Paradoxically speaking, an essential requirement to "being a president" and for the department managers, section managers and Katoites to individually fulfill their responsibilities is to surpass the boundaries of Kato Spring.
  I have defined our company as a virtual space. There is no wall separating us from the outer world. Management and business begin by accurately understanding the temperature, direction and strengths of trends of the outer world itself.
  It is important to touch the worlds of people in a variety of areas. I don't mean just their logic, but to actually meet them and share their experiences. Unless this is done, the knowledge that is available won't stimulate you.

  There are many opportunities for exchanges with people from different industries. When an opportunity presents itself, I participate actively in venues for meeting people from different business worlds, careers and generations. Among these venues is a gathering called the "New Management Study Group," in which leaders of major companies with a strong desire to learn congregate, the "ANJ New Owner Club," where owners of major and small companies gather, the "YPO," in which presidents 50 and younger gather from around the world, and the "Ikkakai," which attracts the participation of a number of unique individuals.
  There are times when the essences of issues achieve a focus while general topics are being discussed. Then again, there are times when ideas that clearly surpass my own accepted thinking fly back and forth.
  As a director of many events, I often notice communication gaps in unforeseen areas. There are also events in which keen opinions result in one coming up with very good ideas even though all of the participants are relaxed and enjoying themselves.
  I consider all of these intangible assets. The surprise at finding such values in the world is not only an "!" in regards to the outer world but also an "!" that I failed to notice such before.

  Corporate society prepares an amazingly large number of education and training programs. These are divided by corporate levels and skills, and include on-the-job training and domestic and overseas exchanges. Thus an educational net has been laid that basically covers everything. However and this is not meant to reject the current approach, there is definitely something missing from existing programs for me and for Kato Spring. "What is it," one might ask? It is the joy of discovery.
  No matter how much common, in other words, copied programs are pushed onto company members, the result is failure to create improvement. The more things are forced on company members, the more they will rebel. In my opinion, the current mode of education exists for no other purpose but to have people line up at the same line. This is because the education provided is for the purpose of catching up to and passing others. What is needed is education in which people feel self-improvement and personal growth as they move toward achieving their life goals, and education that enables individuals to truly enjoy working.
  In my opinion, the only education a company can provide its company members is opportunities. The company members must take these opportunities and study on their own time. Unless they are able to devote themselves to something, they will not grow. In other words, the education companies can provide to their company members is to make them like a sheet of "blotting paper." If a company member is in a state where nothing can be absorbed, the company can assist that person by helping them learn to be open and receptive. This is the key.
  Even if the company provides knowledge and education to new company members during work hours, the content of such may not be sufficient or proper for transforming them into blotting paper. Stimulation is what they need. It is important to make them open their minds by providing stimulation that generates motivation so they feel, "I must study more" or "This type of thinking exists!"

  For example, when I was the manager of the Planning Office in the Marketing Department, I was able to gain major results through the following measures. Even if new Katoites want to begin marketing as sales personnel soon after joining the company, they are unaware of the technical information. They are unable to absorb information due to both a lack of understanding and a lack of motivation. Consequently, we assign them to work alongside excellent sales personnel and have them visit customers together. Naturally, our customers, who are professionals in their areas, drill our sales personnel with technical questions. The senior sales personnel are able to confidently answer the questions without the presence of technical staff. The new Katoites notice that they can't answer any questions and probably develop a sense of alarm. However, by having them experience this, they are able to clearly recognize what they must learn and what will benefit them if they learn. At this point, once they have become a "sheet of blotting paper," we send them to a factory for training. There they undergo training, classes on technical information, on-the job training on the production line, etc. Just as ink is absorbed into paper, the Katoites obtain information through these processes. This is the first stage of our basic approach to education. The next step is to enter the stage of "developing the brain," which is conducted based on what the Katoite did in the preceding year.
  Although there are many outside seminars being conducted, we do not order them to attend a seminar. Rather we take the approach of accepting almost all applications for the seminars they indicate they want to attend. Since Katoites who say nothing are not in a receptive condition, there is no meaning in spending money on them and sending them. In our approach, we leave the choice completely up to the Katoite.
  Kato Spring first began taking note of such approaches in earnest in the 1970s. Until then, the approach to marketing education was very much like that conducted for craftsmen; new Katoites needed to learn things by themselves while studying their seniors. After ten years of learning, a person becomes an expert. However, since changing the method, Katoites are now able to sufficiently go through the same process in three years.
  Recently, all of Japan was excited by the birth of a baby "toki" (the nearly extinct Japanese crested ibis). We were shown the moment when the chick, tapping on the shell from the inside, and the mother, responding from the outside, communicated with each other during the hatching process. This timing is very important, not only for education but also for the development of option management as a whole.
  Although I will mention this later, the executives of Kato Spring now participate in study sessions with people from many different industries. This is because we are at the stage where the recognition that this is essential to "being a department manager" has solidified within Kato Spring.