Management’s Point of View ~Accumulate Small Efforts~

September 30, 2025

I’m embarrassed to say that, up until I reached high school, I was not the kind of person who worked hard at things. I believed that athletic and scholarly abilities were things that people were born with; that I could never win against talented people, even if I tried, and that it was a waste to exert myself too much.

When I reached my senior year of high school, however, and began thinking seriously about what path I was to take, I suddenly realized a truth that was all too obvious: You can’t change the talents that you were born with, but what it means to exert yourself is to develop those talents to the greatest extent possible. I felt ashamed to have lived 18 years without grasping such an obvious thing, and I resolved to forcibly remedy my self-indulgent ways by going to the United States so as to place myself in an environment where I wouldn’t be able to survive without striving. With my limited English, I had to make continuous and steady efforts literally to adapt to an unfamiliar culture. Instead of remaining in Japan and handily getting by in life using only some fraction of my talents, I think it was very fortunate that I was able to taste the joy of continuous striving, even if it has been difficult.

Here, in light of things shared by our staff at our most recent Beer Bash event, as well as from my own experience, I’d like to consider the need for the accumulation of small efforts , and also why it’s so easy to forget that necessity.

• Quality comes from quantity

The directive to “improve the quality of your work” is often given, but people cannot magically improve their output. Even a superior human being like Ichiro Suzuki, the professional baseball player, accumulated small   efforts in his practice swing and basic training in a way that was unmatched. Instead of thinking and then moving the body, the idea is to practice enough so that the body can move without thinking. The same applies to work. By repeating the basics so much that the answer is apparent at first glance, accuracy increases, and the quality of the work improves.

• Growth comes from an attitude of continuing to identify problems

Once you believe yourself to be “complete,” growth comes to a halt. Is your way really the best? Is there not some better way? One should always be problem-oriented and continue to think about things. For the person who has the habit of continuous improvement, growth will never stop, regardless of the field or discipline.

• Effort doesn't always lead to the desired outcome

Something that needs to be understood from the beginning is the fact that efforts are not always directly connected to results. For instance, students who devote themselves entirely to preparing for entrance exams may still fail to gain admission to their preferred university. And it might feel for the moment that the effort was wasted. But the more important thing here is to have reinforced the habit of continued striving, even if the desired outcome was not obtained. This will almost certainly expand the possibility of success in future life.

• Good luck is essential, but those who don’t strive cannot capitalize on their luck

There are a few people who succeed by chance. And good luck is needed, not just in things like stock investing, but also in business, to move forward on the path to success.  You may happen to find excellent employees or secure major clients. Still, the business leader who fails to maintain steady efforts will find that the best employees will eventually run out of patience and move on to new jobs. At the same time, the largest clients will demand higher-quality products and services and tend to switch vendors. Ultimately, whether that good luck is capitalized upon or squandered depends on subsequent efforts.

• Don’t be envious of others’ success; maintain an attitude of humble learning

When there are people around you who are doing well, don’t be envious of their success. Instead, learn from their efforts and ingenuity. Even the most accomplished individuals will appreciate your attitude of receptive and humble learning, and they will come to view your success as well. Furthermore, the objects of this humble learning need not be limited to people at the top. For example, the above-noted section, “Growth comes from an attitude of continuing to identify problems,” was a topic that came about as a result of an episode related by one of our university interns at a Beer Bash session. Regardless of someone’s age or rank, I believe that maintaining an attitude of open-minded listening is important in making the company a more enjoyable place and cultivating a culture that promotes employee growth.

There are certainly people in the world who have become rich by chance. There are also those “one-shot” types who happened to hit a jackpot. Looking at people like that, who somehow struck it rich, it may be tempting to think that it’s a waste to work at things. But people whose prosperity is more than luck, who have accumulated steady efforts, are those who have been able to discern from their actions “why they were successful,” and who can reproduce that success. Rather than a single big win, it is the ongoing accumulation of small wins that makes for substantial success. The thing that makes someone who fosters victory at one organization all the more likely to do it again at the following organization is that they fully understand the way of thinking behind successful methods.

Be humble, learn from the strengths of others, and diligently build up your accomplishments. It is the person who continues to accumulate small efforts that will build a truly stable life.