THE POWER TO TRANSFORM ALL IN YOUR HANDS

and adaptation, how do you think leaders can lead and win in constant change? Especially since you have worked in so many different environments and worked with different kinds of leaders?

Masatsugu Naito: My simple answer goes back to my fundamental policy: passion and flexibility. Passion is always very important for business. The passion to persevere through problems gives us the mindset to overcome it. If we don't have that mindset, I don’t think we can find the answers to solve the issues in front of us.

And then there’s flexibility, which has a delicate balance. Being overly flexible can lead to a lack of direction: your path keeps shifting from A to B to C. On the other hand, if you’re overly rigid and sticking to one plan, that can also be harmful. That could potentially lead to mistakes and moving in the wrong direction. The key is to strike a balance between agility and while still having a direction.

We should embrace change, even enjoy it. That’s what passion can help us do: shift our view of change and see it as an opportunity for growth and improvement. And then we build the capacity for agility on an organizational level while keeping a measured approach.

In light of the challenges that disruptions pose to business planning, what guidance would you give to business leaders in terms of setting investment priorities during times of disruption?

Masatsugu Naito: In my opinion, it's important to ask ourselves :"What are our core competencies?" Knowing what we are good at will help us decide the best use of our skills and resources. We also need to consider the specific context of the industry and area we’re operating in. Third, we need to have a clear sense of whether the industry is growing or declining. Finally, we must also factor in the sense of time and determine whether our objectives can be achieved in the short-term or longterm.

We can view these factors as a fourpoint matrix: competency, business segment, growth status, and time. This helps us not just determine where and how to prioritize our investments, but also set clear goals for our metrics.

How do you think leaders can work on increasing their own resilience and innovation, especially in the Asia Pacific region?

Masatsugu Naito: While there may be regional differences between AsiaPacific, Western Europe, and America,

I believe there are universal approaches applicable to all. One approach is about confronting the realities of market conditions directly, rather than ignoring or forgetting the facts. Resilient leaders know how to be truthful in evaluating what the current situation is. After that, it’s about taking an action-oriented approach to manage and overcome the situation. Without a proactive mindset, you risk being passive and waiting for growth to come to you.

It’s also critical to be able to replay scenarios from multiple perspectives. We do this by listening to feedback. It is crucial to converse with others and see things through different perspectives i.e. team members, customers, potential investors etc.

That way we can put into action our FUJIFILM motto to Never Stop. We will never stop improving and transforming to ensure we address our customer and employee pain points and growing the business in the right direction.

To summarise, leaders need to have a proactive mindset, take an actionoriented approach, and maintain a comprehensive understanding of all the facts and different perspectives to reframe the situation.

FUJIFILM Business Innovation is primarily a B2B business, so we understand our customer needs on an organisational level. Could you share more about your unique view of this?

Masatsugu Naito: It boils down to knowing how to anticipate the customer’s pain points in the current climate and responding with a proactive approach that takes account of all the facts and relevant perspectives so we can effectively help our customers bounce back—a skill that we ourselves have mastered. Business resilience is much more than a buzzword for FUJIFILM.

It’s a mindset and attitude that makes it possible for us to ‘never stop’ and bounce back. We can embrace change and turn our difficulties into opportunities to thrive.