The Power of one Individual's Thoughts

After you graduate and join a new organization, you might think: "The organization is so large that my existence cannot affect the whole.", "I don't need to take responsibility." or, "I can hide and do whatever I want." These are negative ways of thinking.

Alternatively, the same person might think; "If I do my best, I can affect the whole positively." , "I can contribute to the next decade of the company." or, "I will move mountains." These are positive ways of thinking.

Interestingly, both negative and positive thoughts actually influence the organization itself quite significantly. I used to go back and forth between the two extremes when I was a new graduate; sometimes I thought I could improve the company, and other times I thought I could hide and cheat by not doing what I was supposed to do saying: "Others are doing the same."

Actually, from my current stand point, observing each member in the organization carefully, these attitudes are quite obvious, more than people realize. Each person goes through good and bad times, and those resulting conditions are more transparent than people can ever imagine.

In my twenties, I did not realize the impact of my thoughts. It was after two years of MBA education, which triggered my interest in organizational psychology, that made me aware of that power. So in my thirties, when I was reassigned to a plant in Aichi Prefecture, I decided to keep thinking and expressing my positive thoughts.

At the beginning, my overwhelmingly positive attitude was somewhat unappreciated by the people at the plant. However, as time went by, this attitude was spread to each person, one at a time. My positive thoughts influenced the atmosphere of the organization in a positive way. Positive atmosphere filled with positive thoughts made a few very difficult development projects miraculously successful.

This way of thinking still carries on with me. Each moment, I feel the power of an individual's thoughts. Yes, each of us are spreading our thoughts and creating our surrounding environment. Our thoughts actually influence the environment, both positively and negatively, and more significantly than we think. However, we have a tendency to underestimate this power. So, we'd better try to spread our positive thoughts and try to change the environment for the better. I will keep on doing my best too!