Thinking Outside the Box Helped Bookoff's President
Executive Says Start-Ups
Should Be Willing to Try
Something No One Else Has
Mayumi Hashimoto, who in June moved up the executive ranks to become president of Bookoff Corp., Japan's largest used-book retail chain, has had a Cinderella career.
In April 1990, Ms. Hashimoto landed a part-time job at the very first Bookoff outlet just south of Tokyo, earning 600 yen (now slightly more than $5) an hour dusting stacks of old books. Within four years she was an executive, and during her 16-year career at Bookoff helped the company grow from a single shop into a retail giant with 989 outlets and 6,589 employees, most of them part-timers like herself when she began her career.
A female president of a listed Japanese firm is still something of a rarity. Ms. Hashimoto, 57 years old, attributes her unlikely success story to hard work, imagination and a hands-on management style that gives every employee an equal opportunity to succeed. "Our stores are dependent on the quality of our staff, so developing human resources is vital," she says. Jim Hawe spoke with Mrs. Hashimoto in Kanagawa, Japan.
WSJ: What was your first job and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it?
Ms. Hashimoto: After graduating from junior college I worked as a nutritionist at a hospital. Here I learned to never put limits on my responsibilities and so I always tried to do a little more than was expected. My superiors recognized that I was working hard and this let me advance faster than many of my co-workers.
WSJ: Who gave you the best business advice?
Ms. Hashimoto: The best business advice came from Mr. Sakamoto (Takashi Sakamoto, Bookoff's former president and current chairman). He taught me to never to become arrogant, regardless of my position in the company. He taught me to treat every employee as an equal. That is the best way to ensure open and honest communication.
WSJ: What advice would you give someone looking to start a business?
Ms. Hashimoto: You need to be imaginative and think outside the box. When we set out to open a chain of large-volume used-book stores, the business consultants we hired tried to dissuade us. They said we lacked the know-how and would never be able to compete with some of the more reputable and historic used-book shops like those in Tokyo's Kanda Ward. But Mr. Sakamoto was determined to break down the concepts of what could and couldn't be done. People starting a new business shouldn't focus so much on what has already been done, but should be willing to try something that no one else has.
WSJ: What do you wish you knew when you were starting out?
Ms. Hashimoto: First of all, I wish I had appreciated the importance of learning English. Better English would allow me to communicate with a wider range of people. And I wish I had studied basic accounting. As a manager you have to deal with numbers, there is no escaping it.
WSJ: Is there an instance when you felt you let your company or colleagues down?
Ms. Hashimoto: In the beginning I made some mistakes in evaluating workers. Some employees would really work hard when I was around, but slacked off when I was gone. I ended up promoting some of the slackers and this really frustrated the other workers. I learned that I really had to look beyond just the surface when making these evaluations.
WSJ: What was the toughest decision you've had to make as a manager?
Ms. Hashimoto: Bookoff started branching out into other fields, such as used baby goods and women's clothing, but initially these stores performed poorly. I couldn't decide if I should go and help these operations get on track or continue focusing on our mainline used-book operations. In the end I realized that if these new operations failed, they would doom the entire company and so I made up my mind to help out in any way I could. I am happy to say that these businesses are now doing quite nicely.
WSJ: What was the most satisfying decision you've made as a manager?
Ms. Hashimoto: About 10 years ago Mr. Sakamoto wanted to introduce an employee-development system called the Career Path Plan, but I was totally against it. I think I have an allergy to the word "system." This caused a lot of problems for Mr. Sakamoto as the plan couldn't get off the ground without my support. When I told my husband about this he scolded me and said that if I felt I didn't have the skills needed to implement this plan then I should quit the company. The next day I went to Mr. Sakamoto's office to apologize and pledge my full support. I am glad I did, as this system has been largely responsible for the success of Bookoff today.
WSJ: What are the most important attributes of a good manager?
Ms. Hashimoto: As I said, a sound body and mind. Managers are beset with a lot of worries and so must be of sound mind. Managers must know how to listen to others. A manager should always be modest and humble, while encouraging honest dialog. This may sound like a contradiction, but managers then must be able to make tough decisions on their own without worrying about risks.
WSJ: Do you think you would have gone so far if your first part-time job wasn't at Bookoff?
Ms. Hashimoto: No, not at all. I would never have been this successful if not for Mr. Sakamoto and the working environment provided by Bookoff. Every employee is given the same chance to succeed regardless of their gender, age or educational background. I am proof of that.
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Leadership Question of the Week
As part of The Wall Street Journal Asia's 30th year celebration, we're inviting you to share your management advice. We'll publish the answers online and print some in this space next week. Readers whose answers we use will receive a copy of "Boss Talk: Top CEOs Share the Ideas that Drive the World's Most Successful Companies" by the editors of The Wall Street Journal.
Here's this week's question:
Ms. Hashimoto said she wishes she appreciated the importance of learning English when she was starting out. How critical is English or other languages in the executive ranks?
打破思维框框
桥本麻由美(Mayumi Hashimoto)今年6月升任了日本最大二手书连锁店Bookoff Corp.的总裁，她的人生经历与灰姑娘(Cinderella)堪有一比。
1990年4月，桥本麻由美在Bookoff开在东京南边一点的首家零售店谋得了一份兼职工作，时薪600日圆(现值5美元多一点)，负责将成堆旧书上的尘土掸去。她用4年时间成了Bookoff的管理人士，并在自己就职于该公司的16年内参与将Bookoff从只有一处铺面的小店发展成一家拥有989处店面、6,589名员工的零售业巨头。该公司多数员工都像桥本麻由美最初来上班时一样是兼职工。
由女性出任一家上市公司的总裁，这在日本仍是不多见的。现年57的桥本麻由美将她有些不可思议的成功归因于勤奋工作、富于想像和亲历亲为的管理方式，这种管理方式使每位员工都能有获得成功的平等机会。桥本麻由美说：“我们书店依赖于我们员工的素质，所以开发人力资源是至关重要的。”《华尔街日报》(WSJ)记者吉姆?哈维(Jim Hawe)最近在日本神奈川县采访了桥本麻由美。
WSJ： 你的第一份工作是什么？你从这份工作中得到的最大收获是什么？
桥本：大专毕业后我当了一家医院的营养师。我在这里学会了永远不给自己的职责设定限度，所以我总是努力比人们期望的多做一些。我的上司意识到我工作勤奋，这使我升迁的速度比许多同事要快。
WSJ：谁给了你最好的商业建议？
桥本：最好的商业建议来自阪本先生（阪本隆史(Takashi Sakamoto)是Bookoff的前任总裁，现担任该公司董事长）。他教会了我永远不要骄傲自大，无论你在公司中的职位是什么。他教会了我平等对待每一位员工。这是确保交流能够开诚布公的最好方式。
WSJ：你愿意给那些打算创业的人什么建议呢？
桥本：你需要具有想像力，并且能够不受束缚地思考。当我们决定开设一家大量出售二手书的连锁店时，我们聘用的商务咨询顾问曾试图劝阻我们。他们说我们缺乏相关的专门知识，并且永远无法与东京的Kanda Ward等更有名气、开业时间更长的二手书店相竞争。但阪本先生决定打破什么可以做、什么不可以做的陈腐观念。创业者不应该只想著那些人们已经在做的事情，而应该尝试一些从未有人干过的业务。
WSJ：当你的事业刚刚起步时你希望自己已经懂得些什么？
桥本：首先，我希望自己已经知道了学习英语的重要性。较高的英文水平能使我在更广的范围内与人交流沟通。我还希望已经学习过基础会计学。作为一名经理，你不得不与数字打交道，这是逃不掉的。
WSJ：你有感到自己使公司和同事失望的时候吗？
桥本：开始的时候我曾在员工评估方面犯过一些错误。一些员工人前人后两个样，我不在时他们就表现松懈。我曾经提拔过一些这类表现松懈的人，这确实打击了其他员工的积极性。这使我认识到，当评价一个人时决不能仅仅看表面现象。
WSJ：在你的经理人生涯中最难做出的一个决定是什么？
桥本：Bookoff曾经决定将所经营的产品扩大到其他领域，如二手婴儿用品和女装等，但一开始时经营这些产品的店铺业绩不佳。我不能决定是继续干下去、将这些业务推上正轨呢，还是回到我们的二手书主业上来。最终我意识到，如果这些新业务失败了，它们将毁掉整个公司。我因而下定决心要尽我所能向这些业务伸出援手。我现在可以高兴地说，这些业务目前运转良好。
WSJ：作为经理人你最令自己满意的一个决定是什么？
桥本：大约10年前，阪本先生想为公司引人一个名为“生涯道路计划”(Career Path Plan)的员工发展体系，但我却对它持完全反对的态度。我认为我对“体系”这个词有反感。这给阪本先生带来了很大麻烦，因为没有我的支持这项计划很难启动。当我把这件事告诉我丈夫时，他斥责我说，如果我觉得自己没有实施这项计划所需要的技能，我就应该离开这家公司。第二天我来到阪本先生的办公室向他表示道歉，并保证我将全力支持这项计划的实施。我很高兴当时那么做了，因为Bookoff能有今天的成功这一体系居功至伟。
WSJ：什么是一名优秀经理的最重要特征？
桥本：要让我说，那就是体健心灵。经理们的操心事很多，所以必须有良好的头脑。经理们必须知道如何倾听其他人的意见。一名经理应该永远做到谦逊有礼，并鼓励诚实的对话。这听起来可能有些矛盾，但经理们必须独立作出各种艰难的抉择，不怕因此而承担风险。
WSJ：如果你第一份兼职工作不是在Bookoff，你认为自己能取得今天的成功吗？
桥本：完全不能。如果没有阪本先生，没有Bookoff提供的工作环境，我永远不能像今天这样成功。在这里，每个员工都能获得取得成功的同样机会，无论其性别、年龄和教育背景如何。我就是一个例子。
Jim Hawe
