"I was happy to be able to play a role in this team." Director Takumi Kuno talks about his year at the Monosas Site Secretariat.

Takumi Kuno, who worked hard in the secretariat running the Monosasu website for 2022.

From his quiet demeanor during meetings, I was secretly worried, "I wonder if people are enjoying the Monosasu site," but one day he said, "I want to do AB testing on the Monosasu site." I remember jumping for joy, thinking, "Whoa! A proposal from Mr. Kuno!"

After that, his presence gradually grew, including playing a central role in the launch project of Monosus' email newsletter "Monosasu Dayori." Now, as he is leaving the core of the secretariat, he looked back on the past year and spoke to us.

Attracted to "Working together, living together" by Monosus

Thank you very much for your hard work at the Sugimoto Monosasu Site Secretariat (hereinafter referred to as the Secretariat) for the past year! This is my first time to talk one-on-one with Mr. Kuno, so I would like to start by asking him how he came to join Monosasu.

Kuno : It all started with an article in the magazine Nihon Shigoto Hyakka for recruiting students for the 4th batch of Kamiyama Monosasu Juku . I happened to come across the article when I was working in my hometown of Shizuoka after graduating from university. I applied with such gusto that I was surprised myself.

Hayashi Sugimoto (CEO of Monosus) said, "What do you do to make your life fulfilling? If you know your own standards, you can choose for yourself." Why was this article such a hit for Kuno at the time?

Kuno: The thing that made the biggest impression on me was the title, "Work Together, Live Together." The article itself expressed those words, and I thought it was very interesting and fun. The company I was working for at the time was a so-called top-down organization with few horizontal connections, and I felt like I couldn't communicate comfortably. I felt frustrated and wondered if this was okay.

Sugimoto : I don't have the image of Kuno-san acting impulsively in his everyday life... (laughs).

Kuno: My parents were the most surprised (laughs). I had never done anything spontaneous up until then. This might have been the first time. Even when I think back on it, I was so excited that it was scary. I was so excited. I was so excited.

Sugimoto: So you didn't have any worries about quitting the company you joined as a new graduate. What was Kamiyama Monosasu Juku like?

Kuno: It was a lot of fun, and I'm really glad I participated. It was really comfortable living under the same roof with nine people of different backgrounds, upbringings, and ages. It was a great time living with a common goal. I'm also grateful that our relationships continue even after the cram school is over and we're apart.

Kuno was 22 years old when he was a student at Monosasu Juku (second from the left)

The Kamiyama office was so comfortable

Sugimoto :After the Kamiyama Monosasu Juku, why did you decide to stay in Kamiyama and work at Monosasu?

Kuno: Finally, when I asked him what he wanted to do in the future, Monosus was one of the options. Actually, I had planned to work at a web production company in Shizuoka, but as I talked with Kurihara-san, the leader of the operations team who lived in Kamiyama-cho, my feelings for Monosus grew stronger, and that's how I ended up being hired in Kamiyama. The atmosphere at the Kamiyama office was really good, with Kurihara-san, Kagawa-san, and Asada-san. I'm actually glad that I chose Kamiyama.

Members of the Kamiyama satellite office

Sugimoto :The Kamiyama office is peaceful, and the members have a good sense of distance from each other. Why did you move to Yoyogi in January 2022?

Kuno : I had originally told Kurihara that I wanted to try Yoyogi in two or three years, so I decided to go to Yoyogi after three years. Kamiyama is a really, really comfortable place, including the office. At the same time, I was beginning to wonder if this was okay. I think the biggest trigger was when I strongly felt that it was about time for some change and stimulation. It's been a lot of fun since coming to Yoyogi. I've had more opportunities to talk and work with different people, which is really stimulating.

I came to the secretariat because I wanted to interact with a variety of people.

The reason I asked Kuno to join the Sugimoto Secretariat was because I had heard rumors that he wanted to come to Yoyogi and interact with a variety of people.

Kuno: At the end of 2021, I had the opportunity to talk to Nozomi Nakajima (a member of the secretariat). I told her that if I was going to Yoyogi, I wanted to meet people I hadn't had any contact with before, and she asked me later, "How about joining the secretariat?"

I wanted new stimulation and new initiatives, and I had high hopes for interacting with a variety of people. From the first consultation, I could tell that Nozomi was someone who would take my concerns into account, so I felt that I could participate with peace of mind knowing that she was there.

Sugimoto : At first, we asked him to take care of the operation and management part of the secretariat. After that, Kuno-san suggested that he try AB testing on the Monosasu site, and I remember being very happy about that. Another thing was that he was in charge of the distribution settings for the launch of the email magazine "Monosasu Dayori," and it was fun to be able to work with him from planning to launch. Kuno-san, what is the most memorable thing about your work at the secretariat?

Kuno : It was definitely "Monosasu Dayori." The plan was born during a regular meeting of the secretariat, with Sugimoto-san writing the manuscript, Takita (Reiko) writing the design, myself setting up the distribution, and Nozomi-san overseeing the whole thing. As the distribution of the first issue drew near, the work progressed at a very good pace and in a timely manner, with comments like "We'll upload the manuscript by this date," and "Okay, we'll set up the distribution by then." In our normal work, we don't usually progress so quickly, and I think it was only possible because of those members.

"Monosasu Dayori" launched in July 2022

Because Hisano Sugimoto did such a reliable job, it made me think "I'll do my best too!" and made me very happy.

Kuno: At the secretariat meeting at the end of last year, Sugimoto-san said, "You can develop deep relationships with people at work even if they're not friends. I think that's a wonderful thing." Looking back at the time of the launch of the e-mail newsletter, I remembered those words. I think the feeling I had at that time was similar to the night before a school festival or a music recital. I think the relationship between the secretariat members was built through the project of launching the e-mail newsletter, so I felt a sense of comfort and unity.

Sugimoto : There was a sense of unity! When I checked the schedule and sent the manuscript early, Kuno-san also finished it ahead of schedule and sent it back to me, so we had a great exchange. From the way we communicated, I could tell he was interested in it, which made me really happy.

Kuno: I also had a lot of trust in the members. It may sound like I'm doing this for someone, but I think it's important to feel like I've helped someone. In the office, I was even happy to play a role in the team.

How do you balance your secretarial work with client projects?

Sugimoto :You usually work as a director in a team that handles web operations. Was it difficult to balance client projects with internal administrative work?

Kuno: It was difficult to find the right balance. Both roles are important, but it was frustrating to me that the people around me and I, who are involved in the administrative team, seemed to view the Monosasu site's work in a different way.

This feeling stopped me from getting deeply involved in the discussions that were being held up in the secretariat about "What should we do with the Monosasu site from now on?" I sometimes felt sorry for Nozomi and Sugimoto, who were thinking seriously about the Monosasu site.

Sugimoto: On the one hand, it was fun, but on the other hand, you felt lonely because no one sympathized with you, and you had a lot of different feelings. How was the workload?

The Kuno office was always thinking about the situation of the members and making adjustments, so I never felt like it was hard. At the end of the first half of last year, Nozomi-san even asked me, "What is the weighting of the roles?" and I was able to do what I could.

Sugimoto: Do you think you will be able to utilize your experience at the Secretariat in your future work?

Kuno : Since I moved to Tatsuta's unit this year, I will be involved in BtoB business more than ever before, and I feel that my experience in content production at the secretariat will be very helpful. When I ask external writers to write or interview for client projects, I feel that the ease of the work is completely different compared to a year ago.

What I thought about the company from the Monosas site

Sugimoto : I think the Monosasu website symbolizes the culture of the company. Since joining the Monosasu office, have you ever thought about the company in a new light?

Kuno : That's a difficult question. One thing I realized is that participation in the Monosas site is not just about "writing articles." I thought that each member of Monosas could contribute with their own strengths, such as my skills in access analysis, Takita's design, and Matsuoka (Mao)'s experience in public relations. That's a state in which people are being put to good use. I believe that a company can function as an organization only when people are being put to good use. I began to imagine that the ideal situation would be for each person to bring their strengths and apply them to the company and internal organizations.

I heard that last year, while the secretariat focused on getting each base and each business involved, members started to come up with article and project proposals. Things that start with people in the organization derive and eventually connect to the company. In other words, I think it's very healthy when people are the starting point and movements are born.

For me, a company is a place where you can earn money, realize your goals, and find fulfillment, but at the same time, it's also a place where you can communicate with people. When people spontaneously communicate something and it is reflected in the company, I think it's very consistent when you compare it to a company as a place where you can communicate with people. When you look at the whole picture of the company, I think the Monosastu site is in an important position.

Sugimoto : I'm involved from the outside, and I think Monosus values the Monosus site very much, both in terms of budget and positioning. That's why I feel a sense of responsibility, and I'm always looking for ways to share that value with the members. Please give a message to those who are thinking about joining the secretariat.

Kuno: I think it's great for people who, like me, want to try new things and increase their opportunities to interact with people they've never met before. I think the Monosas site is a great place for people who want to give back to the company what they've got, and the office has an atmosphere where anything is accepted.

Before I joined the company, the Monosasu website had a rule of uploading one article per day, so I heard that the editorial department (at the time) had a hard time, but when I actually joined the secretariat, where the operation method had changed, I didn't feel cramped at all. It was really relaxed, so I was pleasantly surprised. Also, the budget for being a secretariat member is properly allocated. I think that if the members realize that it is such a valuable job, their attitude will change at least a little.

Sugimoto : I'd like to say to you someday, "There are a lot of people who want to be the secretariat this year. What should we do?" (laughs). Even after I leave the secretariat, I'd like to do something together again on an individual project. I look forward to working with you in the future.

It's a little out of focus...

Thank you so much for the past year, Kuno-san!
Let's do some exciting things again with the various projects at the Secretariat.

This marks my third year since I started working at the Monosasu website secretariat.
I hope that more people will try out challenges and experiments on the Monosas site, like Kuno-san, by bringing their own strengths to the table. This year, we would like to get more members involved and create a site that is more Monosas-like. If you are a Monosas member and think, "I might just like to hear the story," please contact the office.