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Businesses aren't owned by entrepreneurs, but by creditors. Big entrepreneurs are the poorest people. Where are our resources actually being secretly drained?
Discover how to bring order to life and business by focusing on systems, reducing useless tasks, and shifting mindset from showiness to efficiency.
Key Takeaways
- Working harder is not the same as working effectively; focus on meaningful tasks.
- Creating and maintaining systems in daily life and business reduces chaos and improves results.
- Avoid wasteful spending driven by social pressure; prioritize tools and conditions that enhance productivity.
- Gradual, consistent improvement (kaizen) is key to sustainable success.
- Mindfulness and rational egoism can help break the cycle of burnout and financial struggle.
What the video covers
- Entrepreneurs often struggle financially because businesses are controlled by creditors, not owners.
- The stereotype that working harder leads to better results is false; most tasks are useless and do not contribute to success.
- A system begins with simple daily habits and organizing processes to reduce anxiety and increase productivity.
- Society tends to prioritize appearances and luxury over practical tools and efficiency, driven by social media influence.
- There is a growing shift toward rational egoism, focusing on sensible spending and working conditions rather than impressing others.
- Burnout results from overworking without a system, leading to fatigue, low income, and disappointment.
- Income growth does not equate to more cash in hand due to hidden losses and inefficient resource use.
- The importance of planning, time management, and gradual improvement (kaizen) is emphasized for personal and business success.
- Mindfulness and reflection are emerging trends, encouraging people to value simple pleasures over material excess.
- Leadership examples and cultural attitudes significantly influence societal habits around work, spending, and efficiency.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction: Entrepreneurs and Business Realities
- 03:01Systems Thinking and Daily Habits
- 05:34Mindfulness and Simplicity in Life
- 08:29Financial Illusions and Hidden Losses
- 11:14Kaizen and Continuous Improvement
- 14:55Work-Life Balance and Social Media Influence
- 18:25Leadership, Rational Egoism, and Cultural Shifts
- 23:40Summary and Final Thoughts on Sustainable Success
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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It’s a classic mistake and a stereotype that the more you work, the more results you'll bring.
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Both business and daily life are held together by some kind of nice wrapping. This is because we do about 90% useless tasks. They don't lead us to results at all.
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What must change in the economy for us to finally take off these rose-colored glasses? First and foremost, don't think about your fancy French leather chair; think about buying an extra tool for the worker. Why do we constantly overwork ourselves but end up
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struggling with the same issues? Why do we live from paycheck to paycheck? How does the systemic chaos in our own heads turn into chaos at work? And this episode isn't about dry numbers, but about how to bring order to your life.
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Why is there no profit in business? We'll look at useful habits and time-tracking issues. We will talk about this in our podcast. Be sure to watch it to the end to boost your personal efficiency. Don't forget to like and subscribe to our video so you
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don't lose us and miss future useful episodes with cool experts. Hello everyone, this is the ZhL channel. I'm Marzhan, and I'm with you. Today on the ZhL channel, we have systems thinking expert Kumar Musaev. Kumar, I’m glad to see you in our studio. I have a
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question. You usually go into companies, large and small, and bring order to them. But we see an interesting trend in society: efficiency is measured by your level of fatigue. And if you're tired, you're a good employee and a
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good parent. It’s a classic mistake and a stereotype that the more you work, the more results you'll bring. In reality, that doesn't happen for one reason. People bustle around way too much. During this bustle, not all actions lead to results. When people
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overwork and think they should be paid more, they just end up driving themselves into the ground. The famous word "burnout." This is due to the fact that we do about 90% useless tasks. They don't lead us to results at all. And I
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often notice that people work without a system. And consequently, there's fatigue, few results, and low income.
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Income is just a litmus test for how effectively you are working. Consequently, there is disappointment in your own life or in other things.
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You mentioned the system so well. So, where does a system begin? Let me explain it in simple terms. A system, so that even kids understand, is a complex interconnection of simple things. Every day we do some simple things, for example, looking for keys,
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looking for files, looking for a person we need. And this searching is actually a loss of time. And for a system to work, every single thing needs to have its own place. The ability to plan tasks for the day, for the week, the
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ability to create order in processes and in people's actions. This is all called a system, when life becomes less hectic and all these anxieties disappear when this system is working.
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It's important to create these rules for yourself. It's not necessary for someone else to impose them, you can create them yourself. For example, my phone always stays here on the nightstand, or, say, I must plan three tasks for tomorrow, not four, because I
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won't manage. For the week, I must plan a certain volume of work that is important for me to do, that leads me to my goal. My actions, which I perform, they happen according to some algorithm. And often, this order in
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life is what people lack. And that is exactly what the absence of a system is.
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So, a system begins with specific daily habits, with the simplest things. Yes. Yes, that's exactly right.
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Uh-huh. And what I've noticed in our society, in our mentality, is that both business and daily life are held together by some kind of pretty wrapper. Uh-huh.
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When we pay so much attention to an expensive presentation, a luxury car on credit, some flashy offices in expensive business centers. Yes, yes, yes. Why is it psychologically so difficult for us to choose something more sensible, something perhaps simple,
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and not try to impress others and not look for magic pills? And in general, what must change in the economy so that we finally take off these rose-colored glasses?
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You know, we are fulfilling needs that were not met for a long time. For example, when you couldn't afford something for a long time and you finally have money, of course, you try to spend it with a flourish. I had a
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brother-in-law, he's no longer with us, but he always said—he worked as a civil servant his whole life, and he never had any problems with people or bosses. He had a golden word: moderation. A sense of proportion.
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Unfortunately, people are losing this sense of proportion. They don't know how to balance between a deficit and excess. This balance is created by the example of those in leadership positions. By the way, this example is already being set. If you look at our
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president, he conducts himself quite modestly. There is no pretentiousness, and actually, he advocates against wastefulness. That is, for example, where corrupt desires come from. It's when you see your boss with a Rolex and a nice suit, you want one too, and you
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start thinking, "How can I earn money faster while I'm in this seat?" These desires to do big things—it's the desire to throw dust in the eyes of your relatives. You might be spending your last money or taking out a loan,
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which is bad—people get into debt. Often people live for the opinions of strangers, not thinking about themselves. It is important for a person to finally start thinking about themselves, about what is good, what you should have at home, so that your
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kids enjoy their room, so that your car is clean. It doesn't necessarily have to be pretentious. This desire gradually comes to people. There is mindfulness happening now; an era of reflection has begun. Is life really all about gold? And now people realize
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that life turns out to be in simple little things that we stop enjoying. Unfortunately, social media has a very big influence. We see this beautiful shell, and we want to live exactly the same way. Most people feel anxious when
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they don't get the same things they see on social media. And they strive just to make an impression, even on credit, to film it all and show it off. They also want to end up on some cover somewhere. Therefore, wastefulness is
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currently winning. Actually, there are two systems. The first system is to create something, and the second system is to show off. For now, showing off helps people, and it prevails. But to create, well, you need knowledge and brains here. Why do I, for example,
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train people or show an enterprise? I show that just because your walls are beautiful, it won't make things easier for your employee. So, first of all, don't think about your fancy French leather chair, but think about buying an extra tool for the worker so they
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can do their job more easily. Such a shift is happening now. And you know, to my pleasant surprise, large businessmen—and I work with almost all large businessmen—are already starting to think this way: that everything is for the people, for
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working conditions; this beautiful wrapping isn't needed, this pretentiousness isn't needed. So there is a certain shift in the paradigm toward a certain rational egoism, where we don't look at or orient ourselves toward other people's expectations or trying to please others,
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because social media still has a big influence on us. A very big influence. And those around us, they also look at social media.
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There is another very important paradox I want to discuss with you. Incomes grow, or business turnovers grow.
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People keep working and toiling away, literally working harder and harder, but as for extra cash in their pockets — it's not there, just like before.
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And it won't be, not at this pace. Yeah. Where are our resources actually being secretly drained? Where is that main black hole, which m
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out right now. There’s a slight crisis being felt in the market right now. Well, there’s a slump in real estate, car sales are dropping. To be honest, that makes me happy. And notice , against this backdrop, a lot of
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marketers and salespeople have popped up saying: "You have to sell, you have to push, you have to boost revenue and income," which is all great, but an interesting point arises here. Just because a person works harder and hustles more clients doesn't mean their
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net profit will actually grow. Some people confuse turnover with net profit , or revenue with net profit, by the way. If you look at the final component for a business person, what’s left in their pocket in the end? Net profit.
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And our business people are often truly rich only on paper. Why? Because they look for where to earn, what projects to start, or what extra income to generate, but none of them look for where they are losing money. And if a
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person wants more net profit to actually remain in their pocket, they need to pay attention to where they are losing it. And we lose money through the classic losses that the Japanese have already systematized. These are unnecessary movements, overproduction,
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and downtime. Let's take a simple example. A person driving somewhere completely unnecessarily. Everyone is trying to automate things using AI.
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They’re trying to hire people who aren't actually needed at this moment. There was a vivid example. Recently, one enterprise was looking for middle managers, that is, line supervisors. I said: "Your manager won't be effective because you’re still bleeding money."
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"Your underlying process is still disorganized.""Once the process is algorithmic, with a clear order, you'll see that you won't even need a manager.
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" And a manager costs a lot of money. I remember we had a conversation with a very interesting financial expert. She worked as a CFO at a large, major corporation. She truly confirmed that, in reality, businesses are owned not by
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the entrepreneurs, but by the creditors , because they are always on that hook. Yes, they think they have a business.
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In reality, that business doesn't belong to them. I started my own career in a bank once, and we loved clients who had cash flow gaps. The larger the cash gap, the more of a client they are to us. And you
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know, the LTV increases, the repeat business with this client grows, simply because they are constantly stuck in that trap. Most entrepreneurs complain about cash gaps. The reason is very simple: when you start increasing volumes, production volumes, sales volumes. Accordingly, you need more
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people, more raw materials, more machinery and equipment. In other words , the money has already safely left, but sales are not growing at the same speed. As a result, the time it takes for money to reach your account gets
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longer. Basically, you've spent a large amount of money and continue to do so, but you'll receive the money later. And this cash gap doesn't just stretch in time, it also increases in scale. And so it happens that big entrepreneurs
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are often the poorest people. He is rich on paper, but if you look at how many liabilities he has, almost everything is on credit.
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Yes. That's why financiers are right. Uh-huh. We constantly hear the word " kaizen," but for many, it still sounds like something distant and Japanese.
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Let's try to bring this philosophy down to earth so that it becomes understandable. And if you explain it briefly, literally in layman's terms, what is the main essence of kaizen and how can this system of daily small steps change our lives for an ordinary
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person or, say, for a small coffee shop here in Almaty? I have two definitions. One for business people and another just for people in general. For ordinary people, kaizen is doing better every day than you did yesterday. The key word here is
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"every day." Meaning, if you managed to do something yesterday, look at how you can do it even better. That is the definition for business people. The definition is the elimination of losses that reduce your net profit. I was just
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talking about what kind of losses arise . When we work on eliminating them, we lose less. And, accordingly, net profits become higher. For ordinary entrepreneurs, whether it's a small coffee shop or a large factory, the first thing to pay attention to is
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where are your people straining? Not where you aren't making money or where the bottleneck is. That's what they say with fancy words. The first sign to pay attention to is where people are struggling, where they are frustrated, where something at work starts to annoy
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them. You shouldn't punish the person for that. You just need to understand what the cause is. And there, as a rule , is a hidden, serious loss that is eating up your money. Such a simple, fresh perspective—even if a person
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doesn't know what kaizen is, pay attention to where people get stuck. What isn't working? Focus your attention on where things aren't working out for you. And most often you have some kind of, well, stagnation, right, difficulties. Uh-huh. Yes, I'll
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even put it this way: usually an enterprise earns at the speed of that very section where all the clogging happens. If it runs three times slower than the others, it means the company is effectively earning three times less
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than it could. Uh-huh. Actually, good. I think it’s more than clear. Many people really want to bring some kind of order into their lives, into their work, yes, but they seem to be scared by the scale. What is the
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simplest and most mundane thing at home —be it clearing out a messy closet or cleaning up the gallery on your phone —that a person should start with this very evening to feel that their life is starting to get better, to feel some
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lightness? Well, it's different for everyone. I will probably recommend what I use. It affects me very strongly. I turned off notifications for all social networks, down to WhatsApp, Telegram, and all other messengers. Meaning, I have a specific rule for when I go in there
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and check, so it doesn’t distract me. Uh-huh. And, firstly, I became more productive. I’ve been experimenting with this for exactly a year, and I am really enjoying life. Recently, I got my wife into it, so I disabled some social
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networks. I say, "Please, look, just set a specific time for it. This is, you know, like a morning routine. We set aside special time for that, don't we?" The same applies to social networks, because social networks really steal our happiness. We don't
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enjoy real life; we enjoy virtual life. That is the first thing I recommend. Second, yes, you can, of course, tidy up your closet, but most likely, it might not stick. Habit is very important here. I don’t recommend overhauling the whole closet at once.
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You should start with a small shelf. And specifically a shelf that you use every day. Be it some bedside table or a drawer under the desk, it doesn't matter; a small daily-use drawer, if a person sorts it out, they’ll start
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enjoying it from the very first day. A person will feel it immediately. It will feel as if a weight has been lifted. The third thing I recommend works just perfectly. Planning the next day. What do people usually do? They
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live intuitively. The day arrives, and tasks come up along the way, and problems need to be solved. But if you, say, have planned three main tasks, you finish those three tasks, and that's it , you enjoy your day. And it is best to
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do them in the first half of the day, in the morning. because after lunch you’ll have a pleasant feeling that everything is already behind you. Planning for the next day. Why is this productive? The thing is, our day becomes much freer,
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and we complete tasks about six times faster than if we hadn't planned at all . So, here are three things: tidy up your workspace, plan your daily schedule, and, uh, turn off social media notifications. If people do these three
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things today, they will feel the effect . I’m really interested in the first point you shared regarding time spent on social media. How do you do it? How many hours a day do you set aside? How does it work for you?
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I have set time slots during which I check them. How do people usually do it ? A notification pops up on the screen, and they start looking at it immediately. You’ve noticed that people eat with their phones. Or look
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at what happens at the airport, or when you get into an elevator with a phone.
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For example, I set it up so that before lunch—I like to eat without a phone.
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You should enjoy your food. Then there's after lunch and in the evening, but by 9:00 PM I’m getting ready for bed, so between nine and ten I have a total phone ban. And, naturally, the children start to copy me.
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Uh-huh. And so, smoothly, I’m also setting an example for others. Awesome. That really resonates with me, because sometimes you go into TikTok or Instagram, and while scrolling, you don't even notice how time just, well, flies by so, so fast, and you blink and
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it's time to sleep. Yes, it's time to sleep, or that hypothetical hour you had has just vanished into scrolling the feed.
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By the way, remember the time when the internet and electricity were cut off for everyone during those events? We got to know our families better.
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Everyone started talking to each other, playing board games. I enjoyed it so much, what a great time that was. I think, well, it was bad that there was an uprising, but on the other hand, everyone seemed to grow closer within
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their families. We had board games we hadn't even unpacked, and suddenly we started playing them and discovered some new games.
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That’s a moment for a lifetime. I remember it very well. Unfortunately, we often waste time on virtual life instead of real life. I agree with you.
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And this point about planning tasks and prioritizing them in the morning, and actually doing them, aligns really well with our biorhythms. After all, in the morning and daytime hours, the hormones responsible for tasks and our reactivity are active, and that aligns
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better with our body. That's why I really like it. I’ll probably adopt them too and start doing them as well.
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Many entrepreneurs complain that they don't have enough hours in the day. Yes , 24 hours a day just isn't enough for them. Yet, few people have actually digitized their actions. So, where should someone start if they want to conduct an audit of their own time?
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And how do you properly take a snapshot of your workday to see where those personal operational hours are leaking away?
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This again relates to having a system. If a person lacks a specific system, if they live by intuition—or let's say, a bit chaotically—there will never be enough hours. It is very important to create order in one's actions and
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processes. Yes, a simple example. Most people surely have this order, at least in the morning, for instance: wake up, eat breakfast, use the bathroom, brush teeth, and so on. Everyone does it differently, but the most important thing is that there is an algorithm.
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And notice that no matter what happens, it always fits into a certain amount of time. We always get it done, we always get a good result without needing to redo things. And, as a rule, there is a sense of satisfaction. And we do it on
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autopilot, too. So, it has already become a habit. But there are actions that aren't performed on autopilot. We arrive and think, "Okay, where should I start?" There is no specific algorithm.
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And it turns out that people often waste time searching for the necessary steps. This isn't just related to a lack of planning. It is also related to the fact that, for example, when you do a new task, you need to figure it out,
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you need to find something. Uh-huh. You need to ask someone, find the right person. And these daily losses steal our time. And then, it’s not just that 12 hours of work won’t be enough ; even 14 or 15 hours won’t be enough
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. What I see when people stay late at work, or when I ask, "Do you stay late at work?" They say, "Yes, of course, how could it be otherwise?" I realize the system isn't working. There is a trendy term now: "getting out of
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operations." Executives dream about it all the time. In reality, they won't get out of operations completely. At the very least, they could free up their time if they, as you correctly said, take a snapshot of their workday.
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Just like in the morning, brushing your teeth, using the bathroom, having breakfast—that is a snapshot of your workday. Our predictability is high, and our productivity immediately becomes high as well. When we know what to do in the morning, which meetings to
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hold, at what specific time, when to check social media—once these principles are set, the day goes by faster. For example, my workday ends around 4 o'clock. 4 PM.
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Uh-huh. I don't spend the remaining 2 hours on anything. Why? Because I believe a person is more productive in the morning when the brain is fresh; the evening should be left for reflection.
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An efficient person finishes their workday in less than 6 hours. Again, this also requires a system and the understanding that when you adopt the right set of habits in your work, you'll have enough time and get everything done.
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Here’s a simple example: our young specialists often rush off somewhere. I ask, "Why did you go there?" They say, "Well, I had to go." I say, "You should call first, ask if the person is there, and then go." It's easier to spend 2
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minutes on a call than 2 hours on a trip. Yes. People often don't plan their processes. And then they waste 2 hours on a pointless trip. That is exactly what a lack of system is.
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We were talking about Japan earlier, remember, about the trips? Let's refresh that, because the camera wasn't recording when we discussed it before. What surprises you about Japan?
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Yes, you were specifically talking about Tokyo, about how you don't feel any traffic jams there, even though it's much bigger than our Almaty.
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Dozens of times bigger; Tokyo is a metropolis of 38 million. All our visitors definitely pass through that city. We specifically take them to the busiest intersection, Shibuya, where 8 million people pass through. I always draw the attention of every
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entrepreneur who travels with us and say, "Notice, there are no traffic jams , you don't get stuck anywhere, the cars are moving." They aren't racing like Ferraris at 160, of course, but at least nobody is just standing still—
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everything is moving. Almost anyone there can afford a car. Well, because the country produces so many brands, and with their income, buying a car isn't a problem. The point is, there really are no traffic jams. That really surprises me about Japan. The second
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very important point is how they combine old traditions with new technologies. They haven't forgotten the old, and it fits well into the new.
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For example, the tea ceremony we show people is held using modern technologies. Uh-huh. How is that? They use gadgets, special reservation systems, a number of high-tech things, you know, robotics , but at the same time, the tea itself
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is served by a woman over 80, showing how it's done and by old traditions. So, the combination of old traditions and new technology is really cool in Japan.
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Do you mean a robot brings you the tea or Yes, but the tea ceremony is a minor detail. What surprises everyone who has been to Japan the most, probably, is the total cleanliness. I get the feeling as if they wash everything with
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washing powder. Well, it doesn't smell like powder, of course, but I walk around in white socks, and sometimes I show them to fellow entrepreneurs later , and they ask me, "Why did you take your sneakers off? Do your feet want to
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rest?" I say, "No, I'll show you in the evening what my socks look like, dirty or clean." When I show them the white fabric, they are amazed: "No matter where I walked, not a single stone, no sand, and the sole is perfectly white.
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Zero dust." Especially for those who suffer from allergies in Tokyo, they come during the season and get rid of it immediately. It's not just called the Land of the Rising Sun; it's also called the land of respect. You can
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feel it at every step. The Japanese try to please everyone, whether you're a foreigner or one of their own, even though we are used to seeing them as samurai. Actually, if someone approaches and asks for help, whether they know English or not doesn't matter
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, they will try to understand the problem and help that person. I had a simple example. I walked up and said, " Where can I find a battery for this Japanese Sony camera?" The guy was selling completely different things. He
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dropped everything, took me by the hand , and walked about 20 meters with me.
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Uh-huh. He called another Japanese person and said, "Look, he has this kind of camera , he needs this battery, please find it for him." And I was surprised; he had his own sales to attend to, yet he went
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to help me. Or another example, we were taking a taxi, and taxis are very expensive there, and I see some sort of argument with the taxi driver. I think, "Oh, it turns out the Japanese aren't as good as I thought." Then I walk up
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to our entrepreneurs and say, "What happened with you guys?" They say, " He's trying to give money back." I say, "Why?" Well, he drove on a toll road, accidentally turned the wrong way, and it ended up costing several thousand
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more. And because of this, he says, " This is my problem, my fault. I want to return this money to you." Can you imagine that? A taxi driver doing that here in Kazakhstan. Yes, it's a country of respect, you can
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really feel it strongly. Tokyo gives a person a different feeling, perspectives change; after the scale of Japan, after the scale of Tokyo itself, a person returns completely different. And why do you think that is?
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Yes, people's mindset changes very significantly. Even if someone behaved poorly in Kazakhstan, their mindset still changes. We’ve taken such people, and their mindset still changes . For about 9 or 11 days, a person is immersed in this culture. They become
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comfortable when everything works so precisely, when everything is planned, when no one is late, when everything runs like clockwork, and it’s all clean and neat around them. Even if there's a line for breakfast at the hotel, it keeps moving, and you’ll
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still get your breakfast. People get used to this culture, and when they return to our culture, they start asking for what they experienced there.
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Naturally, they try to change everything around them. If they didn't care before, now they start thinking: " What can I do to make things like that here?" That’s why people often change after these trips. I’m reminded of a
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very interesting analogy right now; I think many parents will understand me, in the sense that when a child is growing up, it's important to establish a proper routine, because for their nervous system, it’s safe and understandable to have
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a set order—when they wake up, where they go, and when they go to sleep. If chaos appears or there’s no routine, the child lives in anxiety, manifesting aggression or unexplained, incomprehensible emotional situations.
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That's why I really liked the point about when a person returns, they need that order; their nervous system just demands to go back to that— it has become a habit, yes. I have a question: if we go back
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to the corporate sphere, companies often have two extremes—either there are no regulations at all and everything is based on a handshake, or there are 100-page folders with fine print that no one has ever opened. With their own sets of rules. How, in
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general, do you create a practical, working checklist or standard that an ordinary front-line employee will understand the first time and actually follow every day? You actually gave the answer in your question when you said the word "checklist." In Japanese
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companies, and, well, not just Japanese ones, all over the world there is a well-known term: SOP, or Standard Operating Procedure. As of today, when it comes to employees, we need to move away from text and fine-print fonts. We
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always had a running joke when I worked at the bank. If you want something to be confusing, just write more about it.
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Yes, sometimes people just can't describe things. It’s also the power of the habit of describing everything in text. But here, it’s important to acquire a new habit of doing everything with pictures. That means every action is accompanied by an intermediate image
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. So, what does a standard operating procedure look like? An action, and next to it, the picture resulting from that action. A second action and another picture. And so you get a few steps. A person is only capable of
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holding a maximum of seven actions in their head. Therefore, if a procedure is being written, it should be within seven steps or seven actions. Anything more than seven and a person starts to get confused, forget things, and stop
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doing them. If it’s less, that’s even better. Therefore, if an operation is large and exceeds seven steps, it needs to be broken down, and you shouldn't give the person everything at once. Seven steps, mastered it all, then move on. Didn't master it, then
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stay on that step for now. Big rulebooks are a thing of the past; they probably belong in the 20th century.
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But at the same time, the absence of any rules or documents is also a problem. It’s very important here to find a balance, not to go overboard with massive encyclopedias, but at the same time, things shouldn't just be
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based on words. There is a Japanese principle: if it hasn't been written down, it doesn't exist. That is, everything we say, if it isn't recorded anywhere, then, accordingly, it never happened. Everything in an experienced employee's head must become a standard
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for the inexperienced. We also need to move away from creating these chats. It’s a sickness nowadays. In the 21st century, people probably create more groups than they have actual work to do . And this junk correspondence is also
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called "WhatsApp management." Well, now there’s also "Telegram management." And essentially, a task you didn't read in time gets buried under subsequent discussions, you lose it, forget it, and it doesn't get done. Then the unhappy boss says, "Why didn't you read
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my message?" To the employee, that means nothing. It’s just the boss covering themselves by having it recorded. But in fact, this is a non-working approach. And if someone has too many chats in their company, that's the first sign the system isn't
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working. You argue that even 10 minutes of daily chaos secretly eats away at company profits. Messy processes are always a direct reflection of chaos in the manager's own head. And what happens to a person when you force them
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to make their business transparent? Doesn't it break them in that moment when these processes happen, and they no longer have to hide behind constant firefighting?
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Actually, before the Japanese partner with someone, they visit and look around, and if they see a mess on the manager's desk, they know things will be the same in their joint business.
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The first sign of bad company management is a mess around the manager . There is also this ironclad rule in Kaizen. If a manager can't implement 5S , which is workplace order, they can't run a business, and it starts with
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their desk because their mind is usually in the same state. This doesn't just apply to managers; it's the same for employees too. It's clear some managers are firefighters, always running around, they might even lose their own documents or phone. Here, you
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need to gradually build the habit of knowing how to give up unnecessary actions. Most managers agree to everything that brings in money. But I recommend most people think about what to give up and stop doing, because wanting to take on everything doesn't
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mean earning everything. What should managers pay attention to when working with employees? Punctuality. It's very important to me, but I'm probably a guy from the nineties, we had a saying back then about watching your words or being accountable for them. In employees, I
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always look for this: a promising worker always keeps their word. Meaning , come hell or high water, they tried to get it done. Whether they succeeded or not isn't important, but they put in the effort. And such employees will
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grow and will have a career. You need to hold on to people like that.
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We discuss the advantages of the Japanese so often today, about how their systems work so well. But have you noticed any flaws in this system at all?
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Of course, it's very important to do exactly as much as the customer will notice or value. If I make something a little bit more precise by 2 micrometers, it won't actually be any better. The Japanese have that specific
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problem. They sometimes suffer from perfectionism. Sometimes they go a bit overboard with things. And you have to look really closely to even notice it.
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The Japanese are people of rules. For example, a simple rule. If you arrive at work early, you must park very, very far from the entrance. For those who arrive late, they leave the spaces near the entrance free. These are ironclad
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rules; sometimes they are hard to understand. Our people wouldn't understand this. It really is a unique mentality, but they worked toward it.
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They absolutely hate parting with money to buy something new. Uh-huh. Which, actually, is something our people are prone to. But at the same time, throwing things away is really hard for them. They talk about "order, order." But order starts with having to
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throw something away first. And many Japanese have this ailment, which is hoarding. One thing I personally dislike about the Japanese is that if they get offended, they won't say it to your face. They will smile, they will greet you. But unlike in Western
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Kazakhstan, where we use colorful language, they won't tell you what they didn't like about someone. And I personally prefer it when someone says directly: "This, this, and this." At least it's clear, right?
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Yes, at least it's clear. I have a favorite phrase. When I was the head of a large organization, I had a phrase on my wall: "If a subordinate always agrees with the boss, they are useless to the business." I really disliked
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people who always agreed with everything. Exactly. And I really like it when people have their own opinions; that’s how truth and know-how are born.
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Yes, I agree with you, because sometimes you really want to hear another person's opinion, because truth is born in debate, and perhaps there won't be any real argument, but hearing an alternative point of view is always useful. When you try to introduce
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strict rules into a system in business or entrepreneurship, the team often starts some kind of hidden sabotage.
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What are the wildest forms of human resistance you have encountered in your work? And how do you even resolve such corporate wars?
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90%of my efforts always go into dealing with resistance. I have never encountered a business where everything went smoothly. That is probably a fairy tale. There is no such thing. People are inclined to resist any changes, not just regulations. There is a wonderful
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quote by the 28th US President, Woodrow Wilson. He said: "If you want to make enemies, try to change something." And I am exactly the person who is always proposing changes. Resistance arises in people not because of the changes, but
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because they feel they are getting extra work. And here, it’s all elementary. Here, you should follow the Kaizen principle. You need to introduce changes bit by bit, almost imperceptibly, so a person doesn't have an allergic reaction to some global
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shifts. What is the beauty of Kaizen, exactly? If you change something, you change it in small portions. There is no need to make big plans right away, some kind of revolution, or re-engineering. Exactly because you do a little bit every day, people get used
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to it, and they don't just form a habit , they don't even notice that over the years they saved thousands of hours, so much money, millions were preserved precisely thanks to these small actions . For example, I am not an athlete. I
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used to be into it, but at this age, I don't want to push myself. If I go somewhere now and work out, I'll just have a negative reaction to any gym.
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That's why I understand, you need to approach this gradually. Got up in the morning, did five squats, and that's it , you're free. It shouldn't be a burden . The next day, you get up, and it's not five, but 10 squats or six, and so
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on. The load increases little by little . You shouldn't feel like it's extra work. These invisible changes lead to the point where you look at yourself, you're 46, but you're not a fat guy with a big belly and butt,
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thanks to small, minor, imperceptible changes. A question: tracking personal finances is, well, let's admit, an eternal pain. Do you have a simple but effective life hack for a regular family to manage a budget, to control expenses without going crazy from the
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routine of having to write everything down? Yes, there is a simple life hack. Many, by the way, confuse frugality with penny-pinching. These are absolutely different things. Penny-pinching is when you literally take a knife to your desires, while frugality is the skill
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of not spending more than necessary. And it starts, as you correctly said, with simply knowing how to count your money. Take note: when you ask a person how much they earn, they will tell you in two seconds, "so many thousand." But
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if you ask them, "How much money do you have in your pocket?" Well, unless they carry change, it's very hard for them to answer. Why? Because people know how to count big money, but don't know how to count small money. And it is
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precisely from this small money that big results are formed. The life hack is that you need to look at what expenses you could do without. For example, don't buy things just because they're on sale.
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Uh-huh. Just psychologically. Or, say, don't go to an event that won't give you anything. I don't like, for example, going to weddings. Not because it's a pity to give money, but I really just get tired of these weddings. I don't
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like loud crowds there. I also noticed this point when people strive to buy two or three cars for the family, for the husband, the wife, the eldest son.
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In theory, one car is enough if you clearly plan the time of transport use.
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A simple example. I came in my wife's car today, even though I don't have my own car and won't, and I don't want one . I have no need for it. I calculated it, it's an unnecessary expense, where to park, buying a parking spot,
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insuring, buying fuel or electricity. And God forbid if it's on credit, paying for the loan. All of this is an unnecessary expense, you just need to get rid of it. You ask yourself the question: "Is a car really that
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important to you?" You just need to conduct an analysis, of what you are willing to give up, and even without writing down numbers you will already understand, that's economics for you.
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In many banking apps, if people pay by card, if I'm not mistaken, they already automatically categorize expenses by type. So, in principle, you don't even need to write anything down, right? You can pull up a report and see
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the report, yes. Yes, I really liked the point you made about the economics of expenses, specifically its correct, well, interpretation for yourself, how much you need it, how much you don't need it at the moment, and then excluding something from your life.
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Because indeed, we most often can count income, because it's usually, yes, more weighty, larger, yes, than expenses.
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And small expenses, if you count them, add up to a decent, weighty sum. Your own life probably also follows, yes, a certain system. Tell us honestly, what is it like in your family to live with a Kaizen person? Doesn't it happen that
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you try to digitize, regulate, and optimize everything, while depriving it of some kind of normal, simple human spontaneity?
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Look, I never force anyone at home. I just do it for myself. And if someone likes it, they repeat it. And it so happens that many people start following me, to the point that they even improve it. There is perhaps a
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deceptive opinion that if a person lives by the rules, they are not living a real life. Actually, I have a real life. I have plenty of time to really live with myself, with my family, and to dedicate time to myself. I don’t
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run around like a hamster in a wheel; I don’t have any chaos. And if I didn't have this system, for example. If I woke up in the morning and spent two hours just looking for my socks, I definitely wouldn't have time for my
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family. Who can say right now how much time they spend with their son? Most of my time is spent exactly with him. And why? Because I freed up time from unnecessary activities. I didn't have enough of my father's time. He was
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always at work. But I'm not complaining about that. The other issue is that I wouldn't want my son to say to me that I wasn't there enough in his life. Yes, I can always earn money, but I can't
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get back lost time. And that’s why these rules, this system, where everything has its place, it just makes my life calmer and without the hustle.
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And that’s why the family likes it. I mean, we don't just do things spontaneously, like, let's go on vacation; of course, we plan it, we look at the money, the budget, the time , we coordinate. But at least we have
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this vacation, rather than people who go spontaneously and then think, "Damn, where's the money? I need to take out a loan." You show it by your own example.
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In any case, our children always imitate us, whether we want them to or not, and they might even repeat some bad habits. Therefore, it is certainly better to work on yourself, on your own skills, well, like planning. Once again
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, it’s very important here, you know, to remove something if people understand a very important thought.
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The cult of fear. Unfortunately, for a long time, everyone was taught and raised through punitive measures. Well, to be honest, I was raised that way too . If I didn't do something as dad or mom asked, there would definitely be a
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punishment. And what happens? You become a liar when you get punished. Every time you think about how to avoid the next punishment and start coming up with all sorts of useless stories.
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Thanks to these punitive measures, we are just raising dreamers. People who honestly cannot talk about problems, mistakes, or admit to something. And notice, society is like that now, simply afraid to mention a problem.
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When we get together with friends, it happens easily for us, but many just pull the wool over people's eyes, pretending everything is smooth and fine. Maybe someone needs a helping hand? Once, I found out that a classmate of mine was having a hard
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time. I said, "Hey, listen, I've got some work for you. Take a look, consider the option." Usually, everyone shows up acting like everything is perfectly fine. This is linked to a culture of fear, as people don't want to seem weak, hide their problems and
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mistakes. It's important that children don't grow up in an environment where they have to lie. My son didn't make his bed a couple of times, and his grandpa came in and scolded him for the mess in his room. I later spoke to my
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father privately: "Listen, you're demanding cleanliness from him, but your room isn't exactly perfect either.
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" I said, "He looks at your example first ." It's crucial not to go too far with this. You need to know how to demand and explain, but never create a culture of fear.
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Yes, I really resonate with the idea that we can't truly demand things from our children or loved ones if we don't practice what we preach. Honestly, I’ll admit it—it's a bit embarrassing, but my children swear.
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Why? Because when I'm driving, I try to "fix" everyone else on the road. If someone cuts me off, I'm bound to say something. I let it out regardless, and they hear it. Then I think to myself, how can I demand anything different
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when I do it myself? Looking back at your journey, what did you have to give up and what was the personal price you paid to become a systematic person?
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In 2000, I don't remember if it was '08 or '09, I went from being a board chairman down to a department head in another organization with one subordinate. You know, that's a massive career drop. I fell down several rungs
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at once. But I'm not the type to sit at home and be a burden to anyone. Even if it's just pennies, I have to earn. That was the moment a crisis occurred in my mind. The thing is, I used to live
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extravagantly. I spent money recklessly on whatever I wanted. I felt I absolutely had to have a new watch for every day. When I looked back on all of that, I wondered what I actually had left and what I truly enjoyed. I get no
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pleasure at all from even remembering what it was like. I thought, was it really worth spending time on this, on this idle lifestyle, on this wastefulness? Yes, maybe I threw dust in some people's eyes, but those people I tried to impress aren't even around
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anymore. A non-wasteful lifestyle, on the contrary, brought me much more benefit. It was this very crisis that showed me one can be happy without needing to spend large amounts of money . That shift took place. If people haven't gone through something serious,
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some major event, they might just keep living the way they used to. Earlier I told you that a crisis is a good time to change. Uh-huh.
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To look at your actions in a different way. I’m reminded of a very steady expression here—if a situation doesn't happen to you directly, it doesn't really force you to think about it.
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Difficulty breeds wisdom, as the Japanese say. Yes, yes, that is spot on. If a person's business or personal finances are on the brink of collapse, money is melting away, and they are only a month from rock bottom, what is the one most
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critical action they need to take to stop the fall? Well, I think people can guess without me that they need to switch to a mode of total cost-cutting. It is very important here that people don't go to extremes because of such a problem. For
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instance, starting to drink or something like that. A person facing a crisis needs to look for a new skill right now that will feed them for the next 10-12 years, or perhaps for the rest of their life. I tell many adults:
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"Look, learn how to use artificial intelligence." Yes, it's hype, but eventually, it will become as essential to our lives as a computer or a phone.
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It's not about the money, but about the specific skill one possesses. It can be used to acquire a new skill that could even make them a millionaire tomorrow.
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This is the conclusion I draw. Meaning, don't engage in self-reflection or fall into a state of self-destruction; you need to shift your focus toward finding opportunities and new ways to develop as a professional. And I have one final
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question. The Japanese philosophy of lean production once lifted an entire country out of ruins. What do you think is the main idea we should take from it ?
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I will answer at the business level and at the personal level. On a personal level, perhaps you need to know how to ask just three questions. They will greatly help in changing an ordinary person's mindset. So, the first
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question: what can I do better than I did yesterday? The second question: what did I do wrong today, and what can be fixed? The third question. Is it worth directing my energy toward this?
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If a person asks themselves these three questions, their way of thinking will change significantly. From the perspective of business and the country as a whole, Japan didn't actually have as many resources as we do, so they realized that their main capital was
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people and they had to develop them. Their direction of development was specifically industrial. By the way, we had that same direction during the Soviet era. And now it’s very important that, for example, the country does not foster a sense of
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dependency. Dependency is when you help someone, they get used to it, and then think everyone owes them. It is very important here to give a fishing rod, not a fish, so that the person can catch the fish themselves. How does
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that sound at the country level? There are priority industries, and there are industries that are sinking. And it is very important to see how one can help the people who are sinking. In our country, everything is done the
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opposite way. They try to get in the way. Businesses grow, pay taxes somehow , and manage to do something. That’s it, well done. If you manage to move forward on your own, we shouldn't interfere with you. Those who are
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sinking, they need to be helped. And at the same time, those who are doing very well shouldn't be helped, on the contrary.
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Uh-huh. Well, I won't say which specific companies. If there were a policy of maximum non-interference in private property in our country, you would notice how we would begin to thrive.
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People will find a way out of the situation themselves. That’s the simplest thing we can do, because the human capital in Kazakhstan is very strong. I travel around Central Asia and Russia, visiting various projects. We have very smart people. If
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you don't stop them from doing their jobs, they can achieve great things. That is why it is very important not to interfere. That’s the first thing.
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To achieve things in a good sense, yes. And if someone is sinking, but it's clear the production just lacks something, right? Many provide gas, electricity, and roads. Why is production difficult in Kazakhstan?
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Because it’s low-margin. It's easier to be a merchant. Buy here, sell there, you'll make more that way. And then there will be industrial development, and we will learn not just to make blue washbasins, but to build rockets.
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Gradual progress is the key to success. Yes. No, not all at once. Yes. Not all at once.
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In principle, I see everything moving in that direction now. For example, I work with state-owned companies now, not to mention ministries. I see that even there, approaches are changing.
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Uh-huh. Well, if we're speaking off-camera, okay, I’ll say it like this. I would be cutting all expenses right now, all unnecessary expenses.
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Uh-huh. I wouldn't be looking for where to borrow money, I would specifically cut expenses, because where do they get them from? But they are suffocating small and medium businesses to cover those expenses that are lacking. Yes, I would make a lot of enemies, but you
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need to summon the courage to just go and cut unnecessary expenses. Right now, small and medium businesses are under very strong pressure. I completely agree with you in that regard. Overall, I believe we had a very useful conversation about
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applicable habits, systems, and methods . Therefore, Kumar, I thank you for such a useful broadcast today. I think many people, including myself, have gained some very important, fundamental things, basics, I would say, for forming daily habits that will help us
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live tomorrow much better than today. Yes, that's exactly right. Uh-huh. That is kaizen. Super. Awesome.
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Thank you as well, by the way. Thanks to you, people are watching and developing. You are also making a great contribution.
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Thank you very much. Yes, that is our main task. Just like this, telling people more, conveying to them the main ideas that will help them change their lives for the better.
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Thank you. I thank you. To all the viewers, I want to say: leave your questions, comments, be sure to subscribe to us and hit the like button. In the description, we’re putting links to our expert today, to Kumar, so you can always find
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him. If you had any specific thoughts or questions during our conversation, please write them down. We will try to answer them. Perhaps we’ll record some more very interesting episodes.
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Bye everyone. Hugs. This was the Zhol channel. I am Mazhan. Today my guest was Kumar.
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Thank you. See you soon. See you soon. Yeah.
Topics:business efficiencytime managementsystems thinkingburnout preventionkaizenmindfulnesspersonal productivityfinancial disciplinework-life balancerational egoism
