Matsushita Konosuke founded Panasonic (Matsushita). He is considered the father of modern Japanese business practices, paving the way for many Japanese companies' success internationally.
Matsushita Konosuke was born in 1894 in Wakayama, the third son in a family of seven children. Before age 10, he had to leave school and his parents to apprentice in Osaka, earning a living and helping his family. He first encountered business while working part-time in a bicycle shop. At 16, he became particularly interested in electrical devices, believing they would become widespread in the future.
With that thought, he applied to work at the Osaka Light Bulb Company. During this period, he returned to school, studying while working, and at age 18 entered Kansai Shoko School in Osaka. In 1917, at age 24, he resigned and began a business selling lamp sockets he had designed.
In 3/1918, the Matsushita electrical appliance workshop was established, marking the birth of today's Panasonic Corporation. In 1925, the National brand was used for the first time. In 1929, he renamed the workshop Matsushita Electric Company. From then on, he devoted all his energy to business with the noble purpose of improving quality of life, developing the economy, and bringing prosperity to society.
Throughout his entrepreneurial life, Matsushita Konosuke was deeply concerned not only with business but also with human and social development. He established the PHP Institute to initiate and support improvements in people's lives through prosperity and wealth.
***Below are excerpts from the life and business philosophies of Japan's “god of business.”
“In the Beginning Was the Word”
The Bible says, ‘In the beginning was the Word.’ Although I do not fully understand its deeper meaning, I think it is quite applicable to economics in some respects.
That means the businessperson, the leader, must speak first. In other words, the business leader must be the first to propose an idea and share its purpose with everyone. Departments and employees can work out the details of implementation together, but the leader must personally put the idea into words.
Cultivate a Long-Term Vision
Developing and nurturing strategic vision is extremely important for leaders. It is so important that many believe someone without foresight is unqualified to lead. Times constantly change, and many things that were right yesterday become outdated today.
Therefore, understanding changing trends, anticipating the future situation, and having appropriate responses will bring development to the company and peace to the country.
When facing any problem, rushing to find a temporary fix will inevitably make the later resolution difficult. We must therefore always remember: cultivate a long-term vision.
A Prayerful Mindset
I believe that doing no work yourself and merely praying to Heaven and the Buddha for benefits, good fortune, and happiness is not an attitude anyone should have. In this world, such gains cannot come so easily and conveniently.
But once people seriously undertake something they want—or need—to succeed, they often feel an urge to pray to a supernatural power. Sometimes they set a particular wish and pray to Heaven or Buddha. Besides expressing seriousness and sincerity, this strengthens determination. I believe such a prayerful attitude is very good.
When it rains, use an umbrella
Businesspeople must act in accordance with the natural laws of heaven and earth. I am not talking about anything grand: simply put, if it rains, we open an umbrella. That is all.
That means if you cannot sell your goods, do not force it; take a break and resume production when you can sell again. In other words, follow the natural course of things.
Maintain Your Determination
What matters for a leader is willpower. Only willpower and determination create enthusiasm and ideas for work. Therefore, you must establish resolve and commit to following through in everything. But you cannot simply resolve and commit once and stop; you must resolutely pursue that determination to the end. To do this, we must continually renew ourselves.
Before creating material things, focus on developing people
Long ago, I told young employees that if loyal customers asked, ‘What does Matsushita Electric manufacture?’ they should reply: ‘Matsushita Electric is a place that develops people and makes electrical products.’
A business depends on its people, so the first priority is to nurture their maturity. A company whose people are immature and lack sound judgment cannot succeed. Employees internalized this thinking, and it became a source of motivation driving the company to develop more strongly than ever, despite limited technology and capital at the time and confidence that was not yet strong enough.
Four parts weakness, six parts strength
Everyone has weaknesses and strengths. When we meet and work with many people, we encounter a rich diversity of different strengths and weaknesses.
In such cases, if we see only subordinates' weaknesses, it is hard to make use of their abilities, and they will not be happy either. We should therefore identify and find ways to develop their strengths to use human resources effectively. When superiors recognize their abilities, subordinates become motivated to work harder. Of course, seeing only strengths and ignoring weaknesses is also wrong. In my view, seeing four parts weakness and six parts strength is good enough.
First, you must love it
Everyone has probably heard the saying “You have to like it to be good at it,” and this applies to commerce and business. If we want to prosper, we must first be interested in, engaged with and passionate about business. Once we enjoy it, making an effort no longer feels difficult or exhausting; instead, it becomes more comfortable and easier. We then work not merely to get things done, but wholeheartedly to do them exceptionally well. I believe this is the path to success.
The Value of One Step at a Time
There is always an endless amount of work. We want to produce this, finish that… and keep thinking of one task after another. To accomplish them requires people and capital. Our wishes and aspirations seem limitless. Is there a faster route to results than taking one step at a time? Certainly not.
There is no path except the one formed by connecting each step. Simply take one step at a time along the larger road. No countermeasures, strategies or anything else is needed. Step by step, one, then two, then three… you will reach the destination. We must slowly savor the value of each of those steps.
Appearance Is Also a Product
For a long time, I paid almost no attention to my appearance, which left me looking unappealing in many ways. Once, at a famous barbershop in Ginza, the barber advised me: “Neglecting your hair is like tarnishing your products. If a director representing a company looks like this, the company's products will not sell well. If you cannot attend to small matters, even a haircut, it is hard to accomplish great things.”
I felt the sincerity and thoughtfulness in that advice, and from then on I paid more attention to my appearance. That barber had taught me an extremely valuable lesson in the philosophy of modern life.
Examine yourself
People brave enough to examine themselves are those who understand themselves. Self-examination means observing and seeing clearly into oneself. I call this ‘reviewing yourself’; imagine taking your heart out of your body and looking back at yourself. Anyone who can do this will understand themselves truthfully, without bias.
Such people rarely make mistakes because they know the extent of their abilities, what suits them and where their weaknesses lie. They assess themselves naturally, without being influenced by anything.
The loneliness of the person with ultimate responsibility
For those at the very top of an organization, the way others view them—from subordinates to colleagues who used to work alongside them—changes. Even if they themselves have not changed, the perspectives of those around them do. The obvious truth is that the higher their position, the fewer close friends are willing to tell them the truth.
In that sense, whether they like it or not, the person with the greatest responsibility—the head of the organization—will carry sadness within. In other words, they will feel lonely.
Therefore, humility and constant attention to the meanings conveyed by gestures and behavior are extremely important for a leader.
Righteous Anger
Leaders should not become angry merely because of personal feelings. But at work, after considering matters fairly, a leader needs to show appropriate anger toward things that cannot be forgiven.
Therefore, a prime minister must know how to express anger as a prime minister, and a company director must express anger as a director. Otherwise, they cannot drive work forward decisively.
When facing mounting difficulties or intractable problems, leaders must not let private emotions control them, but they must know when to become angry in handling collective affairs.
Looking After Your Health Is Also Part of the Job
As human beings, what matters most is health, both physical and mental. No matter how talented you are, without health you cannot do your work fully or realize all your talents.
So what is necessary for good health? Certainly nutrition, rest, and many other things. But particularly important is knowing how to keep the mind at ease. Someone so enthusiastic that they devote their entire life to work often seems never to feel tired or ill, however busy they may be.
The Village Elder, the Hunter, and the Fox
A fairy tale tells of a village elder, a hunter, and a fox. The hunter was very deferential before the elder. The elder was wary of the fox, which often played tricks on him. The fox feared the hunter, never knowing when it might be shot. Ultimately, it was impossible to say which of the three was strongest or most imposing.
This story still has meaning in life today. In a competition, it is wrong to assume the winner is more worthy than the loser. Nor is an educated person nobler than someone with less education, because everyone has different circumstances. Thinking this way makes us ready to help others or gladly accept their help to do our work well.
Decide now, act immediately
The ancients said, ‘Speed is essential in warfare.’ Many victories and defeats have hinged on seizing an opportunity precisely in an instant. A commander must therefore assess the moment correctly, decide at once and mobilize immediately.
This lesson applies not only to battlefield combat but also to running a country or a company. Circumstances change by the moment and by the hour, so sometimes a one-day delay can lead to a one-year delay. Of course, some situations require time for careful consideration. But an indispensable quality of a leader is the ability to assess situations perceptively, seize opportunities, and decide to act immediately.
Deciding to withdraw
People, especially leaders, need to embrace the principle of acting when action is required and withdrawing when it is time to withdraw.
For example, when work reaches its final step but does not go smoothly and must be stopped, some sacrifice is usually involved. It may be public criticism or a loss of self-confidence. But we should not dwell on regret, because doing so prevents a final decision. In business, it is important not to be governed by emotions. Be decisive and abandon what needs to be abandoned.
Making use of directors
I often say that if you have a director, you should make use of them. For example: ‘This problem has arisen. Director, please step in this once. If you appear in person, the other side will be satisfied.’ You should become an employee bold enough to make use of the director in that way. If not a single person in the entire company dares to do so, that company is not in good shape. Conversely, if ten people can make use of the director, the company can grow strongly.
You can work through a department head, division head or coordinator instead of a director. Superiors making use of subordinates is normal. Subordinates making use of superiors is what matters.
Businesses must make a profit
Businesses must always sweat and toil mentally from beginning to end, figuring out how to spend sensibly and avoid waste before finally obtaining some benefit. Moreover, that benefit then becomes tax money. Both businesses and citizens work to create a surplus, pay taxes, and build the country's finances. If no one makes a profit, there are no taxes. Where, then, would the country's finances come from?
If businesses did not need to make a profit, doing business would become far too simple. It would require no effort, creativity, or hardship. If a country could be built on that basis, why would we need to work so hard?
Reflect rather than make excuses
At work or in any field, when things do not go as intended, there is certainly a reason. When trouble arises, thinking about the cause will help you avoid repeating mistakes.
However, when results disappoint, people often blame circumstances and make excuses, telling themselves: “It didn't work because of the situation. I didn't expect that to happen, so I failed,” rather than investigating the cause and reflecting. Only by embracing the mindset that “I caused it” can we learn from failure.
Time for quiet reflection
Today, rationality and speed are highly valued, but the faster things move, the more we need periods of inner stillness. This is normal human psychology, or one could say instinct. Suppressing it therefore causes the human body and life to become distorted and misshapen.
Therefore, before going to bed at night, sit quietly on the floor and reflect on the day's activities. The approach varies from person to person, but you must set aside this time to find inner stillness and peace and turn them into fresh motivation for the next day. The more noisy and hectic life becomes, the more we need such moments of calm.
Collected
