Find your "IKIGAI"

As a Consultant, I’m challenged to invest time and effort in projects through which I’ll have influence and impact schools and organizations that are positioned to, in turn, influence and impact students and their families and communities in positive and lasting ways. Recently I’ve read a few articles that have prompted me to recognize a framework that I’ve utilized without previously trying to articulate its components, that provides clarity and consistency in my thinking and for my counsel to consultants and school leaders about career and personal goals and aspirations. The framework has four components aligned with the Japanese psychological concept of “Ikigai.”1 ​

The four elements of this concept that I challenge you to consider:

1. Do what you love – Align your engagements with your passions. This is Passion! At GLOBAL SCG, we consider passion an important element in consultants’ potential contributions to their clients and the Group.
2. Do what you are good at – Align your professional endeavors with your competencies. This is a Profession! Along with passion, at GLOBAL, we consider a consultant’s competencies to be foundational. Neither passion without competency nor competency without passion produces impact or influence.
3. Do what the world needs – Focus on professional activity that will respond to a need that transcends the immediate context or circumstance. This is Mission! At GLOBAL SCG, all our consultants have a Christian faith commitment that gives meaning and purpose to our endeavors, while respecting the nature or belief system of the schools we serve.
4. Do what you can be paid for – Provide a service that has value in the marketplace. This is Vocation! While pro bono and discounted services for a project deemed worthy are gratifying and an important component of our business plans, it is certainly a blessing to be paid for working with passion and skill on projects that will make a difference.

Dr. David A. Wells

1 (Ikagai Living, “What is Ikigai?” Copyright 2022 (https://ikigai-living.com/what-is-ikigai/)