Makoto Hamabata, 37 years old.
Born and raised in Wakayama.
His karaoke specialty, which he sings in his natural sexy low voice, is "Wakayama Love Song 21."
He is a designer on the operations team that I belong to.
Although he is almost a decade older than me, he is also the person at work with whom I talk the most and with whom I am the least careful.
In this member introduction, we will take a closer look at the real face of Hamabata Makoto, the Japanese Hugh Grant of the operations team.
It is because there is a weakness that we fall in love.
Beloved Uncle
"Batayansaaaaa" "Sorry Hama-san" "As expected of Hama-chan!"
It's been two years since I joined Monosus.
Now, everyone calls Hamabata by various nicknames in a friendly manner.
He's a mood maker in the operations team he belongs to, lightening the mood with his witty jokes, and recently he hosted a joint drinking party with designers from another department, so his social circle may be the widest on the team.
Beloved Uncle
Why does everyone fall in love with him?
To put it bluntly, I think it's because of the many ``weaknesses'' he shows.
To put it more simply, this guy is not very well behaved.
There are countless stories about him, but here is one that is memorable...
This happened shortly after he joined the company.
Over the weekend, I went on a trip to Niigata and bought some Salad Hope, a famous confectionery, as a souvenir. I left it on the shared desk with a large sticky note that said "Limit one bag per person" so that everyone could eat one.
In the evening, when everyone started to get hungry, I happened to look at the seat next to me and saw Hamabata eating a salad hoop, making a crunching sound as he ate it.
Just as I was thinking, "He looks like he's eating it deliciously," he finished the second bag without even notifying me. (And he ate it all up directly from the bag.) And then he started eating the third bag.
I remember being very upset and wondering, "Can I get along with this person?"
Since he was almost a generation older than me, I was a little careful at the time, but this incident made me realize that there was no need to be so careful.
It may not be clear from this episode alone, but even things that some people might simply find disappointing, he has the talent to turn them into "weaknesses" that make him seem approachable, and bring him much closer to people.
Hamabata is full of gaps
My Uncle's Life
In writing this article, I decided to interview him at an izakaya to find out more about his roots.
Next, I would like to tell you about my journey from my childhood to joining Monosus.
Hamabata has always loved making things, and especially loved drawing during his childhood.
There is an anecdote (apparently) that the quality of the illustrated diaries she drew when she was in elementary school was so high that people around her could not believe that she had drawn them, saying, "These aren't the kind of drawings a child would make."
During junior high school, he jumped on the band boom, bought a bass guitar, and formed a band.
He became fascinated with the joy of music, and after graduating from high school, he went on to a music college with the goal of becoming a professional musician.
He moved to Tokyo to pursue his musical career full-time and spent his days immersed in music, but after creating his own band's website, he gradually became more and more absorbed in design.
Hamabata (center of photo) during his time as a band member
After that, he gave up the band and got a job at a web production company in Wakayama, where he learned the basics of design.
However, he couldn't give up on the band and wanted to do both design and music, so he moved back to Tokyo and started working at a web production company while continuing his music career.
He has worked in two web development companies, one in Wakayama and one in Tokyo.
When asked why he decided to join Monosus out of the many web development companies out there,
"Hmm, I guess the person in the photo in the job posting looked good," I answered without hesitation.
He said that this was really the only reason he applied to Monosus.
(This is a cool photo that was actually posted on a job site.)
For him, who used to spend his days creating things with other people as a band member, his way of thinking is the same for both bands and work. His motto is "have fun with the people you love."
"Just like you can't play interesting music unless you're in a band with someone you like, you can't do interesting work unless you're with someone you like. It's the same with bands and work."
As he spoke, a piece of potato salad remained stuck to his upper lip.
An uncle with no weaknesses
My uncle works very fast.
Hamabata: "I've already done it."
Kawarazaki (Team Leader): "Huh? Seriously? That was quick!"
I often hear the two of them exchange things like this.
And because they are quick with their work, they never turn down a request.
No matter how tight the design team's resources are, they always take on the project with a smile, saying, "It'll be a piece of cake."
Everyone is always helped by his attitude, and in fact, team leader Kawarazaki says that having him join the team has made the project go much more smoothly.
What's amazing about him is not just his speed, but the breadth of what he can do.
Hamabata is adept at all kinds of work other than design.
They are a very reliable asset for the operations team, which requires a wide range of skills including planning, direction, design, and coding.
Hamabata is flawless
Hamabata can do anything, but his title is still designer.
As he gets drunk at a drinking party, he begins to talk passionately about design.
I've heard the same thing at least four times: "I don't just want to design something that looks good, I want to design something that gets results."
When you actually look at his designs, you can see that rather than being flashy at first glance, he focuses on how to make them easy to understand and how to make them easy to use.
For that reason, when projects call for high usability, such as designing e-commerce sites, I often consult with him and have him check the design, and it's very reassuring when he says, "It's good."
More fun with the people you love
Towards the end of our izakaya interview, when the alcohol was starting to take hold, he began to speak passionately.
"The operations team is made up of really great people."
"My current job can be made more interesting. I want to gradually make it more interesting with these members."
At present, he says his current job still leaves him feeling unsatisfied.
I want to change the passive situation of just being swamped with work and making what clients ask for.
I want to understand the site better than the client does and take an "aggressive" approach to suggest improvements. If I could do that, things would be much more interesting.
And he seems confident that the current team members can do it.
This may sound a bit like an advertisement for the operations team, but it is his true feelings coming from someone who cares deeply about the team.
That said, I believe he has already made the operations team more interesting, from work to everyday casual conversations.
I'm sure that the members of your team who read this article will nod in agreement.
Hamabata is on a roll having recently happily tied the knot with his beloved girlfriend.
I'm sure he will continue to play an even more active role in the future, making the operations team even more interesting than it is now.
Hamabata-san, I wrote a manly introduction for you, so please buy me a drink next time.
KAGAWA YUTARO