Article written by Katsuhiro Nakamura (Jack)
Continuing from the last article. What should we do to create a vision that empowers an organization? I have an example. Do you know Kurota from Hiroshima Karp (a baseball team in Japanese Central League), who rejected an offer from Yankees to come back to his home team? His decision of going back to where he started his baseball career over the monetary reward from Yankees impressed many people. You may wonder why this decision was impressive. Actually, there is a certain mechanism for people’s hearts to be moved. It is humanity. People are driven by emotions they primordially inherit without noticing since ancient time. These emotions are about love, family, one’s birthplace, beauty, joy, and so on. On the other hand, values people invented later such as earning money, academic recognition and etc, do not impress others so well. This is why Kurota’s decision of going back to the starting point over the money and fame moved people. The trick to drive people for your goal is to build in your humanity to the vision.
Recently, I heard this impressive story from a Japanese. “My father used to work in Thailand. Since he went there alone, we barely spent time together during my childhood. After a long while, he passed away. Now, I consider this opportunity to work on Thai-related job as my destiny. With my contribution, I would like to repay to my father’s and Thailand’s kindness.” No matter who you are, you always have the formative experience. It is just like the root of yourself. What was the most memorable occasion at work? Digging deep into your root, you will find links between your humanity and work.
It is also important to tell your vision as a story. Do you remember the time when your parent read picture books for you at night? Or some of you may be a parent who reads books to your children (I am also one of them as well). Children “picture” the story when they hear “once upon a time.” This is called auditory presentation. Human convert things they hear into a picture in their mind. Good story gives good pictures that attract people. This is an essential skill for leaders. One Thai manager told a story to his crews like this; “Let’s change the scenery of this factory together. Imagine. One day, …” This is a great way of communicating a vision. Of course, it is also very effective to utilize videos and pictures. From next article, we will dive deep into human capital and organizational management. Please look forward to it.
