Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO

by Satoru Iwata

This is why I think that management depends on an ability to minimize your personal agenda.

You might realize that somebody is making a mistake, but unless you can advise them in a way that they can readily accept and comprehend and fit into their point of view, your advice—right or not—is meaningless.

Take another example: early on, I knew almost nothing about computers, but as I put in the effort and learned about the way they worked, my increased understanding made things progressively more interesting.

The instant we begin to feel that the rewards outweigh our efforts, a virtuous cycle starts up and keeps on going. It seems to me that whenever we can tell ourselves, “I think I’m good at this,” the cycle of reward is in full swing.

I’d discover connections between things I didn’t understand. I found that so rewarding. It’s a lot of fun when all these things you don’t know come together and start making sense.