Takanori Nakajo, 82, is the honorary adviser of Asahi Breweries Ltd., one of Japan's leading beer and beverage makers. From "boy Friday" in 1952, Nakajo worked seven days a week until his official retirement as chairman in 1994. He poured all of his energy into beer-making and miraculously dragged the company out of the financial gutter, from a 9.6 percent market share in 1978 to a staggering 25 percent market share by the late 1980s. Nakajo was the force behind the development of Asahi Super Dry, the beer that since its release in 1987 has continuously occupied around 50 percent of Japan's beer market and ranked ninth in the global market share in 2006. For the past 20 years, Asahi Super Dry's annual domestic sales surpassed 100 million cases, each case holding 20 bottles of 633 ml. If beer is king in Japan, Nakajo is its emperor and as the jovial beer guru, he's still the toast of the town.
Even if you're young, be brave and state your opinion. When I entered my company in 1952, I decided to always think over a point three times before making a statement about it. That usually took me about two seconds so I quickly became known as quite outspoken.
Anyone over the age of 35 should not have a say in new product development. Older people are too opinionated and they tend to believe that they are always right, even when proven otherwise. More importantly, younger staff members are too scared to argue with such seasoned professionals, which leaves a lot of young talent and fresh ideas untapped. Young people must be encouraged to make products that they enjoy.