How a snack bar's 'I understand' changed the company's future. The 'power of listening' and the essence of talent scouting taught by a president with zero ulterior motives.

President S, who was seconded as the president of the sales company I belonged to at the time, was an incomparable 'charmer'.
He had a skillful way with words and a mysterious charm that drew people in.
Whenever we went to places like snack bars, the girls at the shop would instantly become his fans.

'I want to steal this man's sense.'
In order to unravel his secret, I always sat next to him at the snack bar and kept observing his every move.

And one night, I was able to find the decisive difference between him and me.

It was extremely simple, something everyone should know, yet the most difficult thing of all.
'Listening to people while looking them in the eye and nodding.'

His catchphrase was, 'I understand, I understand.' He would repeat 'I understand' so often that it made you wonder if he really understood at all.

However, if you think about it calmly, most salarymen at the time would head out into the night life with their 'listen to my story' mode fully engaged.

In that environment, President S, who was the only one in 'listening to your story' mode, was an anomaly, and perhaps that is why he shone so overwhelmingly.

Furthermore, what made his excellence stand out was the fact that he had 'zero ulterior motives'.

He was kind to women, and while he listened to them, he never forced his own desires upon them.
That pure style of 'customer service' became an irreplaceable comfort for the girls at the shop.

At one point, it was decided that this sales company would recruit administrative support staff.

For the 3 positions available, there were 15 applicants. It was quite a competitive ratio.

I was also requested to participate in the hiring process as an interviewer, and I headed to the interview venue feeling nervous.

Finally, the first applicant entered the room.
Wait? That's a face I've seen somewhere before. I tried to pull at the threads of my memory.

'Oh, that's the girl who works at that snack bar!'

I was astonished.
To my surprise, 5 out of the 15 applicants were girls who worked at the bars that President S and I frequented.
President S, who was interviewing next to me, sat there with a cool face, oblivious to my agitation.

As a result of the interviews, 2 of the 3 people hired were girls who had applied from that 'night world' that President S and I knew well.

After the hiring, I asked President S if those applications were a coincidence.
The president answered with a slightly mischievous, yet serious look in his eyes.

'I did drop a few hints, I suppose. But it wasn't just anyone I wanted.'

'In the night world, people with various backgrounds work. Among them, I identified the girls who were living seriously and had ambition, and I reached out to them.'

Just as the president said, the two who were hired showed remarkable performance in the company's subsequent operations.
Thanks in part to their contributions, the sales company's performance improved.
President S was proudly sent off to the head office.

Even now, along with the hustle and bustle of the night city, I remember the importance of listening to people and those words of President S.
The true weight of the single phrase, 'I understand.'