Choosing to Move Forward: The Core Principles Behind My Decisions

Hello, this is Ichiki from Sync Logistics.
Today, I’d like to talk about an essential part of management—making decisions. I’ll also share a few personal experiences that shaped the way of decision-make.

As a leader, I’ve often faced situations without a clear right answer.
In those moments, the most important thing is to decide it up.
Even when you’re unsure, it’s important to have the courage to move forward. I believe it’s one of the key traits of a strong leader.

■ Making Better Decisions

To me, good decisions aren’t just about gut feeling or momentum.
They come from hearing different opinions, thinking carefully, and then decide with confidence to move forward.

When I was younger, I’ve put myself surrounded only with people who agreed with me.I didn’t want to hear opposing opinions, and I moved forward.
I haven’t realized that this limited my thinking — and sometimes led me to overlook risks or miss better options.

Now, I make a conscious listen to people who see things differently.
Their honest feedback often helps me notice blind spots and overconfidence.

As a result of that change, my decision-making process has evolved. Rather than making decisions only by myself, I involve the whole team, focus on inputting a range of opinions, and then make the call.
I still take full responsibility, but involving the team helps us make more confident and stable
decisions that feel right for the whole team.

■ Making Decisions with a Strong Core

Good decisions come from having a strong core — clear values and a long-term view.
Here’s one example that reminded me why that matters.

Starting our new graduate hiring program was a big decision.
At the time, many colleagues were against it.
They were worried about the costs, the effort needed to train new grads.
But I thought back to my own early career and believed that investing in young people was the right move.
I knew bringing in new graduates would require solid systems and support— and I was determined to build those foundations because I believed it would make us a better company overall. I also saw it as a chance to shape our company culture in a positive way.
I took the concerns seriously, but in the end, I followed my core values and made the decision to launch the new graduate hiring program.

Looking back now, I believe that decision made a big impact.
It helped us build a stronger foundation and contributed to our growth.

That experience also shaped how I approach decisions more broadly. To me, making a decision means choosing a direction — even when I’m not sure it’s the right one — and taking full responsibility for it.

Whenever I face a tough call, I always come back to one key question:
“Does this match our mission and vision?”
If the answer is yes, then I move forward — even if it feels risky.

Every decision has some uncertainty. That’s why it’s so important to have clear values and the courage to stick to them. There’s no path that guarantees certainty — but we can move forward with confidence when we stay true to our values.

Thank you very much for reading.