hundred employees. In the face of them, I have repeatedly stressed that I want to make Kyocera a company that is the first in Nishikyoharamachi, the first in Nakagyo Ward, the first in Kyoto, the first in Japan, and the first in the world.
But to be honest, the moment I said this dream, I had doubts in my own mind. Yet even so, I still describe my dream to my employees.
How employees should think and act, from the way of thinking to the way of working, must be specified. That is to say, it is necessary to establish a philosophy of pointing the direction within the enterprise, and all employees must work together in this direction.
Therefore, in my philosophy, "set a lofty goal, continue to pay no less than anyone's efforts", "force yourself into a desperate situation", "live extremely seriously", such sentences express the serious way of thinking and attitude towards life.
From a young age, I was keenly aware of the need to set a lofty goal, and in order to achieve this ambitious goal, it was necessary to have the strict attitude towards life that was advocated in philosophy and strive to practice it to this day.
The third reason, because philosophy can give a good character to the enterprise, just as people have personality, the enterprise has the character of the enterprise.
Kyocera now has many production and sales outlets around the world, and most of its employees are foreigners, and as a global company, the issue of how to govern people is particularly important.
If you want to win the respect of foreigners, you must have a particularly excellent personality, that is, you must have the virtue of being a person. This "moral" word transcends national borders, is universally applicable, and is common to all countries, and if we cannot rule people with morality, the operation of overseas enterprises cannot succeed.
Excellent character can transcend the barriers of race, language, history and culture, and can touch the hearts of people in different countries in the world.
02
The triple qualities of a leader
Chinese thinkers of the Ming Dynasty proposed that as a leader, being introverted is the first-class qualification, being bold and heroic is the second-class qualification, and being sharp and exposed is the third-class qualification.
In other words, smart and capable, clever words, but a third-class qualification. Whether in the East or the West, it is quite common for people with third-class talents in the world today to be selected as leaders, of course, such people will be officers, and as employees can play a great role, but do they have the good personality to act as the leader of the group?
I think the fundamental reason why many enterprises in the world are abandoned now is that the leaders of many groups only have third-class qualifications, and in order to make society a better place, it is extremely important to select people with first-class qualifications as leaders.
But the human personality is neither innate nor immutable. Personality will change with time, innate personality may vary from person to person, even if you have a good personality, it is indeed extremely difficult to maintain your excellent personality throughout your life.
For example, people who were originally very diligent and very modest, once they had power in their hands, became arrogant and unrecognizable, and there are many examples of this.
Another kind of person opposes society in the first half of his life, but after going through the storms, taking something as an opportunity, repenting, and becoming a person with an excellent personality in his later years, this also exists.
Since it is changing, the benchmark for selecting a leader cannot be judged by his personality at this point in time, so when we choose a leader, we must also consider how to improve the personality and how to maintain a noble personality.
In the enterprise, the operator is granted great power, but the exercise of this power should be to protect the employees and create happiness for the employees; it cannot be used to suppress the employees and cannot be used to satisfy the personal desires of the operators.
As a business operator, you should take the lead in practicing this philosophy and constantly strive to improve your personality.
If this is done, the business will certainly be able to grow and continue to prosper in the long run.
03
Courage is the true source of leadership
An American journalist asked me why Kyoto Semiconductor was so successful. I thought for a moment and replied, "Because we never punish employees for failure." Her face was full of doubt, so I explained further.
If our employee accepts a challenge for the sake of the company, fails, and causes considerable damage to the company, we will not punish him in any way. Because if the challenge is accepted for the benefit of the company and the employees, and everyone has made a sincere and selfless effort, there is no reason to punish.
Sometimes, when an employee fails in a certain plan, we will immediately give him another task, which surprises him quite a bit. Although the previous plan failed, the employee learned a lot from it and could use his past experience to move forward.
Our company's motto is - "Respect God and love people", as long as it is the right thing, and there is a sincere heart, why be afraid?
True power has nothing to do with wealth, fame, or physical strength, but with the courage to do what is right.
Small business owners are usually motivated – they can see business opportunities at a glance, they are talented and wise and prudent. From many examples, they are also people who will never give in.
Most business operators can operate with talent and ability, but these alone do not make the company stand firm. Small company owners take risks and rely on their talents to achieve their goals.
But if you are bound by your own ability, even if you get a temporary success, in the long run, the company will not be able to grow steadily.
With the power of a soul that lacks it, we can easily become slaves to our talents.
04
Isn't it right to be a popular leader?
When Kyoto Semiconductor decided to set up regional headquarters around the world, I told the top executives in each region that they must be prepared to be hated.
I mean, just as parents must discipline their children with "strict love," supervisors must face resistance while practicing "great love."
In a challenging global marketplace, it's a luxury to be popular with employees. We must be crisis-conscious at all times.
However, it's one thing to be popular, it's another thing to create an atmosphere of harmony. Even the most popular politicians have the potential to plunge the country into war.
Japanese-style management once attracted global attention. For the West, it is difficult for them to understand why Japanese employees are so dedicated to their company. Therefore, many observers have come to the conclusion that Japan must be governed by some kind of magical system.
Subordinates are quite sensitive to the weaknesses of leaders and are easily detectable. Leaders who are unjust or cowardly will not be able to generate confidence.
When you try to communicate your management philosophy to your employees, you must first fill in the generation gap that hinders mutual understanding. These generational gaps can come from differences in age, lifestyle, and experience.
Maybe you want to be in the same age group as your employees, so you have more in common with them. Your lifestyle may be similar, but as a manager you can use the same background to guide your employees and make them more understanding of your ideas.
But in real life, employees are often more like your children — people who are a generation away from you. Therefore, the more you rely on the traditions and values of your generation, the less likely your philosophy will be accepted by these "new human beings."
If you want young people to know you, your philosophy must be universal principles, and you can answer: "What is right and what should be done for a person?" In this way, even if the employee is several generations away from you, he will agree.
Older people often lament the good and bad work of young people. However, no matter who it is, there is a desire to realize their dreams. If today's young people find their dreams, even daunting challenges will not deter them. If you take this as an appeal, they will also agree with your philosophy.
It is rare to come to this world once, is your life really valuable?
In any case, I want to tell these young people the correct understanding of "work": understand the meaning of work, devote yourself to work, and you can have a happy life.
I hope that they must understand that labor is a good medicine for all diseases, and work can overcome the tribulations of life and give your destiny a good chance. (End of this article)