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I always and strictly tell Nintendo employees never to use the term 'success' to describe our own performance.
Satoru Iwata
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Success should not be casually defined; it requires a more nuanced understanding of performance.

In this quote, Satoru Iwata emphasizes the importance of not over-simplifying the concept of success in the context of performance evaluation. Rather than labeling outcomes as mere successes, he advocates for a deeper analysis of achievements and goals to foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within Nintendo.

Themes

SuccessPerformanceEvaluationInnovationImprovement

In practice

Example use cases

In a corporate training session discussing performance metrics.

More from Satoru Iwata

On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer.
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If we don't take an approach that looks holistically at the form a video-game platform should take in the future, then we're not able to sustain Nintendo 10 years down the road.
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I do not like to use the term 'Free-to-play.' I have come to realize that there is a degree of insincerity to consumers with this terminology, since so-called 'Free-to-play' should be referred to more accurately as 'Free-to-start.'
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Video games are meant to be just one thing: Fun! Fun for everyone.
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If we reduce the number of employees for better short-term financial results, employee morale will decrease. I sincerely doubt employees who fear that they may be laid off will be able to develop software titles that could impress people around the world.
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I never think in terms of how we can compete against the other companies; rather, our primary focus is to make consumers feel the uniqueness and attractiveness of our products.
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