The path of the samurai
Today, everyone claims to provide top quality services by any means
possible, put their clients before themselves, always remain customer
orientated or even customer obsessed and put the client "at the centre"
(even if it's not clear at the centre of what…). These phrases have
become so ordinary that they remind us of Pythagoras’s spheres:
constantly moving in the sky, the astral orbs create a marvellous music
that is so permanent and unceasing, men cannot hear it.
We are
not interested in these mute melodies – we think differently. We believe
that being “of service” to people, in particular our clients, is not an
heroic act and is therefore not worthy of particular emphasis. It’s
just a natural and enjoyable activity that fully satisfies our social
instincts. But then, how did the samurai in ancient Japan behave, the
creators of the most profound and absolute service culture ever known?
Did they pass the time telling each other how “efficient and effective”
they were in serving their master? Of course not, they served him and
that was that, at the cost of their lives. In the book of the samurai
(Hagakure Kikigaki, or ‘Notes on things heard in the shade of the
leaves’), a short passage recites: “If we should explain once and for
all what distinguishes the condition of a samurai, we would say that it
consists in consecrating the soul and the body to your master without
hesitation ". No comment needed.