Becoming a person who enjoys learning and looks to the future: What I have cultivated in two years at "ASNOVA Recurrent"

The Corporate Planning Office, to which I belong, is mainly engaged in IR-related work and new business development. I felt that I needed to study more, especially in new business ventures, because I lacked knowledge and experience in IR tasks.

In addition, we are currently in a VUCA era where the future is uncertain. In this modern age, I wanted to become a person who is needed and desired by society, not just someone who can develop what already exists, but also someone who can create new things, so I used the "ASNOVA Recurrent" system to enroll in the Graduate School of Business Design.

Unlike an MBA (Master of Business Administration) where you learn how to manage business, the Graduate School of Business Design encourages you to think from the very roots of your business and come up with an ideal business plan. In the process, you will learn how to create a feasible business plan from scratch, not just through knowledge but also through actual experience. Upon graduation, you will receive a professional degree called a Master of Business Design (MPD).

 

I learned the knowledge and mindset necessary to create new businesses, but if you ask me what I learned in those two years, I would answer "human studies." We had the opportunity to invite famous modern business people to give lectures, and while listening to their stories of failure and success, and their aspirations for work and business, I incorporated their philosophies into my own way. They were always filled with the desire to "help, save, and support people like XX." I was also greatly influenced by their honesty in talking about their dreams of "creating a XX kind of society." In this way, by coming into contact with the philosophies of various business people, I learned that it is more important than anything to grow as a person, not just acquire knowledge.

Since it is a graduate school for working adults, classes start after work hours. I attended lectures three or four days a week, from 18:30 to 22:00. In order to create a more balanced life, I generally did not attend lectures on Saturdays and Sundays, instead working on assignments and reading books that interested me.

 

There were many people from a variety of industries and specialties, as well as titles and ages, attending the school, which was very stimulating. Online classes have become more common, but the experience of interacting with people from industries you don't normally come into contact with and learning while competing with them is something you can only experience in a real place. Since it's a graduate school for working adults, naturally there were only highly motivated people. I think I've grown a little by meeting these people.

I was often asked by people in my company, "Is it difficult to balance your work and family life?", "How did you manage to spend time with your family?", etc. Looking back, it was difficult, but at the time, I was just enjoying meeting new people and learning new things, so it didn't bother me too much.

 

There is a phrase that I hold dear, found in the Analects of Confucius: "He who knows it is not as good as he who likes it. He who likes it is not as good as he who enjoys it."

Translated into modern terms, it teaches that "it is more important to like things than to know them, and more important to enjoy things than to like them." For me, "enjoying" means "imagining the future." This is because imagining the "future" is more exciting than the "now."

This way of thinking allowed me to enjoy meeting new people and learning, and I think that my family and coworkers naturally supported me. I am truly grateful to the people around me.

ASNOVA's core business is "scaffolding rental." In addition, we have recently launched new businesses and services. These services are very meaningful to society, so first of all, I would like to contribute to the further growth of these businesses. I also want to create new businesses while utilizing what I learned in graduate school.

 

The basis of this is, of course, "human power."

There are various ways of thinking about this, but one is "way of life." The way a person lives reflects their humanity. No matter how much knowledge or techniques you learn, if you don't have high human qualities, no one will want to join you. I feel that I need to level up and become a leader myself.

 

And while I am a leader, I want to be one who has the capacity to wait for growth. After all, immediate results are very important, and support is necessary to achieve those results. However, to borrow a line from the Analects of Confucius, I would like to encourage people to "enjoy themselves." By "waiting," we can develop the ability to think, which will surely bring us closer to becoming an independent organization.

 

To achieve this, it is difficult to pursue not only training but also results. If there are no results, you can't wait, and when that happens, you stop thinking. I want to challenge myself to pursue training and results by having fun while imagining the future.

This repeats what I said earlier, but first of all, I want you to value the attitude of "enjoying learning opportunities." If you are so caught up in the work you currently have and the tasks at hand that your perspective narrows, it's hard to imagine what the future holds for you and your company. At times like these, try to imagine what lies ahead. And get excited about the process of getting there. You will surely emerge as a more mature version of yourself. If you maintain this attitude, small changes in your daily actions will lead to more people supporting you before you know it.

 

Also, some employees have used ASNOVA Recurrent, saying, "I want to try the same thing," after me. I hope that this kind of behavior spreads to other employees and becomes part of the culture at ASNOVA.