The Principles of Martial Arts In the Workplace

Published in the July/August 2004 Issue of Your Workpalce Magazine

By Laura Morris

At Toronto's Sutherland Models, young women study poise, manners and make up application to prepare for a career in modeling. Yet, one of the classes isn't about style or fashion photography. For 3 hours a week the girls gather in the runway room, not to practice their walk, but to learn how to protect themselves through the art of self-defense.

The instructor is Ron Brass, founder of Bodyguard Self Improvement Seminars. Brass holds a 5th degree black belt in karate and a black sash in Kung Fu. He uses his martial arts training as a foundation to develop self-defense seminars, life skills coaching and specialized workshops for companies and non-profit organizations. Brass is a strong proponent of the belief that principles behind martial arts are universal - including applications in the workplace. In fact, these principles are being incorporated into training programs to help people become more effective personally and in the workplace.

At Sutherland Models, clients benefit from developing self-defense techniques they can use to ward off a potential attacker. They also learn a number of preventative measures to help them avoid potentially dangerous situations altogether. This involves learning how to become more aware of your surroundings, understanding eye contact and body language, and how to step back to assess a situation and then make a safe decision.

Yet, Brass's course goes beyond the basics of self-defense. The young women work towards developing inner strength. "He teaches self worth and self concept. That's really important for these girls," says model and head instructor, Andrea Chase. "Insecurity among young women is huge. They're going through so many emotional changes." This is compounded by the fact that the modeling industry focuses on how you look and your exterior self. So, Chase explains that by developing a stronger sense of inner self, the girls are more equipped to handle exterior problems.

They also learn how to mange conflicts that surface in the modeling business. "Say you're coming off the airplane and you've had a long flight," says Chase. You're tired and not in a great mood. Then the press suddenly surrounds you. This can be a high-pressure situation, but responding rudely or inappropriately can cause you to be misread by others. Chase continues, "Ron teaches the girls to always think before you speak and to consider what is said before jumping to conclusions. There's a diplomatic way of handling everything."

Contrary to Hollywood's glamorous depiction of "marital art fighting," those who practice it know it's not about being the aggressor. "Martial arts are used as a defense, not to provoke an attack. First you try to negotiate on a psychological level; a physical response is a last resort. If you were to throw a punch I would deflect it," he says.

Your actions are also your responsibility. "If you fall you have to get up. If you make a mistake you have to correct it," says Brass. In the workplace, this translates into taking responsibility for your actions and what you can control, instead of simply shifting blame onto others.

Leadership is another skill that can be developed using martial art principles. It has been a subject of interest to Dr. David Baum, a business consultant in New Hampshire and a lecturer at the University of Western in Ontario. He joined forces with Jim Hassinger, a friend and fellow business consultant who holds a black belt in Aikido. Together, they co-authored the book called The Randori Principles: The Path To Effortless Leadership.

"Randori is the martial arts skill that is to be able to be in the right place at the right time using the right technique. In the business world that creates effortless leadership," says Hassinger. He explains that this is based on the martial arts of Aikido and the philosophy behind it, which is to first protect yourself and then protect your attacker from further harm. "The goal is conflict resolution and bringing the best leadership and team performance to a business situation," adds Hassinger.

Their book describes four basic principles - the first being Full Powered Presence. This is the ability to be present in the moment no matter what else is going on. Baum explains that 40% of the time, we're worried about the future, 35% of the time we're worried about what happened in the past, which means only 25% of the time we're actually in the present. "I used to get a sticky dot and put it on my watch," says Baum. Every time he looked at the dot, it allowed him to take a breath, look around and come back to the present. This is an important skill, because in the present, your attentiveness is at its peak and your readiness to handle situations is maximized.

So, how do you tackle conflict situations that arise while working with others? Well, turning resistance into collaboration underlines the second principal, the Tenkan Principle. This is when you "dance on the mat," working to create a spirit of partnership. With this principal you use a question/statement strategy. Baum explains, if you're in a situation where you're under attack and presented with a statement, turn it into a question. "It allows you to move into a collaboration," says Baum. Then to get at the root of a particular problem or a crisis, the third principle comes into effect - the Irimi Principle.

However, if faced with a challenge or conflict that you can't resolve, use the fourth principle, Off The Mat, which is the skill of disengagement. This involves making the decision to either stay engaged to solve the problem or walk away until a more appropriate time occurs. "Many people stay in business relationships longer than they should. They loose sight of changing dynamics. Rather than changing the approach, they choose to stay with the old strategy," says Hassinger.

To assist people in using these Randori Principles, Hassinger and Baum offer 30 to 40 different daily practices, from which people can commit to learning and practicing just a few on a daily basis. Hassinger explains that engaging in common practices is necessary in martial arts and to living in harmony. The daily practice for life becomes a big part of who you are, and you develop the understanding of life long learning.

So, when you reach your black belt level in Aikido, the learning has just begun. Hassinger says, "Philosophically, it means you know the basics well enough that you're now officially a beginner. Mastering leadership or any situation in life can only happen when you learn with the beginner's mind of humility and curiosity. "

It seems we still have a lot to learn from the study and practice of martial arts and how we can use it in our workplace.