This time we will introduce Natsumi Tanaka, director/coder of the Coding Factory Department.
The title, "Just do it," is the encouragement given to anyone wanting to try something new in Kamiyama Town, Tokushima Prefecture, where Monosus is involved.
For her, the words "Just do it" are not just words that encourage others, but also words that triggered her to change herself. ( Click here for details )
This time, we will take a closer look at the real Tanaka Natsumi, including an interview with her herself.
Tanaka the Great is Born
Tanaka joined Monosus in May 2014 and is currently in his second year with the company.
Before joining Monosus, she studied coding at a vocational training school, and although she had a vague interest in the web, she didn't have a clear image of what the job of a coder was.
In the midst of all this, Tanaka created one responsive website and took it to Coding Factory.
Ito, the head of the Coding Factory Department who was in charge of the interview at the time, looked at the source code in detail and praised it, saying, "There are some issues with the way the JS is written, but it's amazing that you were able to create this with so little experience."
Tanaka, who was showered with praise, noticed something.
Up until now, I've wanted to be a designer, a coder, a director...
Of the many processes involved in the web, the one I've really worked hard on is HTML coding.
I was honestly happy that my hard work was recognized.
It was the moment when something changed for Tanaka about the profession of coder, something he had not really understood.
After that, I went through several interviews and was hired.
Tanaka's activities are now diverse, including taking the initiative to serve as chairman of the coding guideline formulation committee, coordinating the submission status for the Monosasu site's Coding Methodology section, and directing large-scale projects as a director.
Changes brought about by "just giving it a try"
"I'll check it out, but I'll give it a try anyway."
As he said this, he described his personality, using such large gestures that I wondered if he might hit the person next to him.
Tanaka (pictured right) answers the interview questions with exaggerated gestures. His arm hits the staff member next to him at various points during the conversation.
Tanaka says that originally, he was hesitant to start something and found it hard to take on new challenges. Even when he did start something, he was somehow unable to be proactive and often ended up failing.
A turning point came for her when she was in her first year of high school.
A close friend of mine at the time invited me to join the drama club. But there was a problem.
There was no drama club at Tanaka's high school.
"If it doesn't exist, we can just make one." That's what his friend had suggested, and at first, his friend had been the one to take the lead in handling the procedures for setting up the club, with Tanaka just supporting him. ...Or so it was supposed to be.
When it came time to actually gather members, the friend who invited me said he wasn't good at taking the lead in doing things...
I had to do something! I struggled day by day, and before I knew it, I had been appointed department manager.
Although the recruitment started with just the two of them, eventually 11 members gathered and the drama club was successfully established.
She recalls the experience this way:
"Nothing is wasted. I realised that nothing can be a negative thing, only a positive thing. One of my friends who was performing in the drama club I created is still doing acting even now that he's a working adult. If my decision to create the drama club back then has brought about even a small change in that person's life, I think that's wonderful."
This experience apparently transformed his personality, which tended to be somewhat hesitant and made him hesitant to take on new challenges, and he developed a "give it a try" mentality.
Tanaka as seen through his daily work
Nowadays, Tanaka is adept at directing huge projects, but when he first joined the company, he had a terrible time.
Tanaka is busy coding. He is staring intently at his computer and completely unaware that his photo is being taken.
When he debuted as a coder at Monosus, he surprised everyone by how slow his coding speed was.
He carefully coded each part, but because he was so slow, he was scolded by the production leader and the production schedule was pushed back. He was unable to meet the schedule and had to ask all the in-house coders for help.
At that time, I volunteered to hold a review meeting after each project. I sometimes felt depressed by the harsh comments from my senior colleagues.
However, Tanaka is trying to put those experiences to good use in the next project.
A project that I was unable to proceed with on schedule on my own helped me understand the importance of labor cost calculations, and a project where I was unable to communicate well the first time and had to discuss the matter over the phone multiple times has helped me improve my communication skills with customers.
Even when he doesn't do well, Tanaka doesn't feel like he's good at something, but instead immediately moves on to the next goal and "gives it a go," which makes him seem very tough.
You can see Tanaka's "just give it a try" attitude even in his work outside of production.
The Coding Factory department, which Tanaka belongs to, uses a tool called " coding guidelines ."
This tool, which is given as a gift to both internal and external parties, is a document file that summarizes important rules for the HTML coding process. There is a committee within the company that formulates and updates the coding guidelines.
They are known as the "Coding Guidelines Development Committee."
She volunteered to be the chairperson of that committee, even though she had been with the company for less than a year at the time.
A regular meeting of the coding guideline formulation committee. Tanaka (center of photo) is now able to lead the meeting smoothly.
The committee holds regular meetings once a month, and he also tried his hand at moderating the meetings.
When I actually tried it...
・I am surrounded by seniors who are very particular about their work. The discussions are heated and time is running out.
・Tanaka is not used to being a host to begin with. The program progresses poorly and time is running out.
・When my boss pointed out that I hadn't prepared enough, I burst into tears. Time was running out.
...Well, I tried it, but I encountered a mountain of problems.
But Tanaka doesn't stop there.
After each meeting, we summarize what we should have done differently and make a list of things to do differently at the next meeting, so that we don't make the same mistakes again.
By repeating this process, we are now able to smoothly conduct large-scale meetings involving multiple companies and over a dozen people.
Serving as committee chairman likely resulted in improved direction.
Among the various tasks at work, she tries everything first, whether it's exciting, boring, or difficult. Perhaps "giving it a try" is a way of moving forward in life, one step at a time.
Take the first step and you can reflect on the process later.
As Tanaka was frantically talking about this, his arm hit me again with a thud.
Make life a hobby.
Tanaka says his hobby is cooking.
Apparently, he was already holding a knife at the age of 3, and is quite confident in his skills. He showed off his skills at last year's Monosus year-end party, when volunteers were asked to prepare homemade dishes.
This is the paella that Tanaka made for the Monosus year-end party. Apparently, he actually practiced it at home many times the weekend before the party.
Tanaka shows off the paella he has been practicing at home, with impressive dexterity.
"A special paella created after extensive research by Chef Tanaka."
Wow, that's amazing. It looks delicious. I know this may sound rude, but I was surprised you could cook so well.
We were curious about the taste, so we asked the staff who actually tried the paella made by Tanaka what they thought of it.
Staff M: "The food looked delicious, just like something you'd eat at a restaurant. The oysters were especially great!"
Staff T: "The flavors of the shrimp, clams, and other seafood permeated the rice and it was delicious. I'd like to eat it again."
Tanaka, who cooks for himself every day as a hobby, seems to have won over the stomachs of even the Monosus staff with his cooking skills.
Besides cooking, Tanaka's hobbies are cleaning, laundry, and general housework. It was impressive that she takes these activities, which are essential to life, and makes them her hobbies, enjoying them every day. We asked Tanaka how she found such a hobby...
"When I was a student, a senior student gave me the advice to 'make life your hobby,' and ever since then, my hobby has been life. Cooking is at the center of life. Besides cooking, laundry, cleaning, those are all hobbies for me. Even on tough days, I can feel good knowing that life is my hobby."
"Make your life a hobby" Hmm, what a wonderful phrase.
"I have to tell them properly!!"
Tanaka says that he places great importance on "conveying information correctly" in his work.
She declares that the mission of a web director is to convey accurate information accurately, and her passion for her work is apparent. She wants to convey her feelings and opinions correctly, but her hands move around in circles, frustrated that she can't express them well with her own words alone.
Putting aside the fact that his gestures are exaggerated, his self-assertive attitude is something that everyone should emulate.
I too wonder if I am conveying accurate information about her character.
I still have some concerns, but I'll put that aside for now.
I decided to "give it a try."
Located near Kitasando, close to Monosus headquarters.
HARASAWA Shogo