The poet and the industrialist

The poet is from West Yorkshire, England. The industrialist was born sixty years earlier, in Wakayama, Japan. Different eras, different worlds. What they have in common is a respect for people and their contributions.

From David Whyte, the poet:

“Companies need the contributing vitality of all the individuals who work for them to stay alive in the sea of changeability in which they find themselves. They must find a real way of asking people to bring these hidden, heartfelt qualities into the workplace. A way that doesn’t make them feel manipulated or the subject of some five-year plan.”

From Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic, in a speech to US business executives:

“A company must have the constant commitment of all of its employees to survive. For us, management is the entire workforce’s intellectual commitment to the service of the company without self-imposed functional or class barriers.

Only the intellect of all employees can permit a company to live with the ups and downs and meet the requirements of its new environment.”

Enabling employees at all levels to make the most of all they have to offer. 

A romantic idea? Outdated? Or needed now more than ever?