Should we avoid judging young people's "desires" solely on their initial enthusiasm?

I'm Sakon, and I often work on projects involving many stakeholders, such as regional revitalization projects.

In the projects I'm involved in, I often work with younger colleagues, and sometimes they tell me things like, "I want to do this kind of work." In response to those requests, I sometimes assign them roles within the actual project, but once the work starts, I sometimes find that their enthusiasm isn't as high as I had imagined.

 

They said they wanted to do it, so why is there no sign of enthusiasm?

Even though they said they wanted to do it, they're not as enthusiastic as I thought they would be.
If you're in a position to entrust work to younger employees, you've probably experienced a situation like this.

When you witness something like that, you can't help but wonder, "Was this really what I wanted to do?"

If they truly loved their job, wouldn't they show a more proactive attitude? I sometimes think that if it were me, I would approach it with more passion.

So, why is it that even though it's a project you "want to do," you can't feel enthusiastic about it? To find the answer to that, I'd like to share an example from my own experience.

 

The reason for partnering with external parties is not just because "we don't have enough."

However, that's not the only reason to partner with external parties.

Sometimes, we intentionally bring in outside help for tasks that we could do ourselves.
Even among designers, people have different ways of thinking and working.
When external designers join the team, it creates a sense of tension, for better or worse, among the in-house designers, who may feel that they too will be compared to them.

I believe that these kinds of stimuli sometimes lead to the incorporation of ideas and perspectives that we wouldn't have come up with on our own.

In other words, I think there's a slight difference between simply outsourcing work and actually building a team together.

 

As you go along, your perspective on work will change.

For example, a young person who wanted to be involved in design might end up taking on the role of coordinating with stakeholders on a project.

Although it was a project he volunteered for, it wasn't the job he initially wanted, so he didn't seem very interested at first.

Nevertheless, through repeated interactions with those involved, his role gradually began to emerge.

This change gradually became apparent in situations such as people in the industry starting to rely on him, saying, "If you ask him first, you'll find out," and colleagues and others around him asking, "Did you handle this project?"

Through these reactions from those around him, he himself came to recognize that "what he is doing has value," and he began to take pride in his work.

The meaning and appeal of a job aren't always clear to the individual from the start. It's often only by actually taking on a role and receiving feedback from those around them that one realizes the value of their work.
When observing changes in young employees, it's important to pay attention not only to their own behavior but also to how their relationships with those around them are changing.

 

Experiences that foster insights and a sense of purpose, rather than simply pursuing a "desired job."

For young people, whether it's "a project they want to work on, doing the job they want" or "a project they want to work on, but it's not the role they want," they're both the same in the sense that they're inexperienced.
Actually doing things helps you build relationships with those around you and helps you see your own role. Through that experience, your approach to work will also change.

Even if you don't realize it at the time, looking back later, you might realize that "that experience became a source of strength for me."

Therefore, it's not necessarily true that you'll be enthusiastic from the start if it's a job you want, and even if it's not a job you want, you might gain confidence as you do it.
Therefore, when entrusting work to younger employees, I believe it's important not only to look at their initial enthusiasm, but also to observe what kind of insights and realizations they gain through the work itself.

It's not just about whether it's the job you hoped for, but whether you can find your role and the value of your work through the experience.
Having that perspective might give you a slightly different view of how young people approach their work and how they grow.