Athlete Brains Hiroshi Tamesue's "Fluid Pacing" vol.1

A serial interview column where Mr. Tamesue freely discusses "things on his mind right now." The only set theme is "What is autonomy? What is tolerance?" Faced with unreasonable demands from a mysterious "interviewer," Mr. Tamesue shares his thoughts on various "things on his mind." Well then. What kind of stories will emerge this time...? Stay tuned.

Tamesue: "Autonomy and tolerance," huh? Interesting theme.

──Exactly. That's the only theme we set for this interview series. Frankly, it's a bit of a wild card (laughs). So, right off the bat, is there anything related to this theme that's on your mind right now? Like, say, "work-style reform"?

Tametsu: You're jumping right in. Oh, so that's how you're approaching it (laughs).

──…(silence).

Tametsu: Regarding this theme, I suppose I am concerned about the question: "Whose responsibility is the growth of company employees?"

──What do you mean?

Tamesue: Traditionally, the common sense was: "The company bears full responsibility for your growth. So just work as ordered!" Right? But that common sense has flipped 180 degrees.

──Yeah, yeah.

Tametsu: We're gradually being freed from quotas and harassment, but wait... does this mean "I'm responsible for my own growth"? I feel like society as a whole is starting to realize this. To align with this series' theme, it's like we're being forced into autonomy.

──That's true.

Tamura: I feel like this sense of "Do I have to discipline myself?" is spreading as a kind of collective "confusion" throughout society. It's like, when talking about business, the subject used to be "we," but somehow it's become "I." When it was "we," there was no problem, but suddenly being told to talk about things with "I" as the subject... that's the "confusion."

──Like being told to report on " your ideal self."

Tamesue: Exactly. I feel that confusion is showing up in communication too. We're somehow bound by this compulsion that "we just have to keep updating," and we're losing our tolerance for ourselves and others. As a result, our perspective is narrowing. That's the feeling.

──The pressure to keep growing, right?

Tametsu: I think "autonomy" starts with realizing that you and others are different. My thoughts are my thoughts. That person's thoughts are their thoughts. Both are valid. Only when you can draw that line does "autonomy" emerge. If you only focus on "your ideal self," you can't grow.

──That's why "confusion" arises.

Tamesue: It's the same with work in general. Back when I was thinking, "What should I do for the company?", I never felt confused. But somehow, it's shifted to "Where should Japan, where should the world be heading?" Of course you're going to feel lost. Individuals and companies alike.

──In a way, it's like the ladder was pulled out from under us.

Tametsu: Exactly. When I was thinking about the company all the time, it felt like I was bound, but in a way, it was easier. It was the same for the company—they just had to measure whether your actions would benefit or harm the company. That was simple. But when that yardstick is taken away, you don't know what to do anymore.

──So that's the true nature of "confusion."

Tamesue: To escape the fear of that "confusion," cutting off communication is effective. Whether it's good or bad is another matter.

—Not "connecting," but "blocking"...

Tamesue: Exactly. I heard this from Coach Manabe, who brought IT into volleyball. While having real-time access to all information is an advantage, he said the ability to "cut off communication" is a kind of revolution.

──... (silence).

Tamesue: What I mean is, you can give instructions like, "That attacker's success rate is off today, so hold back on setting to them," and communicate that only to the setter.

──That's exactly what happens with emails and SNS.

Tamesue: Exactly. Think of it like sending a reply to everyone versus sending it to just one person without copying others. It's not about making everything open. You can't win games just by pushing a "let's all work hard together!" mentality. True team strength comes from rigorously managing and utilizing information.

──I see.

Tamesue: On the other hand... this might be a bit of a jump, but is that okay?

──Of course. That's the nature of this series. (laughs)

Tamesue: This is something an American acquaintance told me about how excellent the system of companies hiring new graduates en masse really was. One advantage is that it allows for systematic training. Everyone gets trained simultaneously, all at once, which is efficient. Another benefit is the creation of horizontal connections—the existence of so-called "classmates." My acquaintance said, "American companies don't have classmates."

──That's a real eye-opener.

Tamura: Whether in companies or the athletic world, that sense of "classmates," "one year above," or "one year below" is deeply ingrained, isn't it? It's almost like a kind of respect. It's not just deep inside; it becomes a "mental support" when you're down or in trouble. Of course, we usually live our lives "blocking out" that feeling.

──I get it. You could drink all night just talking about peers (laughs). Thinking about it, Americans without peers must feel kind of sorry for themselves.

Tametsu: This isn't just an American thing. Actually, in Japan too, mid-career hires are increasing. Hiring foreigners and seniors is also progressing. In other words, we're being encouraged to be "self-reliant" without that emotional support of "classmates." Workplace colleagues and superiors must also approach that "self-reliance" with "tolerance." Feels like I forced it back to the theme (laughs).

──No, no. That's not the case at all.

Tamesue: Why is this happening? Well... the reason society is moving away from "mass hiring," which should have had its value, boils down to one thing: "Education costs money."

──True. Having peers is great, isn't it? You only truly realize how much they shaped who you are now after 10, 20, or even more years have passed.

Tametsu: It's wonderful. But in this day and age, there's no clear answer on how much investment companies should make in something so valuable. The exact same thing is happening in the world of sports.

──I see. I'd love to hear more, but our time is up.

Tamemasu: That's a shame.

──Next time, we'll discuss "Autonomy and Tolerance" with "Cooking" as our theme.

Tametsu: Cooking, you say?

──Or if you prefer, we could discuss "The Ideal Future for Retirement."

Tamematsu: That's crazy.

──That's the kind of project it is (laughs). Thank you very much for today.

Tamemasu: It was a weird interview, but I enjoyed it (laughs).

(Interviewer: Web Dentsu Inc. Editorial Department)

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From the Athlete Brains Production Team, Hibi

Mr. Tamesue's insights are always uniquely interesting.
We're working together to explore how athletes' knowledge can be applied to societal and corporate challenges. In this case, his take on "autonomy" isn't just a straightforward perspective. There's also the "reverse" view—understanding it through comparison with others—the "overview" perspective from society, and the "athlete's" viewpoint, embodied as a habit. The idea of deliberately blocking information is also intriguing. It likely emerges from relentlessly pursuing what must be done to maximize performance. Precisely because society's direction is unclear, viewing things from diverse angles is crucial for corporate and brand activities. I'm once again impressed by Mr. Tamesue's exceptional quality of thought.

Athlete Brains Production Team Dentsu Inc. / Akinori Hibi (3CRP) · Kohei Shiraishi (CDC)

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For details on "Athlete Brains," the team centered around Mr. Dai Tamesue that leverages athletes' cultivated knowledge to solve societal (corporate/social) challenges, click here.