How Is Your Leadership Kung Fu?

Outside of my professional career and since my early teens I’ve been involved in the world of martial arts. In particular, Chinese martial arts that are often referred to in the western world as Kung Fu. In its original Chinese meaning, Kung Fu did not refer to the practice of martial arts. Instead, it described the process of one’s training – the strengthening of the body and the mind, the learning and the perfection of one’s skills – rather than to what was being trained. It refers to excellence achieved through long practice. Someone with “bad Kung Fu” for example has not put enough time and effort into training, or seems to lack the motivation to do so.

With Kung Fu, there is no concept of perfection. In the martial art, achieving “black sash” status is often seen as the start of the journey rather than the end. With any skill, there is always scope for improvement, a journey of self-discovery that will never truly end. It is much the same with leadership.

There may be some people who are promoted in a business to the level of “Director” for example and think that they have “made it”. They have a large team reporting to them; they have control of a significant budget, and they get to go to the management meetings with the rest of the “elite”. They sit back and bask in the glory – they have finally made it – they are now a leader.

This mindset can be dangerous. Leadership is not a destination; it is a calling. It is a way of being. It’s not a medal that anyone can just pin onto their chest. Some people may view the black sash as the zenith in martial arts, others view it as the start of their journey having learned the basics. True leaders would see that their business card with the word “Director” being an enabler for growth – for them and for those around them.

Some may argue that to be a leader, you need to be in a position where you can influence the business and influence the hearts and minds of those around you. I would say that this doesn’t necessarily start when you get to the mythical job title within your organisation that you consider elite.

From the moment you walk into the office on your first day of work, you can start to work on your leadership Kung Fu. You might be working in the mail room, but you can influence people to optimise the processes. You might be an assistant, but you can interact with the others and seek to learn from them. Regardless of what stage of the leadership journey you are on, continuous improvement is the key.

Being a leader is something that you work on every day of your working life. People will “follow” you long before you are promoted to a particular job title or position. People will listen to you because they see that you have put the work in to understand. People will believe in your confidence and try to replicate your commitment. You will inspire them with the everyday things that you do, and they will grow just by standing next to you.

I remember my first ever Kung Fu Instructor saying something along the lines of “It’s not the colour of the sash that’s important; it’s consistently demonstrating that you have the determination and discipline to continuously work hard towards your goals. This is what will define you.” But how is your leadership Kung Fu? What is the answer to this question? Actually you will probably get a better idea if you don’t answer directly yourself. It’s those that you work with who should be answering.

What do you think they will say? Do you practice “good” leadership Kung Fu or not?