In 1945, Kikumatsu Ogawa, a publishing editor in Japan, was on a business trip when he heard on the radio something no one ever thought they would hear: the Japanese Emperor Hirohoto’s ‘unconditional surrender’ message. He returned to Tokyo, and took stock of a world that had changed irreversibly. In the words of John W. Dower (1999), "By the time the train pulled into Tokyo, he had hit upon his great idea: and, like so many enlightenment experiences, it was the essence of simplicity. As soon as the country was occupied, people would be clamouring for an easy guide to everyday English conversation. He would provide it." He used two conversation books as models, a Japanese–Chinese manual and a Japanese–Thai manual. It took only three days to complete. Nichi‐Bei Kaiwa Techo (Japanese–English Conversation Manual) was only 32 pages long and appeared in print one month after the initial idea had been conceived. The initial printing of 300,000 sold out almost immediately. By the end of 1945, 3.6 million copies had been sold. The book remained Japan’s’s all‐time bestselling publication right up to 1981.
Kikumatsu Ogawa’s actions exemplify the strategic entrepreneur who seizes opportunities as they emerge. People with a strategic mindset have a future-oriented way of looking at the world. They recognize that being flexible and adapting to industry shifts is essential to business success. They:
- know that nothing remains the same
- see that changes never follow a straight line
- understand the need to go beyond conventional wisdom
- proceed with a hypothesis and evaluate relevant data
- want to question things instead of accepting information at face-value
- have a bias for action – they feel that indecision can lead to missed opportunities
- see that current capabilities can be a powerful guide to crafting future plans
As we emerge from the privations of the past two years, we will see opportunities start to open up again, sometimes in unexpected places. The question then becomes: are we awake and alert, like this publisher in 1945, to what is possible? I would love to hear from you on what you are doing to build the strategic mindset in your teams.
Excellent article, Ravi.
A friend of mine, Mouli, narrated this story about his grandfather. “He was in the habit of going for a walk in the morning. One fine day, as he was about to leave, he carried with him what looked like a tube from a car tyre. The family was rather surprised at his, but said nothing. In about half-an-hour, the clouds turned dark and there were heavy rains to the extent the place got flooded. Grandpa came home using his lifebuoy”.
Seize the moment & Bias for action are extremely powerful and very apt words.
Windows of opportunity do NOT open everyday, when it does you NEED to trust your gut & instinct and run with it.
We have so many of our personal experiences we can relate to this easily.
Nicely written note, Ravi.
Recently a school has given me an opportunity to implement Social Emotional Learning in their school. I seized this opportunity as a Pro bono project and am going to follow guidelines from your article, especially Bias for Action. Thanks & well written Ravi