The Fastest Way to Break Through Professionally: Learn from Kazuo Inamori

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Kazuo Inamori is known as the "God of Management in Japan". He started from the same point as us, an ordinary employee with no prestigious degree or extraordinary resources. What sets him apart is that he founded two companies on the Fortune Global 500 list and saved Japan Airlines from bankruptcy within only three years. Inamori's achievements stem from his reflections on work, among which the "Six Principles of Excellence" he summarized have been regarded as a creed by many. If you can thoroughly understand Inamori's work methods, you will quickly break through professionally in your career.

Principle 1: Make Efforts Comparable to Anyone Else's

Sometimes, Inamori would ask his employees: "Are you working with every ounce of your energy?" Employees usually replied, "Yes, I am working hard." However, Inamori was often dissatisfied with such answers and would continue to ask: "Have you strived as hard as anyone else?" He firmly believed that there was no better business secret in the world than working desperately.

If you want to earn a high salary and grow, you must strive relentlessly, take on one more task, and move one step further. To stand out in public, one must endure hardships in private. Behind the glamour lies an unspoken work intensity that few understand. No one can become a life winner by lying idle. To become a top salesperson in the industry, you have to hit more walls and endure more cold shoulders than others. To earn several times a higher salary, you need to put in more hard work to polish your abilities. Indeed, to achieve something, we cannot just work hard and we must work harder than others.

Principle 2: Stay Humble, Not Proud

The ancient saying "Only humility receives blessings" means that luck and happiness never favor arrogant people; only those with a humble heart can attain them.

Kazuo Inamori deeply cherished this motto and constantly reminded himself to avoid pride. Sometimes, when reflecting on his achievements in the uncharted territory of fine ceramics, he would unconsciously feel complacent. When others flattered him or he was seated in the place of honor at gatherings, he might also get carried away. In such moments, he would quickly warn himself that complacency is unacceptable.

In 1977, Kyocera boasted the highest profit margin among Japanese enterprises, earning widespread praise. Against this backdrop, Inamori promptly proposed the slogan: "Stay humble and never arrogant; strive even harder." It was precisely this humble attitude that enabled Kyocera to scale new heights year after year. By remaining humble at all times and never ceasing to learn, we can become better versions of ourselves. Once pride takes hold, it easily destroys us from within.

We may think our team can't function without us, only to find later that it functions just as smoothly without our presence. We might overestimate our technical proficiency, start coasting through work, and eventually be outpaced by younger colleagues. In the workplace, never overestimate your own importance. In any organization, by not taking ourselves too seriously but prioritizing our work above all else, we can walk steadily toward long-term success.

Principle 3: Reflect Daily

Kazuo Inamori was an avid reader of As a Man Thinketh by British philosopher James Allen. In many speeches, he quoted a metaphor from the book: "If you do not plant beautiful flowers in the garden of your mind, it will be overgrown by weeds." In other words, without reflection, your inner self will be overgrown with spiritual weeds. Inamori believed that just as an excellent gardener tills the garden and removes weeds, we must also till the garden of our minds through daily self-reflection.

To this end, he maintained a good habit for 30 years: reflecting every morning while washing his face. He would examine whether his work had been done thoroughly and introspect about whether he had disrespected employees. If he found any fault, Inamori would immediately and sincerely say, "I'm sorry." Without deep reflection, there can be no remarkable breakthroughs.

No matter the job, difficulties and pains exist, but those who stand out generally share a common trait: they are good at introspection. People who do not reflect repeat the same mistakes, merely shirk responsibility and complain, and will eventually be eliminated. Problems are identified through self-examination, and solutions arise from introspection. By continuously attributing issues to internal causes and persistently analyzing our work, we can become more proficient and confident in our duties.

Principle 4: Practice Gratitude

When Kazuo Inamori founded Kyocera, he had only a limited understanding of the company's core technologies. The initial team had just eight members, all technical experts except himself—among them, a man named Inoue was a recognized industry specialist. Inoue could have pursued a better opportunity elsewhere, yet he chose to stay in this small company, a gesture that made Inamori deeply grateful. In response, Inamori never acted like a boss; he even offered Inoue his own car and office. He sincerely told Inoue, "I must thank you for following me. I'm just a dreamer for Kyocera's future, but you're the real architect of that dream. Dreaming doesn't require much space, but building dreams does." Moved by Inamori's sincerity and sacrifice, Inoue led the team to work tirelessly. With their help, Kyocera gradually got on the right track.

Take a moment each day to be grateful for everything you have. Being thankful for your work, being appreciative of your superiors, and being sincerely grateful to everyone around you will help you excel in the workplace. Human relationships are reciprocal: when you hold gratitude in your heart, others will repay it with action. The people who help you are attracted by your own attitude of gratitude. Thus, knowing how to be grateful is the best mindset at work. Complaining endlessly only worsens outcomes. Remember the source of your blessings, and people will gravitate toward you. Approach others with gratitude, acknowledge their strengths, and you will grow.

Principle 5: Do Good Deeds and Think Altruistically

A young practitioner once asked an elder, "What is the real difference between heaven and hell?" The elder explained that both heaven and hell had an identical noodle pot, and everyone held a pair of one-meter-long chopsticks. The difference was as follows: in hell, people only tried to feed themselves, but because the chopsticks were too long, they couldn't get the noodles into their mouths, thereby ending up emaciated from hunger. In heaven, however, people first fed noodles to others with their chopsticks, and everyone ate to their heart's content.

In the workplace, selfishness alienates others, while altruism builds relationships. When you are generous, others remember your kindness; when you are stingy, others remember your miserliness. Whether collaborating with colleagues on projects or partnering with clients, thinking of others and sharing benefits ultimately works to your advantage.

During the first oil crisis, many companies laid off employees, and Inamori's company was also affected. Despite widespread advice to downsize, he retained every staff member. He assigned one-tenth of the workforce to continue working, while the rest studied or cleaned the workplace, all the while receiving full pay. Deeply grateful, the employees helped the company survive the crisis together. Only with an altruistic mindset can one achieve self-serving outcomes.

Principle 6: Minimize emotional distractions

A recent survey in the Public Mental Health Insight Report on office workers found that 64.16% felt "anxious," 50.89% experienced "meaninglessness" at work, and 40% suffered from low moods or depression. This is the current reality for many employees: internalizing problems, feeling anxious about workplace conflicts, and constantly draining their mental energy.

In response, Kazuo Inamori offered this advice: Avoid emotional troubles.

In 1998, a Kyoto walkie-talkie manufacturer faced bankruptcy. At the request of its president, Inamori decided to acquire the company. However, his kindness was met with backlash from some original employees, who complained, "Since Inamori is so wealthy, why not share more benefits with us?" They organized strikes and protests, going so far as to distribute flyers, paint slogans, and use loudspeakers to abuse him near his private residence. Yet he remained unaffected, fully devoting himself to managing the walkie-talkie business. As the company regained stability, the troublemakers were isolated and eventually left in disgrace under peer criticism. The business was successfully revived and became a key electronics division of the Kyocera Group.

A Cornell University research study shows that one's ability to manage emotions significantly impacts one's future achievements. The more excellent someone is, the less they let emotions dictate their actions. At work, problems may bring bad moods, but bad moods solve nothing. By resetting your mindset, focusing on tasks rather than emotions, anxiety and troubles will naturally fade away.

In recent years, workplace hostility has grown, but as Inamori said: "Fate is not predestined or set on a prelaid track. It can improve or worsen." In any era, wealth flows to those most worthy to possess it. Like Inamori, strive to improve daily, deepen your expertise, and cultivate inner growth: what you desire will then gravitate toward you.