For individuals and companies, to remain competitive we must get better and better. Constant improvement is a key point in Musashi Miyamoto’s classic work on swordsmanship, The Book of Five Rings. This second article in a Special Five-Part Series takes five principles from Musashi’s work and demonstrates how they can be used in business. The first article in the series is found here.

The Water Chapter

In the Water Chapter, Musashi outlines his own school of swordsmanship. Crucial concepts discussed are:

• the importance of continuous practice
• the right frame of mind for a swordsman
• different stances and the importance of adaptability; and
• the path to improvement.

Lesson One. Practice Continuously

A key component of Musashi’s school of swordsmanship is the importance of practice. He says, “Practice for 1,000 days and further refine yourself with 10,000 days of training.”

The concept of practice is central not only to swordsmanship but to many aspects of Japanese life. Rather than occupying a fixed point on a continuum of competence from “bad” to “good”, all people are moving down a path of continuously deepening learning that has no end. This path is not limited to a few particular martial arts disciplines but to every pursuit in life, from sushi chef to truck driver to musician. Every person must decide how far to advance on that path.

Practicing is not mere mindless repetition but an opportunity to see never-ending depth in the seemingly simplest of tasks. By repeating something over and over, the task becomes a mirror, and in that mirror, we can see not only the task in greater detail and dimension but a clearer and clearer vision of ourselves. That vision can lead to identifying weak points, which can become the focus of further training.

Practice is an opportunity to see never-ending depth in the seemingly simplest of tasks.

Practice is also vital in business. Every business element can be broken down into components that can improve with concentrated training. Some of these components are:

• mental and physical preparation for work
• business planning
• listening, speaking, and writing
• technical aspects of one’s work
• working with other people; and
• being more productive.

Lesson Two. Defeat Who You Were Yesterday

Musashi says, “The journey of a thousand ri is taken step by step, so do not think in haste. Put the Warrior’s Way into practice, understanding that it is the warrior’s duty. Defeat today the person you were yesterday, defeat those of poor skill tomorrow, and defeat those of great skill later on.”

It is natural to desire to become an expert as quickly as possible, but getting better often requires much time and effort. The path to improvement is rarely a straight line; we get sidetracked, head in the wrong direction and encounter unexpected obstacles. Along the way, it is very easy to become discouraged by comparing ourselves to people who seem to be doing less but make far more progress. Musashi advises not to concentrate on other people but simply to improve a little bit each day.

This lesson is particularly valuable in business as changes, particularly in a large organization with entrenched ways of doing things, do not happen overnight. Designing business plans, assembling teams, and putting plans into practice are all complicated activities that require careful reflection and coordination. While there can be great pressure on businesses to generate revenues and respond to competitive threats immediately, rushing often creates problems rather than eliminates them.

Apart from practical limitations on the pace of progress, accepting that things will take time provides people with an internal sense of serenity that is very powerful, particularly when the task to be accomplished is not measured in days but in years or decades.

Lesson Three. Be Mindful of Your State of Mind

Musashi says, “Do not let your mind relax when you are relaxed, and do not let the mind speed up when your body is moving quickly. The mind should not be distracted by the body, nor should the body be distracted by the mind. Be watchful of the mind, but not so watchful of the body; let the mind be replete but not overloaded. Though the mind may seem weak on the surface, it should be strong at the base.”

Our state of mind has a strong influence on everything we do.

Without a doubt, our state of mind strongly influences everything we do, including our work. It is quite clear that when we are in a positive frame of mind, we tend to see more possibilities in work, work more harmoniously with others, and carry out our work more effectively. When our state of mind is not good, negative consequences will follow.

In this chapter, Musashi discusses one aspect of the mind: its tendency to accelerate and decelerate based on external conditions. It is very easy for the mind to begin racing once we become busy at work, which often increases the likelihood that we will not make decisions in our best interests. Similarly, when times are slow, our minds can become lethargic, leading to missing opportunities or more general inactivity that can drag our work performance and the performance of others down.

The lesson here is to remain conscious of our state of mind and keep it where it is most productive, regardless of external circumstances.

Lesson Four. Be Adaptable

In the book, Musashi discusses many types of swordsmanship stances and then comments on the virtue, at times, of having no fixed idea of a stance at all. Stances are designed with different battle circumstances in mind, but the reality is that one might face limitless situations in battle. Moreover, once an adversary becomes familiar with a stance, they will try to identify its weak points and take advantage of them. Accordingly, Musashi’s advice is we must have the ability to adapt our approach to what the circumstances require.

We must adapt our approach to the circumstances rather than try to force the circumstances into our approach.

Many companies have stances for responding to internal and external situations. These stances can involve ways of perceiving those situations, designing plans to face them and putting them into practice.

While these ways of perceiving and acting may work under some conditions, they may be ineffective in others. The lesson of Musashi is that firms should have the flexibility to change their stances if circumstances require them to do so.

Lesson Five. Speed Can Be Counterproductive

In this book, Musashi discusses the concept of speed. When thinking of swordsmanship, it is natural to imagine that speed would be the decisive factor, as the person who is faster with the blade than the other will win. However, Musashi says, counterintuitively, that speed is not the true way of swordsmanship.

He also notes, “You go against the Way of the sword by trying to handle it with speed, and it will be difficult to wield. To the extent that you handle the sword well, you will handle it tranquilly.”

This is a point that requires significant contemplation in the area of swordsmanship. There are certainly practical situations a swordsman may find himself in where moving a sword quickly is not possible, but more broadly, the actual movement of the blade is a final component of many other steps that determine victory or defeat. For example, if a person is a good position, if a person can read the actions of the opponents, all of this can make winning possible regardless of whether or not the movement of the sword is particularly fast or slow.

Speed in business often does not mean progress.

In business, it is easy to equate rushing with progress. While moving quickly may be interpreted as action, it may not be the most efficient way to work or the most efficient use of resources. By planning more carefully, by seeing opportunity, by having a better frame of mind, it is often possible to advance faster.

Conclusion

This article set forth five principles from The Book of Five Rings and illustrated how to apply them in business. The following articles will show how to apply principles from the remaining scrolls of the book.

The version of the Book of Five Rings referenced in this article was translated by Matsumoto Michihiro and William Scott Wilson. I have made some changes to the English translation based on my own interpretation of the Japanese text.

The image for this article was taken from here.