A cheerful and refreshing approach to thinking

Photographing another participant, Mr. Fujita

10 PM, Hiroo. After a long, long meeting, and since I hadn't eaten dinner yet, I asked my junior colleague Okumura-kun, "Fancy grabbing a quick bite?" He replied, "I have prior plans... Oh! Would you like to join us too, Yamada-san?" So off we went to a yakiniku restaurant. "Everyone loves yakiniku, right? But grilling sizzling meat at this hour is way too risky. Kalbi and such are heavy on the stomach... maybe just a salad would be fine..." I was muttering to myself when I found Shinji Muto-san, my senior, waiting there with a beaming smile, relentlessly grilling meat.

Speaking of Muto-san, he recently published 'Improving Your Mental Constitution ' (Nikkei Publishing). His column in Web Dentsu Inc. is also doing exceptionally well. He clearly explains the methods needed to think flexibly and generate ideas and plans, not just in advertising but broadly across business settings.

The table of contents lists numerous training methods that don't require special time, such as: "Listen to the radio every morning," "Treat lunch like a project," "Engage with online videos daily," "Choose year-end party venues based on 'hassle,'" "Read five columns a day," "Allow free discussion for the first 15 minutes of meetings," and "Eliminate 'days with nothing to do.'" For example, he suggests using radio—a medium with limited information—to stimulate imagination. Honestly, I'm lazy, so making all of these habits is pretty much impossible for me. But reading it feels like chatting with Muto-san, and strangely enough, it really perks me up.

In fact, Muto is one of the company's top "small talk masters." Beyond his wealth of topics, his bright, refreshing personality, perfect timing in responding, and hearty laughter make people feel great. I once saw one of his presentations, and this small talk skill was on full display right from the start. That proposal was nearly 100 pages long. If it were me, I'd be itching to skip the greetings and dive straight into the explanation. But Muto-san was chatting and laughing with the client so cheerfully, it almost made the audience worry. The actual presentation content didn't start until about 15 minutes in. Yet, the result was excellent. Above all, I remember how he earned the client's representative's absolute trust.

Even then, I marveled, "What incredible mental agility!" Reading this book, I learned that Mr. Muto diligently maintains this skill daily.

The training Mr. Muto advocates and casual conversation share a common thread: "deviating from fixed routines." It's essential for acquiring diverse knowledge that fuels ideas and for transforming that knowledge into "aha!" moments.

This is just my own assumption, but I've always felt that people who are good at creative thinking tend to be sharp observers, yet somehow gloomy and mean-spirited. Reading 'Improving Your Mental Constitution' this time, I gained insight into a facet of Muto-san's "cheerful and refreshing approach to idea generation."

Mr. Muto playing with the little girl

In the end, we left the Hiroo restaurant at 2 a.m. Muto-san stayed cheerful and enjoyed the yakiniku right until the very end, finishing off with curry. How does he not gain weight?

Now then. Next time marks the 50th installment. I'm well aware that whether it's the company's anniversary or the serial's milestone doesn't really concern our readers, but I'll go ahead and throw a celebratory feast anyway. I'll report back on the results (while piecing together my hazy, alcohol-fogged memories).

Enjoy!