Scent of a Woman: What 'The Making of Men' Taught Me (Part 2)

In the first part, I wrote about Integrity, which is discussed in the climax of 'Scent of a Woman'.

Integrity means not selling your soul. Now that I am an elderly person, that is what I believe. However, that was not the only thing this movie taught me. There is one more phrase that has remained in my heart for over thirty years.

This single line.

When I was young, I did not fully understand the meaning of this. However, having experienced the work of consulting for many years, having nurtured people as a manager, and now having retired from the front lines, I feel I can understand the weight of these words.

The making of men

When I joined a major consulting firm, it was not a 'company that just increases sales.' Of course, profit is important. However, what was even more important was nurturing people. Young consultants are thoroughly trained by their seniors and partners.

How to write a proposal.
How to face a client.
Presentations.
How to debate.

However, what was truly being taught was not skills.
It was 'what kind of person to become.'

Keep your promises.
Adhere to time.
Do not lie.
Prioritize the client's interests over your own.
Do not run away even in difficult situations.
Value nurturing subordinates more than your own evaluation.

My seniors taught me that attitude through their own actions.
I believe that is exactly what

The making of men

was.

Man of Integrity

At that time, the requirements to become a partner were not just about sales.
It was not just about ability either.

What was truly being asked was, Can we entrust the organization to this person?.

I understand it as

Man of Integrity

a term that captures it.

Integrity is not just about being 'honest.'
Translating it as 'nobility' doesn't quite fit either.

Someone who does not sell their soul.

Someone who can prioritize what they believe is right over profit or loss.
That is the kind of person with that character.

And now, I believe that
The making of men was about
raising men of integrity.
that is what it meant.

What was lost in the 2000s

However, as we entered the 2000s, the atmosphere began to change little by little.
Consulting firms grew rapidly in size.

Partnerships turned into corporations.
From communities that nurtured people to massive business organizations centered on outsourcing.

Of course, that was the trend of the times.
I have no intention of denying that.

But in the midst of that change, I felt one spirit fading away.
The philosophy of 'The making of men.'

Chasing numbers rather than nurturing people.
Evaluating results rather than character.
Prioritizing efficiency over education.

That change was not limited to the consulting industry.
I think it spread throughout society as a whole.

Thoughts on Japanese education

Every time I watch this movie, I think about Japanese education.
We have succeeded in raising excellent talent.

They have knowledge.
They have skills.
They are also diligent.

However,
is our education raising 'Men of Integrity'?

Entering famous universities,
joining large companies,
and holding impressive titles.
From the outside, everyone looks respectable.
It seems like there is no problem at all.

But is their soul still intact?

Fearing the loss of reputation,
prioritizing self-preservation,
and gradually letting go of one's own beliefs.

People do not collapse from the outside.
They lose themselves from the inside.
What Lieutenant Colonel Frank was trying to protect was precisely that 'inside'.

I am no longer a consultant.

I am no longer a consultant.

I have entrusted the company to my successors. I have also stepped back from the front lines of management.
However, I do not intend to quit the work of "nurturing people."

That is why I write on note every day.

It is not because I want to impart knowledge.
It is because I want to leave behind, even if just a little, what I have been thinking about for many years for the next generation.

Movies, books, music, experiences abroad, and consulting.

For me, everything is connected to one theme: The making of men.

Lieutenant Colonel Frank protected a young boy.

What he protected was not his grades. Nor was it his future.

It was his soul.

"His soul is intact."

The movie "Scent of a Woman"

Now that I am in the final stages of my life, I feel like I have finally come to understand the meaning of these words.

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