In the 1980s the writings of mid-seventeenth-century Samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi took America by storm. In those days, Japanese businesses were surgically dissecting western competitors wielding a sword called Total Quality Management (TQM).
To keep pace American business leaders swarmed bookstores in search of Musashi’s Go Rin No Sho, A Book of Five Rings, a thorough-going analysis outlining the tenets of a winning Samurai strategy. As the hardback translation topped sales of more than 120,000 copies, major publications like Time and the New York Times proclaimed Musashi the leading influencer on Wall Street when it came to business strategy.
The foundational message of the Samurai strategy is the concept of “wider application,” or “knowledge transferability.” Simply put, transferability asserts achieving mastery in one discipline equips one with the capacity to utilize those skills in all other areas of life. So, while Musashi wrote of Samurai swordsmanship, the deeper message provided a guide for strategic thinking, critical decision-making, and taking action in every area of one’s life—including the corporate boardroom.
“From one thing know ten thousand things. When you attain the
Way of strategy there will not be one thing you cannot see
…If you know the Way broadly you will see it in everything.”
— Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings
At MindMeld we believe organizational values are the qualities or discipline that fosters and shapes strategic thinking, decision-making, and execution. Hence our brand building and organizational development process begins with values that fit the form and function of your company—what you do, how you do it, and most importantly, why you do what you do. Like the Samurai swordsman, the organization built on a strong and unrelenting commitment to shared values cuts through the competition like a hot knife through butter.
But strategic thinking doesn’t come easy. Concepts like “wider application” and “transferability”—seeing the big picture in modern parlance—require mastery in the discipline of “value.” It demands profound levels of self-knowledge and insight into others, a willingness to make timely decisions and accept responsibility for the consequences, and proper balance between aesthetics and analytics. Develop these excellencies and you will “know the Way of strategy. “There will not be one thing you cannot see.” Indeed, you will see your overarching corporate strategy in everything you, and the company, do.
As you prepare for 2017, here are seven principles of a Samurai CXO that will help guide your planning process:
- Always be on the Attack. Initiate action, know your market, know your segments, know your strengths and weaknesses, play to strengths, defend weaknesses. Appear where you are not expected.
- Follow Through. Be results-oriented, prioritize, finish what you start and persevere. Never allow self-doubt or uncertainty to sidetrack your plan, rather adjust and adapt.
- Defend What’s Yours. Retain your clients and customers with tenacity. Nurture loyalty at all costs.
- Set the Pace. Control the tempo, be proactive not reactive. Develop a touchpoint cadence that fosters relationship building.
- Establish your Position. Stake out a highly differentiated position, know where your efforts will produce the best results,
- Innovate. Never settle for “good enough”, systematically drive improvement across the organization, eschew being content.
- Embrace Trade-offs. Focus on everything and you will get nothing.
In subsequent posts I will unpack these qualities and provide examples of how you can use them in developing the Way of strategic thinking. And remember, like it or not, in business we keep score. Those with the best game plan and the willingness and confidence to stick with it come out on top. Others settle for mediocrity. Most fail. Seek truth in your values and “value” and these principles become your weapons for achieving great things in every area of life.
About MindMeld: Our vision is that your business will grow, prosper, and make a positive and lasting impact on the world. We accomplish this by helping you discover and communicate the inherent value of your products and services and capitalize on that value in lasting, meaningful ways. To learn more please contact me at doug.knuth@mindmeldmarketing.com.
Source: Gelb, Michael J. and Raymond Keene, Samurai Chess, Mastering Strategic Thinking Through the Martial Art of the Mind