Executive summary
Mu‑Ikigai, the opposite to Ikigai, is a concept developed by Sideminds to accelerate this clarity by first subtracting what depletes you.
Together they provide a practical method to shape your next mandate or thinking. If you get it right this can act as a foundation stone in understanding your purpose and delivering higher engagement.
1) Why purpose matters in a career
- Purpose and performance and closely aligned. Research by Gallup in June 2019 shows x6 higher engagement and x3 quality of life when strengths are purpose are aligned to work.
- In comparison, the Journal of Organizational Behaviors in 2024 published a study on toxic leadership and purposeless leadership, showing how this depresses discretionary effort and engagement.
2) Ikigai — the classic model, made practical
Ikigai (pronounced “ee‑kee‑guy”) is your ‘reason for being.’ Practically, it sits at the intersection of: what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.
As a first quick go, follow the following exercise:
- Brain‑dump against four lists — love / good at / world needs / paid for.
- Look at the first layer of intersections and find themes which define your passion, profession, vocation and mission
- Look at the second layer of intersections and the opposing dualities: satisfaction/uselessness, comfort/empty, excitement/uncertainty and delight/unpaid
- Draft a North Star or Ikigai: “I exist to… for… so that…”. Sanity‑check: does it sit near the centre of all four? If not, what’s missing or misaligned?
3) Mu‑Ikigai — subtract to get to the signal faster
Mu‑Ikigai means ‘without Ikigai’ — identify and remove what erodes purpose: what you hate; what the world doesn’t need from you; what you struggle with; and what people want you to do for nothing (when it shouldn’t be).
It works because senior leaders often struggle to articulate what they want but can quickly list what they won’t tolerate. Naming the anti‑purpose sets non‑negotiables and frees attention.
Doing Mu‑Ikigai is like similar to the above exercise:
- This time your four lists start with what you Hate / World doesn’t need / Struggle / Free‑work traps.
- Again, look at the intersections and look for themes which define distraction, burnout, exploitation and frustration.
- Then go to the next layer of intersections and think about golden rules that when you cross you aren’t fulfilled
- Define your Mu-ikigai and use it to define what must be true in any role/engagement? What will you delegate, decline, or design out?
4) Translating purpose into a portfolio career
Design grid (Impact × Energy)
- Keep: High impact, high energy.
- Evolve: High impact, low energy (change scope/conditions).
- Experiment: High energy, uncertain impact (time‑boxed pilot).
- Drop/Delegate: Low energy, low impact (Mu‑Ikigai says no).
5) Need help?
Ikigai is not an exercise that is easy to do. It needs time and space, so keep coming back to it. It can also help to have an example from someone else.
If you liked to see an Ikigai worked through, then please reach out to me at Gareth.Helm@Sideminds.com.
