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KAZUO INAMORI SAYS THAT EVEN IF ONE IS abundantly blessed with talents and success, by the design or whim of a God or by sheer accident, humility should prevail because these are merely "gifts" given in spite of ourselves. But, as more success is achieved, humility is likely to give way, either consciously or unconsciously, to insolence and laziness, he says. "Quite commonly, those who develop new technologies or make their company prosperous are surrounded by people who praise them and cater to them," he says, and this in turn leads to less hard work and more self-righteousness. Inamori says that he, too, was at such a point in his career and overcame it by redirecting his talents and successes toward the good of society.
"Today, I think I owe my blessings of continuing to lead a wonderful life to having discovered this truth before it was too late," he professes. "Since the essence of all human beings is the same, having special talents does not mean I can use them for myself. No matter how blessed I am with abilities and no matter how successful I become, I must never forget to remain humble and continue my efforts. I believe it is extremely important for leaders to understand this and practice it."
Leaders should take note.
Inamori has twice been named Japan's most effective manager by Toyo Keizai, a leading Japanese business magazine. He forcefully captains Kyocera and its affiliate DDI through diverse technology markets, annually recording profits without fail, and heads the Inamori Foundation, a philanthropic organization he started with an endowment valued at $200 million. The foundation annually awards the Kyoto Prizes in science, technology, and the humanities to individuals around the world.
Today, if you add up the annual sales of all the various companies currently manage, the total would be about $10 billion--with pretax profit he last year of approximately $1.5 billion," he says through interpreter Michael Inoue, vice president of Kyocera International Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Kyocera. "When I look back, find my life and these accomplishments hard to believe."
Dr. Agnar Pytte, president of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, where Inamori delivered the 1995 Glennan Lecture this spring, calls the Japanese entrepreneur "extraordinary," adding that "any...