Looking
at the Club members over the years, it is not surprising to me that many Club members
were either managers or leaders at work when they joined or have since become managers
and leaders.
So, you
may ask how has martial arts helped me in my business life? And what have I learned in martial arts that
I have applied in the office?
I was
recently introduced to a group of employees and a person mentioned that I was a
Tae Kwon Do instructor as a fun fact about me.
One employee asked what about martial arts did I play or translate into
the business setting.
I
told them one thing I have learned is when to pick the battles, when I knew it
was time to fight (not literally in the office, but more argue or try to
persuade my perspective on others) versus stepping away or walking away or
stepping aside. Basically I have learned
to read the situation better and learn when to pick and choose my battles. I teach martial arts as self-defense and use
it only if there is no other option.
Arguing or creating a battle in the office should be the last resort as
well. Trying to compromise or
determining it is better to walk away and retaining strong working
relationships is always preferable.
Martial
arts have helped me be more mentally and emotionally fit. By being more mentally and emotionally fit and
having more mental and emotional endurance, I have been able to work extended
hours when needed, push through difficult tasks
and complete that last 10% consistently (you know, the 10% that tends to
take up 90% of your time).
The
focus and concentration I have learned in martial arts has definitely
translated into my business life. The
ability to stay focused and concentrate on the
task or meeting at hand and not let what is happening in other aspects of my life,
what is happening across the room, or what lies ahead of me later be a
distraction has been very helpful. I
believe this has allowed me to be more effective with my time as well as
understand and comprehend information better.
Martial
arts have also given me a lot more self-confidence in my ability. Learning new techniques, concepts, and principles
has given me confidence in other areas of my life including business where I
feel I can take on new challenges and know I can learn them over time. This has led to taking more risks in
assignments in the past I may not have been comfortable taking on until I was
more proficient.
I
have also learned and been able to reinforce how important mind over matter
is. How important what we are thinking
translates into performing well and not performing well. In martial arts for example, if you do not
think you can be effective against someone else in a self-defense scenario or
in breaking a board, most likely you will not.
The strength is in the mind and if you put your mind in the right place,
you can accomplish almost anything. This
also has led to more self-confidence.
Martial
arts has taught me and reinforced looking at things differently. There is not one way but multiple ways to be
effective.
Martial
arts has taught me and reinforced the value of being open to new concepts. Being open to new and different perspectives has
translated to being open to diversity and inclusiveness in the work environment
and not being judgmental. Think about it, if you are not open to someone else’s
ideas and thoughts, basically you are telling people they have no clue or idea.
You are judging them and assuming they do not know what they are talking about.
In
martial arts you are always a student, even if you are an instructor. Martial arts teaches us we can learn from
everyone, white belts, green belts, blue belts, brown belts, and black
belts. It teaches us to remain open to
perspectives from everyone. In the work
force this means being open to not just learning from Leaders and Fellows, but
being open to learn from entry level professionals and everyone in between. Everyone has something to share that we can
learn from if we move through life always thinking we are a student. By being open to learning from everyone in
the business arena, especially as leaders, we come across as fair and inclusive.
Martial
arts have also taught me that there is no room for ego. If you have an ego and are on the street and
need to use your skills, it may cost you your life. In the workplace, especially in leadership,
there is no room for ego. If you are
only out for yourself or think you know more than anyone else, people will not
want to work for you or follow you. Leaders
that look after everyone else and are not about their own success but the
success of the team or organization are more successful (at least in the long
run).
Martial
arts, like life (business or personal), is a journey. Things do not always go as planned, or things
may be harder than you first thought.
This is almost a daily part of the business world – not everything turns
out as planned and how you react and how quickly you move things back on track
can make the difference between being considered successful or not. Martial arts have taught be to be more
flexible and react effectively to scenarios that are not playing out as
planned.
Martial
arts also teach and reinforce controlling emotions and not letting emotions control
you. This is critical in the business
world as well. Being known as emotional
or hot-tempered does not usually translate well into being given new and
challenging assignments or being asked to take on a leadership role.
Did I
gain all of this the first week of studying martial arts? No.
The first 6 months? No. These are things I have learned, applied, and
translated over the last 20 years. Some areas
I applied sooner and other principles have taken more time, and some are still
part of my journey to really integrate into my life. I know when I started martial arts some of the
concepts were too esoteric and I did not buy in to them completely at first,
but over time I was more open and continued to open my mind to new ideas and
concepts. Some of these concepts and
principles I am still not at a place where I feel like I demonstrate them
consistently, but believe I continue to improve with each passing month. And by being open with my strengths and areas
of developmental improvement, I believe this translates well as a leader in
business by being transparent and honest.
Some
of you might be thinking maybe I have reached the rank I have in martial arts
because I learned some of these concepts in the business world and applied them
to martial arts. That may be true as
well in some cases. What was the chicken
and what was the egg? Bottom line is that by being able to apply and
consistently live these principles and concepts in every aspect of your life
and practice them until they are seamlessly integrated into who you are day to
day has been beneficial to me both in martial arts and in the business world.
Regards,
Kelly
"Think of
everyday life as karate training." ~ Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), founder
of Shotokan Karate
