Lost in Translation 2011
Twenty-seven years later and the first trip to my teacher’s teacher’s dojo. What would be waiting for me? What new experiences or new challenges? This was a trip for the ages; I was not traveling alone or with a group of martial artists to Japan as in countless dreams. Instead I was journeying with several cohorts from the University of Pennsylvania to study strategic application in modern-day Japanese business, where leaders deal with finance and strategy across a table. Centuries before, this table was a battlefield — a time where domestic law was not enforceable and one’s skill in strategy coincided with mastery of swordsmanship.
The purpose of the Japan 2011 Executive Global Experience Program was to engage with Japanese leadership and examine cultural, strategic, and economic influences affecting execution. Would business in Japan be different than the US? It seems obvious. Right? Well, take a moment to reflect. How many ways are there to lead effectively? And are the comparisons clearly a matter of cultural differences or is there something Lost in Translation?
Executive Masters of Technology Management at NTT Data
Meeting with executives of NTT Data, Japan Airlines, Sony, World Bank, Olympus, and State Street provided an invaluable lesson.
It is more important to understand than to focus on being understood. Only then is communication possible.
The In/Yo (Yin/Yang) of warfare and business
A timeless lesson — similar in business as with the martial arts, there is a notion that power and position enables one to “throw your weight around” and get the point across. This is the yo (yang approach) in strategy – very bold and in your face. Put in historical perspective, the long-term outcome is profitability for the few and exclusion of the many. It is easy to forget the might-makes-right approach of the samurai class was also one of Japan’s most war-ridden historical periods. Pragmatic knowledge, experience, and leverage (the in approach) proved an alternative strategy over the mighty Bushido path; the ninja’s subtle way of dealing with conflict. Historically, most ninja were samurai that felt there were other approaches to the strict Bushido code. These noble warriors rested in a view that all people have individual freedom and were not servants to any specific class.
After nearly a week of nearly 20 corporations, it was time to head to my teacher’s teacher’s dojo heading north-east of Tokyo. Many years waiting and finally arriving to the dojo. The naturalness of the “butterflies”. ”I guess it is time to prove one’s rank and demonstrate how well my teacher has trained me.” Wow that could of went really bad if I allowed the ego to operate.
Training with Toshiro Nagato-sensei
The Japanese dojo crowded with more bodies than space. Wooden-sword training and 6-foot sticks thrusting through the air. Envision the typical American martial arts school and reduce the square footage by 40% with 60 people swinging wooden swords.
The natural temptation of “looking good” and holding onto an image would play poorly. Go with what is working and give up the way you want it to look. In the end, your mind is clear and focused because the mind is in the present. This is the “no-mind” concept often referred to in martial arts. The mind is ever-present – clear of worry, regret, and mental obstacles.
“Being in the moment” was a great way to share To-shin Do with the dozens of people training. I conversed with a sense of openness and received such a warm welcome from many new friends from Amsterdam. It is easier to communicate when realizing we all live on the same planet.
I enjoyed private moments with Nagato-sensei and the Grandmaster of Ninjutsu himself, Soke Dr. Hatsumi-sensei conveying my lineage connection. The admiration each shared for Hayes-san (as they called him) was unparalleled – there was so much mutual respect I felt privileged to know my teacher Stephen K. Hayes.
It was far easier to converse in a Japanese to English translation than I could of imagined. In working to understand, it was easier to be understood!
Training with Soke Dr. Maasaki Hatsumi
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