Kunio Hara is the creator of the renowned HO-ME-I-KU Method, an effective employee and executive education program for achieving success.
Customer satisfaction is crucial to a company. Low prices and high-quality services attract consumers. Michael Porter, an American management scholar, has also advocated management strategies to beat competitors and establish a competitive advantage in one’s industry. Indeed, if a company loses in the market competition, it will be forced to withdraw. “How do we win?” This is an essential question in business.
Yet, aren’t you exhausted by excessive competition? I respect the ideas of our predecessors who have driven our economy. With that as a premise, though, I would like to say that times are changing, and I believe some leaders might be growing tired of being extremely competitive.
Cutting salaries to make the company more competitive or simply firing staff—this kind of competition can make the work environment a “danger zone” where everyone is on edge. As a result, employees’ motivation can drop, which can lead to productivity declines and a vicious cycle ensues. Realizing this situation, many companies are now striving to improve employee satisfaction. After all, the first step in providing good service to customers is to increase the satisfaction of the employees who work for the company.
But there’s one important thing that I believe we tend to forget: What if the customers and employees are satisfied, but the heart of the manager at the top is worn out? I believe that if the leader does not have a relaxed atmosphere, employees will not feel relaxed and happy at work. If this happens, the entire company will become a negative atmosphere.
Why Happiness Is Critical For Leaders
A manager is at the top of the value delivery chain in a company. What management thinks and decides determines the value provided by the company. This is why I believe the manager must be in a state of satisfaction.
A leader’s role, however, can be lonely. In my experience, they don’t always receive praise for their work, but if something goes wrong, they might be the first to be blamed. This could leave them wondering, “Who will ever understand how I feel?” I understand why they might want to sigh like that. That is why I would like to propose “praising managers.” In Japan, where my company is based, to “praise” is to wish the other person happiness and prosperity. The Japanese version of praising one another is to work hard together as human beings, as members of society and as businesspeople who produce results.
With this in mind, I encourage managers to praise other managers. In doing so, they can be in a relationship of cooperation, not competition.
Praising Your Competition
There is a Japanese proverb that says, “Give salt to your enemies.” It originated from an anecdote about the famous general Uesugi Kenshin, who sent salt to his eternal rival Takeda Shingen, who was troubled by a shortage of salt in his territory. Uesugi Kenshin did not take advantage of his opponent’s weakness and saved him from his predicament, which I think is a beautiful story. At the same time, I’ve seen another interpretation. It is sometimes used as a lesson that sending salt to the enemy is ultimately to our advantage. This proverb teaches us the importance of seeking long-term advantage and reason, rather than immediate gain or loss.
It is true that companies should compete with one another in the marketplace at times. Nevertheless, I believe you can also offer a helping hand to the other party in areas that are not in conflict. Even among rival companies, I encourage managers to praise one another’s good points.
There must be hardships and achievements that only a manager can understand. The point is not to praise the current situation but to praise the decisions made and actions they took. For example, let’s say there is a manager who founded their company with two people and has grown it into a company with nearly 50 employees. Anyone could say, “Wow, you’ve made it so big.” But as a manager yourself, you might say, “You did a great job of organizing this service. As a manager, I admire you for finding this niche business area. You must have had some anxiety. Your energy was the reason why you are now here. You really did it.” After all, you probably understand the obstacles they experienced, the difficulties they had to overcome and how amazing they are.
Praise those points. Share praise for the processes you see your peers implement that lead to results. Praise one another when you exceed expectations. If possible, meet with them in person and share your compliments, but, if necessary, sharing your praise online is acceptable.
From my perspective, when we praise one another, we are respecting one another’s hard work. This leads to modeling, which in turn leads to personal growth. And above all, when you praise another manager, I believe, in a way, you are also praising yourself. Instead of competing for everything, cooperate when necessary. This can ultimately benefit both companies.
Rival companies work hand in hand to provide better service to their customers. I believe we have entered such an era. It is your turn to change. Let’s enrich our happiness not through competitive advantage but through cooperative advantage. Let’s praise one another as managers.
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