From Management’s Point of View ~Strive Harder than Anyone Else~

July 17, 2025

Over ten years ago, when my home was in Seattle but my office was in Los Angeles, I used to attend regular get-togethers with various people from Silicon Valley – engineers, venture capitalists, lawyers, professors, and the like. Once a month, on my way from LA home to Seattle, I would stop overnight in San Jose, where this gathering would take place.

At one point, a senior colleague suggested that I listen to a speech given by Masayoshi Son at a SoftBank Group welcoming ceremony, so I watched the video on one of these flights. You may have heard about Masayoshi Son, who dropped out of high school in Japan, moved to the United States, skipped grades in high school, went on to university, became an inventor, and started his sales and entrepreneurial career with the help of his professors. He accomplished things from a young age that few could even imagine. Still, what really jarred me was the scale of what he did. I also came to America on my own for university, studied, joined a good company, and later started my own firm. I always strived and tried to do my best on my own level. But while there were some similarities in terms of being forward-looking and working hard, the scale was completely different. I always thought I had strived. But I was suddenly ashamed and disappointed in myself, so much so that the person next to me on the airplane was compelled to ask if I was okay because I was crying uncontrollably.

A few years later, I heard a speech by Kazuo Inamori, then Honorary Chairman of Kyocera Corp. The first thing I remember him saying was, “Strive harder than anyone else.” In a calm voice, he described his younger days. How he had brought cooking pots and a clay charcoal grill into his laboratory so that he could live there while developing the U-shaped Kelcima made of forsterite ceramic insulators for television tubes, struggling every day, being covered in dust; how he had stood up on an overturned crate in front of his workers, exhorting them to “Let’s become the best company in the Haramachi district, the best in Nakagyo Ward, the best in Kyoto City, then the best company in Japan!” Each one of his stories struck me with the loftiness of his ambition, as well as the strength and power of his commitment to achieving his goals.

Son and Inamori were very different in their manner of speaking and personality, but for a long time, I was embarrassed by the thought that I would be unable to strive harder than either of these two men. Even if I were to say, “Strive harder than anyone else,” my effort would never be able to exceed Kazuo Inamori's or Masayoshi Son's. It just wasn’t possible. This held me back from saying that to the people in my company. Instead, I told them, “Strive to overcome yourself.” It sounded like a lie to tell our staff members to do something that I couldn’t do myself, and I felt a sense of guilt about that.

I finally found an answer to this within myself, following one of our Beer Bash events held earlier this year on the theme of “Striving to overcome yourself.” During the discussion, our staff members came up with some excellent phrases, including setting goals that exceed your current abilities, building on your efforts day by day, enjoying the act of striving, engaging others when you encounter setbacks on your own, and being committed to results, among others. I thought to myself, our employees are all sincere people who will surely work devotedly and build on their efforts towards personal growth. And yet, I didn’t necessarily feel from each one of them the determination to surpass their own limits or the burning flame of a fighting spirit. As I listened to them talking matter-of-factly, I must confess that I wondered whether they would be able to continue on without being overwhelmed by the hard realities of life.

And that is when I came to an important realization. “Striving to overcome yourself” is just fine-sounding talk. However, the reality is that we live in a competitive society, which requires us to strive harder than anyone else. There is nothing new or modern about this. There were times in history, such as the period of the Warring States, when failing to pay attention could result in death. And this is not limited to human society. In the natural world of survival of the fittest, there is not a single organism that doesn’t continue to strive to win out over others.

In the world of business, too, an enterprise that is seen as not being useful will be eliminated. Even if you “strive to overcome yourself” and become a little better than you were yesterday, you won’t be able to avoid elimination if other companies continue to outgrow you.

Upon reviewing our company, I can see that everyone is working diligently day by day. People are definitely striving to overcome themselves and doing their best. In actuality, however, in their current state, I imagine that they will indeed be buffeted by the rough seas of life.

The reason why the leader of an organization, or the president in a company, must constantly strive harder than anyone else is to create an environment in which the employees’ talents are sure to serve society, so that they are not swept away by the tides of change. It is the president’s job to maintain a higher perspective, to look ahead to the future, to consider what is needed for success, and to bring their employees with them into the future that they have seen. Whether or not an enterprise can be built to allow its sincere and excellent employees to live their lives with peace of mind depends on whether the president can seriously strive harder than anyone else. For an ordinary person like myself, not blessed with extraordinary abilities, I think that such an achievement requires a fighting spirit to completely dedicate my life to this challenge. I have finally realized that the first quality demanded of a corporate leader is the strength and power of commitment to outdo anyone else who may be ahead, not merely striving to surpass oneself. In the context of a company, every member of management must have that level of commitment. In the process of corporate growth, if management is united in its will and fighting spirit, then that company can surely become strong. And while our own firm is not yet at that level, I will continue my own efforts to get there, and for the requisite growth of our future leaders.