Kazuo inamori, the founder of Kyocera Corporation of Japan, was praised as a "management sage" by Japanese enterprises. He is the man who founded two Fortune 500 companies in 50 years. He has experienced many economic crises, suffered setbacks and hardships, never experienced ups and downs, always followed the law, made solid management, made unremitting exploration and achieved rapid development. When the Japanese economy is in an unprecedented recession, kazuo inamori published this article, which provides a fresh idea for confused managers and injects a sober agent into arrogant and impetuous managers. There are many people who can't extricate themselves from their predicament. Those who can surpass themselves will take the lead in getting out of the predicament, and patiently listen to the teachings of the wise and the elderly, which is conducive to surpassing themselves and growing!

"I never expect everyone to accept my idea, but I have always adhered to my business philosophy and proved that it is successful." -kazuo inamori

1959, I founded kyocera company with my bare hands. 1984, I founded DDI company. The development of both companies can be described as rapid. Personally, I have no outstanding intelligence, but I have faithfully followed the basic principles of management, which is the reason for my success.

First, make clear the purpose and significance of the cause.

The first principle is to clarify the purpose and significance of the cause, that is, to establish an aboveboard, upright and noble career purpose.

Why did you start a business? What is the reason for the existence of enterprises? Some people want to make money, others want to support their families, which are all good. However, it is not feasible for all employees to share joys and sorrows with themselves and work together. "It turns out that my work has such a lofty significance". Without the so-called "righteousness and birthright", it is difficult for people to have a desire to keep working hard from the bottom of their hearts.

When I founded Kyocera, I met a major test of "What is the purpose of my career". . At that time, I didn't understand this big management principle. "Using my own pottery-making technology to develop new products and push them to the market" was my career purpose at that time. But unexpectedly, in the third year of starting a business, young employees rebelled. In the second year of its establishment, the company recruited more than a dozen high school graduates, and after a year of tempering, it has become a new force. Suddenly, they held a joint petition and collectively negotiated with me. The petition stated the annual minimum wage increase and minimum bonus, and should continue to increase in the future, and so on. Let me make a promise, make a promise.

At the beginning of the recruitment interview, I made it clear: "I don't know what the company can do, but I will try my best to become a first-class enterprise." Do you want to try this company? "They understood what I said, but after only one year, they signed a letter and threatened to resign collectively if they did not agree to the conditions.

The new company was short of people, so they became the main force. If they leave, the company will suffer losses. But if they are stubborn, there is nothing they can do. I refused to compromise and gave a clear answer: "I don't accept your terms."

The company was founded less than three years ago, and I'm still not sure about its future. The description of the future can only be "devote yourself wholeheartedly and there will always be achievements" In order to keep them, I can't make a promise that lacks confidence and goes against my will.

The negotiations from the company to my home were deadlocked for three days and nights. I said to them, "As an operator, I will never do it only for myself. I will try my best to make the company a good enterprise that you recognize from the heart. I can't prove to you whether this statement is true or not. How do you feel about being fooled? I want to fight for my life and achieve my career. If I am not responsible for my business, or I am greedy for personal gain, and you feel cheated, then kill me. "

After three days and nights, they finally believed me and withdrew their conditions. Not only stay, but also work harder. These people later became the backbone of Kyocera.

But this incident stung me deeply and made me realize that the fundamental significance and real purpose of enterprise management is neither "a dream of a round technician" nor "a private belly of a fat operator". Operators must do their best for the happiness of employees in both material and spiritual aspects; We must transcend selfishness and let enterprises have a sense of justice and fame.

This aboveboard professional purpose can best arouse the inner voice of employees and get their long-term and all-round help to the enterprise. At the same time, the righteousness and birthright also give the operators enough confidence to be open and aboveboard, free from any constraints, and devote themselves wholeheartedly to the business.

Second, set clear goals and share them with employees.

Operators should clearly explain their goals with specific figures. Not only sales, but also profits, the number of employees and other projects involving the scale of the enterprise should be expressed in figures. And this goal must be clear in space and time.

The so-called clear space means that the goal is not the abstract number of the whole company, but the detailed information of each department, and the smallest organizational unit must also have a clear numerical goal. Furthermore, every grass-roots employee should have clear and specific goals. The so-called clear time is to set not only annual goals, but also monthly goals. So everyone can see their daily goals and understand their daily tasks.

Every employee works hard to complete the task, every department can achieve the goal, and the overall goal of the company is naturally achieved; Daily goals are achieved and accumulated, and monthly and annual business goals are naturally achieved.

In business, many people advocate that a five-year plan or even a 10-year plan must be made according to the business strategy of the enterprise, but I think this is unnecessary. Our company basically does not engage in medium and long-term planning. Because even if it is established, it is almost impossible to achieve. During this period, there will be unexpected market changes, even unexpected events, and the plan itself will lose its meaning. This kind of thing is very common.

When employees see more such plans, they will have the idea that it doesn't matter if they can't finish them anyway, or even ignore them. Once the operator reveals the business objectives again, employees lose the enthusiasm to challenge high goals. To make matters worse, the sales target has not been achieved, but the expenses and personnel have increased as planned, that is, sales have decreased, expenses have increased, business has been tight, and life has become more difficult.

Therefore, since its establishment, Kyocera has only been engaged in annual business plans. After three to five years, no one can predict correctly.

Third, there is a strong and lasting desire.

I believe that the environment is born from the heart, and the blueprint in the heart can become a reality. In other words, the intensity of desire to "achieve the goal anyway" is the key to success or failure.

It is common for operators to feel frustrated and confused about business problems. So, concentrate on unsolved difficult cases, think day and night, forget all about eating and sleeping, and continue to focus on one point until a breakthrough is made. Whether we can do this is a watershed in the success or failure of our cause.

A strong desire to win will form a subconscious mind, such as "how much sales to make" and "how much profit to make" ... This strong and persistent desire can even enter the subconscious mind by thinking about such a goal day and night.

According to psychologists, the capacity of the subconscious mind is many times larger than that of consciousness. Operators are always busy, and it is impossible to think about one thing for 24 hours. However, because the goal of "how much to sell" has entered the subconscious, even if you think about other issues, it will pop up when necessary, giving you inspiration to achieve the goal.

One day, when I was drinking in a hotel, I suddenly heard a stranger talking at the next table. What he said was very similar to my professional talent in planning a new career. So I immediately got up and asked, "I'm sorry, I listened to what you just said …" Before I knew it, I started a conversation and warmed up. Later, this gentleman joined our company and took this opportunity to start a new career. I have experienced this kind of thing many times.

This kind of occasion is nothing more than drinking at another table and meeting by chance. However, the strong desire has penetrated into the subconscious, and even inadvertently, it can turn accidental encounters into opportunities and lead to career success. This is the credit of the subconscious.

But before entering this realm, it must continue repeatedly, and there must be a process of wholeheartedly investing and constantly driving consciousness. If you don't think deeply about what you want to do, even if you don't do it or deal with it rashly, it will never enter the subconscious. Only the burning desire that keeps burning like fire can drive the subconscious mind to serve you.

When I founded Kyocera from scratch 40 years ago, faced with only 28 employees, I always repeated the words: "Let's work hard! We want to create an excellent company, the first company in town. No, Kyoto First Company! The number one company in Japan! "

In the absence of funds, equipment, technology and talents, I am keen to tell my future dreams to my employees. In the eyes of others, this is ridiculous, and even I can't help but take it with a grain of salt. However, the DPRK also said that it was too late and repeatedly advocated it. I don't know when it started, but I believed it! For this goal, unite as one and make every effort to achieve it!

Fourth, pay as much as anyone's efforts.

Working hard every day is the most important thing in enterprise management. If you want to live a good life and run a business successfully, the premise is to "work as hard as anyone else". If we can't do this, the success of business operation and life will be castles in the air.

This year may be a recession, but no matter what era, no matter what kind of recession, any difficulty can be overcome as long as you work hard. It is often said that business strategy is the most important and business tactics are indispensable. But I think there is no other way to success than hard work.

At the age of 27, he started his business and established Kyocera Company. At that time, I didn't even know the word "essence" in business. I only had one thought in my heart, and I couldn't let the company go bankrupt and the people who supported me and paid for our company suffer. To this end, I work hard, often from early morning to early morning. It is precisely because of this diligence that Kyocera has today's glory.

I often think of my uncle. After the war, he was penniless and started a vegetable business. My uncle only graduated from primary school. No matter in summer or winter, he pulls a big scooter much bigger than himself to do business every day and is laughed at by his neighbors. He didn't know what business was, how to do it, or accounting, but with diligence and hard work, his vegetable shop grew bigger and bigger until his later years. Without knowledge and ability, it is this effort that has brought him fruitful results. The image of my uncle is deeply rooted in my childhood.

Why do I emphasize "hard work"?

First, the premise of the existence of nature is that all life is desperately trying to survive. With a little money, the company wants to be lazy and comfortable as soon as it improves. This shallow idea is only aimed at us humans. In nature, such creatures never exist.

I watched a TV program. It rains several times a year in the harsh and hot desert. Some plants use this rain to germinate, grow leaves, blossom and bear fruit soon, and then wither. The course of life is only a few short weeks. They live tenaciously in the desert. Although their lives are short, in order to leave their children and grandchildren, as long as there is a little rain, they will blossom and bear fruit, leaving their seeds on the surface and germinate when it rains next year.

It is the survival law of nature to survive tenaciously under harsh conditions. We humans must be serious and try our best to survive on the earth.

I asked many people, "Did you work as hard as you could?" "Yes, I'm trying." I am not satisfied with such an answer! "Have you worked as hard as others?" If you don't work harder and harder, you won't have the ideal result.

Second, as long as you like your job, you won't feel pain if you work hard. Hard work is hard work. If efforts are to continue day by day, there must be one condition, that is, to like what you are doing now.

It is good to have the opportunity to do what you love, but most people are not so lucky. Most people make a living by doing some kind of work. In this case, we should strive to love what we are doing. I work hard, like my job, and then I relax.

Just like falling in love, no matter how hard it is, as long as you like it or are infatuated with it, you will no longer feel hard. Therefore, although I initially faced an industry I didn't understand and a company I didn't like, I made up my mind to like my work and my research.

Third, putting all your energy into your work will produce creativity. When you concentrate on your work every day, inefficiency and carelessness will disappear. No matter who he is, as long as he likes his job and enters a state of hard work, he will consider how to do his work better and think about better and more effective working methods.

Work hard and think about how to improve your work, so that you will be full of creativity every day. Today is better than yesterday and tomorrow is better than today. Keep thinking and thinking, and you will have good ideas and beneficial enlightenment.

I don't think I have any ability, but while working hard every day, I will use my brains and tirelessly pursue and scrutinize better working methods. In order to increase sales, is there a better promotion plan? Is there a better mode of production in order to improve efficiency? As a result of such continuous research, there will often be unexpected progress. Kyocera can constantly develop new products and open up new markets, which is the result of our diligent thinking and Excellence.

Fourth, hard work can hone the soul. If you work hard from morning till night, you will have no leisure. There is an old saying: "It is not good for a villain to be idle." Man is an animal. Once he has leisure, he will think and do things without scruple. But if you are busy and concentrate on your work, you won't have wild dreams and have no time to think about unnecessary things.

Zen monks and practitioners hone their souls in the process of penance. Concentrate on one point, restrain distractions and fantasies, and don't give them room to play their role. Through such practice, you can clear your mind, hone your mind and shape a pure and excellent personality. Therefore, hard work, like practice, can hone a person's soul.

Twenty-five years ago, when Kyocera was very young, I established Hesheng School at the request of everyone. So far, with the continuous development of Kyocera and the Second Telecom and Telephone Company, I can tell you that the most important thing I can teach you is nothing more than "hard work".

5. Maximize sales and minimize expenses

Enterprises live within their means, and profits follow.

When Kyocera started running, I had no business experience and knowledge. At the end of the month, I grabbed the financial staff and asked, "How was this month?" But there are many answers to accounting terms, which makes me a headache for a technical background. I can't help but say, "If you subtract funds from sales, the rest is profits. Then maximize profits and minimize funds, right?" I guess the accountant must be taken aback.

Since then, I have taken "maximum sales and minimum capital" as the main principle of operation. Although this is a very simple principle, Kyocera can become an excellent enterprise with high income as long as it is faithfully implemented.

As business common sense, with the increase of sales, funds tend to increase. But not right. For example, suppose the current sales volume is 100, and existing personnel and equipment are needed for this purpose, then the order will be increased to l50. According to common sense, personnel and equipment should also be increased by 50% to cope with production.

However, such a simple addition is absolutely impossible. When the order is increased to l50, the efficiency needs to be improved, and only 20% to 30% of the staff are added to obtain high returns.

The addition operation of "double orders, double personnel and double equipment" is very dangerous. Once orders decrease, sales decrease and financial burden increases, enterprises will lose money immediately.

To implement the principle of "maximum sales and minimum funds", a system must be established to make the details of funds of each department and month clear at a glance.

Soon after Kyocera opened, the so-called "amoeba management" management system was introduced. "Amoeba" is a small group composed of several people to a dozen people, which can be reorganized as needed. Kyocera has more than 1000 such small groups, forming a management system. The so-called "amoeba management" is to calculate how much added value each "amoeba" produces per hour. Simply put, it is to subtract all the monthly expenses from the monthly sales of each "amoeba" and then divide the remaining amount by the total monthly hours. As an operational indicator, we call it "hourly accounting system".

Kyocera is settled according to the "hourly accounting system" at the end of the month, and the actual performance of each department will come out soon at the beginning of next month. As long as you look carefully at the "time meter", the relevant situation is clear, which is convenient for operators to judge quickly and take countermeasures.

Because the "hourly accounting table" is more detailed than the general accounting subjects, it is also easy for employees engaged in practical work to understand, and concrete actions can be taken to reduce funds. After reading the details of the accounting table, "Ah, the electricity bill has been spent more this month." The person in charge of the site can clearly understand the reasons for the increase or decrease of funds, which is convenient for actual improvement.

6. Pricing is business.

Pricing is the responsibility of leaders, and the price should be set at the balance point that customers are willing to accept and the company makes money.

There are various considerations in product pricing. Low price, small profits but quick turnover? Or is it high price, high profit and low sales? The price reflects the business philosophy of the operator.

After the price is fixed, it is extremely difficult to predict how much you can sell and how much profit you can make. The price is too high to sell the product; The price is too low. Although it sells well, there is no profit. In short, pricing mistakes have caused great losses to enterprises.

On the basis of correctly judging the product value, we seek the point where the product of profit and sales volume of a single product is the largest, and price accordingly. I think this should be the highest price that customers are willing to pay. It is not the sales minister or the clerk who can really see and see through this price, but the operator. It can be said that this is the general principle of pricing.

However, even if it is sold at the highest price that customers are willing to pay, it is impossible to be unprofitable. The question is: how can we squeeze out profits at a given price?

Generally, manufacturers set prices based on cost plus profit, but in the fierce market competition, the selling price is often determined by the market first. The price set by cost plus profit is too high to sell, so if we reduce the price, the expected profit will be ruined and it will be easy to lose money. Therefore, I give technical developers such a position: "You may think that the job of technicians is to develop new products and technologies. But I don't think this is enough. Only by seriously considering reducing costs while developing can we become an excellent technician. "

We must strive to get the maximum profit within the carefully considered price range. To this end, under the premise of meeting all customer requirements such as quality and specifications, we must do everything possible to completely reduce manufacturing costs.

"Pricing", "purchasing" and "reducing production costs" must be linked together, and "pricing" cannot be done in isolation, that is to say, "pricing" is responsible for reducing procurement costs and production costs. This is why the price should be decided by the operators themselves. Pricing is management, and pricing is the business of operators.

Seven, a strong will like steel

It can be said that management is equal to the operator's will itself. Once a goal is set, no matter what happens, it must be achieved. This strong will is indispensable in business.

Many operators can't reach their goals, or make excuses, or modify their goals, or even cancel their goals and plans altogether. This rash attitude not only makes the goal impossible to achieve, but also has a great negative impact on employees.

Many operators often unscrupulously lower their forecasts on the grounds of changes in the economic environment. The target that has been lowered has to be lowered again because of the new environmental changes. If you retreat when you encounter difficulties, you will completely lose the trust of investors and employees. Now that the operator has decided to "do this", it must be carried out with a strong will.

There is another important point. Although the goal is the will of the operator, it must be won by the employees. At first, it was the personal will of the operator, and later all employees had to send out "Let's do it together!" Nice voice. Top-down high goals need bottom-up response.

It is not difficult to do this. For example, say something encouraging beforehand: "Our company has a bright future. Although it is still very small, it can look forward to great development in the future. " Then have a banquet, drink together and say, "I want to double my turnover this year." At this time, there must be a guy next to him who is good at trying to figure out the boss's psychology and let him answer the phone; "The President is right! Do it! " The atmosphere at this time makes it difficult for negative people to object, or even unconsciously agree. High goals are often passed with the approval of all employees.

Management is also psychology. Even if the goal is very low, if the "cold water faction" is allowed to speak first, they will say, "It is difficult and impossible." Once the atmosphere is depressed, the high goals expected by operators may fail.

I think: We must set high goals and then challenge them. Of course, the goal is too high. If one year, two years or even three consecutive years can't be completed, no matter how high the goal is, it will become a moon in the water and a flower in the mirror. The side effect is that no one will pay serious attention to the business objectives of the operators in the future.

However, there is still a business goal higher than that of the previous year. Otherwise, it is not enough to motivate employees and the company will lose its vitality.

Eight, ignite high morale

Management needs high morale, which is no less than fighting. If you are too good-tempered and have never quarreled, you should give the position of president to someone who can fight better.

No matter how good the management is, it is the law of the jungle after all, and the competition among enterprises is fierce. Even a small enterprise with only 2 ~ 3 employees will undoubtedly fail if the operators lack "fighting spirit" and can't play a high-spirited fighting spirit to protect employees.

The so-called fighting spirit is not rough, not violent publicity, but a mother's desperate courage to defend her children. With such courage and spirit, it is impossible for operators to gain the sincere trust of employees.

This heroism comes from a strong sense of responsibility to protect enterprises and employees no matter what, which makes operators brave and firm. Choosing operators depends not only on their ability, but also on their fighting spirit, which is to protect enterprises and employees, even if they are killed.

Nine, to run an enterprise, we must face it bravely.

Why do you need courage? First of all, it takes courage to judge things. There should be no problem in judging things and running enterprises with pure motives and correct principles. But in fact, it will encounter all kinds of resistance. For example, if you want to buy a piece of factory land, you sometimes have to deal with influential local politicians and even the underworld. At this time, it will be tested whether the operator really has the courage to adhere to the correct principles or to pursue safety.

Even if you are bullied, slandered or slandered, even if you face losses or disasters, you still don't back down, face it calmly, stick to principles and resolutely make judgments that are beneficial to the company. It takes real courage.

Operators will lose the trust of employees immediately if they have no courage, are timid and get cold feet. At the same time, employees will also practise fraud, not ashamed of cowardice, compromise and retreat at critical moments, and lose their positions.

Ten, continuous innovation, Excellence

Mr. David, an American journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize, quoted me at the beginning of a chapter in his book The Next Century: "What we are going to do next is something that people think we can't do for sure."

In fact, what Kyocera did in the past was thought impossible at that time. Before the new ceramics were developed as new industrial materials and developed into a new industry with a scale of several trillion yen, people thought it was incredible.

Make full use of the excellent characteristics of new ceramics, further develop semiconductor packaging and promote the vigorous development of computer industry. At the same time, new products such as artificial bone and artificial root have been developed for organisms. It has opened up a new industrial field of precision ceramics, and even been hailed as creating another "Neolithic Age", which goes without saying.

Why is Kyocera so original? Many Japanese operators attribute the reason to the technical development strength of Kyocera. Compared with themselves, they will say, "Our company lacks that technology, and it is a last resort not to develop it."

I don't think this view holds water. No company is born with outstanding technology, and advanced technology does not fall from the sky. Study hard, strive for perfection, and innovate constantly. Today is better than yesterday, and tomorrow will surpass today. Every day, progress is accumulated, from which original technology and management can be produced.

"You can't repeat the same homework in the same way every day, but keep innovating." If this sentence is taken as the company's policy, it should be clearly put forward, and operators should take the lead in setting an example. In this way, after 3 ~ 4 years, the enterprise will be original and can carry out fruitful technology development.

Instead of deciding what you can do in the future with your current ability, you should set a high goal that your current ability can't reach now and decide to achieve it at some point in the future. What you can't do now, you must do it anyway! Only with this strong sense of mission can we open up a new era.

XI。 Be compassionate and honest with others.

The sympathy mentioned here can also be called "altruistic" heart. Consider not only your own interests, but also the interests of the other party. If necessary, even if you sacrifice yourself, you should try your best for each other. In my opinion, this beautiful mind is the most important even in the business world. However, many people think that "sympathy" and "altruism" are actually difficult to implement in the law of the jungle business society. But this is not the case.

Kyocera has a subsidiary in the United States that produces electronic parts, called AVX Company. During the period of 1989, AVX was in the leading position in the field of capacitors. In order to develop Kyocera into a comprehensive electronic parts company, I asked the chairman of AVX Company to buy this company.

The chairman readily agreed. The acquisition takes the form of "stock exchange". We decided to overvalue the AVX stock with a price of about $20 on the NYSE at that time by 50%, that is, to evaluate it at $30, and exchange it with Kyocera stock with a price of $82 listed on the same exchange.

However, the other party's chairman immediately suggested that the price of $30 was still low, asking for a price increase, hoping to clinch a deal at $32. At that time, the president and lawyer of Kyocera USA expressed strong opposition. They think that agreeing to such a request easily will push your luck in future negotiations, which is not good for Kyocera. But I think the chairman should be responsible to his shareholders, and his request should be understood, so he agreed to the other party's request.

However, when the two stocks were about to be delivered, the Dow Jones index of new york Stock Exchange fell sharply, and Kyocera shares also fell by $65,438+00 to $72. Seeing this situation, the other party's chairman requested that the original exchange condition of 82 to 32 be changed to 72 to 32.

Generally speaking, if Kyocera's performance declines, Kyocera will certainly be responsible. Now that the stock market has fallen across the board, the share swap ratio is completely unnecessary.

However, I once again accepted the unfavorable change conditions. This is neither a calculation nor an emotion. Merger and acquisition is the combination of two enterprises with completely different cultures, and it is a marriage between enterprises, so we should consider each other to the maximum extent.

After the acquisition, Kyocera's share price rose all the way, and the shareholders of AVX company made huge profits, and their joy infected the employees of the company. Generally speaking, the employees of the acquired company always have conflicts and dissatisfaction with the acquired company. However, due to Kyocera's high attitude, AVX employees were able to communicate friendly from the beginning and naturally accepted Kyocera's business philosophy. This also enables the acquired AVX company to continue to develop. In less than five years, Za was listed on the NYSE again. In the process of re-listing, Kyocera gained rich returns by selling shares.

10 years ago, many Japanese companies acquired American companies, but there were few successful cases like Kyocera's acquisition of AVX company. In my opinion, the biggest difference between their failure and AVX's success lies in whether they only consider their own interests or really think of each other. This "heart difference" has brought different results.

Twelve, optimistic and sincere heart.

No matter what adversity, operators must always keep a cheerful and forward-looking attitude, which has become my belief. Since you are engaged in business, don't be afraid of various business topics coming one after another. And the more difficult the problem, the more we can't lose our ideals and hopes.

Entangled by various business problems, but able to withstand the pressure and persevere, such operators seem to reveal a "tragic feeling." Because I talked about strong will and "fighting soul", some people may think that management must be a hard work, full of "tragic feeling".

On the contrary, it is precisely because management needs fierce fighting spirit and unyielding will that operators must keep a cheerful attitude at the same time. If you are nervous and relaxed, it will be difficult to persist in long-term operation.

On the one hand, it is the determination to "work hard", on the other hand, it is the belief that "it will succeed". Optimism in the face of difficulties and adversity is the iron law of success in life and the survival wisdom of operators.

For example, when you are sick, you firmly believe that you will recover, so take good care of yourself. For example, the difficulty of capital turnover is nerve-racking, but I firmly believe that as long as I work hard, there is always a way to solve it, so I will work harder to solve it. As long as you work hard, things will definitely turn around. In the long run, optimism and positive efforts will be rewarded. Because it is natural, so is the world.

I call the above attitude towards life and work "conforming to the will of the universe". Compassion, modesty, gratitude, seeking truth from facts, those who hold such a beautiful heart and persist in their efforts, they will change their fortunes and luck will take care of them.