What are the most important things for boosting development at Kobayashi Pharmaceutical?They can be listed as the "Three H’s".

1. Hito (People)
2. Hit Products
3. Hanbairyoku (Sales Force)

Human resources are a company’s foundation, and a company cannot be established without talented people.This philosophy is a tradition at Kobayashi Pharmaceutical.Human resources are constantly trained, and those people are building the next-generation Kobayashi Pharmaceutical.And these talented people produce hit products and comprise the powerfully coherent sales force.

What does top management do to make the Three H’s a reality?Among all the duties of top management, the most critical is the formation of a powerful team of employees that fully comprehends management’s philosophy.Nothing can stop progress toward a single objective when everyone from the CEO down to the newest employee operates in unity under a singular philosophy.

To that end, the organization must facilitate good communication between employees.Furthermore, methods for implementing the decisions of management and the steps involved must be considered independently; for this, employees with the inherent ability to accomplish this are required.I spared no efforts to build Kobayashi Pharmaceutical just such a team.If need be, I would do the same things any number of times.

Therefore, people who understand my ideas are selected and appointed as staff executives and partners.And while it is important for supervisors to take up the company’s views as appropriate for their positions and manage their subordinates strictly and with fair impartiality, it is also important to have people who understand their subordinates’ feelings.

The seats of our corporate executives are not reserved seats.Those who don’t focus on the task at hand or produce results will be discontinued.Supervisors are the real-world operational commanders at Kobayashi Pharmaceutical.Commanders must be those who take the lead and challenge their subordinates with new and difficult work.It is important for them to work, suffer, and have a good time everyday with their young employees.

And they must also reprimand them with confidence and unhesitatingly, when required.Any supervisor who only enjoys himself and can’t reprimand is disqualified.A supervisor who works alongside a subordinate and can still reprimand him can also always foresee the work ahead and tackle it head-on.

My wish for the employees is that they will always feel a “hunger” in their lives.Don’t be satisfied with the present, be hungry.Can you face yourself squarely, step up to the challenge of seemingly impossible tasks, and stretch your capabilities to the limit?The only thing you can do in your life is to take on the responsibility yourself.It’s your life, so don’t content yourself with the boring status quo.

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical is an organization where those who undergo self-reformation, take a positive approach to work, and achieve excellent results are rewarded.This was true in the past as well, and this characteristic continues to be carried further on into the future.

On the other hand, it is a difficult organization to be in for those who don’t put forth effort.The principle of rewarding meritorious service and punishing mistakes is applied not only to employees, but to supervisors and executives as well.

(From an interview with Kazumasa Kobayashi)