Kashio Tadao

You will not gain anything if you are not considerate of the other party. Tadao always prioritized work which benefited others and built relationships of mutual prosperity.
In the early days of the Kashio Seisakujo, Tadao, who had received a request to process steel into spheres, utilized his advanced mechanical work technologies to devise a new processing method. Processing capacity increased from 50 to 200 per day. Tadao felt he would make too much money this way, so he offered a discount to the ordering party. “You’re honest to a fault,” he was told. “Businesses must be rewarded according to their contributions to society,” Tadao’s motto, had already taken shape at this early stage.

The four Kashio brothers would receive funding from Taiyo Sales, a trading company specializing in calculators, and complete the prototype for the relay calculator. However, at its presentation in Sapporo, the machine would not work, a big failure which resulted in the end of the business deal. Later on, they were contacted by Uchida Yoko Co., Ltd. and concluded a new contract. Tadao decided to transfer part of the contract money to Taiyo Sales, saying “I don’t want to trouble the people who collaborated with us.” As a manager, Tadao would never forget to express gratitude to his partners and strive for mutual prosperity.

Pointing to a bowl of rice on the dining table, Tadao said, “Farmers put so much work into creating this rice. Then, other people carried and transported it. A water supply was also necessary because you need water for cooking. Someone also had to make the bowl. Mother cooked the rice and put it here. We must never forget the amount of work that goes into making things.”
Never forgetting his gratitude toward workers, Tadao had a habit of apologizing when making requests. He told employees to “think of sellers as being kind enough to sell you their goods and of customers as being kind enough to buy your goods.”

Tadao’s policy was to believe in people enough to entrust them with the things he couldn’t do by himself and to mutually support each other.
Tadao would always say, “We have four Presidents. They are all imperfect human beings, and because neither of them is capable of handling every aspect of business administration, they compensate for each other’s shortcomings and fulfill the responsibility of a single President.” This would not change even as the company expanded, with each of the four brothers leading a division and forming a four-divisional structure. The eldest brother Tadao, an administrative leader, led the general affairs headquarters, the second eldest brother Toshio, an inventor, led the development headquarters the third eldest brother Kazuo, a marketer, led the sales and marketing headquarters, and the youngest brother Yukio, an engineer, led the production headquarters, allowing each of them to take advantage of their strengths and continue growing the business.

Tadao, who began his work as the administrator of a factory in the ruins of post-war Japan, was acutely aware of the importance of resources.
Back in the early days of Casio, when development of the relay calculator was underway, Tadao, then President, took the employees to the garbage disposal site at the back of the company building. He picked up a bunch of perfectly usable polyvinyl chloride wire from the heap of garbage and said, “This is insulting to nature. What a waste for Japan, a country with no natural resources.” Tadao had a habit of saying “Mottainai.” Instead of ordering them to cut down on waste, he led the employees by saying it in a way that would resonate with their hearts.

Tadao would hear out other’s opinions and respect them. His method would involve having his brothers and other managers discuss things very thoroughly. After hearing everyone’s opinions, he would make a decision and say, “Well then, this is what I will do.” Instead of forcing his opinion on others, he would decide on the direction of the company by trying to reach a consensus through discussion until everyone involved was satisfied. He would then take responsibility and put the plan into action. This was at the heart of Tadao’s leadership.

Tadao was known for his modest personality which made him care for and praise others. Upon founding Casio, he made his father Shigeru President and allotted a large amount of stock to his brother Toshio, who had made numerous inventions for the company, when it went public. He always addressed his employees and business partners with respect, advising others that having a sincere attitude toward others is very important. He referred to the proverb “The boughs that bear most hang lowest” when the company was experiencing major growth. “We must not become arrogant,” he warned. It is said that on the morning of a company entrance ceremony, he secretly dressed up as a cleaner and observed whether new employees would greet him.
During his time as President, Tadao bore a heavy responsibility and faced many difficulties. This was especially true in the area of financing, as he was worried about securing development funds for calculators, sometimes even taking out mortgages on his home. But his policy was to never speak about these troubles. Only a handful of people were aware of them. He engraved these hardships in his memory and resolved to always care about others, financing partners when they were facing financial difficulties and establishing the Casio Science Promotion Foundation, which provides research grants to universities. Tadao, who always faced others with integrity, was revered by many.