Yasushi Kambara, President and CEO of Signpost Co., Ltd.　

Business is about creating new value and making employees and society happy.

■ Profile

In 1988, he joined Sanwa Bank (now Mitsubishi UFJ Bank).
We are involved in large-scale projects such as building next-generation systems using cutting-edge technology and integrating systems following the merger of Mitsubishi UFJ Bank.
In 2007, Signpost Co., Ltd. was founded with the aim of creating new value for society.
We provide IT-related solutions that show companies the way to solving their management and business challenges and social issues, and actually solve them.

Signpost has developed an unmanned AI cash register that is attracting attention as a solution to the labor shortage in the retail industry. Behind this is President Kambara's determination to devote the rest of his life to passing on the prosperous country of Japan that he inherited from his ancestors to the next generation. We spoke to him about his approach and business approach to thoroughly resolving customer issues and continuing to create new value.

I spent my university life playing soccer, pachinko, billiards, and studying mathematics.
He served as both coach and captain of the soccer team, and studied soccer tactics and strategies diligently, turning the team from perennially last place to joint first place.
From the first to fourth grade of elementary school, I was hospitalized with a potentially fatal illness. Because I was prohibited from exercising, I had a strong desire to sneak into the hospital recreation room in the middle of the night to watch the World Cup, and I decided that when I was able to exercise again, I would become a master of soccer. I made that dream come true when I became a university student.
While practicing soccer, I spent a lot of time studying mathematics. That knowledge is still very useful to me today. Managers cannot forecast or predict without knowing mathematics. I could go on and on about how much mathematics has helped me, and it would take more than a day to explain.
However, I wasn't studying mathematics with the future in mind. I think that the idea that "I'm going to study this because I want to get a certain job" is, in a way, a dangerous idea. No one knows what they'll be doing in the future, so they shouldn't decide at this point that "this knowledge is useless."

■You never know what will happen in life

I studied systems in university. When I was looking for a job, I thought that "IT systems are just a means to an end," and was hesitant to work in that field. After graduating from university, I wanted to contribute to Japan by providing loans to great businesses, so I joined Sanwa Bank. However, because that was my major in university, I was assigned to the bank's systems department.
Although it was different from what I had originally intended, I decided, "I don't want to run away. I'll quit the systems department once I've become a top-class employee." As a result of my efforts, I became so well-known in the financial IT world that it was impossible for me to quit. And as a result, I'm still working in systems today. You never know what's going to happen in life.

■ Passing on our prosperous country to future generations

I have been on the verge of death twice in my life, but I have survived. Since then, I have come to believe that I am "living."
While working as a banker, I began to think, "I shouldn't waste my precious life on petty selfish desires. I want to contribute as much as possible to passing on the prosperous country that I have inherited from my predecessors to future generations." Initially, I thought about becoming a politician, but considering that I would die at 60, I realized that I wouldn't have enough time left to become Prime Minister, so I decided to start my own business to contribute from the business world.
At first, I had no capital, only a business philosophy. My children were still young, and I was worried that starting a business would leave me penniless. Even in such a situation, I was able to start my business with the support of my wife and financial assistance from my seniors and colleagues from my banking days.

■Business is about making the world a better place

Signpost has three management philosophies. The first is "creating new value for society." Business is about making customers happy, making the world a better place, and creating new value. This inevitably differentiates us from other companies. We thoroughly solve our customers' true problems, and if there is something that doesn't exist yet, we create it. We find solutions to problems that no one has tried before and make them a reality. And that's what makes business so interesting.
The second is to "do work that is appreciated by customers and society." Companies that cannot do this will not survive.
The third is "Supporting employees' growth through their work and making employees and their families happy." Our employees spend the best years of their lives working for us, from the age of 20 to around 70, so we need them to grow as people and professionals.
Do good work with good customers. Hire good employees. This will result in good colleagues, which in itself is a joy in life. Also, doing good work will train you as a professional and improve the abilities of your employees, which will increase your economic profits and allow you to distribute them to your employees. And it will also make your employees' families happy. I started my business with these principles in mind.
If you ask me what is fun about my job, I would say that everything is fun every day. Hosting BBQ parties and being able to interact with employees and their families. Having employees pore over my handwritten book and say, "It's my bible." Talking with the university students today is all fun.

■The people I want to work with are "honest people"

The kind of people I want to work with are honest people. I believe that honesty is not a superficial personality trait, but a quality that has been cultivated from birth to the present. Honest people don't lie and don't blame others. This makes it natural for them to be able to do their job well.
If you're a university student, please study hard. Find something you're good at, whatever it may be. Currently, the three main duties of a citizen are paying taxes, working, and getting an education. Of these, the only thing university students can do is get an education, so study hard. Instead of trying your hand at a variety of subjects and aiming for 80 points in all, aim for 120 points in one subject. If your circumstances allow, don't take on a part-time job, but study hard. If you do have a part-time job, I hope you choose one that will be useful in your life.
What you must not do is look down on others. There are only two ways to gain a superior position. One is to work hard and rise to the top, and the other is to put others down. The second way is easy because you don't have to work hard, but it doesn't allow you to grow any further.
The world is surprisingly simple, but it is also very profound.

Student Newspaper Online June 10, 2021 Aoyama Gakuin University, 3rd year, Suzuki Ririko