[Work Techniques] Mistakes are caused by "thinking," not "lack of ability"

Hello.
This is Morigami from the Forest Publishing editorial department.

"Why do I keep making the same mistakes over and over?"
"Why do I only notice problems after they have already happened?"
"Why do I fail even though I proceeded with caution?"

We tend to think the cause is a "lack of ability."

However,there are those who assert that mistakes are caused by "thinking," not "lack of ability."
That person is
Takashi Izuhara, who spent 39 years on the front lines of management at SOMPO Holdings, Inc., a leading Japanese insurance group, and served as Group CRO (Chief Risk Officer).Takashi Izuhara. Mr. Izuhara says,

the majority of mistakes are caused by working under the assumption that you "see everything.".

"Convenient interpretations cannot overcome inconvenient realities. The more people consistently achieve results at work, the more calmly they stare at the 'realities they don't want to see.'"he says.

So, what kind of thinking should you have and practice to avoid mistakes?

To address this proposition, Mr. Izuhara has thoroughly explained the"techniques for predicting the future, preventing failures, and making better decisions" in his new book"90% of Work Mistakes Can Be Prevented with This Thinking" which will be released on August 21st.

So, this time, ahead of the release ofthe book on August 21, 2026, we are exclusively publishing the full text of thebook's"Introduction" and "Table of Contents" here on note.

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Introduction

Mistakes are caused by "thinking," not "lack of ability"

　I sent an email to the wrong recipient. The content of that email was something that person should never have seen. Even though I apologized in a panic, I ended up losing a major client...
　I was asked by my boss to create a document. I researched past documents on my own and spent time creating it. I worked on it seriously. I didn't cut any corners. However, the moment I submitted it, I was told, "I didn't ask for that!"...
　Have you ever had an experience like this at work?
　When people make a mistake at work, many think like this:
"Maybe I just don't have enough ability yet."
　Then, they read business books, attend seminars, and get certifications, trying hard to improve their abilities.
　However, there is a major misunderstanding here.
　In fact, work mistakes are not caused by a lack of ability. What is truly needed is a "way of thinking" that changes the very premises that lead to mistakes.
　Just by acquiring this way of thinking, work mistakes will decrease dramatically.
　In this book, I will explain this "way of thinking to reduce work mistakes" in an easy-to-understand manner.

　My apologies for the late introduction. My name is Takashi Izuhara.
　In 1986, the year I graduated from university, I joined what is now Sompo Japan, a major non-life insurance company. After three years of sales experience, I went abroad to study for an MBA. Upon returning to the company, I was assigned to the asset management department, where I gained a wide range of experience in bond management, back-office operations, risk management, and investment planning.
　After that, I moved to the corporate planning department, where I was involved in IR, capital policy, internal controls, and international capital regulations. Finally, at the end of my career, I moved to the risk management department, where I could utilize all the know-how I had accumulated.
　Ultimately, I was given the role of Group CRO (Chief Risk Officer), overseeing risk management (ERM) for the entire SOMPO Group of approximately 80,000 employees, and I had the valuable experience of achieving the highest rating in Japan for an insurance company's risk management.
　After retiring as an executive at SOMPO, I served as a managing director at the General Insurance Association of Japan, an industry organization, where I was responsible for overseeing all aspects of risk management and compliance.

Applying "Risk Management" to "Individual Work Risk Management"

　Although I have built a career that could be called a risk management specialist, for a long time, I believed that "risk management is a tool for management, and it has nothing to do with the work of ordinary business people."
　In fact, in the world of risk management, specialized and complex concepts such as statistical analysis, present value evaluation, scenario simulation, and stress testing are thrown around. I could never tell people working hard on the front lines to "use this as is."
　However, I thought to myself one day:
"Couldn't the framework of risk management also be useful as a 'way of thinking to reduce work mistakes'?"
　Business results are influenced by various factors such as strategy, skills, teamwork, and leadership. However, no matter how well-resourced you are, if your "way of using your head"—that is, your way of thinking—on how to utilize those resources is not in order, work will not go well.
　Risk management is often thought of as specialized knowledge for preventing accidents, disasters, and scandals.
　However, true risk management is:
"A technique for predicting the future, preventing failures, and making better decisions."
　It is.

　In other words,

・Reducing work mistakes
・Not getting priorities wrong
・Preventing judgment errors
・Avoiding trouble before it happens
・Calmly recovering even when the unexpected happens

　It is a "thinking technique" for that purpose.
　In this book,

・Why people repeat the same mistakes
・What capable people look at when making decisions
・How to correctly grasp your "current location"
・Techniques for visualizing risk with numbers
・Ways of thinking that allow you to act positively even when anticipating the worst-case scenario
・Ways of thinking that allow you to take on challenges appropriately without fearing risk
・Habits of leaders who reduce mistakes for the entire team

　I will introduce these and other concepts actually used in corporate risk management, broken down into ways of thinking to reduce individual work mistakes, with plenty of real-life examples.

Capable people differ not in "ability" but in their "perspective on risk"

　Let's look at the world of professional baseball, which I love. Out of the players who enter the pros with great fanfare, boasting 150 km/h fastballs and dozens of career home runs, only a handful actually succeed. Many players retire quietly without ever having the opportunity to play in the first team.
　Conversely, there are players who achieve great results even without having exceptional physical ability. Batters who calmly analyze the pitcher's pitch selection and approach each pitch with a strategy, and defensive masters who adjust their positioning before the ball is even hit, are also indispensable to the team.
　They compensate for their relatively modest physical abilities with their "brains."
　It is exactly the same in the business world. People who reduce work mistakes and achieve great results are not just highly capable. They utilize a "way of thinking" that anticipates potential mistakes and risks in their work in advance and improves the accuracy of their judgments.

A way of thinking to prevent work mistakes and improve performance

　In this book, I will explain in six steps the benefits of utilizing the risk management and its framework that I have been involved with for a long time as a "way of thinking to prevent work mistakes and improve performance."
　First, in Chapter 1, I will clarify what kind of work mistakes are occurring in actual business settings, and what kind of thinking habits and environmental blind spots are causing trouble.
　Next, in Chapter 2, I will unravel the essence of why "risk management" is useful for reducing such work mistakes, along with its basic concepts.
　Then, in Chapter 3, I will introduce representative risk management frameworks that I have actually used in the field and explain how they can be applied to business as "action support tools to prevent work mistakes."
　In the following Chapter 4, I will name common work mistakes and pitfalls in the field and find solutions for them.
　Furthermore, in Chapter 5, I present ideas that can be used immediately in the field to prevent work mistakes before they happen.
　In the final Chapter 6, I challenge myself to open the door to the possibilities of how your work style and career will change by acquiring this "risk management thinking to reduce work mistakes."
　What changes your work is not just the ability to act. It is the thinking ability "before" you take that step—that is the starting point for preventing work mistakes and changing results.
　Organizing information, identifying risks, setting priorities, and sometimes daring to take risks. By having such an "axis of thinking," the accuracy of your work will increase, and you will gain confidence in your choices.
　You cannot predict the future, but you can prepare for it. That preparation will broaden your perspective, raise your viewpoint, and evolve you into a business person who "acts on your own will."
　It is this "risk management thinking" that gives you that power. This is not a skill for a select few professionals, but an "intellectual equipment" necessary for all business people to reduce work mistakes and survive the coming era flexibly and powerfully.
　Now, let's open this "modern-day treasure box" together that will greatly improve your work performance.

"90% of Work Mistakes Can Be Prevented with This Thinking" ◎CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1 Why do people repeat the same mistakes? — "Invisible pitfalls" lurking in the business field

◆ Convenient interpretations cannot overcome inconvenient realities
◎ Was that mistake really unexpected?
◎ Trouble caused by "optimism" and "selfish thinking"
◎ The courage to look at "what is visible" rather than "what you want to believe"
◆ When you think there is still room for improvement, you are already past the peak
◎ The trap of "this time is different"
◎ The trap of position talk
◎ Position talk based on one's standing
◎ Beware of the risk that "your position changes how you see reality"
◆ "Driving by hunch" will eventually lead to a major accident
◎ Failing due to taking things for granted and overconfidence
◎ The end of driving by hunch
◎ Why do people rely on "hunches"?
◆ People who begrudge "1 minute" of checking waste "1 day"
◎ The trap of prioritizing productivity above all else
◎ Trouble occurs even if you are not at fault
◎ Convenient interpretations create mistakes
◆ The whisper of the heart saying "Oh, it's fine" stops your thinking
◎ Was that trouble really unexpected?
◎ Stopping thinking by saying "Let's assume it won't happen"
◎ Convenient premises only show you a convenient future
◆ "Habits" protect you, but sometimes they trap you
◎ Pitfalls lurking in "habits"
◎ The mechanism existed, but it wasn't functioning!?
◎ Have a "healthy skepticism toward habits"

Chapter 2 Why is risk management effective for work? — Utilize the three functions of risk management

◆Only these 'three things' are necessary to prevent work mistakes
◎Do you have a perspective that allows you to look at yourself objectively in the decision-making process?
◎Risk management is a 'thinking navigator' for looking at yourself objectively
◆[1] Know your current location
◎There is a limit to what a car navigation system can tell you
◎Even if your current location is the same, the results will not be the same
◎There is a big difference between 'how others see you' and 'how you see yourself'
◎The gap created by 'thinking you understand'
◎Let go of the assumption that 'you know yourself best'
◎Only those who know their 'current location' can move in the right direction
◎If you ignore resources, your efforts will be in vain
◎Knowing your current location means facing reality
◆[2] Determine your destination
◎There is nothing more dangerous than driving without knowing your 'destination'
◎Work is determined more by 'where you are aiming' than by 'what you are doing'
◎The fate of those who keep running without noticing that their destination has changed
◎Why do people keep running even when their destination has changed?
◎'Ability to check the direction' is more important than 'ability to keep running'
◎The pitfall that people who look at 'goals' but not 'purposes' fall into
◎Wrong decisions caused by 'not facing the reality you don't want to see'
◆[3] Detect risks in the process
◎If you issue special warnings too often, they are no longer special
◎The Boy Who Cried Wolf syndrome
◎What is the pitfall that people who strictly follow rules fall into?
◎People who are at the mercy of outdated rules
◎When safety devices turn into thinking-stop devices before you know it
◎Three reasons why a process chart that took time to create does not work
◎[Reason 1] It is too detailed and you don't feel like 'reading it'
◎[Reason 2] A sense of security is born that 'someone must be watching'
◎[Reason 3] The more detailed it is, the less effective external checks become

Chapter 3: 'Risk Thinking' Techniques for the Field—'Action Support Tools' Anyone Can Use Immediately

◎Turning 'thinking you understand' into action
◎Six action support tools
◆[1] Identify and evaluate risks—Risk Assessment
◎Determine priorities with risk assessment
◎The more of an expert you are, the more risks you become blind to
◎Find the 'devil' hidden in beautiful documents
◎The devil is in the details
◎Inconvenient truths lurking behind beautiful documents
◎What you should look at is not 'what is written', but 'what is not written'
◆[2] Capture uncertainty with 'numbers'—Quantification of risk
◎When you measure with numbers, actions become visible
◎The value brought by risk measurement
◎There is no such thing as an unmeasurable risk in this world
◎When numbers become visible, people start to move
◎Numbers sometimes become a 'mask' that deceives people
◎Numbers are 'a devil's mask with an angel's face'
◆[3] 'Simulate' the worst-case scenario—Stress testing
◎When you assume the worst, preparations become visible
◎To get a 100, prepare for a 120
◎When 120 preparation becomes 200
◎Do not overlook risks that cannot be expressed in numbers
◎Serious preparation eradicates mistakes
◎No matter how much you believe in yourself, do not let go of 1% doubt
◎Although I answered 'It's fine' immediately, ...
◎Confidence is proof of growth, but conviction stops thinking
◎1% doubt protects you
◆[4] Define the boundary between offense and defense with numbers and words—Risk Appetite
◎Decide on 'criteria for taking risks'
◎The more serious a person is, the more they should verbalize their own limits
◎Do not eliminate failure, but decide on an acceptable range
◎You can tell how someone takes risks by looking at the 'number of things they cannot throw away'
◎Risk appetite is the 'power to draw a line'
◎Things that are buried because they are not thrown away
◎What people who throw things away gain
◎Understand that being afraid of risk and doing nothing is the greatest risk
◎The risk of not taking action
◆[5] Capture invisible threats from 'signs'—Potential risk management
◎Can you notice changes that are not visible?
◎The illusion of 'being in a safe zone' invites the pitfall of risk
◎Professionals who have disappeared and the 'current common sense' that is sinking
◎Read the next wave and keep updating yourself
◎The 'small sense of discomfort' found by an outsider is the sign of risk
◎'Workplace common sense' that a new employee faced
◎'Organizational disease' that insiders do not notice
◎The outsider as an 'assessment by an external party'
◎Values that are not updated cause unexpected risks
◎The moment yesterday's common sense turns into today's nonsense
◎The collapse of 'inner common sense' that shook the non-life insurance industry
◎'External disclosure feasibility diagnosis' to know our current location
◎Always try to update yourself
◆[6] The organization's 'OS' determines the effectiveness of risk management—Risk Culture
◎'Basic software' that makes mechanisms work
◎Three perspectives for building a risk culture
◎Organizational culture is determined not by the leader's words, but by the leader's actions
◎What is said is a facade, what is done is the real intention
◎Consistency between words and actions is the iron rule for leaders
◎An 'atmosphere where you cannot speak' nurtures risk
◎The atmosphere conveys more than words
◎'Nurture' effective premises
◎The leader's 'that one word' determines the organization's risk sensitivity
◎The organization's risk sensitivity does not exceed the leader's sensitivity

Chapter 4: When you name a risk, a solution becomes visible

◎The benefit of naming 'risk patterns'
◆'Past glory' risk—Those who should be evaluated are those who keep updating their value
◎Past success dulls judgment
◎Why couldn't you change even though you noticed it?
◎In order not to cling to past glory
◆'Darkness at the foot of the lighthouse' risk—The area you are in charge of is the least visible
◎The shock of 'internal reporting from your own department'
◎Your own feet are the least visible
◎Three reasons why you cannot see your own feet
◎Assume that 'things are not visible'
◆'Boiled frog' risk—Beware of that comfort
◎Cannot notice gradual changes
◎Cannot notice it yourself
◎Therefore, change the environment yourself
◆'Octopus pot' risk—Are you able to look at the entire organization and make judgments?
◎The risk of thinking about things only within your own area of responsibility
◎Borrow the power of sponsors
◎Use the power of desire
◆'Thinking it's for the best' risk—Well-intentioned actions backfire
◎People sometimes misjudge due to 'correctness'
◎The moment 'goodwill' exceeds the rules
◎Risks lurking in 'correctness'
◎Rules are not 'constraints' but 'bulletproof vests'
◆'Pretending to do it' risk—Has it become an action of form only?
◎The goal of establishing a new agency transformed into 'actions to create numbers'
◎Meaningless labor invited by 'number-first principle'
◎Look at the 'reality' that exists behind the numbers
◆'Loud-voiced person priority' risk—Is there no responsibility in that silence?
◎Meetings where you cannot express your own 'sense of discomfort'
◎Sense of discomfort that no opinions are coming out
◎Structure where the volume of voice distorts decision-making
◎Is there no responsibility in that silence?
◆'If we all cross together' risk—That sense of security becomes a pitfall
◎The 'sense of security' created by conformity is dangerous
◎Doubts disappear before you know it
◎A sense of security creates a state where no one can stop it
◎The first three months are the key
◆'I'll do it someday' risk—In order not to be called a fool
◎An excuse for mere 'procrastination'!?
◎Bankruptcy for 30,000 yen?
◎'Things you are concerned about' have already begun
◎Turn things you are concerned about into 'promises'

Chapter 5: 'Risk Avoidance Skills' for the Field—9 Ideas to Prevent Risks Before They Happen

◎ 9 ideas to reliably reduce mistakes that require no cost or time
◆ Send important emails first thing in the morning
◎ Are you sending emails from the recipient's perspective?
◎ The subsequent development of an important email changes significantly depending on "when you send it"
◎ What is the best time of day to face the reality you don't want to see?
◆ When asked to do a job, start it within the same day
◎ The danger of "letting a heavy task sit"
◎ Spend just 5 minutes today identifying unseen risks
◎ 5 minutes today will help your future self
◆ For things you can't do right now, decide "when you will do them" now
◎ A typical pattern of work being left undone
◎ Decide "when to do it" on the spot
◎ Don't end with "I'll do it later," just decide "when you will do it"
◆ The bigger the name, the more they value "small promises"
◎ Keep "small promises" to further attract the other party
◎ Accumulating small promises builds trust
◎ Rather than "one-time big achievements," accumulate "daily small promises"
◆ Use the "phone" for a back-and-forth exchange of words
◎ Risks lurking in "text exchanges"
◎ Which conveys information more accurately: phone or text?
◎ The power of phone communication
◆ What if "just one typo" reduced your value by 30%?
◎ Reasons to be mindful of typos and omissions
◎ Aim for output that also considers the other party's values
◆ Instead of getting a 100 score for one day and finishing, aim for 10 points for 10 days
◎ One-hit wonders vs. steady types
◎ The risks of being a one-hit wonder
◎ The benefits of being a steady type
◎ Mindset for when you succeed by chance
◆ End meetings in half the scheduled time
◎ What determines the quality of a meeting?
◎ The risks of meetings with time to spare, and the benefits of time-constrained meetings
◎ Aim for half the scheduled time
◆ Don't spare the cost to discard bad materials
◎ The disadvantages of clinging to bad materials
◎ Have the courage to discard all materials that are off-track
◎ Break the curse of "but I went to all the trouble of making it"

Chapter 6: Risk Management Thinking is a "Habit of Thought"

◆ "Unexpected events" are the price paid for repeatedly "turning a blind eye"
◎ Was that unexpected event truly impossible to predict?
◎ People choose the "reality they want to see"
◎ What happens when "not looking" becomes a habit?
◆ A small sense of discomfort is a sign to pause
◎ Why do we address "small discomforts" in our private lives but ignore them at work?
◎ The "thinking habit" of ignoring discomfort
◎ This is how discomfort fades away
◎ Value that first small sense of discomfort more
◆ Even if you're wrong, it's much better than not predicting the future at all
◎ The fear of looking at the future
◎ Start by having the courage to look toward the future
◎ Face the future you don't want to see as well
◎ Assume the worst, live for the best
◆ Don't avoid failure. Design it
◎ Good leaders design "good failures"
◎ Let others experience failures that are not fatal
◎ Just avoid the fatal wounds
◆ Instead of walking around the pitfall, fill it in
◎ Even with "warnings," mistakes won't disappear
◎ The idea of "filling in the pitfall itself"
◎ The idea of "not taking that path"
◎ A higher-level question
◆ Half-hearted change is the most dangerous
◎ Should you protect or change?
◎ Half-hearted change is worse than maintaining the status quo
◎ Who are you fighting as?
◆ Third-rate people worry about deciding; first-rate people decide and then worry
◎ People who jump in for now, and people who think carefully and postpone decisions
◎ People who only "judge" cannot move forward
◎ Make your own decisions the right ones
◆ Risk management is, in the end, "task management"
◎ The source of risk is small, daily unprocessed items
◎ Task management is working backward from the future
◎ Conversion into controllable goals
◎ Making risk management thinking your OS

Conclusion: Those who face risks head-on are the ones who can achieve true freedom

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What do you think?

The author, Takashi Izuhara, says:

What you will acquire in this book is not just a technique for preventing mistakes. It is an "all-life thinking method" for protecting your life and career for the long term and accumulating results.

The "failure-free thinking method" that only risk management professionals knowThe new book that allows you to master"90% of Work Mistakes Can Be Prevented with This Thinking"(by Takashi Izuhara) will be released sequentially starting fromAugust 21stat online bookstores and bookstores nationwide. If you are interested, please check it out.