──Mr. Kenji Shiroto, you're a rather impatient person, aren't you?

October 2023. Web Dentsu Inc. reached its 10-year milestone. We wanted to create a special "serialized feature" to mark this anniversary. The theme we arrived at was "10" people, "10" colors – could we offer wonderful content under this concept? If we were to put it grandly, perhaps we could call it diversity.

When we want to immerse ourselves in thought or try to squeeze out ideas, we need our own unique "companions" (indispensable items). For the great detective Sherlock Holmes, these would be his beloved "pipe" and "violin."

This series invites various individuals to share their own "personal companions for thought." We hope you'll enjoy discovering their unexpected sides while pondering "thoughts about thinking."

(Web Dentsu Inc. News Editorial Department)

Guest for the 5th installment: Kenji Shiroto (Former Dentsu Inc. Executive / Thinker)

──Kenji Shiroto. Originally active as a Creative Director at Dentsu Inc., you also handled consulting on diverse corporate management challenges, and now you're active under the title of "thinker." Thank you for joining us.

Shirako: Nice to meet you.

──Right off the bat, what exactly does "thinker" mean? When I received your business card, I thought, "Hmm? Thinker? Is that different from an ideologist?"

Shirakudo: My personal definition is this: an "ideologue" is someone who deepens and expands their own thoughts, while a "thinker" is someone who unravels and disseminates the "thinking process" that anyone can use.

──What does the work of a Thinker entail, specifically?

Shirakudo: I often give lectures at universities and companies. I'm also invited to corporate board meetings. So, I'm not in the position of a so-called creator; I teach the secrets to creating things. Though calling it "teaching" might be presumptuous. My hope is for young people to think about the "thinking process" and grow even more. By continuing to think, your thinking techniques improve. But it's no use if only my techniques improve.

──Even for older CEOs of large corporations?

Shirato: Yes. When I say, "Why don't we think about the process of thinking?" people always listen, regardless of age or gender. I don't know if it's the right answer. But they empathize. Because, to put it bluntly, most people in the world have given up on thinking.

──That's harsh. But looking at myself, I do feel I'm more "adjusting to others" than "thinking." Of course, I agonize over things. But I'm just agonizing—not thinking about the path (process) to the right answer. Just agonizing.

Shirato: Shu-Ha-Ri. This is a phrase from Sen no Rikyū, but whether in business or expression, when you break through to create something new, there's a process. Drucker said, "Don't turn a whim into a business." When people think, "Let's do something creative," they tend to rely on whims, right? Like, "What about this idea?" But to reach the best answer, the process of thinking is crucial. You shouldn't demand the answer right away.

──I see.

Shirato: Just tossing around ideas within the confines of a framework won't yield significant breakthroughs. First, consider what happens if you step outside that framework. Then explain, "This is how I stepped outside the box." People will always be intrigued. They'll think, "What is this guy talking about?" (laughs).

But don't be intimidated, even by the CEO of a major corporation. If you clearly explain, "Your company's product has this problem here, and this is where the opportunity for a breakthrough lies," they will understand. Because it's not just a whimsical suggestion like, "How about trying this expression?" It's a proposal showing, "Your business has this kind of potential."

──Speaking of Mr. Shiroto, you've worked with major breweries, apparel companies, convenience stores, and all sorts of businesses, right? Both as a creator and a thinker. There are marketers and creators who excel in specific fields, but someone as versatile as Mr. Shiroto is rare.

Shirato: The thought process is the same across any industry. And presentations must be entertainment. No matter how bold your claims or how hard you hit a sore spot, you refine it through deep thought until it becomes entertainment. Then people think, "This guy gets people. Interesting. I'll go along with your idea."

—Conviction, empathy, trust... that sort of thing. For the other person, it's also a "process" of thought.

Shirato: In a way, it's a gamble: "Why not ride my train of thought?" I once advised the head of a major whiskey company: "Why not stop saying 'whiskey'?" In an era when whiskey itself wasn't selling well, trying to push premium whiskey or whatever onto the market was pointless. Instead of using the word "whiskey," let's create a new way to enjoy it and build a new market. This is that kind of gamble, I said.

Words Matter in "Companions for Thought" (Kenji Shiroto)

──Before discussing specific "companions for thought," if such companions exist for you, Mr. Shiroto, what form do they take?

Hakuto: It's a "measuring device for the quality of thought." It's a tool to check whether your own thinking is correct or not. Because no one else will tell you otherwise. You have to have your own checking tool. Once, a company president told me, "When you're cornered, you speak just a little faster. I don't trust your proposals when that happens." It really hit me. When you haven't thought things through, you might speed up or raise your voice to cover it up. People who know what they're doing can spot that. That's when I truly felt the importance of the quality of thought.

──In the materials provided beforehand, it mentioned using A3 paper to expand your thinking and A4 paper to consolidate it...

Shirato: When I'm asked to give a lecture, I hand out just one A3 sheet to each participant and ask them to write down their ideas freely. The sheets of people who aren't thinking are full of blank space. The A3 sheets of those who are thinking are densely packed with ideas. Moreover, those ideas are interconnected. If this is the case, then that happens. Then, this should become that—stories like this are written in mountains upon mountains on the handwritten A3 sheets.

──I see. So what's the meaning of the A4 paper?

Hakudo: Expanding your thinking requires one A3 sheet. But to explain it to others, you absolutely must condense it concisely or it won't get across. When I lecture, I often tell students: "Take your thoroughly thought-out ideas, pare them down, and present them in about three A4 sheets in one minute. I'll respond in 30 seconds." Those who can properly think can distill it onto A4 paper. Those who can't fit it onto A4 paper haven't truly thought it through.

Kenji Shiroto: Thinker. Former Executive Officer/Special Advisor, Dentsu Inc.
Joined Dentsu Inc. in 1977. Since then, he has led campaigns and branding as a Creative Director, CM Planner, and Copywriter. Simultaneously, he has achieved significant results in integrated problem-solving—from corporate management and business strategies to product development, store development, intranet construction, and CSR strategies—handling both strategy and expression. He is one of the legends of the advertising world. He is also known for his passionate commitment to educating diverse audiences—from Dentsu Inc. and vocational schools to NPOs, client companies, and government agencies—on professional marketing and communication skills, approaching these subjects from various angles.
Major clients he has handled include: SONY, YAMAHA, SEIKO, AJINOMOTO, 7-11, ASAHI BEER, SUNTORY, TOYOTA, UNIQLO, and others.

What is Kenji Shirakudo's "Companion for Thought"?

──Now, let's get to the main topic. Could you tell us about your specific "companions for thought"?

Shirato: I suppose you could call them "golden words" from outstanding individuals throughout history and across cultures.

──Words of wisdom...?

Hakutō: In the world of performing arts like kabuki, they call it "geidan" (artistic discourse). Essentially, it's a record of what an art form should be. It contains words from people who grasped the essence of things. You could say such things are the ultimate "companions for thought."

──Is it like learning from the past to understand the present?

Shirakudo: No, it's not just about being old. People who grasp the essence of things exist in every era. Some grasp it in their teens. Listening to the words of such people is what I mean by "companions for thought." For example, words like Li Dazhao's—"Evolution and degeneration proceed side by side" (he was Mao Zedong's teacher)—or Ogata Norio's—"Question everything"—or Oe Kenzaburo's—"What we need now is great wisdom"—serve as guiding principles for me, truly my "companions for thought." Other phrases like "Plan with your feet," "Think with your own words and mind, and speak your own opinions," "Defining a problem is as important as solving it," and "Those who can break through contradictions are called creative" also support me and serve as reminders to myself.

──Wow. Each one of those phrases carries so much weight.

Shirato: And now, this gets into technique, but I think it's crucial to instantly and swiftly shape what emerges from being spurred on by those words and deliver it to the other person. If you think, "Hmm, that's not quite right," then suggest, "How about this idea instead?" That also means talking directly with top-level people. Things won't move forward if you just drag your feet. It's okay to make mistakes, it's okay to be unfinished—just start moving forward. If you notice a mistake, you can correct course at that point.

──Your way of speaking, but also, Mr. Shiroto, you're quite impatient, aren't you? (laughs)

Shirato: I think this impatience was cultivated in my thirties. I once managed to go from briefing to production to delivery in just 8 hours and 25 minutes. If I didn't have at least three proposal ideas ready by the time I got in the taxi after the client briefing, I knew I wouldn't meet the deadline. My thinking speed increased about a thousandfold. Originally, I was a slow-talking, slow-thinking person.

──Huh? I can't believe it.

When I take on a job, I gather an enormous amount of information. But the moment I conceptualize, I intuitively generate ideas from that lower-left, unconventional perspective that differs from others. Since clients wouldn't understand if I presented it that way, I work backwards from that intuitively derived conclusion. I then construct and explain it using the upper-right, extremely orthodox and easy-to-understand logic. By approaching the concept and the presentation with completely different ways of thinking, I believe I strongly convey my uniqueness. (Kenji Shiroto)

Hakuto: Think intuitively, then convert that into logic. And the challenge is confronting the big picture. For example, when trying to address the SDGs, departments list their improvement points. But that alone is meaningless. What can we do to change society, the planet? That's the broader perspective. To verify this for myself, I absolutely need "golden words." They make me realize, "Ah, I was heading in the wrong direction." When I was young, I got lectured by all sorts of people (laughs). Nowadays, no one tells me, "You're wrong."

Kenji Shiroto's back issues of Web Dentsu Inc. are here.