10 Spartan Rules from Hideo Yoshida

As a management writer and teacher, I’ve always loved reading and using lists. In a few words, a good list can encapsulate more wisdom than many a weighty tome.

In some companies the corporate credo emerges as a list which is intended to guide all employees as they do the master’s will. No two lists are the same, of course, and we’ll be publishing some of the brightest and best that have come my way over time.

I thought we’d start with Japan, whose managerial excellence was not dimmed by the long and worrying hiatus in the country’s economic growth. One of its big success stories before that deluge was that of Hideo Yoshida, who built the Dentsu agency into the largest in the world. The title ‘The Spartan Rules’ is his, which no doubt speaks volumes about how he ran the business!

Ten Spartan Rules:

* Create work for yourself; don’t wait for it to be assigned to you.
* Take the initiative in performing your job, instead of playing a passive part.
* Grapple with big jobs - petty tasks debase you.
* Choose difficult jobs. Progress lies in accomplishing difficult work.
* Once you start a task, never give up - complete it, no matter what.
* Lead those around you. Leading others instead of being led makes a big difference in the long run.
* Have a plan. A long-term plan engenders perseverance, planning and effort, and gives you hope for the future.
* Have self-confidence; otherwise your work will lack force, persistence and even substance.
* Use your brain to the fullest degree at all times. Keep an eye on all quarters and always be on the alert. This is the way we ensure satisfactory service.
* Don’t be afraid of friction. Friction is the mother of progress and the stimulus for aggressiveness. If you fear friction, you will become servile and timid.

All good stuff, but I disagree with the rule about difficult work. Great managers, in my observation, are expert at reducing difficult problems to simple solutions. There is a German saying that ‘Alle intelligente Leute sind faul’. If my German is still sound, that means ‘all intelligent people are lazy’.

Coming next, the famous 14 points of W Edwards Deming, the man who inspired the Japanese economic miracle - and whose points will work just brilliantly for you.

Bob