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Could you provide an overview of your company's business?


Our company primarily serves major Japanese corporations, supporting them in achieving sustainable enhancement of corporate value. We address their mid- to long-term challenges by approaching both human and organizational aspects. We excel in providing ongoing support, with our strengths being production capabilities and partnerships.


Unlike many companies that support corporate training and organizational development, we do not rely on existing methods. Instead, we tailor our approach with external partners who possess the optimal solutions for each of our clients' challenges. We create customized project-based teams to solve the issues based on each client's specific needs.


We believe that the challenges we handle for our clients include not only already visible troubles and issues but also the gaps between the current state and the unarticulated ideals that even the clients themselves may not yet articulate. Therefore, our mission is to accompany our clients closely, understand what their ideals are through intense communication, and help turn those ideals into reality.



Could you share what your daily responsibilities entail?



I serve as the sales manager for several key client accounts at our company. Additionally, I lead a team, focusing on developing the members and strengthening organizational capabilities with a mid- to long-term perspective.


Earlier, I mentioned sales, but in our context, being in sales means acting as a producer to solve client issues. As a producer, it's essential to uncover the clients' latent challenges and present a wide range of solutions to address them. Therefore, the ideals and aspirations of our team members are crucial. In other words, the values and worldview of our producers significantly influence the value of the services we can offer to clients, the selection of external partners to tackle issues together, and the performance these partners deliver to clients.


We are transparent with clients about the presence of external partners. Thus, for clients to continue using our services, we must clearly demonstrate and continuously provide the value we add as intermediaries between them and our external partners. This requires us, as producers, to have a clear vision, act towards its realization, and possess imagination, communication skills, and execution ability.



How did you come to know about Interbeing Inc.?



When Mr. Matsumoto published a book titled A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind, our company representative contacted him and formed a partnership, which introduced me to Interbeing Inc. Later, when I was casually asking a colleague if they knew any inspiring people, Mr. Matsumoto's name came up, and I decided to reach out to him.



What was your impression when you first met Mr. Matsumoto?



I genuinely felt that he was a fascinating person, and I had an intuition that something significant might happen if I could introduce Mr. Matsumoto to our clients.

In my opinion, there's a recent trend where attention is overly focused on visible information and explainable phenomena, while experiential information and inexplicable phenomena are given lower priority.


In economic activities, visualization and articulation are, of course, important. However, using an iceberg as an analogy, those aspects—the visible part—are just the tip. Just as the submerged part of an iceberg represents a larger proportion, in a company, the core of the issues often lies in the invisible and difficult-to-articulate aspects. I felt that Mr. Matsumoto's approach could effectively address these underlying, submerged issues.



Could you tell us why you decided to propose the service of dialogues with monks, led by Mr. Matsumoto, to your clients?



I believed that through dialogues between monks and business people, there could be an opportunity for business professionals to expand their potential not just as professionals but as human beings. I had an intuition that they would remember something they've forgotten amidst their daily work routines.


People working in companies are, to some extent, aware of the "roles" assigned to them within their organizations and perform their duties accordingly. However, from a different perspective, this might cause them to lose sight of their true selves.


The core of Mr. Matsumoto's philosophy is "long-term thinking." Through dialogues with Mr. Matsumoto, individuals can awaken their inherent potential and positively transform their perception of their roles. This type of training is not something just anyone can offer; it requires someone like Mr. Matsumoto, who is both a monk and deeply understands business. I saw great potential in this approach.



Have there been any changes in your clients through the sessions with Mr. Matsumoto?



Two executives from our clients attended the training sessions.

"The dialogue with a monk", something they don’t usually experience, seemed to be a unique and unfamiliar experience for them. Interestingly, it appears that conversations with Mr. Matsumoto have a healing effect on the participants. According to the feedback we received after the training, not only did the executives who directly engaged in the dialogue feel its benefits, but even the HR personnel perceived an intangible, indescribable value.


The minor misalignments that arise from our interactions with diverse individuals and the complexities of work leave small, daily scratches on us. This phenomenon has been accelerated by the prevalence of remote work. As these scratches accumulate, they can turn into significant wounds over time, highlighting the vulnerability of modern society. The healing effect of dialogues with Mr. Matsumoto seemed to help participants regain their sanity.


While the professional roles we assume are important, many found that the dialogues with Mr. Matsumoto provided an opportunity to reconnect with their true selves. It was an Eastern approach, akin to traditional medicine, rather than surgical intervention.



That is feedback we don't often hear about with typical training sessions.


Yes, I believe it comes down to the difference between Calling and Caring. Calling implies uplifting, while Caring, as previously mentioned, means healing.


Typically, external training programs focus on Calling, and budgets are allocated for that purpose. However, from my experiences with many people, I’ve come to realize that for leaders bearing heavy responsibilities in major corporations, Caring is more necessary than Calling. Being able to connect clients who need Caring with Mr. Matsumoto is one of the most rewarding aspects of my role as a producer to navigate them to the solutions.



Is there anything in common in the feedback from the two companies that participated in the dialogue with Mr. Matsumoto?



The HR representatives from both client companies seemed to share the desire to "awaken the leadership team." Leaders often have their days filled with highly challenging tasks. However, when viewed from a different perspective, this state can become routine for the leaders, putting them in a sort of comfort zone. The HR representatives at my client companies were aware of this and saw the dialogues with Mr. Matsumoto as an opportunity to serve as a catalyst for change.



Could you share your impressions of your experience from the dialogue with a monk?



There was a ceremonial solemnity to it, a kind of time that we can't find in the daily life of a business person. Interactions in the business world, regardless of the type of relationship, always involve some degree of vested interests or evaluation from the other party. However, the dialogue with Mr. Matsumoto was free from such evaluations and took place in a relaxed and quiet environment. In retrospect, it was truly a Caring experience.



What kind of companies do you think would benefit from dialogues with Mr. Matsumoto?



I believe that companies looking for change or seeking an alternative approach would greatly benefit from connecting with Mr. Matsumoto. His philosophies and ideas address something that is lacking in modern society. While abstract, Mr. Matsumoto embodies a concept close to prayer.



Could you introduce the dialogue with a monk in your own words?



Shoukei Matsumoto is a monk who also has deep knowledge of business. It is rare to have the opportunity to engage in dialogue with a monk, but Mr. Matsumoto's concept of "long-term thinking" involves considering things beyond the present world. It is somewhat different from sustainability; it’s a Buddhist approach that provides genuine insights into how such thinking can be integrated into business.



Thank you very much for sharing your valuable insights and experiences with us.

VOICE |
INTERVIEW

A Program that Provides Insights and Stimulates Awareness Through Dialogue

Celm, Inc.

Unit Head of Enterprise Unit
East Japan Partner Development Department

Mr. Takayoshi Nishino

MONK DIALOGUE

Celm, Inc.

Celm, Inc.

Unit Head of Enterprise Unit
East Japan Partner Development Department

Mr. Takayoshi Nishino

Celm, Inc.

VOICE |
INTERVIEW

Audio Recording

Language: Japanese

00:00 / 01:04

Audio Recording / Language: Japanese

00:00 / 01:04
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