Management’s Point of View ~Begin with Your Goals in Mind ~

January 15, 2026

In Stephen Covey’s famous book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” there is a chapter titled, “Begin with the End in Mind.” That chapter opens with these words:

In your mind’s eye, see yourself going to the funeral of a loved one. Picture yourself driving to the funeral parlor or chapel, parking the car, and getting out. As you walk inside the building, you notice the flowers and the soft organ music. You see the faces of friends and family you pass along the way. You feel the shared sorrow of losing, the joy of having known, that radiates from the hearts of the people there. As you walk down to the front of the room and look inside the casket, you suddenly come face to face with yourself. This is your funeral, three years from today. All these people have come to honor you, to express feelings of love and appreciation for your life.

And here is a summary of the following paragraphs.

As you look at the funeral program in your hand. There are to be four speakers from your family, your friends, your work or profession, and your community organizations.

Now think deeply. What would you like each of these speakers to say about you and your life? What character would you like them to have seen in you? What contributions, what achievements would you want them to remember?

Look carefully at the people around you. What difference would you like to have made in their lives?

Some of you might have read this well-known book, which teaches the importance of having” big goals” in life. Once your purpose in life is set, your way of living naturally follows, including how you approach your work. For me, as a business owner, this habit has defined our company’s mission—“Empower Company Empower You”—and the vision—“Be the Best Accounting Firm to Work For.”

Our company’s mission, “Empower Company Empower You,” stems from my career experiences of seeing countless businesses fail to successfully enter the U.S. This mission is rooted in my desire to go beyond the mere handling of accounting and tax work—and instead to continually consider how we can help our clients grow in the U.S.

I want our employees to become people who can deliver meaningful value to customers. Achieving this requires more than average effort and the ability to ask “why” to cultivate insight repeatedly. Above all, I want them to become people who find joy in providing value to others.

While everything starts from this approach, implementing it in terms of practical work requires further segmentation. In this regard, our staff has taught me more than I would have been able to say about breaking it down into specifics.

Clearer goals are better

For example, a vague goal like “I want to be smarter” is less effective than a specific goal like “I want to become a doctor.” The latter makes it clear that attending medical school is necessary and what kind of study is required.

Consider the means necessary to achieve the goal

This is often discussed in Deep Digging analysis. Once the goal or purpose is clear, the next step is to consider how to reach it. For instance, if you want to get into medical school, you need to consider exactly how to do it: simply studying at home, attending prep school, taking online seminars, etc.

Set incremental milestones

Reaching a big goal isn’t easy. But take an entrance exam, for example, you can steadily work through each chapter of a prep book. As you accumulate these small successes, you build confidence in achieving the larger goal.

Regularly verify progress and direction

In any endeavor, things seldom go as planned. That’s precisely why regular check-ins are essential.

• Is the direction or approach correct?

• Have the necessary budget and personnel been secured?

• Is progress on schedule?

• What problems are likely to arise?

Regularly verifying progress like this helps prevent situations where you keep heading down the wrong path, only to realize later that things have gotten out of control.

Personally, I have indeed found that things rarely go according to plan. On a small scale, it’s about insufficient progress and quality in specific projects. On a medium scale, our employees’ understanding and implementation of the TOPC Axis are below my expectations. On a larger scale, it’s a question of whether I myself am becoming the person I aspire to be. While I understand that plenty of things are not going well or not being done sufficiently, I still believe this company can truly become one that delivers extraordinary value to our customers. I also think our staff members have tremendous potential for growth.

I’m not the best at communication, and I imagine many others have the same problem. There are likely many instances where my intentions aren’t fully conveyed, things aren’t done well, or things aren’t going smoothly, and I’m sure there are many misunderstandings.

In such situations, I try to step back from the “present” timeline. I refuse to give up just because my thoughts aren’t getting through now, or because things aren’t going as I hoped. However, I constantly ask myself whether my thoughts are truly for my colleagues’ benefit or just for my own self-interest. And if I genuinely believe in what I’m doing, even if I’m a poor communicator, I act in the belief that my thoughts will eventually get through.

In management, results generally don’t come immediately, and some people give up. But the employees who have stayed with me the longest know best how I’ve lived my life. My way of life, and what I believe gives life meaning, is to keep striving so that those who continue to work hard alongside me can grow and live their best lives.

And when I die, my wish is that at least a few of my employees will say, “I’m glad I worked at this company.” Whether I am understood now or not, I intend to keep striving, step by step, until the end.