Son

"A recent example would be SoftBank’s acquisition of “Vodafone Japan Corporation (now SoftBank Mobile)” in March 2006. At the time, Vodafone was constantly lagging behind NTT DoCoMo and au and had never experienced being “number one.” When Son spoke with the executives back then, he immediately felt that “their eyes were dead,” they “lacked confidence,” and they had a “habit of losing, thinking everything they do fails.” So, he told them:"

"Ultimately, it is Masayoshi Son himself who thinks and makes decisions. This system inspires idea generation."

"An invention is an idea product. To create an idea product, one must enhance and strengthen creativity. Thus, Masayoshi Son resolved to improve and enhance his creativity. There is no other way to strengthen abilities than through training. There is a saying in the sports world: “Practice and hard work make the impossible possible.” Masayoshi Son demonstrated this himself."

"In a special lecture at the opening ceremony, Son stated that “dao, heaven, earth, general, law” signifies “ambition (philosophy),” “peak, emotion, strategy, seven struggles” means “vision,” and “first class, attack and defense group” represents “strategy.”"

"To avoid this risk, it is necessary to set up multiple works or related businesses like “life vests” around the core one. If one fails, others will cover for it. This is the “group strategy.” It also means forming alliances with competent individuals or companies, creating a corps through comradeship to “hedge risks (avoid danger).” Son says."

"◆ “Group Strategy” to Disperse Risk The last character in the third paragraph is “group” [group strategy: forming alliances with exceptional individuals or companies with the same aspirations, practicing “risk hedge”]. This means not excelling in a single product or business line, but placing importance on possessing business lines or organizations as multiple groups, a strategy known as “group strategy.” In the aforementioned article from “President” (January 1997 issue), Son speaks as follows. “Of course, the efficiency of a single-product management is high, and it’s undoubtedly the quickest way to raise ROI (Return on Investment). When starting up a business in a position of weakness, it’s better to focus on one business line and concentrate your forces."

"Next, Masayoshi Son created a computer program and input the cost per item for each component. Furthermore, he entered indices for the novelty of the component, and how much knowledge Masayoshi Son himself had about the component—scored out of twenty, ten, and five respectively, arranging a total of about forty factors."

"When challenging a new business or facing difficulties, Son recalls these “25 characters,” repeatedly asking himself if they match with each success factor, and making his decisions."

"At the beginning of the interview, Son gave me a colorful and beautiful high-end paper printed with the “Son’s Square Law,” which consists of 25 characters. It was the moment I first saw the “Son’s Square Law.”"

"In his lecture at the “SoftBank Academia” inauguration, Son spoke as follows: “I have read thousands of books and gone through various experiences and trials, and with these 25 characters, I truly believe that by achieving and reaching this, I can exhibit leadership, become a successor, and a true leader.”"

"However, despite Son’s earnest explanation, I carelessly did not realize at that moment that this “Son’s Square Law,” along with the “50-year life plan,” constituted a crucial part of his management methods."

"Ideally, we should proceed following the order of the latest version of the dial “Heaven-Earth-General-Law → Top-Emotion-Strategy-Battle → Elite-Offense-Defense-Troop → Wisdom-Trust-Benevolence-Courage-Strictness → Wind-Forest-Fire-Mountain-Sea.” However, in this book, it will be discussed in the order that Son initially created and became accustomed to using as his management guideline for many years: “Elite-Offense-Defense-Troop → Heaven-Earth-General-Law → Wisdom-Trust-Benevolence-Courage-Strictness → Top-Emotion-Strategy-Battle → Wind-Forest-Fire-Mountain-Sea.”"

"Based on this idea, Son continued to explore what business to pursue for a year and a half. Every time he came up with an idea and developed a business plan, he applied “Nine Conditions” to filter it. The “Nine Conditions” were as follows: [Condition One] Once a business is undertaken, it cannot be stopped halfway. Therefore, it must be a sustainable business. [Condition Two] Naturally, it must be a profitable business. [Condition Three] It must be a growing industrial sector. The industry structure itself must not be in a recession or decline. [Condition Four] It must be a business that can become the core of a future corporate group. [Condition Five] It must be a business that cannot easily be imitated by others. [Condition Six] It must be a business that doesn’t require large capital investment. [Condition Seven] It must be a business that is useful to society and contributes to societal development. [Condition Eight] It must be a business that one can engage in interestingly. [Condition Nine] If you undertake it, you must absolutely become the number one company in that field. If you can’t become number one, don’t even start."

"Commander—Gather excellent subordinates The fourth “Commander” literally means “General.” In “The Art of War,” it refers to the abilities a general should possess, such as wisdom, honesty, integrity, courage, and dignity. In “Son’s Twofold Principle,” it emphasizes not only honing one’s abilities but also the importance of acquiring “excellent commanders (i.e., subordinates, staff) with such abilities.” Son explains."