A client (who is the CEO of
his firm) shared this feedback with me today - using a quote by the
artist Toshio Odate - that describes a Japanese term he felt best
characterized my approach to my mentoring/coaching work:
“The Japanese word shokunin is defined by both Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries as ‘craftsman’ or ‘artisan,’ but such a literal description does not fully express the deeper meaning. The Japanese apprentice is taught that shokunin means not only having technical skills, but also implies an attitude and social consciousness … The shokunin has a social obligation to work his/her best for the general welfare of the people. This obligation is both spiritual and material, in that no matter what it is, the shokunin’s responsibility is to fulfill the requirement.”
In the book, "Japanese Woodworking Tools: Their Tradition, Spirit, and Use", author Toshio Odate explains that a simple definition of the shokunin cannot express the deeper meaning of the word.
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| image source: Amazon.com |
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (documentary film)
(an inspiring story of a true Shokunin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr09oEJqnfI
Additional interesting articles that discuss the concept of Shokunin:
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