From Gone to Gold: How to Use a Japanese Principle to Reimagine Your Business’ Future

I think it’s fair to say that thanks to COVID-19, business as we know it is broken. Shattered in unique ways for each of us, just like no two bowls or mugs break the same when dropped to the ground.

For some of us, a handful of cracks were already there. Others were totally blindsided. For all of us, what was is now history.

And so it’s on us to find both solace and inspiration as we confront loss and come up with a way forward. For me, this means looking to the ancient world for philosophies and practices to support a successful pivot. What comes to the top is a 15th-century Japanese art form called Kintsugi, which means “golden repair,” where craftsmen would mend broken pottery using the precious metal mixed with lacquer.

The point isn’t simple reconstruction; it’s to honor both the break and the fix as part of the vessel’s history. And to embrace imperfections as unique qualities that ultimately elevate its value.

This resonates for me as I’m not in the business of reaction-driven repair, as that’s limited to returning to a previous state. I’m in the business of response-driven reimagination and transformation, which envisions a vibrant, promising future state.