An Important Point in Management During a Recession Is to Love Your Customers From the Bottom of Your Heart
World Teacher's Message No. 299

The Question:

I am 58 years old and work for a family-owned, building material manufacturing company with 20 employees. I am not a member of the company’s family, yet serve as a managing director. I would like to ask for your advice on the further development of the company during a severe economic recession.

Excerpt from Q & A session of the lecture titled, “Guideline to the future” given at Happy Science Tokyo Shoshinkan on January 25, 2009.

 

I assume that you are asking what you can do to contribute more to Happy Science in the midst of a severe economic situation, am I right? I think you must be brilliant to become a managing director of a family-owned company as a non-family member. Your ability might be No. 1 in the company. You should not feel ashamed of working for a family-owned company because more than 90% of Japanese companies are family owned. There are merits for such companies since they can work in unity. I don’t think family-owned companies have a disadvantage during recessions.

 

Management Skills Can Be Improved Even After 60 Years of Age

By any chance, are you asking me if you can work beyond the retirement age considering that you got ahead as a non-family member and serve as a managing director at the age of 58?

Even if you are not asking that, you need to make efforts to defy the age barrier and stay useful within the company. Generally speaking, companies tend to draw a line for retirement around 60 years of age. It seems rational to some degree if you think about it. Working does get physically harder after turning 60. As for Happy Science branch ministers, even though I want them to keep working as a minister even after age 60, they say they can’t physically keep up anymore and give up.

However, in terms of one’s management skills, there is still room for growth after 60. This is a general view and of course each person is different.

If you could get rid of your pride and just want to be helpful to the company, I think it is possible that an appropriate path will open up for you.

 

The Companies That Prioritize Themselves Over Customers Will Go South

The fact that you are striving at the age of recession is noteworthy. If I may say one thing about management during a recession, it is to “keep thinking about your customers and love them”. That is it. There are many logics and theories but if you want me to say one thing, it is, “love your customers from the bottom of your heart”. Your thoughts will reach your customers’ hearts. They can feel it. The company that is always thinking about their customers will not fall apart.

The companies that think they put their customers first but actually don’t will eventually fall apart. However, the companies that truly think about their customers all the time will survive. Is it real or fake, true or false love? Now is the time you are being tested.

 
An Important Point in Management During a Recession Is to Love Your Customers From the Bottom of Your Heart
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