Q&A Diary #95: Talk about your favorite teacher or mentor.

There are some mentors who influenced on my life. Stephen Covey, Susumu Tonegawa, etc. It’s not easy to choose one person.

But here I would talk about my first boss in my career. The boss was a great engineer. He was familiar with a wide range of engineering fields including physics, mechanics, electronics, chemistry, from hardware to software. He kept provided excellent solutions to engineers who suffered from technological difficulties.

But at the same time, he was a difficult person. For him, people were either generous or idiot. Once you impress him you are not good, it’s difficult to repair your bad reputation. But still, I respect him. I learned a lot from him. He didn’t give me solutions. He didn’t give me details. Instead he just asked me questions, “Why do you think so? How to solve it?” I remember those are all excellent questions. My thoughts are lead to solutions by his questions. That way of leading subordinates influenced me. I don’t give my members quick solutions. I ask them questions, “What do you think? Why do you think that way?”  so that they can become an engineer who find an excellent approach to solve any challenges even if they are new challenges for your members.