"I want to improve my company" - Hiroto Goya

Worked at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Hiroto Goya

PgDip program Nagoya campus
Entered in April 2015

Worked at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and engaged in aircraft manufacturing. After experiencing a number of operations, he became involved in management operations after 13 years with the company. He has been studying in the PgDip program since April 2015.

I became a manager, and I'm still learning.

After working in the management of manufacturing processes, the introduction of IT technology to manufacturing sites, and assurance of manufacturing formats, I have been in charge of department management since my 13th year with the company. My duties include overseeing operations, managing budgets, hiring personnel, and coordinating relationships with business partners. By the time I became a manager, I had the opportunity to study management knowledge through company training and self-study, but most of it was acquired through practical work. In the beginning, without any experience, I was just following what I saw and doing my job without understanding it in depth. When I became a manager, I realized for the first time that I needed to have the judging criteria and knowledge that management should have. As I worked my way through the unfamiliar tasks, I began to feel a keen sense that I needed to start doing something on my own to compensate for my lack of knowledge.

Know the significance of studying MBA.

I heard that a woman I was working within the aircraft manufacturing industry was going to quit her job and study for an MBA at MIT Sloan School of Management. At the time, I could not understand why she would interrupt her great career to go to graduate school. However, not only the aforementioned girlfriend but also other acquaintances of mine quit their jobs to go to Harvard Business School. This coincided with the time when I was in a managerial position and was having problems, so I started to take an interest in business schools for the first time.

What made you think you needed an MBA after you became interested in business school?

After doing some research, I found out that my company has a system that allows employees with certain qualifications to study abroad for an MBA at company expense. I felt that the company wanted those who would be leading the organization as managers to study at a graduate school and become people with advanced management knowledge. It was here that I finally understood the significance of an MBA. I realized that my acquaintances had chosen to get MBAs for their entire careers, and I realized that I needed to study for an MBA as well. Since I wanted to continue working at my current company, I decided to take the PgDip program at the NUCB Business School, which I could attend on weekends.

What are some of your most memorable classes?

There are many classes that left a strong impression on me at the Business School. In particular, in the "Business Presentation" class taught by Professor Takehiko Ito, I learned how to give a presentation that would clearly communicate to the audience and convince them. In the class, I learned how to give a presentation that would convince others to listen to it clearly. In public speaking, I learned how to avoid showing my back to the audience, how to speak concisely, and other things that anyone would take for granted, but when the professor pointed them out again in class, I realized that I had not done them.

What classes have you learned that are directly related to your work?

My knowledge of accounting and finance used to be limited, but the "Financial Essence" and "Accounting Essence" classes helped me to grasp the whole picture. Thanks to these classes, I am now able to think about what kind of preparations I need to make in advance for budgeting and investment decisions, and what points I need to follow up on when explaining to others. I am now able to take the initiative to do things that I did not know before, and that I used to do only after others pointed them out to me.

How to deal with work in the future

I am sure that other people will have the same problem that I had when I went from an engineer to a manager: "I don't know how to manage. I would like to be able to help them. There are many teams of various sizes in my department, and I believe that the basic strength of the company can be improved by nurturing leaders who can properly lead each team. My goal is to make the colleagues who work for me feel that they are happy to work with me. I believe that as this harmony spreads, it will naturally improve the company as a whole and create a positive cycle in the organization.
Based on what I learned in the one-year PgDip program, I have been selected to enter the MBA degree program next spring. I would like to further develop my learning and help make my field higher and bigger.

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Taken from: December 2015