6
--The Weight of Decision
After hanging up the phone, President Saeki stared at the receiver for a while.
He felt something definitely shift inside him.
It wasn't conviction.
Rather, it was more like anxiety.
Up until now, he had been running things "correctly."
He didn't push himself too hard.
He avoided danger.
He chose the safe path.
This had protected the company.
Neither employees nor business partners were hurt.
But at the same time, he hadn't gained anything.
No major failures.
But no major progress either.
Quiet stability.
It was a virtue,
but also stagnation.
The next day, a young executive visited the president's office.
The same documents as the day before were on his desk.
But the atmosphere was different.
The president said,
"Please explain it again from the beginning."
The young executive began his explanation slowly.
Market trends.
The potential of technology.
Global change. And finally, he said:
"If we don't start now,
we'll forever be the ones chasing."
The words were quiet.
But heavy.
The president looked out the window.
The city of Tokyo.
This city was once home to a company that changed the world.
A company that started as a small factory,
and astonished the world.
They didn't choose "good enough."
They chose "first-rate."
Not because success was guaranteed.
Because it was necessary.
Because they took responsibility for the future.
Two travelers were watching from the corner of the room.
Conrad Hilton said quietly.
"Management is about choices."
Beside him, Paul Rusch answered.
"And choices become the soul of a company."
Hilton continued.
"If you continue to choose safety, you will become a safe company,"
Rusch said.
"But if you choose a mission, you will become a company that is needed."
The president slowly began to speak.
"What are the chances of failure?"
The young executive answered honestly.
"Yes.
But if we succeed, it will change us."
The president continued.
"Why do you want to go to such lengths?"
The young executive didn't hesitate.
"Because I want this company to continue to be a presence that the world needs."
Those words were not of personal ambition,
but of a wish for the company.
Silence filled the room.
It was a long silence.
But it was not a silence of hesitation.
It was the silence that preceded a decision.
Hilton said quietly.
"Top executives are not without fear,"
Rush continued.
"They make choices despite their fears."
Hilton finally said.
"The future."
The president closed the document.
Then he looked at the young executive.
There was a different light in his eyes than there had been yesterday.
He said.
"Let's do it."
That was all.
He didn't say any big words.
But with that one word,
the future of the company changed.
The young executive bowed deeply.
"Thank you."
The president quietly shook his head.
"Thank you."
And then he said,
"This is our responsibility."
Responsibility.
When he uttered those words,
for the first time, he felt like he had become a manager.
Hilton smiled quietly.
"Now, this company has begun to live."
Rush replied gently.
"Yes.
When a company takes on challenges, it becomes a living thing."
A company is not a building.
A company is not numbers.
A company is a personality formed by a series of choices.
A company that continues to choose "good enough"
will eventually be forgotten.
A company that continues to choose "first-class"
will eventually gain trust.
The president looked out the window.
The light of Tokyo remained unchanged.
But the world he saw had already changed.
He was no longer
a man who simply protected the company.
He had become a man who would lead the company
into the future.
