Reggie Fils-Aimé - Disrupting the Game

2022 Reggie Fils-Aim

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ISBN 978-1-4002-2668-9 (eBook)

ISBN 978-1-4002-2667-2 (HC)

Epub Edition February 2022 9781400226689

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication application has been submitted. Printed in the United States of America

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To my parents and brother, who gave this kid from the Bronx everything he needed in life, the most important of which was love. To my children, who have guided me as much as I have guided them. And to my wife, Stacey, who has been the best partner I could ever ask for; throughout our life together, she has encouraged me in all my endeavorsincluding this book .

CONTENTS

I am fortunate to have lived my life at the intersection of capability and opportunity. This is an adaptation of the Roman philosopher Senecas definition of luck: a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.

But I wasnt lucky.

I started life as the child of Haitian immigrants and initially lived in a Bronx tenement. Through academic merit, I was able to attend Cornell University on scholarship. I was fortunate to have some excellent jobs and bosses early in my career, and I also had some that were far from excellent. I became president of Nintendo of America and succeeded in that role not through luck but by always making the most of every opportunity.

I was driven to learn by engaging in new experiences and by having an insatiable curiosity. I asked countless questions; I wanted to know stuff, and not just stuff in a narrow field of interest. It wasnt just knowledge for knowledges sake, but knowledge that I was able to use as a leader and a disrupter. Knowledge helped me come up with innovative solutions to problems that initially appeared unsolvable.

Opportunity came when I saw the potential to achieve in ways that others didnt immediately see. This led me to often choose untraditional paths that ran counter to expectations.

As I progressed in my life and career, I began to group my thinking into core lessons that I valued. For me, these lessons provided a foundation for how to approach a problem or a decision. Shaped by my experience and learning offered by others, they provided a shortcut to help me move forward. Applying these lessons helped keep me and the companies I worked for from making one-off decisions that wouldnt stand the test of time.

In sharing stories from my life and the lessons I learned along the way, I hope to help you add to your own capability. And I hope to challenge you to leap at the opportunities you create, or that are presented to you.

I will present these lessons as So Whatas in, so what does this mean and why does this matter? These are interspersed within my stories, driving home my lessons and giving you actionable advice as you go on your own journey.

It was by far the hardest trip I ever had to make. It wasnt because this was the third trip to Japan in less than six months. It wasnt because a nearby typhoon was causing the plane to shake violently throughout the trip.

No, the reason this was my toughest trip was because I was going to Kyoto for the memorial services of my boss, my mentor, and my friend, Nintendos global president, Satoru Iwata.

Truly, the most troubling part of the flight was knowing that my friend was gone.

There is no way I could prepare for such a trip, beyond educating myself about the protocols for the service: a specific way to walk up to the area for the viewing of the remains, and a specific way to pinch the powdered incense and then raise it to my forehead. I knew that I would be watched closely. I doubted there would be another Black American there. And as the president of Nintendo of America, I always drew attention.

The last time I saw Mr. Iwata was just a few months prior in March 2015. Via email, he had asked me to come back to Japan, right around the time of my birthday. This was odd as I had been in Japan in late Januarya typical biannual, one-week visit during which the companys senior leadership discusses our business strategies and our upcoming products. To be summoned back so soon was very unusual.

For this unexpected trip in March, I had asked Mr. Iwata for a bit more detail on the purpose; he was vague. I tried to explain to him that the dates he wanted me to visit with him would interfere with my birthday plans I had with my wife, Stacey, but he would hear none of it. He was adamant that he wanted me there in Kyoto with him for a very specific three-day period.

It was also strange that Mr. Iwata wanted me to be at his office at 8:30 a.m., versus his typical start at nine. The early start made my entrance into the Nintendo Co., Ltd. global headquarters a bit more challenging. With its glass-and-concrete exterior and marble entry, the office felt cold and sterile, especially at the early hour when I arrived. Nintendo, like most Japanese companies, had strict operating hours for most employees. You would hear chimes in the building to signify the start of the workday, and other chimes to signal the start and end of the lunch break. I dont remember hearing chimes at the end of the daymaybe the company didnt believe they needed to remind the staff to go home.

Fortunately, Mr. Iwatas assistant had arrived at the office early, and she was waiting to open the doors for me and help navigate the elevators. To reach the seventh-floor executive area, only a specific elevator could be used, and at that hour it required card-key access.

I was shown to a small conference room that would double as my office during this stay. I took off my overcoat and proceeded to log into the wireless internet system. Nintendo takes its security very seriously, and even as a company executive I was given a unique login and password combination for every visit. I would always arrive early to make sure I was fully connected before the start of my first meeting.

At precisely 8:30 a.m., Mr. Iwatas assistant came for me, and I was ushered to his office.

While Mr. Iwata had been the companys global president for well more than ten years at this point, he had not moved into the formal, large presidents office used by his three predecessors. Instead, he had preferred a simpler office, with his desk at the head of a rectangular conference-room setup that could hold up to twelve additional people. In addition to two large television screens that could be used to showcase either presentations or video games in development, Mr. Iwata had cabinets full of books, video games, game accessories, and controllers. It was more of a game creators office than that of a company president.

After our usual pleasantries, he asked me to sit down, and I studied his face closely. He then told me why he had insisted on my trip. Reggie, he said, my cancer is back.

I was shocked. Sure, Mr. Iwata had lost weight from his prior surgery and fight with the disease. But his energy was strong. Just days prior, he had announced a major investment for Nintendo to enter the mobile gaming market. All the signals up to now had suggested he had beaten the cancer. To see his concern, and for him to bring me back to Kyoto specifically to tell me in person, heightened my anxiety, and I focused on every detail he shared.