War, what is it good for? Absolutely not business
Management terms such as “strategy”, “logistics” and “operations”, among others, have been borrowed directly from military science.
Today, we’re taking it even further — every day in the office, it’s like we’re entering into a battle. New pricing strategy? That’ll be a “price war”. A big task? Let’s “divide and conquer”. Handling a crisis? Time to set up a “war room”.
Indeed, the language of business and warfare seem increasingly interchangeable. But is that a good thing?
Sun Tzu’s Art of War so often rolls off the tongues of so many thrusting, red in tooth and claw business tyros that you would think that it was standard issue at the world’s MBA sweat shops.
But if you read Sun Tzu closely, you’ll learn that fighting is best avoided, war is a last resort, and incessant battles exhaust all involved — winners and losers,
Also, at no point does the Chinese writer suggest that his theory should be applied in life or work.
There must be a different way. And there is.
At Leon, we have tried to do things differently. When asked about our market, I’ve made a point to explain to my colleagues that we have no competitors, no enemies. We are fighting nobody.
When others send in “spies” and copy our menu, our imagery, or our marketing, they are attempting to do something that is impossible — they are trying to be us.
Whenever I’ve ignored the competition and “concentrated on the knitting”, I find that we’ve flourished.
By carrying yourself and your business with calmness and confidence, you can do things in a different way.
This different approach is summarised in a book that I’ve just written with martial arts teacher Julian Hitch called “Winning not Fighting”.
In the book, we explain the eight pillars of Wing Tsun, which is the only martial art founded by a woman.
These pillars are: know yourself, stay relaxed, don’t force things, positivity, simplicity, freedom and responsibility, expect to be punched, and mastery.
Let’s just take one of these pillars — “don’t force”. Consider what the impact is of always forcing things, day-in, day-out.
If you’re always over-exerting and creating aggressive business plans, you’re fundamentally associating success with fighting.
That in turn makes you less creative — in combat, you go into tunnel vision, and you stop seeing and thinking around you in 360 degrees. It also makes you less empathetic and in tune with your colleagues.
Taking your foot off the force pedal has a certain connection with mindfulness — a deeper psychosomatic awareness which has as much value in sport like golf or tennis as to the performance in the boardroom.
It’s about allowing the body and mind’s innate intelligence to be freed up and properly focused. And this applies to everyone, from business leaders to baristas.
Indeed, our own staff saw their heart rates and stress levels improve markedly after a programme of Wing Tsun sessions.
When I first became acquainted with this different approach, it took me a while to realise that I wasn’t an army general. Business may be tough, but I’m not fighting a war.
Now, I see myself more of a gardener in that my job is to create an environment where everyone has an opportunity to grow. The business benefits from encouraging my team to be mindful of their relationships with themselves, with others, and with the planet.
A bit too hippy? You want more of the sergeant major? Well, try the Wing Tsun strategy and see if it garners better results for your business.