「執念が道を開く：初期の課題と克服の物語」
経営者育成研究会の立ち上げは、決して平坦な道のりではなかった。還暦近いおっさんの執念とも言える行動力だけを頼りだった。初期の段階で直面した課題は山積みであり、何度も挫折しそうになったことを今でも鮮明に覚えている。しかし、目の前の壁を一つずつ乗り越えてきたからこそ、今の基盤が築かれた。
最初に立ちはだかったのは「人脈の欠如」だった。以前からの人脈はコロナ禍でなくなったに等しかった。新規に経営者との繋がりを作るにはどうすべきかを考えることから始めざるとえなかった。そこで、まずはパソコンに向かい、経営者が集まるサイトに登録し、片っ端から会い続けた。オンライン面談は二ヶ月で300名を超えた。しかし気付いた。自分もそうだが「会いたい」＝「仕事が欲しい」だ。「仕事が欲しい」同士があっても、なかなか仕事には結びつかない。そして、経営者同士の良い人間形成にはほど遠いことが分かった。
そこで方向性を変えた。「営業」よりも「繋がり」を求めて、自分に「会いたい」とも「営業したい」とも思っていない経営者へのアプローチに切り替えた。コロナ禍でなければ、古き良き経営者団体や質の高いグループの門をたたき、汗を掻くこともありだ。しかし、そんな時間も資金もない。SNSに特化することにした。
大数の法則＝下手な鉄砲も数。そして「量は質を生む」という信念を支えに、やり続けた。
ひとりひとり丁寧にお声がけさせていただき、徐々にメンバーを増やし、一年半でfacebookグループは1000名を超えた。
同時に進めてきた経営者対談は2年半で100回を超えた。
現在、SNSのフォロワー数は以下の通りだ。
facebook：5522 linkedin：2282 tiktok：1830 instagram：1767
還暦すぎのおっさんの執念だ。
そして何より大きな課題は、自分自身との戦いだった。目に見える成果がなかなか出ない中で、毎日作業を続けることは精神的にも肉体的にも大きな負担だった。しかし、少しずつ増えていく会員の皆さんの励ましの言葉や、「諦めずにやり続ければ、必ず道は開ける」という信念が、常に自分を支えてくれた。
今振り返ると、経営者育成研究会はただ単に「やり続けた」結果だ。しかし、土台がようやく出来ただけで、これからが本当の勝負だ。いままで支えてくれた多くの方たちに、そしてこれから起業する経営者に恩返しと恩送りをしなければならない。
今後もいかなる困難が待ち受けようとも執念を燃やし続けたい。
Past, Present, and Future of the Executive Development Research Group - 03
"Determination Opens the Way: A Story of Initial Challenges and Overcoming Them"
The establishment of the Executive Development Research Group was far from a smooth journey. It relied solely on the determination and drive of a man nearing his sixties. The initial challenges were numerous, and there were countless moments when I felt like giving up. Even now, I vividly remember those struggles. Yet, it was by overcoming each obstacle one by one that the foundation we have today was built.
The first major hurdle was a lack of personal connections. The networks I had relied on in the past had all but disappeared due to the pandemic. I had no choice but to start by figuring out how to build new connections with executives. I began by sitting in front of my computer, registering on websites where executives gathered, and meeting people one by one. In two months, I conducted over 300 online meetings. However, I soon realized something: the desire to "meet" someone often equates to "wanting work." When "work-seeking" individuals meet, it rarely results in actual business opportunities. It also became clear that these interactions were far from fostering meaningful relationships among executives.
That’s when I decided to change my approach. Rather than focusing on "sales," I shifted toward "connections," targeting executives who neither wanted to meet me nor had any intent to pitch their services. If it weren’t for the pandemic, I might have tried knocking on the doors of traditional executive organizations or high-quality groups, putting in the sweat equity. But I had neither the time nor the financial resources for that. Instead, I decided to focus entirely on social media.
The law of large numbers—that even poor efforts yield results with enough attempts—and my belief that "quantity breeds quality" sustained me through this process.
I reached out to each person with care and gradually increased our membership. Within a year and a half, our Facebook group grew to over 1,000 members. Meanwhile, the executive dialogues that I had been conducting also surpassed 100 sessions over two and a half years.
As of today, the number of followers across social media platforms is as follows:Facebook: 5,522 | LinkedIn: 2,282 | TikTok: 1,830 | Instagram: 1,767
This is the determination of a man past his sixties.
The greatest challenge, however, was the battle within myself. It was mentally and physically exhausting to continue working daily without seeing immediate results. But the encouragement of our steadily growing members, with comments like "I'm glad I joined this group" or "I gained new insights," kept me going. My belief that "persistence will eventually open the way" also served as a constant source of support.
Looking back now, the Executive Development Research Group is the result of sheer persistence. However, we have only just laid the foundation; the real challenge begins now. I must repay the many people who have supported me thus far and pass that goodwill forward to the entrepreneurs and executives of the future.
No matter what challenges lie ahead, I am determined to keep fueling the fire of perseverance.
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