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Hello. I’m Yasui, the solo president of a company that primarily conducts inspections of high-pressure gas equipment.
Golden Week is already starting for some people, isn’t it?
If you take Monday the 28th off, you can have two sets of four-day weekends—once before and once after!
Some of you might be doing just that.
I’ll be working during the first half, but I think I’ll be able to take some time off in the latter half and go somewhere 😊
Today, I’d like to reflect a bit on what it means to work in a team.
As someone often in charge of inspections involving internal staff and partner companies—such as checking piping and valves—I’ve noticed how easy it is to rely heavily on capable individuals.
We tend to ask them for help simply because it’s quicker and more efficient.
But lately, I’ve been thinking… maybe that’s not the best approach.
Are you familiar with the Pareto Principle?
It’s also known as the 80:20 rule—where 20% of the people produce 80% of the results.
So, what about the remaining 80%?
If too much work falls on the top 20%, the others don’t get enough hands-on experience, which widens the gap in skill levels.
Eventually, team growth stalls—because the top 20% only have so much room to improve.
If we really want our team to grow, we need to focus on leveling up the remaining 80%.
By improving their capabilities, overall team performance will improve dramatically.
It would also lighten the load on the top 20%.
We usually find ourselves with 20% highly capable people, 60% average performers, and 20% who are often seen as “underperformers.”
But by focusing on developing the latter two groups, I believe the team atmosphere will greatly improve.
Have you ever labeled your team members as “capable” or “incapable,” and distanced or dismissed the so-called incapable ones?
But maybe they’re “incapable” because of some specific reason.
Perhaps they simply don’t fully understand the task.
We’re all human, so the ability gap might not be as big as we think. If we address the root cause, many can improve and grow out of that label.
A team includes both the capable and less capable.
Managing this balance is the true role of a site supervisor or team leader.
Labeling people and overloading the top performers is not the right way.
I once worked under a supervisor who treated everyone fairly and delegated tasks based on each person’s strengths.
That person didn’t bury themselves in work—they understood that the job of a supervisor is not to be just another worker, but to be an educator and guide for the team.
The supervisor’s role isn’t just to keep things running smoothly—it’s also to monitor and support their team’s skill development, assign new challenges, and lift the overall team performance.
If we improve the baseline of the whole team, better results will surely follow.
So let’s stop the behind-the-back comments like “He’s useless” or “She’s a waste,” and instead take a team-focused approach to work.
Of course, it’s not easy.
I’ve rarely seen people actually work this way.
But I think it’s worth rethinking what it means to work in a team—especially in this labor shortage era.
Rather than searching for already “perfect” people, why not try nurturing the ones who’ve chosen to enter this inspection industry?
Why not try working as a team—with the whole team in mind?
Today’s words of wisdom:
“Teamwork thrives when the whole team levels up together.”
See you again!
And lastly—if you enjoyed this, please give it a click below ♪
Nihon Blog Village – Business Management Blog
