“The Future Creates Now.”

The sense of purpose and innovation dawned on him early. He grew up watching his parents and siblings innovate and stellar sales efforts. Communication and culture at Soft Giken focuses on purpose. “We know that purpose is the most important recognition. Understand that by doing so, you will reach a big goal. Roles are expressed by the individual’s sense of purpose rather than giving.”

His childhood has helped him grasp the fundamentals of business and leadership. “Since I was a kid, I often learned good and bad things by watching and listening to the behavior of parents who were inventors of instant noodles. Timing is important for business, but it becomes a detour if you do things hastily. The way parents live, who are always honest and honourable poverty, is a catalyst for creating one of my ways. I was observing parents who ran around and made best efforts for people all day long, but sometimes I wondered what the benefits would be. When sleeping, it is hard to describe the appearance of parents who are raising money tomorrow in the middle of the night. When I grew up, I didn’t like this. I had gradually felt the importance of helping people when I was adolescents when the contradiction became big, and came to understand why parents really care about others, not just themselves. I think that the greatest leadership is to develop individual abilities (thoughtfulness). A wise and thoughtful leader is the true leader (servant leader).“

First projects are special. At Soft Giken, Fujita commemorates his first project. “The first project was to build a steel-related system at Mitsubishi Electric. At that time, it was an epoch-making thing to realize a system with software, and it was a big business and we were able to establish a network of contacts with a major electronics manufacturer. After that, we started a project to build a social infrastructure (river, road, atmospheric monitoring, and disaster prevention information management) system that contributes to public safety. This is still the main business of Soft Giken.”

Leadership is an important trait but what makes a great leader? Fujita attributes it to the supporters. “There is no doubt that the leader takes the initiative, and when the leader takes the lead, the supporters gather around.”

Fujita elucidates his stand with grace and poise. “Since there are various people, the organization is weak only by the people who follow, and by supporting the field leaders, the probability of achieving the original purpose is increased. I believe that the true leader, in any situation, is to develop employees’ abilities to the limit.”

To all the budding entrepreneurs out there, he has a very special message. “The purpose should be to contribute to the world. If the purpose is what you really want to do, it can be anything. A global way of life that does business all over the world is also good. Sincerely free and responsible behavior is important.”

His experience reflects in his choice of words when expressing his views on what one would otherwise deem mundane. “Targeting profits is not bad, but not good. Because profit is the result of contribution. Maximizing value is essential to business continuity, but it is a way, not a purpose. If you try not to fail, you will not succeed. It is easy to succeed, do not give up until you reach the pinnacle of success. There is a big purpose, a purpose makes the method, and you use this method to start a business.”

With profound focus on purpose comes this resilience and foresightedness. Fujita demonstrates those qualities with such thoughtfulness that makes us believe that it isn’t just about rags to riches. There are multiple layers within the two and an opportunity to grow beyond the two worlds.