The ingredients of my management career are made up of two managers. I can say without a doubt that I would not be where I am today if it were not for my encounters with these two men. And these are the only two presidents I have served as bosses in my lifetime.

One is Mr. Banjiro Uemura (founder of Tohoku Shinsha) and the other is Mr. Ken Munekata (former president of Sony Pictures Entertainment), both of whom greatly influenced me in my 20s and 30s.

Ken Munekata has recently published a book about his life, titled “Non-Charismatic Management. The book vividly describes the painful but joyful days when “Animax” was launched. I missed the behind-the-scenes stories of those precious days, but this book goes beyond that. It describes a unique leadership theory for businessmen who aspire to startups (entrepreneurship) based on his rich and global experience.

I met Munekata-san in a conference room at the Westin Hotel on January 13, 1998. 32 years old, I was unemployed. And Munekata-san was 38 (!). I was 32 years old and unemployed. I was excited about Sony’s strategy in the upcoming JskyB (later merged with Sky Perfect TV) and Ken Munekata-san’s vision.

Under the extremely urgent timeline, every day was like war as we prepared for the upcoming opening of “Animax” and “AXN” three months after I joined the company, but I remember that it was a fun environment with constant laughter. However, I remember that it was an enjoyable environment with constant laughter. I recognized once again that this was the result of the Sohkata-style management approach (the magic of drawing out the maximum power from the team) described in this book. (For more details, please read this book.) It is a great example of Mr. Munekata’s “non-charismatic” management style.

In my 20s, I spent my time under the tutelage of Mr. Banjiro Uemura, a charismatic and charismatic man who started his own business in his own lifetime, and in my 30s, I met Mr. Ken Munekata, who had a global management sense from a large corporation, and I learned a different management style. Thanks to this great swing, I am the person I am today.

Even today, as I am faced with many management decisions, I sometimes wonder, “What would Munehata-san think?” I sometimes wonder “What would Sohkata-san think? I keenly realize how important it is for a manager to know and be able to practice good management techniques. I was lucky to be able to spend time with such a wonderful senior manager. This book, which directly imparts his management concepts, will be a must-see for businessmen who are thinking of starting up their own businesses.

Non-Charismatic Management (Author: Ken Sohkata)
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0B4RS6HVX/