Using Japanese concept of Ikigai to honestly assess your work fulfillment

Are you super jacked about your work? Do you struggle trying to assess:

• How you could be more fulfilled in your role?
• Whether there is alignment with what you can and want to do and what your employer needs and is willing to pay you to do?
• Whether you are in the right job?

These can be viewed as existential questions or instead as a roadmap to finding more fulfillment in your role that aligns with your organization's needs and wants.

In May 2017, I wrote this LinkedIn article on extreme fulfillment (https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/search-extreme-fulfillment-marc-joiner/) that included a reference to the Japanese concept of Ikigai.  

I have recently personally applied the Ikigai concept to my work situation and thought that I would share this approach with you. It gave me clarity and a framework to engage with my leaders and hopefully you find the same.

Ikigai analysis

Ikigai is the point at the intersection of the above four circles - nirvana if you like. Everything you do can be placed in any portion of the Venn diagram. Going through this exercise can provide clarity of where you may need to stop or start doing things.

Think of the Ikigai circles as follows:

Above the line are what is important to you whereas below the line is what is important to the world or your employer.

While the Ikigai concept can be used for your life, here I am applying it to an employment situation.

What if you mapped out your major parts of your role using a diagram as follows?

You then have a framework to adjust what you do to, perhaps, better align with your organization or to engage with your leaders to validate your impressions. This may also lead to the conclusion that you are in the wrong role or wrong organization.

For what its worth, try it. See if you can have a richer conversation with your leaders than the traditional "you did this well and you can improve here".