[The Ground] Contribution Mindset

From Existence to Relationships

‘Who am I?’

There are many ways to answer the deeply philosophical question, “Who am I?” One approach might involve using your name, profession, gender, age, and other attributes you possess. But what happens if you change your name, grow older, switch jobs, or if your gender identity changes such that you are no longer male or female? Would you cease to be yourself? If we believe that such changes negate who we are, we are essentially denying our own existence. And yet, you would still fundamentally remain “you.”

A person becomes a parent because they have a child, and a child exists because they have parents. We perceive ugliness because there is beauty, and vice versa. Someone’s spouse exists because their partner does, and brightness makes darkness noticeable. The existence of human beings also can only be explained through interactions with others.  In other words, the concept of "me" cannot exist without the concept of "the other." Without "the other," it is impossible to discover the "me" that is defined within relationships.

The attributes we often use to describe ourselves—like name, age, or occupation—are part of the ego we develop as we undergo socialization in our society. However, defining ourselves solely by our occupation as a salesperson, for instance, doesn’t encompass the entirety of who we are. Moreover, radically altering or even enhancing these traits doesn’t necessarily lead us to discover our “true self.”

Ironically, the “real me” is best understood and discovered within the context of relationships with the world. Since all existence is relational, relationships become one of the most crucial aspect of life. Without relationality, an autonomous self cannot truly exist. Despite this, can we fully understand and prove our existence or discover our authentic self by solely focusing on ourselves, isolating ourselves from relationships with others?

No matter how faithfully we fulfill our learned roles as a child, student, parent, man, or woman, the journey to find the "true me" never ends. This process of discovering the "true me" is not about adhering to socially assigned roles but rather about believing in and realizing the "me of possibilities."

In exploring the value of our existence and discovering the best ways to manifest our potential, relationships take on greater importance. These relationships encompass not only “me and others” but also “me and myself.” True relationships don’t blindly prioritize others—they also require us to feel joy and happiness.

At the heart of The Ground lies in fostering a mindset and method that comprehensively understands both “me and others” to build meaningful relationships.

How Should We Build Relationships?

So far, we’ve discussed the importance of relationships. When thinking about relationships, people often focus on social ones, like those with spouses, parents, or friends. However, professional relationships also play a significant role.

Let’s imagine you are a developer. What does it mean to be good at development? Of course, if you can write clean, well-structured codes, you’ve demonstrated a fundamental competency as a capable developer. But can you truly call yourself a great developer if no one uses your code, no matter how neat and polished it is? If you focus solely on writing code without understanding what others need, you might feel personally accomplished, but it will be difficult to build meaningful relationships.

Ultimately, whether you’re a developer, a salesperson, or in any other role, the key is knowing who you’re working with, what they want, and the circumstances they are in. This is true not only in work but also in life. If your motivation stems from "self-satisfaction" or "craftsmanship," ask yourself this question: “Would I still be doing this work the same way on a deserted island with no one around?” Most likely, the answer would be no. This shows us that much of what drives our lives is shaped by relationships. With this in mind, let’s explore how we can nurture meaningful relationships—both in work and in life.

Role Clarification

Presence, relationships, and the roles within them…

Now, let’s think about roles and contributions. In every relationship, there are roles to play. In a parent-child relationship, there are the roles of parent and child. The same is true for romantic relationships, friendships, mentor-student dynamics, and colleague relationships. In business relationships, for instance, a supplier’s role is to provide goods or services that the customer needs, while the customer’s role is to pay for those goods or services. There might also be a mutual role of offering feedback to improve products or services further.

But what happens when one party doesn’t fulfill their role? If a customer refuses to pay or a supplier ignores customer requests but still expects payment, what would that relationship look like? When the parties in a relationship fail to perform their respective roles, cracks begin to form. Over time, these cracks deepen, and the relationship inevitably falls apart. The other party naturally walks away. Isn’t this true even in friendships?

For relationships to grow closer and stronger, it’s essential that both parties fulfill their roles effectively. When roles are carried out responsibly, we say that they have "contributed." In this sense, the outcome of fulfilling a role is contribution, and proper role execution is essential to achieving it.

In general, we’ve been taught that delivering performance is what matters most when we work. But what’s the difference between focusing on contribution versus performance? Let’s use a simple example to make this clearer. Do you think your customers care about how much money you or your company makes? And yet, what do salespeople and developers often set as their goals? That’s right—revenue and product launches.

Performance begins from the perspective of what I want to achieve, while contribution starts from what others want or need. Because of this, performance can be evaluated by me, but contribution is measured by the satisfaction of the other party. The fundamental difference between performance and contribution is that the former centers on "me," while the latter starts with "them."

Moreover, contribution serves as a powerful motivator for unlocking our creativity. Think about it: which question sparks your imagination and drives you to take action more—“How can I achieve my goal?” or “What can I do to help that person?”

There are many individuals who want to make money and companies that want to succeed, but few truly understand and focus on the principle behind it: helping others is the most reliable path to achieving your own success.

Let me clarify—this doesn’t mean that only the other person’s needs matter. If you don’t find personal joy or fulfillment in your work, the relationship won’t be sustainable. That’s why, to contribute effectively, it’s crucial to deeply understand both yourself and others and to thoughtfully design the role that connects the two.

Contribution is about creating mutual benefit. It means fulfilling your role well, and fulfilling your role begins with a profound understanding of both yourself and the other party. This is what we call the "Contribution Mindset," a guiding wisdom that transcends both work and life.

Then, Let’s dive into how to excel in fulfilling your role.

First, let me start with a question.

What is your role at DEIN?

When asked about their role at work, most people tend to respond with something like, “I’m a salesperson,” or “I develop OO.” But if there are 100 salespeople, does that mean they all have the exact same role? And more importantly, can simply knowing that you are a salesperson ensure that you perform your role well? No, it doesn’t.

The difference between fulfilling a role and carrying out a function is similar to the difference between contribution and performance. Roles like sales, development, HR, or finance, what we’ve traditionally thought of as roles, are actually functions. They focus on what you do. In contrast, a role is much broader and requires answering multidimensional questions, such as, What does the other party need? What is their current situation? Why do I find this work valuable? Why should I (or we) be the one(s) to do this work?

That’s right. Excelling in your role requires a clear understanding of four key elements: the other party’s Desire and Situation, and your own Motive and Strengths.

⬝ Desire : To contribute meaningfully, you must provide what the other party wants or needs. This seems obvious, but in practice, it’s surprisingly common to mistakenly assume that what you’re offering aligns with what they desire. To avoid this, it’s crucial not to be trapped by your own perspective. Truly understanding someone always begins with deeply comprehending their needs. But this does not mean you should simply cater to their expressed desires. People often don’t fully understand what they want, and surface-level desires are usually accompanied by intense competition. This is why exceptional contribution requires not just recognizing expressed desires but also uncovering latent desires and even shaping them. This is possible because desires are learnable pursuits, unlike innate needs like hunger, sleep, or reproduction. For example, thirst is a universal human need, but would a child in a remote African village, who has never seen an energy drink like Red Bull, feel a desire for it? No, because desires are tied to specific objects that are shaped by cultural and environmental factors.

⬝ Situation : To contribute effectively, understanding the broader situation surrounding the other person is more important than merely responding diligently to their requests. For example, if someone says, "I'm interested in AI solutions," their desire isn’t actually the AI solution itself. It lies in the problem they want to solve or the goal they aim to achieve through it. Moreover, even if the person in front of you expresses interest in the solution, they may lack decision-making authority, or there could be opposition within their organization. If you focus solely on explaining how great our solution is without considering the full context, will you truly be contributing? When someone desires something, there’s always a cause rooted in their past and/or environment, and their ultimate goal is the future they envision through that desire. To understand their situation, it’s crucial to grasp two key aspects which are context and variables. Asking the following four representative questions can significantly increase your ability to contribute.

·    What is the background of this situation?

·    What is the ultimate purpose or objective of this task?

·    What are the critical success factors surrounding this task?

·    What potential obstacles could arise in this task?

⬝ Motive : Motive is a crucial attribute that provides direction, intensity, and persistence to our thoughts and actions. Sustainable contribution requires alignment not only with the other party’s desires but also with your own motives. At DEIN, our ultimate vision, “Good things with pleasure”, encapsulates this idea. “Good things” represent meaningful contributions to the world, while “pleasure” signifies personal fulfillment. Our ultimate aspiration is to practice the wisdom of self-benefit through benefiting others and benefiting others through self-benefit.

When you think of motives, words like money, promotion, success, recognition, or honor often come to mind because that’s what we’ve been taught. But do these truly uplift us and make our hearts beat? Unfortunately, many people choose jobs based on acceptable salaries, benefits, business visions, or titles, only to have those things eventually rob them of control over their work and lives. As we often say, when you fail to prioritize what’s truly important, you become easily swayed by trivial matters.

I believe that sharing a collective belief in our mission—that it’s a significant endeavor capable of changing the world and worth pouring our souls into—is essential. The same applies to individual roles. You have a responsibility to find joy and meaning in the role you’ve taken on. What matters most are your emotions and how you feel about your work. No mission, vision, job, or role holds any meaning if it doesn’t move your heart. Emotions cannot be forced by others. Only you can decide how you feel. This is why you must constantly ask yourself.

·  Is what I (we) do truly meaningful?

·  Do I (we) enjoy the daily work involved in this task?

⬝ Strength : The work we do involves creating entirely new forms of value that didn’t exist before. So it demands genius. Humans are inherently resistant to change. To spark movement in a stagnant world, we must offer inspiration so compelling that it cannot be refused. A mere commitment to working hard on the level of what everyone else is doing won’t suffice. We need to create value that leaves others in awe. The value that is not only innovative but also genuinely useful in everyday life. This is why focusing on strengths is so critical. You’ve likely heard before that strengthening your strengths is more impactful than improving your weaknesses. While compensating for weaknesses only brings you to an average level, amplifying your strengths can unlock unique genius.

So, what are your strengths? Can you answer this confidently? Many people quickly point to their academic background, areas of expertise, or familiar tasks, but individual traits become strengths only when suited to a given situation. For example, is fluency in English meaningful in a context where it’s not required? The same applies to skills like development, attention to detail, or memory. While technical expertise can indeed become a strength in the right context, it’s essential to first identify what the situation requires. Then, consider how you can express not just your strengths but our collective genius as a team.

From a shared perspective, strengths aren’t merely about specific skills, experiences, or knowledge. Instead, they reflect the unique methods, patterns, and synergies we each bring to achieve our goals. Even if you lack a particular strength, it’s okay—focusing on contribution means that building strengths is just as vital as focusing on them. Rather than trying to do everything yourself, the greater wisdom lies in identifying the strengths you need and collaborating with others who possess them. Paradoxically, it’s through building strengths that we allow ourselves to truly focus on our unique strengths.

·    What strengths does the situation require?

·    Do I, or we, possess those strengths?

·    Who are the individuals or groups with the needed strengths?

·    How can we work together effectively?