Founder of Fast Retailing and Uniqlo, Tadashi Yanai, shares business management knowledge with Waseda students
Mon, Jan 25, 2016-
Tags
University President Kamata delivers an opening address
On January 19, Waseda University hosted a lecture with founder and CEO of Fast Retailing, Tadashi Yanai. Yanai is an alumnus of Waseda’s School of Political Science and Economics. Approximately 160 aspiring student business managers and 100 young managers from across the country attended the lecture at Masaru Ibuka Auditorium.
Yanai helped organize the event to reinvigorate Japan and encourage the youth to challenge themselves and play an active part in society. Yanai shared his personal philosophy on business management, saying, “Being a manager is one of the most interesting jobs in the world.” Yanai then engaged in a dialogue with audience members.
Tadashi Yanai answers questions from the audience
The dialogue led to lively discussions between Yanai and the audience. Yanai answered questions from audience members, referencing general rules and theories regarding management. One student asked, “What important management skills can I work on by the time I turn 25 years old?” Yanai replied, “It is impossible to acquire significant management skills by the time you turn 25. It takes around ten years of working from morning to night as if your life depends on it to acquire the necessary skills.” Yanai’s eye-opening advice will surely help guide students as they go forward. In reference to Honda’s independently developed light business jet, “HondaJet,” Yanai said, “Success requires you to keep up with the times. You need to create what you want to do….There is no such thing as peace of mind, stability, or safety when it comes to management. Complacency is the end of a manager.”
