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Today I would like to introduce a part of an interview I found with Mr. Seiji Hirao who talks about his idea of leadership and importance to make a series of right decisions at the right moments even in unreasonable circumstances.

Mr. Hirao sees the crucial quality of leadership is to be responsible for all the team. The coach of his high school rugby team was Mr. Yamaguchi, a famous coach whose method was to apply a “punishment” for a “mistake”. This is an old-fashion way which makes students feel unreasonable.

However, Mr. Hirao looks back and reassures that the coach had something bigger which made the players follow him. The coach was ready for a hardball and to take all the responsibility for his team. The players felt it for sure.

Mr. Hirao also learnt a lot from his experience in playing in UK. Rugby is a sport which a split second decision can make a big turn in a match. The British has a better sense when “critical moments” come. Mr. Hirao observes that the British knows to enjoy himself as a full-on fighter while Japanese players make sure not to use up all the energy just in case. In this way, they never get themselves cornered in to learn to make right decisions at the critical moments.

Mr. Hirao faced an unreasonable reaction from others after another. However he tells it is important to train yourself to judge and decide what to take and what to give up in order to achieve what you aim for. Need also to get to know the people you are dealing with.

We all have an unfair life but we can live well by training ourselves to make series of right decisions at the critical moments. Even though they are trivial matters it is crucial to make your own decisions and judge if those decisions were good each time by yourself. Mr. Hirao makes a point this is how you go on in life and a long succession of tiny decision makings eventually leads you to a bigger achievement.

It would not be easy to practice but the truth is seen in what he says.

By Seiji Hirao (Kobelco Steelers Rugby Team Coach and General Manager),
March 2011, recruit-agent

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