{"id":3618,"date":"2026-09-07T00:20:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T15:20:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lionheart.co.jp\/?p=3618"},"modified":"2026-09-07T00:21:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T15:21:53","slug":"when-you-think-i-cant-compete-with-him-thats-when-a-manager-truly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lionheart.co.jp\/en\/blog\/%e3%80%8c%e5%bd%bc%e3%81%ab%e3%81%af%e6%95%b5%e3%82%8f%e3%81%aa%e3%81%84%e3%80%8d%e3%81%a8%e6%80%9d%e3%81%a3%e3%81%9f%e3%81%a8%e3%81%8d%e3%80%81%e7%b5%8c%e5%96%b6%e8%80%85%e3%81%8c%e6%9c%ac%e5%bd%93\/","title":{"rendered":"What a business leader should really do when they realize, "I can't compete with him.""},"content":{"rendered":"
As a business owner, there are nights when I compare myself to others and get depressed. When I open social media, I see business owners my age announcing large fundraising rounds or gracing the covers of magazines. It's honestly quite easy to convince myself that "they have something I don't." But I hate that way of thinking. Or rather, I think it's the "mental refuge" that business owners are most likely to escape into. Today, I want to talk about something quite personal: how I've dealt with feelings of inferiority as a business owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About the person I met in Cebu, Philippines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This happened quite a long time ago. I was on a business trip to Cebu, Philippines, and I met a certain business executive. He was Shinji Hamauzu, the founder of NOT A HOTEL Co., Ltd. Even back then, he was running his company admirably, and his demeanor and way of speaking clearly indicated that he was a capable person. The company he founded, Aratana, later joined the ZOZO Group, and then he became independent from there, launching NOT A HOTEL in 2020, which he has now built into a brand that everyone knows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other day, I happened to see a NewsPicks video featuring him, and it brought back memories of that time. We were in the same place at the same time, and both called ourselves "business owners," so why did such a difference develop between us? To be honest, I felt a little down. It's embarrassing to admit, but this is a feeling that won't go away no matter how many years pass. "They have something I don't"\u2014thinking that and accepting it is a very easy escape for my mental health. But after thinking about it for a while, I decided to forbid myself from using that escape route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
"They have something I don't" is just an excuse for ceasing to think.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This might sound a little extreme, but I really do believe it. When I first started my company, I read a book by Konosuke Matsushita and was genuinely impressed by what an amazing business leader he was. But at the same time, I also thought, "I'm sure I'm physically stronger than him, and I'm sure I can paint better than him."<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I apologize if this sounds arrogant. But I think it's just right to be this audacious. After all, we're all human, so there shouldn't be that much difference in the total amount of our abilities. I'll say it with certainty: the difference that seems to exist isn't a difference in talent. It's simply a difference in how we "build up" our choices and actions. To put it more precisely, I think it's just a difference in whether or not we've rushed to the conclusion that "I can't do it" and given up the opportunity to build up our abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think that night when I felt down comparing myself to Hamauzu, it was ultimately the same structure. It's easy to look for "what he has that I don't." But that's just running away from thinking about the choices I've made so far and the choices I will make in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What makes the difference is not talent, but the "total amount of choices made."<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
At our company, we encountered numerous obstacles in recruitment and organizational development before arriving at the term "entrepreneurial spirit." If we were to define it, it's the ability to formulate hypotheses like "maybe it's like this" in situations where there are no right answers, to work diligently and get your hands dirty, and to keep trying again and again. To put it in more complex terms, it's "the back-and-forth between abstract and concrete," but to put it more simply, we believe it's "the ability to not give up easily after falling, and to think things through while running," and "the strength to create answers on the spot without blaming others."<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a common observation throughout the company. No one can produce results from the start. You make hypotheses, think "maybe it's like this," get wrong, and then have to start over. There are naturally times when those around you can't keep up with this messy, repetitive process. But whether you can persevere and continue to think about "what you can do now" will make a huge difference in what you see six months from now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Talent doesn't automatically guarantee success. It's about whether you can put your hypotheses\u2014"maybe it's like this"\u2014into action more often than anyone else. From what I've seen as a business leader, what separates those who achieve results from those who don't is the "number" of choices and actions they take, not differences in innate qualities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I dedicate my time to what allows me to perform at my best.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There's another principle I often remember and return to whenever something happens: "It's important to work hard and dedicate as much time as possible to what you can do best to perform at your best." In fact, that's exactly the kind of life I'm living right now. I have a mentor in business who strongly demands hard work from business leaders. The standard is 300 hours a month. I'm currently right in the middle of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I'm not trying to preach about sheer willpower. Quite the opposite, in fact. I even think there's almost no point in "working the same amount as someone else on the same playing field." Mr. Hamauzu had his own area of expertise, and Konosuke Matsushita had his own area of expertise. I have my own area of expertise. Because my family were ceramic artists, "making things with my hands" and "digging into the unspoken needs of others" were things I could do without particularly thinking about it since I was a child. I never once heard my father complain about his work. So the feeling that "work is fun" is ingrained in me before any logic to it. That's why, even when faced with the standard of 300 hours of hard work a month, I have absolutely no hesitation in dedicating my time to it (although it is tough...).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of wasting time comparing yourself to others and feeling down, it's better to identify where you can perform best and focus your hard work there. I believe this isn't just a matter of willpower, but rather a very practical discussion of resource allocation. The moment you try to compete with someone else in the same area of expertise, you've already lost half the battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can't stop comparing yourself to others, just change who you're comparing yourself to.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
In the field of psychology, there is a concept called "social comparison theory." This theory states that when people evaluate their own abilities or circumstances, they tend to judge them not by absolute standards, but by comparing themselves to others. In a sense, it can be said that it is a natural human reaction for business leaders to be overjoyed or disappointed when they compare themselves to others. That is why I honestly think that the advice "don't compare yourself to others" is not very practical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What I recommend is not to stop comparing yourself to others altogether, but to change who you compare yourself to. Instead of comparing yourself to the success of other company executives or someone you see on social media, compare yourself only to "yourself six months ago" or "yourself last year." If you do that, comparison will no longer be a source of inferiority complex, but a way to check your progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have a hobby called martial arts. When I go to the dojo, there are fighters in their 20s whose athletic ability and stamina far surpass mine. If I were to get discouraged by comparing myself to such opponents, there would be no end to it, and honestly, we're not even on the same playing field. So, what I compare myself to is how good my pass guard was last year, the variety of combinations I had, and my stamina from six months ago. Just by doing that, I can feel that I'm making real progress with each training session. I think business management has exactly the same structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ultimately, management is nothing more than a series of choices. It's okay to have nights when you feel down after seeing successful business leaders achieve spectacular results. In fact, if you never feel that way at all, that's a dangerous sign. The important thing is how well you can channel those feelings into energy for your next move. Those who slack off at that stage will be left behind in the landscape one year, then five years from now. That's what I've seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summary: I want to work with business leaders who don't hide their inferiority complex.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Every business leader has nights when they feel down because they compare themselves to others. Instead of pretending to be okay and hiding those feelings, they acknowledge those feelings of frustration and envy, and then transform them into their next choices and actions. I want to work with business leaders and companies that don't try to put on a brave face like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, when I talk with our clients, who are business owners, self-disclosure is not a one-way street. If I show my weaknesses and insecurities, they will show theirs in return. Before we know it, we're sharing struggles that we wouldn't normally confide in anyone. There aren't many people in the world who understand these subtle emotional nuances. Moreover, what does it mean for a creative company to understand the emotional side of business owners? It allows us to reach the "real challenges" that can never be picked up through superficial interviews, and the quality of our output undoubtedly improves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to one-off production requests, I also recommend a monthly consulting contract where we work together as a team. I believe that being able to build a relationship where we can speak frankly and openly over time is what ultimately determines the quality of the output. If you find this relatable, or if you feel that your company has similar frustrations, please let me know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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