There is a quote from the late Satoru Iwata, former president of Nintendo, that I feel is especially important in today’s cultural climate. He wrote,

“When I was little, I was sick a lot and had asthma, and after I switched schools, I was bullied for a while. Through these experiences, I saw the world through the eyes of the weak. My first job happened to be at a small company that was weaker, by comparison, than larger companies. But seeing the world through the eyes of the weak was an incredibly valuable experience for me. Even after becoming president of Nintendo, which was far from a weak position, I could never lose sight of my earlier experiences, nor do I look back on those hard times and feel any resentment whatsoever.”

I can relate a lot to his personal experience. I similarly was frequently sick as a young child, and later experienced bullying too. I had catastrophically low self-esteem for a long time because of these experiences. I have grown since then, and I can agree that there was value in those times. Being able to view the world through the eyes of the weak allows us to be gentler, calmer, more understanding, and more empathetic. When we grow into a leadership role, remembering what it was like to feel weak humbles us and allows us to better understand the problems our colleagues are going through, therefore becoming a more effective leader. This doesn’t just apply to the workplace but could apply to any relationship with a power difference, especially parenthood.

Iwata's programming work on EarthBound and Super Smash Bros. Melee really changed my life. Neither would likely exist in their current form without him.

Too often, leaders become enamored with power and completely forget what it was like to feel powerless. You can find seemingly infinite examples. You are probably thinking of someone right now that fits this. Invariably, these kinds of leaders are condemned by history. This is why humbleness and empathy are such vital leadership skills, and not at all weaknesses as some today would describe them. Iwata himself is a great example of this. When he first became president of HAL Laboratory, the company was in deep financial trouble. In order to try and turn their situation around, he interviewed every single employee to see their strengths and perspectives. He continued to do so twice a year, every year, always asking them first, “Are you happy doing what you’re doing?” This did wonders to establish trust in him as a leader at the company. Later in life, after becoming president of Nintendo, he reduced his own pay when the company was struggling after the disastrous launch of the Wii U so that no employee would be let go. How many company presidents out there would make such a sacrifice for their employees? This ensured that no creative minds would leave Nintendo, so that they would have the right people to make their next successful console. This decision obviously paid off in droves, but sadly he never got to see it. In all cases, he humbled himself to think on the same level as his employees, and considered their needs before his own. He never forgot what it was like to be that bullied child with asthma, so he was unable to believe that he was ever above his employees.

The results for Iwata speak for themselves. HAL Laboratory got out of their financial difficulties, went on to make many successful games, and continues to exist today. He learned from his mistakes at Nintendo, and his final decisions there led the way for the company to be more successful than ever. It’s clear that we should all strive to be more humble and more empathetic to those around us. Remember what it was like to be a sickly child, how nervous you were on your first day of high school, or how scared you were on your first big job hunt. It will keep us in check as we grow throughout our lives.

If you’re interested in learning more about Iwata, read Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s Legendary CEO, where I got all of this information about him.