Value Creation in the Post-SDGs Era and “Seiryoku Zenyo, Jita Kyoei”

The other day, I had the chance to speak at the University of Auckland as part of the New Zealand Asia Institute seminar, “Valuism: A Blueprint for the Post-SDGs Era,” together with Philip.

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What I most wanted to share there was this: Seiryoku Zenyo, Jita Kyoei is a first principle, something you put at the very beginning of any conversation about value creation. Whether in business or government, you can set out the most impressive policies and goals, but if the decisions being made on the ground don’t match them, if they aren’t actually directing effort toward the right things and building the right kinds of relationships with the right people, then value won’t last.

That’s why the real question is always: How do we use what we have, our abilities, resources, position, and time? And does the impact of those choices reach beyond just ourselves, to other people and to society as a whole? This is the perspective I feel leaders in business and government especially need to understand as a foundation.

On the day, I shared these ideas not only through words, but through a short kata and some simple physical movements, so people could grasp it not just in their heads, but in their bodies too. And what stayed with me most was the turnout, far bigger than I expected, and the sharp, thoughtful questions that kept coming right to the end. The depth of everyone’s questions made it a real learning experience for me as well.

I’m truly grateful to Antje Fiedler, the New Zealand Asia Institute team, and everyone who joined us. I hope this conversation stays with people as a spark to rethink value creation in their own work, and to help us move, even in small ways, toward a better society.