I've always believed that a team leader's role isn't to decide the path for others, but to help them in the process of finding their own. I still think this way, and I've been making decisions and acting on this belief for nearly 10 years.
It hasn't been an easy path, and there have been many trials and errors along the way. But looking back, I think I've done reasonably well—maybe about 51% successful. It's gratifying to see people finding their own paths, yet I also feel for them, knowing the difficulties and confusion that come with the journey.
One of the Hardest Things in the World
Having lived a while, I've come to realize that one of the hardest things in the world is the process of finding yourself.
What do I like? What makes me happy? When does time fly the fastest? This process of "self-learning" is what I'm talking about. Through time spent observing and learning about ourselves, we gradually come to understand ourselves more deeply.
I believe that anyone can achieve complete immersion when doing what they truly love, and that immersion leads to outstanding results that others find hard to match. These are results that can never come from forced work.
However, walking this path requires the courage to become somewhat free from others' perspectives and social standards. The path your parents want, the path others call stable, the path that earns envy—distancing yourself from these and establishing your own standards requires more courage than you might think.
Choices Made Without Exploration
In our educational environment that makes creative expression difficult, this kind of exploration isn't easy. We've been trained countless times to find the right answer, but we've never been trained to ask our own questions. We learned what makes a good university, what makes a good company, but we had to find for ourselves what makes a good life for us.
However, choices made without the process of finding yourself ultimately reduce the sustainability of success. It's hard to persist on a path chosen by someone else's standards. Because there's no reason to endure when things get tough. On the other hand, on a path you've chosen yourself, you can find meaning even when it's hard.
Only a courageous few choose this path and walk it to the end. I hope those reading this will be among that few.
Risk Management in an Era Without Right Answers
In an era without clear answers, I believe establishing your own standards is the most powerful form of risk management.
In the past, the formula of good university, good company, stable job worked to some extent. But now that formula is shaking. AI has emerged, industrial structures are changing, and the concept of lifelong employment is disappearing. In such times, moving according to others' standards is actually a risk.
People with their own standards aren't shaken by change. Because even when the external environment changes, they know the direction they want. On the other hand, people who've lived by others' standards lose direction the moment those standards collapse.
Whose voice are you listening to today?
Nevertheless
The truth is, we can't always live doing only what we want. Sometimes we face the limits of our talents, and sometimes we hit the wall of survival. What we love might not make money, and we might not be good at what we want to excel at.
That's why this path requires even greater courage. Not giving up on observing yourself, even if you're currently in a place you don't want to be. Continuing to explore what you want, even if you can't do what you want to do right now. I think that could be the weapon that helps us survive in this era of dramatic change.
Watching Black and White Chef
Watching Black and White Chef recently, I realized something.
When you reach the stage where you've done sufficient self-exploration and immersed yourself in a field you love, whether someone is better or worse becomes completely irrelevant. Looking at the chefs who made it to the finals, what stood out wasn't the difference in skill but each person's unique color. It seemed almost meaningless to determine who was objectively superior.
At that stage, I felt that narrative becomes more important. Why did you start cooking this way? What journey brought you here? What story is contained in this dish? And this realm requires more than just effort-based skill. The element of luck is also necessary.
Ultimately, what we can do is build our skills while creating our own narrative. We can't control luck, but we can prepare.
I think the journey of finding yourself might be the beginning of that preparation.
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