He was one of the most inspirational role models of all time. Thrown into poverty at age four, Konosuke Matsushita (Mat-SOSH-ta) struggled with the early deaths of family members, an apprenticeship which demanded sixteen-hour days at age nine, all the problems associated with starting a business with neither money nor connections, the death of his only son, the Great Depression, the horror of World War II in Japan, and more. Yet John P. Kotter shows in this fascinating and instructive book how, instead of being ground down by these hardships, Matsushita grew to be a fabulously successful entrepreneur and business leader, the founder of Japan's General Electric: the $65 billion a year Matsushita Electric Corporation.
His accomplishments as a leader, author, educator, philanthropist, and management innovator are astonishing, and outshine even Soichiro Honda, J.C. Penney, Sam Walton, and Henry Ford. In this immensely readable book, Kotter relates how Matsushita created a large business, invented management practices that are increasingly being used today, helped lead his country's economic miracle after World War II wrote dozens of books in his latter years, founded a graduate school of leadership, created Japan's version of a Nobel Prize, and gave away hundreds of millions to good causes.
The Matsushita story expands our notion of the possible, even for a sickly youngster who did not have the benefit of a privileged background, education, good looks, or a charismatic presence. It tells us much about leadership, entrepreneurship, a drive for lifelong learning, and their roots. It demonstrates the power of a longterm outlook, idealistic goals, and humility in the face of great success.
Matsushita Leadership is both a biography and a set of lessons for careers and corporations in the 21st century. An inspirational story and a business primer, the implications are powerful, for organizations and for living a meaningful life.

John P. Kotter has been on the Harvard faculty for twenty-five years. He is the author of eight best-selling business books and a frequent speaker at management meetings around the world. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts and on Squam Lake in New Hampshire with his wife, Nancy Dearman, and their children, Caroline and Jonathan.

CONTENTS

Preface

1. The Legacy

STUDENT, APPRENTICE, EMPLOYEE: 1894-1917

2. Early Loss and Its Consequences

3. Growth Through Hardship

4. Responsibility and Exposure at an Early Age

MERCHANT ENTREPRENEUR: 1917-1931

5. Risk Taking, Perseverance, and the Launching of a Business

6. Unconventional Strategies

7. Coping with Economic Hard Times

BUSINESS LEADER: 1931-1946

8. A Mission for the Corporation

9. Creating "The Division System"

10. World War II

INSTITUTIONAL LEADER: 1946-1970

11. Up from Ashes

12. The Globalization of an Enterprise

13. Fighting Arrogance and Complacency

PHILOSOPHER AND EDUCATOR: 1970-1989

14. The Study of Human Nature

15. Books and Philanthropies

16. Educating for Leadership

Epilogue: With a Humble Heart and an Open Mind

A Comment on Sources

Notes

Index

About the Author