Through my 16 years of work in the management consulting industry, I have met many management and business leaders. Although their industries and backgrounds are different, such as listed companies, regional core companies, small and medium-sized enterprises struggling with business succession, and startup companies, what I feel in common is that “management is life itself.”
It is not easy to imitate the image of a management leader who makes decisions from a long-term perspective and puts them into action. Judgments that look ahead to a future where there is no correct answer reveal a person’s own values ​​and outlook on life more than knowledge or skills. There are many situations where the “human capacity” that cannot be measured by numbers or strategies alone is called into question. I was often surprised to realize that “management leaders are human beings too.”
The president of a small- to medium-sized electrical equipment manufacturer was considering M&A with a listed company to expand the business. However, in the end, after many discussions with his family, he decided that his son would transfer to the company and participate in management. Although the funds and growth speed that could be obtained by selling to a third party were attractive, the desire to “pass on the company to the future together with his family” outweighed this. I felt that this was a choice of “way of life” that went beyond the rationality of corporate management.
Another commercial facility manager decided to make a major transformation from a local shopping street to a shopping center during the period of high economic growth. With an eye on the future of the region, he persistently persuaded the local community despite opposition. Forty years later, with the management team aging, he chose to transfer the business to a listed company. Behind this was gratitude and responsibility to the community he grew up with, and a desire for future generations.
When interacting with local managers, I feel the honesty and resilience that is unique to that region in the way they deal with local employment and labor shortages. In a project for the Tohoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry after the Great East Japan Earthquake, he experienced management support for about 30 local companies that were facing the difficult issues of employment for reconstruction and measures to deal with labor shortages. Seeing how each company’s CEO faced difficulties, and how they spoke earnestly about “what they want to leave for the next generation” and “the significance of their role in the development of the local economy” while working hard to rebuild after the earthquake, I was reminded that management is the very essence of interaction with the local community.

There are times in management where “determination” and “axis” are required, rather than just chasing short-term profits. As Steve Jobs said in his later years, “Even if I was successful, the essence of life was family, friendship, and love,” no matter how much technology evolves and businesses expand, in the end, what is being asked is “what have you valued as a person?”

In an era where the future is unclear, many management and business leaders will have many opportunities to face management challenges, suffer, and worry. Even in such times, the power to make decisions and take action from a long-term perspective. I believe that learning from the choices and attitudes of past leaders, refining one’s own values ​​and judgment axis, continuing to have a dialogue with oneself, and cherishing the family and friends around you will be a great source of strength to survive in the future.

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