If you have ever been to an American workplace, you will notice one very subtle yet distinct difference with the Japanese one. I’m not talking about the verbal exchanges or the arrangement of desks or the food served in a cafeteria or the number of paid holidays. Though these elements of the workplace may certainly be in contrast from country to country, there is another item on the desk that is very telling of the American character.
That item is what you look at and seek guidance from whenever your company or your conscience is troubled. It is what you touch and gaze deeply at when a worker asks you to fudge their time sheet or your boss asks you to deliver some payola to a key government official. Have you guessed what that item is….?
That item is none other than the family, framed photograph staring you in the face as you go about your drudgery. What many Japanese may not know is that that photograph is the guardian over your soul. It tells you who and what you are working for. It tells you that you have a responsibility to be the best you can for all those who are loving you and depending on your best effort. It tells you when enough is enough and when to redouble your efforts.
Icons can be powerful in keeping your life and your morality in check. But if you have no idea of who you are and what you stand for, it is easy and maybe inevitable that you will fall for any fool strong enough to lead you. So my questions to you are very deep and very important: Who are you? What do you stand for? What do you fall for? What do you want from life?
Decide these answers and then do a very un-Japanese thing, put that photograph on your work desk and use it for guidance in those rough moments we all face.
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