Make like the Boks, and win
I know you’re as excited as I am about the Springbok’s World Cup win. It’s a tremendous victory for the sport, but also for the flagging morale of our country. And, for me, it’s a reminder that success comes from the tenacity to never give up.
Maintaining a strong zeal for success can captivate a person’s mind, driving them with determination and passion. When you think it’s time to give up, that’s when the real work begins.
Take the Springboks. Their moment of triumph on Saturday was preceded by months, even years, of preparation and training – which included having to repeatedly overcome defeat while fine-tuning their tactics and increasing their skills and fitness through relentless training.
It makes me think of Kyocera’s philosophy that even if you set a big goal (like winning the World Cup), your daily work to achieve it is likely to include many tedious and mundane tasks to make continuous improvements. To use the words of the founder of Kyocera Corporation, Dr Kazuo Inamori - “We must remember that no great feat is accomplished overnight. It is always a step by step accumulation of tedious efforts.”
It also reminds me of another Kyocera philosophy to “tirelessly continue doing our best”. By striving today to make it better than yesterday and tomorrow to make it better than today, we place ourselves on an upward trajectory. “Untiring effort, quiet dedication and the humble pursuit of truth” mean that even when we face difficulty or defeat, we continue on an elevated path to success.
Or to put it in the words of our national hero Siya Kolisi, “Remain humble and stay hungry.”
Werner Engelbrecht - General Manager - KYOCERA Document Solutions South Africa
