NYK President Naito Addresses New Employees at 2016 Welcoming Ceremony
- The Power of Communication and Curiosity -

On April 1, NYK held a welcoming ceremony at its head office in Tokyo for employees joining the company in the 2016 fiscal year. Below is a translation of the address provided by NYK president Tadaaki Naito to the 69 new staff members.
 
“First, I would like to express my congratulations to you all as you start your career at NYK. Today, a total of 69 office workers and seafarers become new members of NYK. I sincerely welcome you all on behalf of the company.

 

“On October 1, 2015, NYK celebrated the 130th anniversary of its founding. The footprints connecting those 130 years show a history of turbulence. In particular, after the Plaza Accord in 1985, structural change and globalization in the maritime industry moved forward at a great pace. Now, national staffs who work at NYK Group companies overseas support the backbone of the Group. You will work together with these colleagues.

 

“When you work in such environments, communication skills become a very important capability. It is known that there are two types of communication: verbal communication and non-verbal communication. Verbal communication requires the speaker to inform others logically about various matters. Specifically, when you talk with people from different backgrounds, you cannot convince them without communicating in a logical way. Therefore, it is important to construct your idea in advance and select words carefully, considering how you can communicate the idea without exaggeration or omission, while trying to understand the other party’s standpoint and situation. I keenly realized the importance of verbal communication while I was stationed in Germany.

“Non-verbal communication is equally as important as verbal communication, and it is a kind of challenge to appeal to others with your personal magnetism and establish friendly relationships. To create relationships of mutual trust, logical communication alone is not enough. Even if you are not eloquent, it is important to endeavor to convey your ideas by choosing and forming words diligently. When you have many options in mind from which you can direct a discussion, then it will add depth to the communication. Your communication skills will be highly effective by offering both logical and appealing aspects.

 

“To elaborate on such communication skills, I sincerely hope that you have a sense of curiosity about things that you encounter. The nature of the maritime and logistics business is worldwide, and our relationships with customers are also extensive. Thus, you can naturally accumulate a variety of knowledge and experiences in your daily business activities. Whenever you find something interesting, or even strange, then please try to make a “practice” of giving it thought.

 

“Today, you are taking the first step as an employee of NYK. Working as a member of society means not only taking measures to earn a living, but also viewing your work as a series of important activities that nurture your life. I hope that you will work not just for the company, but that, in the future, when you look back over your life, you will be able to feel with confidence that you have led a rich and fulfilling life.”