Speak loudly on the phone.

 

■When you speak loudly, people around you naturally want to help

People often tell me I speak loudly on the phone.

My natural speaking voice is already loud, but on the phone, since I can't see the other person's reaction, I feel I need to speak clearly and end up getting even louder. For those around me, it must be incredibly noisy and a real nuisance. But actually, this can be surprisingly useful.

For example, if I get into an argument on the phone and get really worked up, after the call ends, someone nearby will often say, "That sounded tough. Are you okay?" That single phrase helps cool down my heated emotions. If they then listen to what happened, it really helps relieve the stress.

Sometimes, it even becomes the catalyst for resolving the trouble. I've been helped countless times by receiving advice like, "You should ask that person about that," or "For what you just mentioned, maybe try doing it this way."

When I first joined the company, the office wasn't as quiet as it is now. Phones were ringing constantly, voices chattered from every corner—it was lively and bustling. You could even get a sense of what people were working on just by overhearing snippets of conversation.
Sometimes I feel a little nostalgic for those days.

 

■What matters is the information and opportunities gathered daily from those around you

Also, "having a loud voice" doesn't just mean being physically loud; it also means actively sharing your thoughts and ideas widely within the company.

Since my late twenties, I've made it a point not to wait for work to be assigned by my superiors, but to actively seek opportunities throughout the company and continuously create work for myself. This is possible because "having a loud voice" = "broadly communicating my thoughts and ideas within the company."

First, I talk directly to peers, seniors, or juniors I know about the themes I'm focusing on or the challenges I want to tackle at that moment.

Next, I ask them to introduce me to others within the company who might be connected to that topic. I share the same story with them and ask them to introduce me to others who might be involved. I repeat this process. Meeting and talking rarely leads to immediate work.

However, later on, when they encounter something related to that topic, they'll remember me and reach out. This is how information and opportunities start gathering from within the company.

There are limits to the information and actions an individual can access. Opportunities are also finite, and you won't easily stumble upon work related to the themes you want to tackle. But a company has various departments and diverse people. By using that network, you can transcend your own physical limitations.

No matter how brilliant your ideas or plans, they're useless without the chance to make them happen. There have been many times when I achieved things I could never have done alone, thanks to opportunities given to me by those around me.

My ability to experience diverse work beyond the advertising industry—such as planning films and TV programs, engaging in university-industry collaborations, and contributing to magazine series and book production—likely stemmed from having a strong voice within the company.

This was triggered by the fulfillment of a personal dream.

Yurika Nozaki, author of "What I Learned from Meeting Dolphins" (Kodansha) and a dolphin swimmer, has been someone I've admired since my early twenties. She was also a former senior colleague at my company. She had already retired by the time I joined the company, but I thought, "Surely some of my seniors must be close to her," and I made a point of talking about her whenever I could within the company.

Then, a few years later, as I had expected, I met a senior colleague who was good friends with Ms. Nozaki and was introduced to her. I visited her home on Hawaii Island, where she bases her activities, with a friend and enjoyed dolphin swimming to my heart's content.

This experience greatly increased my motivation, and after that, I began to consciously speak up within the company and try to connect it to my work.

The important thing is the information that gathers around you on a daily basis. People around you will tell you things that are related to what you want to face, but that you yourself may not have noticed. The more sensitive antennas you have, the more good information and opportunities you will be blessed with.

You should set up these antennas not only within the company, but also outside the company. If you let the people you meet and the people you are introduced to know your thoughts and ideas, you will gather even more of the information and opportunities you want.
When that happens, the breadth of your thinking expands dramatically, your mind becomes more active, and your mindset gradually transforms.