“Amoeba Management” is a classic book about work attitudes and work methods. In today’s world of severe labor-capital conflicts and increasingly rigid class structures, it’s difficult to fully practice the philosophy of the book’s author, Kazuo Inamori. But this doesn’t mean the book has no value. Working hard and enhancing one’s own value has always been a spiritual pursuit hidden deep within the human heart. What we need to do is ensure that the returns from value enhancement go to ourselves.

Before reading this book, I strongly recommend carefully thinking about what your relationship with work actually is. If you’re the company’s owner, there’s nothing more to say — the company’s returns are yours. If you’re not, then you need to figure out where the value you create goes: does it result in financial returns, capability improvement, credentials that can serve as proof of your abilities in the future, or does it just help your boss buy two more sports cars?

I previously read an article that suggested treating yourself as a company to manage, and treating your employer as your client. I think this is an excellent way of thinking. You need to consider whether your “company” should pursue cash income immediately, or first hone your capabilities and reputation in anticipation of greater returns in the future. You also need to consider whether the transaction with your employer is fair.

Once you’ve thought through these things, then come read “Amoeba Management.” Otherwise, you might think this book was written by Teacher Ma. Speaking of which, Teacher Ma did practice many of the book’s concepts when he was an English teacher. Without the hard work during those “spare” hours back then, where would today’s blessings come from?

Alright, let’s get to the main topic. I’ll discuss the work-related values conveyed in the book from three aspects: the meaning of work, how to approach work, and work methods and attitudes.

The Meaning of Work

As I said at the beginning of this article, working hard and creating value is actually a very important spiritual pursuit hidden deep within the human heart. We can see that many people who have achieved financial freedom still seek work opportunities — either starting businesses or finding comfortable and free work. This is the deep-seated spiritual drive that motivates human behavior.

Beyond the financial returns obtained through work,

Working wholeheartedly and striving for excellence is itself a practice of character cultivation that promotes our growth. Labor can bring a sense of joy, help people understand the meaning of life, and labor is a noble act.

If you can accept the premise of “treating yourself as a company to manage,” you’ll find that immediate financial returns are actually not that important. Personal growth and the happiness brought by work are more meaningful rewards, and after achieving these, financial returns will naturally follow.

How to Approach Work

Most beginners have to start with work they don’t like.

In this world, the number of people who truly turn their hobbies into work is inherently small. Among that small group, the vast majority will feel after working that it’s no longer their hobby. Because the difference between something as a hobby and as a work is enormous. Many people love gaming, and many envy professional esports players, thinking they’re doing what they love for a living. But if you pay attention to the esports scene, you’ll find plenty of people who don’t train properly, and some take every opportunity to play other games. They originally became professional players because they loved the game, only to find themselves gradually losing interest.

So, doing work you don’t like is the norm in this world. What we need to do is learn to love the work itself. The author provides some methods for how to make yourself love your work.

Only through effort can you come to love your work.
Delight in small successes at work, use the energy they bring as motivation, and work even harder.

Work Methods and Attitudes

First, use high goals as motivation.

Use “future tense” when assessing capabilities

Imagine this: if you placed yourself from some time ago into the present moment, wouldn’t you find what you’re doing now difficult? This is a normal phenomenon. When you’re on a normal development path, capability improvement happens不知不觉.

With high goals, you need to continuously put in effort and think about how to achieve the goals.

You must think. Without serious thought, nothing can be achieved.

Only you yourself can be responsible for your own growth — relying on anyone else is unrealistic. Recently, I’ve been reading complaints on Maimai, and many people’s dissatisfaction with their companies is “no growth.” This confuses me — what exactly is the relationship between growth and a company? This goes back to the relationship between people and companies. A company is your client — you complete tasks and receive compensation. What does this have to do with personal growth? Growth requires your own reflection, not waiting for someone to assign it to you, saying “do these things and you’ll grow.” The only scenario I can think of where someone at a company gains nothing is if they already understand every aspect of the company and could easily start another company to defeat it.

Additionally, strive for perfectionism.

Erasers can never completely erase mistakes

Many mistakes, even if you compensate for them afterward, will inevitably leave some traces. Whatever you do, try your best to make it perfect — at least within the scope of your own understanding. For example, when developing a feature, think through the entire process to ensure there are no logical flaws or implementation bugs, rather than just looking at the product spec once and implementing it simply, leaving everything else to the testers.

Work results = Thinking × Passion × Ability

At the end of the book, the author provides a formula. For work, thinking and passion are just as important as ability. And given this understanding, improving passion and changing your thinking is far easier than improving ability. So, wanting to improve work effectiveness isn’t actually that difficult — the key is to build a reasonable understanding of work.

I am Liusha, thank you for reading this article. If you found it helpful, please give it a like and follow. If you have questions, you can also reach me on my personal blog or WeChat public account (Mobility).

Source: https://lichuanyang.top/en/posts/3513/