It has been 43 years since I graduated from school and ventured out into the real world. The belief I have consistently upheld during these years is to “be humble.” Stated in reverse, that means that no matter how old I get, I still have more to learn.
The society in which we live is composed of relationships within our companies, our families, and the community around us. It can’t be said that in such circumstances our own ideas and principles are always right. Acting solely on your own ideas and principles creates conflict and friction with others, and no matter how fantastic those ideas and principles, in the end they are often not understood by others.
Humans are born with various “desires”. We can be considered as animals that would mistakenly believe ourselves better than others as we meet our desires, and become vain and arrogant in turn.
Incidentally, my current responsibility is as “president.” Many believe that the president is the most important individual in a company, but I always wonder if that is indeed true.
Though it is true that I currently hold the top position in the company organization, can I really be called the most outstanding individual in the company? That is not at all true. In fact, I believe that a “president” is merely the top role in a company organization, and that within the company there are many individuals who possess a wealth of training and knowledge, fantastic ingenuity and talent, and superior dynamism that are greater than my own. From a human standpoint, those individuals can be called far better persons than I, the president.
Therefore, I believe that the role of a president is to do the utmost to bring out the various talents possessed by those outstanding company individuals who are better than I. To do so, I think it is important to always acknowledge that you have more to learn, be humble, intently listen to other people’s ideas and opinions, and discuss matters so that others understand your own ideas and principles.
As long as I live, I pledge to always maintain an attitude of humility.