2020, Annus Horribilis? Maybe Not!

Last week saw my first full year at Canon Production Printing Australia and well, what a year it was. Was it one to remember, or one to forget?

Having joined what was then Océ (a Canon Company) from a large and extremely busy print house in the Inner West of Sydney, working on projects like the Invictus Games and fitting out display suites for Meriton, moving into the hardware side of printing was an exciting change.

My main motivations for joining Canon Production Printing Australia was not only their focus on innovation and developing the best in class products, but also Canon's corporate philosophy of kyosei.

Kyosei conveys the dedication to seeing all people, regardless of culture, customs, language or race, harmoniously living and working together in happiness into the future.

Unfortunately, current factors related to Covid-19, economies, resources and the environment make realizing kyosei difficult and whilst Canon strives to eliminate these factors through corporate activities rooted in kyosei, I am reminded of the famous quote “If you want to change the world, start with yourself” (Mahatma Ghandi).

This is also where the Canon corporate spirit has become evident to me. The San-ji (Three Self’s) Spirit.

Self-Motivation – Take the initiative and be proactive in all things. Evident in not only our sales team where they are expected practice this, but within our supplies team who continue to find solutions to logistical issues caused by the delays associated with Covid-19, ensuring wherever possible there is minimal impact to our clients. 

Self-Management – Conduct oneself with responsibility and accountability. I have seen this directly in feedback from clients, where our Application Specialists and Service team have gone over and above what is expected of them. 

“I would like to give you some very positive feedback on [name redacted for privacy]. I'm not sure if you're aware, but for months we have been trying to win a large contract where management, colour matching and consistency colour are key to the client.

For several months now we have relied heavily on [name redacted] to tick all these boxes for us on your Colorado 1650 in the showroom. I have asked a lot during this time and I think we are up to our fourth set of samples to show the client.

Throughout this process I have actually learnt quite a lot from [name redacted] as well. The support we have been shown is amazing and I just felt you should know as to what level your team assists us.”

Self-Awareness – Understand one’s situation and role in all situations. This is a big one for me and whilst I’ve been sitting here thinking of a clever way to put this across, I know I cannot say it any better than Mya Angelou – “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

Understanding how you choose to act/react in every situation is what brings us back to the Kyosei philosophy and is how I will look to spend my next year and future years with Canon Production Printing Australia. 

What’s your focus for the next year ahead and where do you see Kyosei or the San-ji Spirit in your business?