Be a Jack-of-All-Trades and Master of One
The world of lifetime employment is often called a lukewarm-water society. The description is apt. Everybody's destiny lies within the pool. If anyone steps out of the water, he will immediately get a fit of sneezing and catch cold. In the lukewarm-water organization, work is a mechanized, monotonous repetition of routine duties. Yet, as in the jungle, the same natural law applies: only the fittest survive.
It is true that every successful organization man has incredible patience and endurance in performing routine work. In the modern samurai organization, a very long apprenticeship—15 to 17 years or more—precedes advancement to a managerial position. After joining a company, an employee works under the close supervision of his superiors to become skilled in various tasks and to learn how to get along with superiors, peers, and (later) subordinates. The periodic transfer system and the customary practice of having all members work together in a large room give the new worker the opportunity to learn various business activities and to be a generalist. He should make good use of this casual learning experience and try hard to become a jack-of-all-trades.
"Jack-of-all-trades" may sound distasteful to an individualist, but is a very useful cog for the organization. Japanese management cherishes such a utility player and discourages tunnel vision. It will often corner a single-sighted Ph.D. into a very specific and limited area. Once confined there, he loses all chance to move up on the escalator to a managerial position even though he gets annual increments in pay. There are many examples of this in Japan.
So if you get bored with your present unvarying assignment, you are finished and will have to float in the lukewarm water. But you rarely get tired if you consider your job trout fishing and work hard at it. You can enjoy fighting your monotonous routine. Boredom is your worst enemy in the lukewarm water. If you are truly involved in your work, you will seldom become exhausted by the amount of work you do. You will become tired and irritated by the amount you do not do.
Highly successful organization men are generally no smarter or more skilled than any others. Their secret is that they know how to make good use of their limited knowledge and have accumulated a variety of daily experiences, which they then put into a composite file for use in handling any business contingency.
At the same time, the organization man needs to have a certain specialization—one area where he is great or talented. One unfortunate consequence of the seniority system, with its periodic transfers and orderly promotions, is that many people never discover what their real talents are. Someone may have experienced a taste of success because of one thing he did very well. It is tempting to assume that this fraction of success is evidence of his ability. He must be careful in making that assumption. If he likes the job better than any other job, even better than champagne or beefsteak, his assumption may be right. And if he does that job very well and with less effort than the average worker, his assumption is correct indeed. He is gifted at the job.
Every organization man must assess each task he is assigned according to these two criteria. If he can say "yes" to both, his success lies in that area. He should focus on it and polish his talent, for management will never waste such a jack-of-all-trades who is master of one.
In short, to become a successful organization man in Japan, you must take advantage of the periodic transfer system and broaden your scope so you will have the experience needed to be a versatile manager. In the meanwhile, you have to focus on your best skills and establish your forte, which will help you win even in the fiercest competition.
Don't Try to Be a Star
In the West, the word "presentation" has an important business meaning. There is the presentation of a new model to a buyer; the presentation of a sales forecast and a proposed budget to management; even the presentation by an office clerk of an official speech to other employees. In all these situations, the Western worker has to demonstrate how good and efficient he is. In order to advance, he must sell himself at business meetings, at cocktail parties, and at every other opportunity. He tries to merchandise himself by displaying his most favorable characteristics. His salesmanship determines the effectiveness of his presentation, and ultimately his advancement.
Be careful in Japan when you make a presentation. Very few Japanese will accept a showman. You may sell your product or your company as much and as hard as you like, but selling yourself is a different matter. In the feudal days, a samurai was not supposed to put his brilliance or competence on display. He was expected to remain humble. Even the merchants, whose business was selling, kept a low profile. Following this tradition, the Japanese still believe that one should be humble and self-deprecating and that selling oneself is dirty business.
However, if you do need to make a presentation of your qualities, you may sell yourself indirectly and let others buy you. For example, in Japan a newly appointed company president usually says at his first interview, "I am surprised that I have been chosen to take on such a grave responsibility. I have just reached the point in my development where I am able to follow the path established by my predecessor and I shall make the utmost effort to meet the expectations of the company." A Westerner, hearing this remark, might well ask, "If the president is not confident about carrying out his duties, why did the shareholders pick him—and why did he accept the appointment?" Of course, the new president is thoroughly qualified—he would not have been appointed otherwise. No Japanese is misled by such a remark. The people have a saying, "An able hawk wouldn't show its sharp claw." If the new company president had said, "Sure, I can take on this responsibility. I am extraordinarily experienced and qualified. I am the right person for the job," people would probably have underrated his ability. Strangely, humility is the best selling weapon in Japan.
A typical Japanese guest room has only one piece of art displayed in the tokonoma (alcove), even though the master of the house may have a substantial art collection. Instead of displaying all the pieces throughout the room, as is often done in the West, the Japanese host prefers to show only one special piece which represents his profound taste, or to display a different piece during each of the four seasons. In Japan, it is a tradition that an individual should not blow his own trumpet. If a person is truly capable, his performance will reveal that fact anyway, so why advertise? He should package himself subtly and show confidence without ostentation. That will give others a flash flood of impressions about him. There is no need to catalog all one's strong points and discuss them openly.
Theatrical or ostentatious behavior invites hostility in the Japanese organization. You are neither a TV talent nor a stage actor. Your performance in business must match your rank and status in the organization. Never try to make an outstanding display of yourself. When you are on the escalator, it is very rude to cut into the queue for promotion. Even if you have done your job better than anybody else, don't act like a winner. What you need for advancement is not jealousy, envy, and admiration but support, appreciation, and sympathy. You may have a confident and trustworthy manner, a quickness in responding to managers' requests, an eagerness to be helpful to others, skill in making immediate decisions, an ability to take action promptly, and a willingness to speak up clearly and decisively on every issue that arises in the organization. All these are magnificent qualities for an organization man to have. But don't show them off. Overselling is fatal to your career development. Others will become aware of your good qualities in any case, so don't try to "outsmart" them. Your success in the internal competition depends on self-control.