The Importance of Commanding Role - How long will Commander Rick’s Post last?

Life is full of all sorts of happenings, so many things happen everyday, and people encounter so many things that happen to them. That is what life is all about. In such circumstances, the flow can change drastically depending on whether or not one is able to look ahead, even if only a little, while keeping abreast of the situation. This is especially true when complex circumstances are involved, as it is important to have a commanding presence who knows what is going on. If they understand the issues and can pinpoint and advise on what needs to be done, sometimes difficult situations can be avoided.

I believe that I am still entrusted with such a commanding role. This is my destiny. There are still many cases where I am the only one who knows what is going on and I have to take the lead, for better or for worse. I often run into such situations. Today, as I write this, I find myself in such a tense situation. The command post comes into play immediately.

Yesterday, I was working in Onagawa and in the evening, I ran into the president of a construction company in town. After we had a drink in Onagawa, we took the train to Ishinomaki and spent some time together. Then, early this morning, I took the 8:11 a.m. train from Ishinomaki to Tokyo via Sendai. It just so happened that a fellow Foundation member was also leaving Ishinomaki today, flying from Sendai Airport to Kyoto on a JAL flight and the ticket was issued using my miles. It is what is commonly known as a “free ticket,” or a “free airline ticket”. Therefore, flight information is always at my fingertips. For this reason alone, it can be said that I am destined to be the commander-in-chief.

The trip was long, but I finally arrived at my home in Tokyo a little after 11:40 a.m. Just as I was about to take a breather and start cleaning up, I received a LINE message on my cell phone: “Sendai Airport Access Line has been suspended due to smoke on the tracks.” It was an urgent message. Oh no! I checked his flight reservation and found that it was leaving at 12:55 p.m. There was only one hour before departure. I searched the Internet and found a video showing a large fire at a tire yard near Sendai Airport with black smoke rising in the area. “Oh my God, this is bad...” This is where the drama began.

The fellow Foundation member messaged me on LINE app and said, “It looks like I don’t have a choice other than to take a cab,” but when I asked him where he was, he said that he was still in Taishido, Miyagi Prefecture. It is a considerable distance to the airport. Even if he could get off there and take a cab, there was no way he could check in by 12:35 p.m., as I knew from experience at a glance. When I told him about the situation, he promptly gave up and asked, “Can I cancel?” This is where the game begins. We can’t give up so easily.

As a commander, I consider three things: If he misses the scheduled flight, is there another flight, is there a seat available, and can the current flight be changed to that one? After confirming these, it is also important to ask him if he is still willing to go to Kyoto even if the flight is delayed. Then, he texted me back in a weak mood, “I wonder what happened to the Senseki Line and the Access Line, and I don’t know if I can make the next flight at 3:40 p.m.!” When the person in question started to feel weak and helpless like this, it was important to have a commander.

I immediately called JAL, looking at my associate’s weak message on LINE app with a sideways glance. The first thing I checked was whether there were seats available on the next flight at 3:40 p.m. Furthermore, since this was a free ticket, it is normally not possible to change the reservation, but given the special circumstances of a big fire near the airport, I checked to see if it was possible to change the reservation. Then, the agent said, “It is OK if you have proof of delay.” Since there were seats available, I got a reservation number right away on the phone. This meant that the next flight had been reserved. I then immediately notified the person in question of the situation through LINE app: 1) I contacted JAL, 2) I got a reservation number so that he could board the next flight with no problem if he has a delay certificate, and 3) He still has 3 hours until the next flight leaves, so he should be fine! I sent him a message of encouragement. The rest was up to him. If he was willing to still go to Kyoto, things were ready to go!

Then, at 12:10 p.m., I received a message from this samethis same associate saying that the train would be back in operation soon. I advised him to access a Twitter account that issues the “Certificate for Delayed Trains” to get the certificate. At 12:15 p.m., the train resumed operation. The originally scheduled flight was leaving at 12:55 p.m. Since it was still going to take about 30 minutes to get to the airport, he texted me on LINE app that said, “I’ll take the 3:00 flight.”

Then, a word from the commanding officer. I advised him via LINE, “Don’t give up, the 12:55 flight may be delayed as well, so go to the JAL counter first, and if you still can’t get on, ask to be transferred to the next flight.” I received a text message of understanding from him. I sent him an encouraging message, saying, “Well, even if you can’t catch the 12:55 flight, enjoy a leisurely lunch at a nice restaurant at Sendai Airport.” “I’ll go to the JAL counter first when I get there!” he said positively.

Then, to my surprise, the train arrived at Sendai Airport Station unexpectedly early, at 12:35 p.m., and he ran to the service counter! He said, “I had my late train certificate ready on the train I ran to the JAL counter, and I could still make it!” I was thinking that it was going to be impossible to make it on time, but just in the nick of time, he was able to catch the 12:55 flight that he had originally planned for. It was an amazing experience!

For nearly an hour, I sat there really tense. Still, I did my best to help my lost associate by using all of my information network, experience, and communication tools. The result was a wonderful story of a person who had already given up, but finally was able to reach the goal line and everything turned out to be a good experience.

I don’t know how long I can keep myself in this kind of commanding role. If you don’t know anything, you can’t do anything, so you won’t have to do anything. However, as I have come to know so many things, and as I am the only one who understands them, I naturally take on the role of commander. That may be my life. It is the same in business. I don’t know how much longer I have to serve as chairman. What is certain is that as long as there are many things left that only I know, the reality is that the role of commander will inevitably come around. Whether you consider it a hardship or an enjoyable challenge will make a big difference in how you live your life.