I just finished re-reading “The Challenging Road, Nidec Policy and Nagamori-ism.”  Unfortunately, you probably can’t find a copy, at least not in the U.S.  I’ve checked eBay, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble, and there are no copies available.  I got my copy from Crawford Del Prete, who befriended Yoichi Ichikawa, the former Executive Advisor to Shigenobu Nagamori, the CEO of Nidec Corporation, over the course of numerous trips to Japan. I assume that Crawford must have received several copies of Nagamori-san’s book,  because I know Crawford kept at least one, and I and several of my former colleagues each received a cherished copy from Crawford.  As I’ve started my own company, many of the policies and much of the philosophy have been very helpful.  But I would also like to share the ideas with the founders of some of the startups that I meet. So, Nagamori-san, if you are reading this, please let me know how I can get additional copies.

The book was published by Nidec Corporation in 1998, and details Nidec’s policy and vision, as set out by Nagamori-san.  Nagamori-san is quite famous in the business community throughout Japan, as a friend visiting from Japan confirmed last night over dinner.   His fame is somewhat remarkable, given that his company makes motors – really small motors.  But his motors, millions of them, can be found in disk drives and classic iPods, and he makes motors that power the small fans that cool computers.  Nagamori-san is well on his way to reaching the goal that he set out in his book of reaching 1,000 billion yen in annual sales.  Not bad for a guy who started, in his words, “with no material assets.”

One chapter in his book is entitled “Tomorrow Will be a Better Day,” and it begins “I am always thinking this way, namely, today was the best day but tomorrow will be much better.”  I think it’s the positive attitude, tenacity, and optimism that he expresses in that sentence that serves as a foundation for the successful entrepreneur.  I tell my children that they can’t control everything that happens to them during the course of a day.  And some of the things that happen to them may be bad, perhaps very bad.  Even the very optimistic Nagamori-san states in his book, that “I believe each person’s destiny is swayed by 70% fortune and 30% endeavor,” as he recounts the fortunate encounter with an early teacher that lead him down the path of designing motors.  But whether you are fortunate or not, it is how you respond to your fortune that matters.  And that is a choice.  For me, today was the best day, but tomorrow will be much better.  Thanks, Nagamori-san.