Visiting Senior Management and Listening to their Stories
After thinking back and writing about all the managers that had taken care of me, I suddenly wanted to go see them.
(Previous article: “President, There Must Be Something You Can Do!”)
What I have been thinking about is this:
I hope that through the expansion of the internet the freedom and happiness of the people living and working in Tokyo (local) will increase alongside the places to flourish for the people living and working in the countryside, such as my hometown Kochi.
Since I wanted to get some thoughts on the relationship from that sort of prosperous and more peaceful Japan and corporate management, I went to see that president that had so splendidly thrown the magazine at me.
*I tried to reproduce the magazine throw.
Apparently, there was no memory of that magazine throwing. I think perhaps during that time, it was a daily force that management had gotten accustomed to...
Nothing has changed from the glow of the manager, whom had experienced the peculiar characteristic of rapid economic growth of the 1970’s to the bubble era and then the crisis era that followed thereafter, and who retired from the front lines 5 years ago.
During the 1970’s, when the company president was in his 30’s, he was appointed to be a resident representative in America for a Japanese company. Initially, he had difficulty in English and he imagined American businessmen routinely stamping timecards when returning to the office, but he was surprised to learn of the terrifyingly hard work of the business elite and even more so of the overwhelmingly strong “marketing power” of partner and rival companies.
“Marketing” is deciding to whom, of what, and the how of buying. The entire organization, from sales to finance to even human resources, operates following this directive.
He said that he realized American companies are managed by this mindset. In other words, “marketing acts as the highest function of management.” Marketing is the technique of thoroughly pursuing the outcomes, not using time or people for useless things.
There were many things that happened thereafter, but he didn’t return to the old Japanese company, and it was said that it was his first job change, nevertheless to marketing for an American company that had also been a client.
American companies have been “marketing first” for several decades prior, but why didn’t Japanese companies adopt this as well? Was it Galapagosization?[i] We discussed about that and about what to do, and he gave me some hints to think about.
Thereafter, he became a top executive amassing 30 years of experience with 5 Japanese corporations. He spoke to me about the labor problems of current Japanese companies now inside stories he can laugh about.
Initially, we had planned for a 1-hour meeting but without realizing it, it had turned into 3 hours! It turned into quite a fun and deeply interesting time spent.
For that, I am very grateful.
[i] Galapagosization: widespread design of Japanese products specifically for the domestic market, making it unsuccessful overseas and vulnerable to competition from imports.
https://ejje.weblio.jp/content/Galapagosization
Linkedin
Facebook
Twitter