Part 9: What Successors Really Want Isn't an 'Answer'—What They Need Is to Create a 'State Where They Can Make Decisions,' Not Just the Correct Answer

A few years after taking over.

I think about management every day.
I read books.
I attend seminars.
I listen to experts.
I consult with senior business owners.

Even so—
for some reason, I can't make the final decision.

・Should I proceed with this investment?
・Should I take the plunge and raise prices?
・How should I deal with long-term employees?
・Should I start a new business?
・To what extent should I change the predecessor's methods?
・Is this a phase to go on the offensive or a phase to play defense?

While grappling with these questions,
successors continue to think every single day.

And in consultation settings, they often say this:

'What should I do?'

However, when facing many successors in the field,
it is often the case that what they really want
is not a simple 'answer'.

What they really want is
a state where they can make decisions themselves,
based on the reality of their own company.

A successor's worries are hard to answer

The reason a successor's worries are difficult is
because they cannot be resolved by general theories.

For example, even taking just a price increase,
it might be said this way in a textbook:

'If your gross margin is low, you should raise your prices.'

That is certainly true.

But in an actual company,
you cannot decide based on that alone.

・There are relationships with long-standing business partners.
・There are pricing customs from the predecessor's era.
・The sales staff is afraid of losing customers.
・The explanatory materials for the price increase have not been organized.
・There is room for negotiation with some customers, but it is difficult with others.
・It is unclear if there is enough financial buffer to withstand a short-term drop in sales.
・There is also a possibility that the burden on the front lines will increase after the price hike.

In other words,
it is not a simple question of
'whether or not to raise prices.'

In reality,
・Which customers
・Which products
・By what margin
・At what timing
・Who will explain it
・How much of a sales decline to tolerate
・How to confirm the improvement in gross profit

You cannot make a decision until you organize these points.

That is why successors
cannot take action even if they are told an 'answer'.

Even if you are given the correct answer, the company will not move

When you consult with external experts, you may receive plausible answers.
You may receive plausible answers.

'Let's strengthen sales.'
'We need to develop executives.'
'Let's launch a new business.'
'Let's promote DX.'
'We should revise our prices.'
'Let's introduce KPI management.'

None of these are wrong.

However, what successors are really struggling with is
how to implement those 'answer-like words'
within their own companies.

Even if you say 'strengthen sales,'
there are companies where the sales staff is aging.

Even if you say 'develop executives,'
there are companies where the executives have never had the experience of taking on a 'thinking role' in the first place.

Even if you say 'DX,'
in workplaces that have operated on paper and verbal communication for decades,
introducing a system suddenly will not take root.

Even if you say 'KPI management,'
if there is no culture of looking at numbers,
it will just end up as mere reporting work.

In other words, answers alone are not enough.

What is needed is
to organize 'where we can start moving from,'
taking into account the company's history, people, gross profit structure, financial leeway, and organizational habits.

What successors want is decision-making material

What successors really want is,
in many cases, the following things.

・What the real issue is
・What should be decided right now
・What does not need to be decided yet
・What should be protected
・What should be changed
・Which risks can be taken
・Which risks must not be taken
・How much can be tested within the scope of financial leeway
・Who should be involved first
・In what order should we proceed to minimize friction

This is not just advice.

It is the organization of decision-making material.

Successors
do not want someone else to make decisions for them.

Rather,
they know better than anyone
that they must make the final decision themselves.

However, in their heads,
numbers, emotions, human relationships, history, risks, ideals, and cash flow are all mixed up.

That is why it becomes painful.

The Reason Why an 'External CPU' Is Necessary

What a successor needs is not
someone to make decisions for them.

What they need is
an external presence to help break down what is mixed up in their head,
and organize it into a form that allows for decision-making.

I consider this
to be a role like an 'external CPU' for the president.

Instead of providing answers on behalf of the president,
I organize the order of thinking
so that the president can make decisions on their own.

For example, in a consultation session,
I do not immediately say, 'You should do this.'

First, I categorize things.

・Is this a numbers issue?
・Is this a human relations issue?
・Is this an issue of past success experiences?
・Is this an issue of available capital?
・Is this a meeting structure issue?
・Is this the president's own anxiety?
・Is this something that really needs to be decided right now?

When you separate what was mixed together,
the way you see the problem changes.

Then,
'This is not a matter of changing everything right now'
'It is better to try it with some customers first'
'It is better to align premises with one person before involving all executives'
'Instead of an investment decision, we should decide on exit criteria first'
like this,
a realistic next step becomes visible.

A sounding board is not just for a change of pace

When you hear 'sounding board' (kabe-uchi),
you might think of it as mere small talk or consultation.

However, a sounding board in management
is essentially quite practical.

Especially for a successor, a sounding board
has the following significance:

・Externalizing the issues in one's head
・Separating emotions from facts
・Organizing options
・Clarifying decision-making criteria
・Articulating risks in advance
・Determining the order of decision-making
・Organizing who to tell what next

This is not just encouragement.

It is preparation for decision-making
before moving the company.

If you skip this,
the successor will continue to think only inside their head.

And,
the more they think, the more issues increase.
The more issues increase, the more anxious they become.
The more anxious they become, the more they search for the correct answer.
The more they search for the correct answer, the less they can decide.

Once you enter this cycle,
the company quietly comes to a standstill.

The more you search for answers, the more you lose your criteria for judgment

The more a successor struggles, the more they want to go outside to look for answers.

・Books by famous business leaders
・Success stories
・Seminars
・Consulting frameworks
・Methods used by competitors
・The predecessor's judgment

Of course, learning is important.

However, if you collect too many external answers, you may conversely lose sight of your own criteria for judgment.

This is because
success stories have their own company-specific premises.

Gross profit margins are different.
Financial resources are different.
Employee capabilities are different.
Customer relationships are different.
The predecessor's influence is different.
The successor's own strengths are different.

Therefore, even if you bring in another company's correct answer as is,
it may not function within your own company.

What a successor needs is
not to collect external correct answers,
but to visualize their own company's premises.

What is a state where you can make decisions?

So, what is a state where you can make decisions?

It is
not that hesitation disappears completely.

In management,
anxiety almost never reaches zero.

A state where you can make decisions is
a state where at least the following things are organized.

・What is the purpose of this decision?
・What do you want to gain?
・What is the possibility of losing?
・How far can you afford to fail?
・What are the criteria for withdrawal?
・Whose cooperation is needed?
・What is the first move?
・When and what will you look at to decide whether to continue?

Once you can organize things to this extent,
the successor will be able to move forward little by little.

You are not able to move because there is a perfect answer.

You are able to move because the premises for your judgment are organized.

Finally

What a successor really wants is
not a 'correct answer' given by someone else.

What you need is to
create a state where you can make decisions yourself,
based on the reality of your own company.

To do that,
you need to separate the things that are mixed up in your head.

・Numbers
・Emotions
・Relationship with the predecessor
・Employee anxiety
・Past success stories
・Gross profit structure
・Available capital
・Investment decisions
・Meeting structures
・The next move

If you just think about 'what should I do'
without organizing these,
you won't find an answer.

If you are currently:
・Unable to make a final decision even after consulting others
・Getting stuck while searching for the 'correct answer'
・Having issues mixed up in your head
・Wanting someone to help you organize, but not to decide for you
・Wanting to regain your own decision-making criteria

If that state continues,
it may not be a lack of ability,
but simply that the structure for making decisions is not yet in place.

In a 60-minute brainstorming session, we organize:
・The issues mixed up in your head
・The problems that truly need to be addressed
・Decision-making materials
・Priorities
・Unseen risks
・The next realistic move

to help you move forward.

Management for a successor
is not a job of tracing someone else's answer.

It is a job of looking at the reality of your company
and regaining the state where you can make decisions yourself.

*Case studies have been partially modified. They are not related to actual companies or individuals.

📩 Click here for an initial 60-minute consultation
'My executives won't take action,' 'Meetings don't lead to decisions,' 'I'm taking on too much'—
Let's organize these situations together from a structural perspective.

👉 Click here for inquiries
https://jissenstrategy.com/contact
✉ info@jissenstrategy.com

Atsushi Kumagai
Practical Management Advisor / SME Management Consultant

I provide hands-on support to help business owners create a state where they can make decisions in the fields of succession, second startups, and new business development.

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