“The Japanese word shokunin is defined by both Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries as ‘craftsman’ or ‘artisan,’ but such a literal description does not fully express the deeper meaning. The Japanese apprentice is taught that shokunin means not only having technical skills, but also implies an attitude and social consciousness. … The shokunin has a social obligation to work his/her best for the general welfare of the people. This obligation is both spiritual and material, in that no matter what it is, the shokunin’s responsibility is to fulfill the requirement.” -Tasio Odate
You may be curious, what does Japanese craftsmanship have to do with the profession of emergency services? We do not make things or build things, and we certainly do not create art. The common thread is that just as a Shokunin works tirelessly to master their craft as a service to their community, that there are those among us that work tirelessly to master their craft for the greater good of the communities they serve. As they should be.
We see examples of these craftsmen and artisans all over the emergency services. They stand out in stark contrast to those who are merely satisfied with having the job title, the t-shirts, and badges ( I would add to this likes and follows). They seem to never stop working, even when they are not at work. They operate with a sense of conviction that everything they can do to improve their performance, be it mental or physical, should be done. The work does not matter to them. The people they serve; the patients in their care; it all matters more to them than the time spent in the gym or in the books. They recognize that they are serving their fellow man, and every detail matters in the pursuit of being who they need to be when that call comes in.
The Shokunin see their work in the same way. There is a confluence of technical skill, attitude, and social consciousness that permeates what they do. They believe that they have an obligation to be at their best, so that they can do their best for the greater good of the people. It goes beyond commitment… It is devotion. Not for the sake of being recognized for their work, but because they believe that it is what is expected of them.
This post is what I have been able to extrapolate and draw the parallels from the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi (which can be found here: https://youtu.be/axLFEKxUTYo?si=WoDmQ2TqSxAZaOUS). I invite you all to take a gander at it and draw your own path to mastery and see the parallels for yourself.

The 5 Elements of Shokunin: What Makes the Masters masters?
1.) They take what they do seriously. (Majime)
They strive to perform at the highest level possible so that they can deliver the most perfect results that they are capable of. Not what they felt like putting out at that time. They never mail it in. They never just do “good enough” work.
In the world of the emergency services, this individual’s high-level performance is indistinguishable between calls for service. They approach the low acuity and mundane with the same level of focus and concern as they do for the high acuity, adrenaline fueled “big ones.” This is not to say that they over treat/over triage everything, but the same level of detail and care is taken on each and every call .
To quote one of my favorite blogs (Six Foxtrot — sixfeet.ca), “this is not a hobby” for them. They expect to get called when they go on duty. They expect the worst, and they are prepared for it. They are not there for the sake of being there. They are not there just because it is something cool to talk about.
Those of us that have been in this profession long enough know that there is nothing cool about a fire engine responding to a person’s home that is engulfed in flames. There is nothing cool about a helicopter landing on the highway to fly a mangled body to a trauma center. Yet there are individuals among us who have romanticized it to the point that it has attracted the “I” oriented individuals chasing social media clout, and not the service oriented individuals chasing opportunities to serve and execute at the highest levels.
2.) They constantly work to improve their performance or results. (Kojoshin)
They do the work, over and over, just so they can improve bit by bit. They are not chasing instant gratification. They are committed to the journey. They put in 100% effort each day, each task, just to measure a 1% improvement at the end of it all… and then they keep working.
Once you think that you have arrived at the top, so begins your descent. There are those who were at their peak the day they graduated from the academy or certification course. They got their badge, their patch, or their card; and to them, it was permission to stop working. They stand out in stark contrast to those who are devoted to being a master of the craft within the emergency services.
The impact of the marginal gains of working to be 1% better each day (shout out to the EMS Cast dudes) cannot be overstated. It is a total human concept, this 1% mentality. Better mentally, spiritually, and physically. We need all 3 to be in tip top shape!
3.) They are clean in appearance and execution. (Seiketsukan)
It is difficult to do what we do in the general sense. It is even harder when we are not organized in our approach; when our gear is not well kept and squared away; and when our workspace is cluttered with trash and other nonsense.
Why does this matter? A cluttered workspace = a cluttered mind. In some situations, there are only seconds to respond before things take a dramatic turn from stable to unstable. From controlled to chaos. If you cannot find the tool that you need because your equipment compartment looks like a junk drawer, that is a problem. If you cannot find a medication or syringe because your first-in bag is thrown together, that is a problem. If you cannot establish yourself as a credible professional because your uniform looks and smells like it was pulled from the bottom of the laundry basket, that is a problem.
These situations hijack your mind and thought processes from “I am getting this tool” to “where is the tool, could it be here, could it be there, who did this, who didn’t do their job, I look stupid because I cannot find this tool, where could it be, who can I ask where it is, now I look stupid for asking…” You are now stuck in a limbic hijack of emotions instead of working with a clear head. Notice how quickly and how cluttered the mind can become just from something as simple as a piece of gear not being where you expected it to be or lost in a pile of junk. It takes time to get refocused after a hijack, and time is not something a victim or you have an abundance of. This is what is meant when the masters say “amateurs talk tactics while experts talk about logistics.”
Be neat, be clean, and be orderly. Lives depend on it.
4.) They are stubborn and obstinate. (Ganko)
At first glance, these two words may describe the old curmudgeon veteran who has no sense of humor around the station. They are old and set in their ways, and that is that… perhaps we are missing a deeper meaning. We may be missing their “why.”
What we are talking about here is the partner that you work with that does not allow shortcuts or corner cutting because it is easier. They are individualist in pursuit of excellence in what they do, and they are not going to let a sandbagger impact their performance. They will tell you if what you are doing is compromising the standards the communities we serve expect of us.
They do not look for consensus. Remember, we are talking about people who see excellence as an obligation by virtue of what they do in the emergency services. They take responsibility for the outcomes, and in order to ensure the best one possible, they refuse to accept short cuts and cut corners, regardless of the consensus. They ignore “this is how we’ve always done it.”
Each response to them is a chance to improve, it is a repetition… and every rep counts. Being stubborn and obstinate is more about integrity than it is about satisfying a personal proclivity for “this is how I do it.” It is about predictable performance. We know that no matter how jacked up the call is, this individual will hit the marks.
5.) They are truly passionate about the job. (Jyonetsu)
They understand that they chose this path. They chose the hardships, the shifts, and the responsibilities. They fully immerse themselves in all of it. They love what they do in spite of the hardships. They live to serve.
They expect to run all night. They expect to miss meals. They do not show up for their shift with any other expectation than to respond to calls for service. They are not overly concerned with trivial nonsense within the shift, organization etc. If it does not negatively or positively impact their ability to do the work, they do not dwell on it.
Any one of us can come up with a list of reasons why working in the profession of emergency services is not fun, or downright sucks. There is no shortage of “influencers” out there that talk about how bad it is and how close all of these systems are to collapsing… but to the Shokunin, it is not a factor. They understand their obligations to the community and to the team, and they execute at the highest level they are capable of. Regardless of what is going on in the world around them.
Closing Thoughts
Every one of us has the capacity for mastering the craft. We should devote ourselves to bringing our best to whatever situation we have been called to respond to. It is a responsibility that comes with the helmets, badges, flight suits, and uniforms.
We squander the opportunity to pursue mastery every time we seek the familiar, easy, and comfortable. When we do that, the best we could ever hope to be is middle of the pack. Our true potential having completely eluded us. Is that who should be knocking on the door when someone has called for our services? Should we not give them better than middle of the pack?
Mastery of the craft begins with self-mastery. Developing the physical and mental capacity for the work that you signed up to do is not an option. It is a moral imperative. There are no conscripts in the emergency services… and no matter what capacity you serve in the emergency services, if you act with devotion to the craft and take pride in what you do, mastery is not beyond you.
Some cautions as you walk your path to mastery. First, be very selective in what sources you include in your library for development. Followers do not equal credibility. Second, give yourself the grace to be human if you miss a day here and there or need a vacation. We are not robots, and trust me it is very easy to burnout on this path and lose progress. Remember why you are doing it! Finally, bring others with you. Lead. Drag them along if necessary, but do not develop your game and forget about the team. Give them the lessons you have learned the hard way. Give them the pointers you have picked up on your journey that will make their path to mastery easier.
Special thanks to Dr. Scott Van Poppel down in the great state of Texas who inspired this with his presentation back in 2018.
