Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic, stressed the importance of entrepreneurial spirit. Some of his thoughts on entrepreneurial spirit included: that passion sparks imagination and invention; failure is the path to success if you learn from mistakes; with an open mind, there are limitless solutions to problems; to be successful in business you must truly love your work; and as a leader you must be the most passionate person of all.

1. Commemorative Exhibition for the 120th Anniversary of the Founder's Birth
"Bridge to the Future:
The Spirit of Konosuke
Matsushita"
The Founder on "The Entrepreneurial Spirit"
With only three members, the founder launched an enterprise that grew to span the
globe. He always stressed the importance of the entrepreneurial spirit, both to his
employees and to businesspeople at large. We have brought together a collection of his
thoughts on this subject, drawn from The Collected Speeches of Konosuke Matsushita
(PHP Institute,Inc.,45 volumes).
Passion sparks imagination and invention
All kinds of imagination and innovation are sparked when
you are extremely focused on something, when you direct
your passion toward something as a personal mission, as
something you want to do more than anything else. 'ibis sort
of passion is the mother of invention.
(AnnualManagementPolicy Meeting, January 1961)
Failure is your path to success
Because we are imperfect, there is no harm if we try
something and decide it is not really for us after all. This is
how success results from failure. If you resolve to use your
experience of failure to make your future better,you are sure
to be successful; so there is no reason to think of failure as
"failure."If you think of it as part of the path to success, you
won't lose your courage.
(5th ManagementSeminar, October 1964)
Solutions are limitless
Even whenyou face a difficult situation, you have a limitless
number of management ways and means to solve your
problem. When we drop our preconceptions and see the
world with a broad perspective, we find limitless answers.
(AnnualManagementPolicy Meeting, January 1965)
Fall in love with your business
To be successful in business, you have to be in love with it.
If you find your business to be less than interesting, you are
certain to fail. From that standpoint, I am grateful that I was
able to work in this industry, and grateful that I was able to
find a job that I loved to do. Even now I am humbly grateful
for this.
(6th Tokyo NationalShop Association Meeting, September 1966)
Be the most passionate person you know
As a leader, there is at least one thing you must have in
greater abundance that anyone else. That something is
passion. Others can have more wisdom, knowledge, or talent; but
you must be the most passionate of all. Whether you are playing,or
sleeping, or doing anything else, do it as you like, but do it with
more passion than anyone else.
(NationalMeetingof theCentralUnion of AgriculturalCo-operatives and
Associations,August1969)
Realcouragecomesfromknowing whatisright
Real courage comes from knowing what is right. When
you feel you roust do something for your company's sake,
for your employees' sake,for your customers' sake,courage
is generated. That courage is genuine and will give you the
confidence to realize your aim.
(Yuko Club Management Get-together, October 1969)
Better than the best
1 here is something even better than the best. There is always
something higher, without limit; there is always something
greater to aspire to. Gather a wide range of opinions. By
doing so, you will learn, and be inspired to go rethink
your approach; if there is something you can improve, you
improve it. I believe this is a process that must be continued
eternally.
(AnnualManagement Policy Meeting, January 1977)
Keep at it till you succeed
You must believe you will succeed. Whether it takes five
years or ten, don't stop until you succeed. If you die, someone
will take over from you. Failure usually comes from giving
up partway through, so you must not lose your resolve
along the way. If you proceed without losing your ambition,
I believe that all of you will be able to achieve whatever you
aim for.
(January Meetingof Junior Chamber InternationalOsaka, 1979)
Create the future
You must not simply anticipate the future, you must be
mentally prepared to create it. Don't think about what
is likely to happen; create a vision of what you want to
happen, what you think should happen, and realize it
through management effort. To put it another way, you
act to transform the future from something uncertain to
something certain.
(Conversation with LouisLundborg, February 1980)
There is no limit on what one can do
There is definitely no limit to what a person can do. People
only think they've reached their limit.
(Lecture to First-Year Students, Matsushita Institute of Government and
Management, March 1982)