Everyday Leadership Series (16) - Leadership Lessons from Bruce Lee

When making Enter the Dragon, Bruce Lee was already an international superstar, although many in Hollywood did not treat him with the level of respect doled out to other A-listers. As a result, when executives tried to cut out all the philosophy, Lee refused to go on set for two weeks. He eventually won this battle before his untimely death and the release of the movie.

After Lee died, a journal was found with his everyday musings. His notes express his personal philosophies on self-development, confidence, and achieving greatness. Here are five takeaways for leaders striving to find their inner kung fu master. These quotes are taken directly from Lee’s writings.

Willpower: Recognizing that the power of will is the supreme court over all over departments of my mind, I will exercise it daily, when I need the urge to action for any purpose; and I will form habit designed to bring the power of my will into action at least once daily.

Emotion: Realizing that my emotions are both positive and negative I will form daily habits which will encourage the development of the positive emotions, and aid me in converting the negative emotions into some form of useful action.

Reason: Recognizing that both my positive & negative emotions may be dangerous if they are not controlled and guided to desirable ends, I will submit all my desires, aims and purposes to my faculties of reason, and I will be guided by it in giving expression to these.

Imagination: Recognizing the need for sound plans and ideas for the attainment of my desires, I will develop my imagination by calling upon it daily for help in the formation of my plans.

Memory: Recognizing the value of an alert memory, I will encourage mine to become alert by taking care to impress it clearly with all thoughts I wish to recall, and by associating those thoughts with related subjects which I may call to mind frequently.

Bruce Lee once said, “a punch is just a punch.” (Not to be confused with Freud’s apocryphal quote “sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”) Bruce was essentially talking about the learning process and the winding path to expertise. The journey to becoming an expert fighter begins and ends in the same place, albeit with new understanding and context. And so it is with becoming an expert leader.

First, let’s take a closer look at Bruce’s full quote in context:

“Before I learned the art, a punch was just a punch, and a kick, just a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick, no longer a kick. Now that I understand the art, a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick.”

Having trained in the martial arts for many years, I can relate to this quote. I remember those initial training sessions where limbs flailed without precision or purpose. I saw a difference in my strikes versus those thrown by my instructors. Initially, I couldn’t comprehend what those differences actually were, nor how my instructors’ movements carried speed and power with such apparent effortlessness.

I sought to understand the nuances of a punch. I broke down each individual component, from fist formation to striking angle. I learned how to stay fast and loose until the point of impact, and then to immediately relax that tension once again. I learned different ways of punching, and the corresponding times to use each strike. I read books by karate masters. I watched videos of skilled martial artists. I absorbed as much information as I could, and soon my brain was completely overloaded. A punch was no longer a punch.

As I assimilated each new piece of information, I practiced. Over and over and over. I remember the internal frustration of knowing I wasn’t doing it quite right; I was overthinking, I was too tense, I lacked control. I tried to incorporate the teachings of my instructors, even if those teachings seemed nebulous and esoteric at the time. Eventually, these “mysteries” were revealed to me. Not through some magical revelation, but through my dogged determination to understand and apply critical concepts. Gradually, my punches increased in speed and power. My focus and control improved, along with my vision, anticipation, distancing and timing. I found myself no longer thinking about punching or kicking, but rather doing these things — or perhaps more accurately, experiencing these techniques. There is an aspect of Japanese martial arts called “mushin,” which loosely translates to “no-mindedness.” After many years, I had reached the point where my technique was absent of thought and unburdened by the interference of intellect. Once again, a punch was just a punch, and a kick was just a kick.

This same process is applicable to leadership. At first, we don’t know what we don’t know, and we may suffer from the delusion that we are more skilled than we actually are. As an instructor, I see new students manifest my same initial shortcomings. Most people walk into a dojo thinking they know how to throw a basic punch. You just ball up your fist and let ‘er rip, right? And so it goes with leadership — you just tell people what to do and wait for them to do it, right?

Unfortunately, a poorly thrown punch can land you flat on your back, and a poorly executed leadership strategy can be even more devastating. Maybe you don’t realize that you are micromanaging, or failing to set expectations. Maybe you don’t know that you are a poor communicator. Maybe you don’t realize that you’re a know-it-all, or that you’re exhibiting favoritism, or that you are failing to empower your team. But you have a sense something is not quite right, and you see other effective leaders and want to be more like them.

This is the time to go to the proverbial woodshed. Begin with an honest assessment of your leadership qualities and shortcomings. This may require ongoing work with your internal HR team or an outside coach/consultant. It’s time to read, to absorb, to ask questions, to pursue training, and yes, to practice. This practice may be as simple as sitting quietly in the next meeting, letting your team do their job without your input. It may be setting time aside on a regular basis to ensure you are properly communicating timelines and expectations on a key project. You might practice reaching out to a colleague in a different department and inquiring about ways to effectively work together.

Importantly, stand on the backs of giants that have gone before us. Think of an effective leader you admire. Consider the skill they have in engaging people. Chances are this individual is an excellent listener. They are empathetic, and able to coalesce disparate ideas into a concisely defined plan. They seek valuable input from multiple sources and garner buy-in as they implement action plans. They are passionate, engaged, and command respect without being overbearing and autocratic. The people on their team are strong advocates for both the leader and the organization. These leaders are seemingly effortless in their ability to get positive results.

But you know better. Becoming an exceptional leader requires the ability and humility to recognize shortcomings, but not accept them. It requires the willful desire and consistent discipline to improve. It begins with conscious thought, which leads to learning strategies and techniques, which leads to analysis paralysis. Eventually, through practice and development of proper “muscle memory”, you achieve mushin — no-mindedness. And you are an effective leader. Because after all, a leader is just a leader.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Are you Leading?

Dr. Deepak A. Patil

CEO, Lead ThySelf