Business-Do: Hiroshi Mikitani’s First Ten Principles for Success
Without a solid foundation, even the most beautiful of buildings can collapse. The same goes for your dreams.
In my new book, Business-Do, I give readers a detailed explanation of my business philosophy and show them how they can create blueprints to effectively achieve their dreams.
The first step in the process? I have found that it begins with a set of core principles. Below are the first 10, which I lay out in the opening chapter of the book. Follow these and I am confident you will give yourself the best shot to succeed.
1. All concepts are relative.
Never believe in the absolute. No one single way of thinking is perfect.
2. Believe in the power of the moonshot.
Aim higher than you think is reasonably possible. It’s the stretch goal that fuels greatness.
3. Learn the difference between a group and a team.
A group is a gathering. A team is united towards a common goal. Don’t just do your job. Think of yourself as part of the larger whole of the company – part of a team. Success comes when you are part of an outstanding team.
4. Think about your mindset, skills, and knowledge.
Having the right attitude, the necessary skills and the desire to keep learning are the three key components to personal success. If you’ve only got one or two, you may stall.
5. Question yourself.
Particularly when things are going well, question yourself and your process. What can you improve? Just because a process worked for you once before does not mean you don’t need to change and adapt going forward.
6. A brand is a flag.
When you run a company, you are doing more than just making money. You are assuming a role of leadership. Your brand is a symbol of your values, as important a symbol as a nation’s flag.
7. The internet transformation continues.
Fueled by the transformative powers of the internet, business will challenge national and government hegemony. Business creativity—the economic activity generated by the actions of everyone alive on the earth today—will create the new order.
8. The internet will curate the world’s knowledge and data, but the human touch will still be key.
No matter how far technology advances, people will be attracted to services that have a human touch. Tapping into human desires will be crucial to the continued success of the internet businesses. We tend to forget this because of our focus on rapidly advancing technology. But it’s precisely because we live in such a technological age that you can’t stand out or beat the competition with technology alone.
9. Taking action leads to deeper thinking.
If you are only taking action after thinking, you are on the wrong track. You should be taking action in order to think things through. That’s the right perspective.
10. Continuously improve by a fraction. It’s the key to what others call “good luck.”
If you improve by just 0.1 percent per day, after a year you will be 44 percent better at what you do. A little effort, every day, can make a big difference.
These are the foundational elements upon which I built my business. They are the key concepts I return to, again and again, when I am making decisions and I hope you can find value in them as well.
The first step in any big building project is the foundation. Lay your foundation with core principles and see what you can build.
Thank you a lot Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani for sharing your ideas to us, to the world. I can’t wait to read your book! Word after word. You will improve the lives of a lot of people, so thank you so much for that.