The fate of the company president - The ending that awaits at the end of a long road

According to the Old Testament, “Man sees by what his eyes see, but God sees by what his heart sees.” I believe this quote to be true. If we could only see into each other’s hearts, discuss and deepen our understanding of each other, I believe that many conflicts would disappear. However, people believe in their own opinions and they tend to judge others by their appearances. As a result, these people tend to complain to those around them about even the most seemingly mundane things. Unfortunately, company management is also affected by this.

I am serving as chairman of the board as an extension of the commonly accepted role of president, but this is an empty job that I cannot recommend. Not only is it a heavy responsibility, but even though I work hard and put my best effort into my work, no one appreciates it. I am in a constant battle with myself. Moreover, in today’s social climate, everyone tends to forget the basic lessons of patience and perseverance. It is no longer unusual for people to criticize others over the slightest things. Of course, there is no need to pay attention to such foolish remarks, and we simply ignore them. Therefore, the chairman’s job requires a lot of grit, perseverance, and patience. There is no fun in it and it’s truly a grueling job.

The question is, can we let such utterings and unchecked thoughts go? Just recently, a young person said to me with such abruptness, “The chairman should leave the work to everyone else.” I was momentarily at a loss for words because the comment was so foolish and without any understanding as to what goes on behind the scenes. Nevertheless, I have heard similar comments from many different professionals. I suppose it’s inevitable that one would make such an assumption after seeing only a small part of what it is I do. However, the reality is completely different. As the chairman of a company with annual sales of over 20 billion yen, I am proud to say that there are not as many company chairmen who leave as much work to their employees as I do. Whether good or bad, I leave almost everything to them, including logistics, systems, websites, and advertising, and I receive only occasional reports from them. I am only involved in sales and overseas operations, and I only follow up in areas where the staff aren’t able to do the work themselves, or where there are problems.

In order to accomplish a lot in a limited amount of time, it is essential to identify problems, offer suggestions for improvement, and make my instructions concise, to which everything must be accomplished in a speedy manner. Therefore, language ends up becoming too strong and demanding. This is inevitable because we simply do not have the time. If there is a mistake, I immediately tell whoever is in charge of it. I give them a warning and sometimes I scold them. This is what I’m supposed to do. There is no end to the number of people who only think that the Sound House chairman only doles out empty positivity talk but really micromanages everything at the head office in Narita. This is also untrue, and it leads to an empty end result. I am only helping with whatever my employees cannot do or matters that can be solved more quickly if I intervene. However, I am rarely thanked, and rather, I have to face the sad reality of hearing criticism as to why I don’t entrust my tasks to employees. People tend to judge things as they see them without understanding the truth.

Perhaps I am nosy, but I can’t bear to look when I see that a situation is not going well and I must intervene. This is my job, so it’s only natural that I do this. However, in this day and age, it seems to be a common practice to turn a blind eye to any sort of problems. This is not only because it is a hassle to get involved with people, but also to avoid conflict with others. As a result of intervening in a problem, it may lead to an argument with the other party or a slanderous battle in which both parties hurt each other with words, sometimes resulting in injury to oneself or the other party. Even if a person were to win a heated argument, they cannot deny the possibility that they may even become a victim of stalking for the rest of their life. Therefore, not getting involved with people is actually the smartest way to lead a peaceful life.

Because of this issue, I suddenly start to wonder if I should keep my distance from people, just like everyone else does. I wonder if it is better to not get involved with people and not care about them. If I don’t do anything, then I won’t be criticized. However, I don’t think that this always can apply. The reality is that no one can live alone. After all, people who cannot live alone, even if they are placed in the marginalized categories of society, are destined to meet other people to feel happy or sad together. This is especially true if you work in a company. If you are going to be involved with people in any way, you might as well be proactive and see it as your mission and destiny. Avoid any regrets and always give it your all. Even if the outcome turns out bad, gaining a sense of accomplishment will give you some comfort.

Returning to my original point, the chairman’s job is always to be misunderstood by those around him no matter what he does. The reality is that we have no choice but to do our best. No matter what others say, we must keep looking ahead and keep running. Where does this long road end?