Flexible, and true to yourself.
Nice to meet you! My name is Matsui, and I am a career consultant.
Thank you for finding this note among the many posts out there. Currently, as a nationally certified career consultant, I am involved in career counseling for working professionals and corporate training.
This note, "Career Break Room for Working Professionals," is a place where I want to create a space where you can pause for a moment and think about your work, relationships, and future career.
I started it with that thought in mind.
When you are working, you might feel:
"I'm not getting along with my boss."
"I don't know how to interact with my subordinates."
"I'm not sure if I should continue my current job."
"I'm working hard, but for some reason, it's painful."
You may find yourself carrying such frustrations.
However, those worries are not necessarily caused by just one person.
What the individual values versus what the company requires.
What the boss expects versus what the subordinate receives.
The role you want to take on versus the role you are actually assigned.
Sometimes, a "gap" gradually forms between these things, leading to difficulty in working.
I have faced the worries of working people from both the individual and organizational perspectives. That has become the foundation of my current career support.
From Sales to HR, Talent Development, and Career Support
I started my career in sales, and since then, I have walked a path through the fields of HR, talent development, and career support.
Before I knew it, I had consistently been working in jobs related to "people" and "working."
In HR, I was responsible for building talent development systems, such as introducing educational programs and planning or conducting training sessions.
There, I had many opportunities to hear directly from both those being developed and those doing the developing, such as through career interviews and follow-ups for new employees after their assignment, and hearings and interviews with the managers who raise them.
What became clear there was that it is not only the "side being developed" that is struggling.
From new and young employees, I hear voices saying:
"I don't know what my boss wants."
"I'm anxious about whether I'm being evaluated properly."
"I want to consult with them, but they look busy, so I can't speak up."
as they say.
On the other hand, from managers, I hear voices saying:
"I don't know how much I should delegate."
"If I'm too strict, will they quit?"
"I'm saying this for their own good, but it's not getting through."
as they say.
When you listen to only one side, it can look like "the other person is the problem." But when you listen to both sides, each person is struggling, thinking, and acting with good intentions from their own position. Yet, they just don't click.
I have seen such situations many times.
What looks like an individual problem may actually be a problem of 'relationships'.
I have worked with over 1,500 people on their careers to date. From that experience, the perspective I have come to value is 'looking not just at the individual, but at the relationship between the individual and their environment'.
For example, even if someone thinks, 'I am not good at my job,' is it really just a matter of ability?
Perhaps the expected role is ambiguous. Perhaps there is not enough feedback from the supervisor. Perhaps the way they are working now does not align with what the person values.
Conversely, even if there is a manager who is worried that their subordinate 'should be more proactive,' it is not necessarily just the subordinate's motivation that is the problem.
Are the expected roles being communicated? Is the scope of responsibility clear? Where is the person stumbling? It is necessary to look at these things.
The frustration that arises in working is something that cannot be resolved simply by saying 'I am at fault' or 'the other person is at fault'. That is why I value not only cherishing an individual's feelings and values, but also going beyond that to unravel together, 'What is the company asking for?', 'What does the other person expect?', 'Where are we missing each other?', and 'What do I really want to do?'
Facing the 'unspoken thoughts' of working people
When I provide career counseling, people sometimes tell me, 'I didn't know if I should consult about something like this.'
Work, relationships with supervisors and subordinates, career direction, and balancing work with family.
Precisely because none of these seem like special problems,
'I should be able to handle this much on my own,'
'Maybe I am just weak.'
There are surprisingly many people who carry these burdens alone.
But as we talk, they might realize that while they thought they were worried about 'whether to change jobs,' they were actually realizing that 'what I want to value in my current workplace is not being fulfilled.' Or, from talking about 'hating my boss,' they might see 'in what kind of relationships I can demonstrate my strengths.'
Sometimes, we can see something a little deeper than the worries they first voiced.
That is why, rather than giving answers immediately, I value the time we spend together putting into words, 'What am I actually worried about?'.
What I want to convey in this note
In this note, I will take up the frustrations and worries that working people feel every day, and think together about what lies behind them.
For example,
・Worries that are hard to discuss precisely because you are in a position of responsibility
・When you are unsure how to interact with subordinates or junior staff
・When you feel caught between your boss and your subordinates
・When you are tired of constantly meeting evaluations and expectations
・When you feel a sense of discomfort with your current way of working
・When you have come to a standstill in your career
Rather than telling you the "correct way" to do things,
Why do I feel so unsettled?
I would like to write articles that help you gradually unravel the reasons behind those feelings.
“I didn't know there was that way of thinking.”
“I wasn't the only one.”
“Perhaps this is what I have been valuing all along.”
I would be happy if this could become a place where you can understand yourself a little better in ways like these.
Blooming Career
Currently, while raising my children, I operate under the name "Blooming Career," providing career consulting for individuals and offering human resource development, management, and career-related training for companies.
The name "Blooming Career" embodies this wish:I want to support careers where each person's potential blooms in its own time.
That is the sentiment I have poured into it.
Flowers each have their own season and way of blooming. Some bloom brilliantly, while others bloom quietly by the roadside. Some bloom early, while others take time to bloom.
I believe careers are the same. There is no need to follow the same path as someone else. The time spent feeling lost and the time spent standing still are both parts of a person's career.
However, I also believe that "working in your own way" does not mean you should only value your own feelings.
In most cases, we work while interacting with organizations and other people.
That is precisely why,what you want to value and what is required within the organization.I want to be a companion who helps you unravel and align the gap between those two things as you find your own way of working.
Finally
There is no single correct answer to a person's career.
I myself will likely continue to feel lost and stand still as I walk my own career path. That is why I want to cherish the time to stop and think here, rather than rushing for the "right answer."
As if you were dropping by a breakroom in the middle of your workday.
Read a few words,
think a little about yourself,
and return to your daily life.
I would be happy if this note could become such a "breakroom" for working people. Please come back and read again if you would like.
📱 On Instagram, I share insights for working professionals and managers. If you're looking for a moment to pause and reflect, please feel free to take a look🌿
▶ Instagram is here
