I am intrigued with the comparison of business to being an elite warrior. My interest is not uncommon. The Art of War by Sun Tzu – written in the 6th century B.C. – is consistently heralded as tome on business. You’ll find as much wisdom on leadership and environmental scanning there as in any leadership or business book written since.    

Elite warriors – whether Navy Seals or masters from any number of martial arts – are lethal. At the same time, there is often a peaceful calm that comes from the discipline, repetition and confidence of constant, conscious practice. We know habitual training and mindset can create what Hungarian psychology professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience in his 1990 bestseller. This paradox of precise skills balanced with peace and clarity of focus leads me to the concept of leadership as a martial art.

One of my clients, Ryan, is a longtime student and black belt in tae kwon do. Asked about guiding principals, Ryan shared the five tenants of his art: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control and indomitable spirit.     

“Courtesy is prescribed by ancient teachers of philosophy as a means to enlighten human beings while maintaining a harmonious society,” he says. Ryan went on to explain further the definition of courtesy. “Ideally, students of tae kwon do practice the following elements of courtesy to build up their noble character and to conduct the training in an orderly manner, as well,” he states. “Courtesy promotes the spirit of mutual concessions, paying attention to one’s vices and at the same time, to not succumb to those vices, while contemplating those of others. Courtesy in this context also means simply to be polite to one another and to encourage the sense of justice and humanity.”     

I found myself thinking that if there was ever a time in history that could use a dose of “noble character,” now was that time. Imagine, too, the potency of a leadership team being conscious enough – attentive enough to one’s own self that instead of pointing fingers at others on the team, one first looks in his or her own mirror for ways to improve.  Imagine the impact of enough discipline to shift behavior to shift action, instead of wasting time to assign blame.      

I realized the next elements of courtesy were clearly leadership traits, as well. Courtesy distinguishes instructor from student, senior from junior, and elder from younger. We honor an etiquette that respects others’ possessions. In his art form, Ryan explained that courtesy also means to handle matters with fairness and sincerity. There’s a trait of leadership that can hold some water.

Practicing Control
Next on the list was integrity. In tae kwon do, the word “integrity” assumes a looser definition than the one usually presented in Webster’s Dictionary. One must be able to define right and wrong and have a conscience; and if wrong, be able to own responsibility and shift. Listed are some examples where a lack of integrity is evident.    

Replace “instructor” or “student” with “officer” or “leader” and the business application shines through:

1. The instructor who misrepresents him and his art by presenting improper techniques to his students because of a lack of knowledge or apathy. 
2. The student who misrepresents himself by “fixing” breaking materials before demonstrations.
3. The instructor who camouflages bad technique with luxurious training halls and false flattery to his students. 
4. The student who requests ranks from an instructor, or attempts to purchase it.
5. The student who gains rank for ego purposes or the feeling of power 
6. The instructor who teaches and promotes his art for materialistic gains.
7. The students whose actions do not live up to his words.
8. The student who feels ashamed to seek opinions from his juniors.  

Perseverance came next. I found myself thinking of the tenacious leaders and entrepreneurs as I listened to Ryan say, “Whether one is working on a higher degree or the perfection or a technique, one must set his goal, then constantly persevere.”    

Pausing just a moment, Ryan shared a self-reflective grin and quietly continued, “Then there’s self control,” he said. A loss of self control in free sparring can prove disastrous to both student and opponent. The inability to live and work within one’s capability or sphere is also a lack of self-control. I am taught that the essence of the term stronger is the person who wins over oneself rather than someone else.   

“Indomitable spirit is our last tenant,” Ryan continued. “It is shown when a courageous person and his or her principles are pitted against overwhelming odds. A serious student of our practice will at all times, be modest and honest. If confronted with injustice, he or she will deal with the belligerent without any fear or hesitation at all, with indomitable spirit, regardless of however many the number may be.”  

Defining ‘Kata’
As I listened, I thought of the concept of working diligently to do “things right.” All of these traits can be used in everyday living; this practice is a way of life. The commonality of these traits makes it easy to see that they can be interchangeable.  

I shared with another client and student of martial arts, Pat, what I had learned from Ryan. Without skipping a beat, Pat responded, “I can make up the story that the martial arts were born and thrive from great leadership. People gather and connect to a philosophy, culture and/or theory. The interest and connection is made because a person who represents the traits mentioned above inspires and motivates people to follow.”     

I found myself thinking there is something here to explore.   

Pat continued – this time more personally – “Martial arts were something that I was able to really connect to during a very vulnerable time in my life,” he said. “It is easy for me to say that because of the quality instruction and leadership I received during that period of time have shaped much of my personality to this day. This can be explained by my attraction toward helping people achieve certain life goals. It is rewarding for me to offer help and inspiration from an honest and knowledgeable place. Regardless of the type – martial art or leader – a good leader will set a good example by following these traits with consistency, which is of the utmost importance to success of any kind.”    

Taking my daughter to Aikido training multiple times a week for years, I got to experience first-hand the concept of ‘kata.’ Kata is the ritual practice, time and again of movement pattern within movement pattern. There is also a way to enter the dojo, there is a way to step onto the mat, there is a specific way to put on the tradition garb of Aikido, the hakima. And there is reason for each of these rituals.  When listening to my daughter’s amazing teacher, he would say, “If at that time of fight, of challenge, there is no thinking; there is only doing. You already know. Now be.”     

If you haven’t already, I invite you to find and define your own tenants and Kata as a leader. I invite you to be conscious of your personal leadership tenants that you can become unconscious. I hope a takeaway from this column is a reminder that the life and learning cycle repeats itself, back to conscious.