Summary

The author reflects on leadership and patience through the metaphor of making misozuke, emphasizing the importance of nurturing growth without rushing the process.

Abstract

The article "Don’t Break the Yolk" is a personal reflection on leadership and growth, drawing an analogy between the author's experiences in team management and the delicate process of pickling egg yolks in miso (misozuke). Despite having good intentions, the author admits to struggling with patience and effective communication, often coming across as blunt, which led to misunderstandings within teams. The author likens the mentorship process to the preparation of misozuke, where the egg yolk (mentee) is nurtured by a seasoned miso bed (mentor), requiring time and care to mature into something greater. The article underscores the value of mentorship, the potential within each individual, and the necessity of patience and guidance to achieve personal and professional growth.

Opinions

The author acknowledges communication as a significant weakness, particularly in the directness of their approach.
Some team members responded well to the author's direct communication style, while others did not.
The author views the process of personal growth and mentorship as akin to the careful preparation of misozuke, which requires patience and the right environment to achieve the best results.
The article suggests that just as a broken yolk can ruin the miso bed, carelessness or impatience in leadership can lead to negative outcomes for a team.
Reflecting on youthful experiences is seen as a way to gain wisdom and shape one's current self.
The author believes that each person brings unique value to the table and that we all have the capacity to be both mentors and mentees.
The author values the support of readers, as indicated by the request to stay on the page and the mention of Medium's new changes affecting content creators.
The author is open to commissions for reformatting writings as backups and expresses gratitude for any support, highlighting the significance of such support for a disabled neurodivergent individual.

LIFE LESSON | PERSONAL GROWTH

Don’t Break the Yolk

Life lessons often hide in unexpected places. I learned something more than the recipe for my favorite Japanese delicacy: pickled egg yolk or misozuke.

This seemingly simple dish offered a powerful analogy for my own shortcomings in leadership.

Throughout my working days, I managed several teams. While I have the best intention for all as we were all under the same team, I struggled with both patience and communication.

Unlike the polished approach of my superiors, my communication was often blunt and direct. Communication is still my biggest weakness this day.

While some individuals thrived under my direct approach, others would take it the wrong way, leading to misunderstandings.

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We all have those moments from our youth, those reckless adventures that shaped who we are today. Young and naive, but somehow, we made it in one piece —older and wiser.

As we mature, we reflect on the lessons learned from our younger selves.

Each of us experiencing different things and we each bring different value to the table.

We are the stage where we can both offer and receive guidance. The mentor or the mentee.

Sometimes, the journey is like making the misozuke. Seasoned miso bed as the mentor and the egg yolk as the mentee.

The egg yolk is full of nutrition just like the inherent potential in each person.

The seasoned miso bed is full of flavor, provides a nurturing environment for the mentee to grow.

Through careful guidance and shared experiences, the mentee gradually acquires knowledge and wisdom, enriching their skillset and potential.

This process, like the miso pickling the yolk, takes patience.

Done properly, the yolk matures perfectly, its flavor deepening into an umami-rich delicacy far exceeding its initial state.

However, mishandling due to carelessness or impatience would leave a broken yolk and a ruined miso bed — a mess benefitting no one. Everything has to be discarded.

Kimi no Misozuke (黄身の味噌漬け) Miso Egg Yolk

I learned about Kimi no Misozuke (黄身の味噌漬け) in the TV series Izakaya Bottakuri, where it was featured as a snack.

emikaoka.medium.com

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Previously published on From The Corner of My Mind