Excerpted from Business Black Belt by Burke Franklin
A black belt for you?
I believe that everyone should practice a martial art of some kind—even if you don’t go as far as black belt. The martial arts are a safe channel for aggression and frustration, to train your mind with your body, and to enhance your skill and mental acuity in every other sport and physical activity. You can practice it for the rest of your life. You also won’t be afraid of the dark or anyone in business meetings, big cities, and foreign countries.
You’ll find many parallels between the martial arts and business. To earn a black belt, you must train, persist, and be prepared. You must know what to look for, what to do, when to move in, and when to back off. When you apply the martial arts philosophies to your business, you’ll protect yourself as you practice a healthier, longer lasting approach to successful business. The world at large may not quite be ready for businesspeople who “do the right thing,” so you need to watch out for yourself. But if you do the right thing to make sure that all parties win and generate a nice profit, you can avoid getting beaten up in the process.
Many times in martial arts, the subtlest move can have a major effect. This can be a helpful concept in management, marketing, and sales. Some moves are indirect, some are counter-intuitive. Your opponent zigs, expecting you to zag, but you might zig too. Instead of blocking and moving back, you sidestep and move in. Sometimes you need to be consistent, sometimes you need to be unpredictable. Flow with what’s happening at any moment in time and look for the openings, the opportunities. Sometimes you need to do nothing and let your opponents just wear themselves out. A true master is aware of the dirty game and can defend against the cheaters with dignity. In my Tae Kwon Do (tie´•kwon•doe´) school, we were taught to watch our opponent when we bow in the unlikely event that he or she might try to kick us in the face during what is supposed to be a gesture of respect. When you think, feel, and act like a Black Belt, you’ll have more control of the game and play it your way.
Continue to part 4 Of: Introduction to Business Black Belt Book
A black belt for you?
I believe that everyone should practice a martial art of some kind—even if you don’t go as far as black belt. The martial arts are a safe channel for aggression and frustration, to train your mind with your body, and to enhance your skill and mental acuity in every other sport and physical activity. You can practice it for the rest of your life. You also won’t be afraid of the dark or anyone in business meetings, big cities, and foreign countries.
You’ll find many parallels between the martial arts and business. To earn a black belt, you must train, persist, and be prepared. You must know what to look for, what to do, when to move in, and when to back off. When you apply the martial arts philosophies to your business, you’ll protect yourself as you practice a healthier, longer lasting approach to successful business. The world at large may not quite be ready for businesspeople who “do the right thing,” so you need to watch out for yourself. But if you do the right thing to make sure that all parties win and generate a nice profit, you can avoid getting beaten up in the process.
Many times in martial arts, the subtlest move can have a major effect. This can be a helpful concept in management, marketing, and sales. Some moves are indirect, some are counter-intuitive. Your opponent zigs, expecting you to zag, but you might zig too. Instead of blocking and moving back, you sidestep and move in. Sometimes you need to be consistent, sometimes you need to be unpredictable. Flow with what’s happening at any moment in time and look for the openings, the opportunities. Sometimes you need to do nothing and let your opponents just wear themselves out. A true master is aware of the dirty game and can defend against the cheaters with dignity. In my Tae Kwon Do (tie´•kwon•doe´) school, we were taught to watch our opponent when we bow in the unlikely event that he or she might try to kick us in the face during what is supposed to be a gesture of respect. When you think, feel, and act like a Black Belt, you’ll have more control of the game and play it your way.
Continue to part 4 Of: Introduction to Business Black Belt Book
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