

Anyone who has gone through exercises in strategic planning, tax planning, product design, marketing, talent management, or any other business task should immediately see the parallelisms.

The business applications of Musashi’s teachings should come as no surprise. And, just as a samurai would likely lose a duel by forcing the wrong technique into any combat situation, you would also fail in business by trying to fill a market void with the wrong idea, product, or service. Filling a market void is the driving force of every business. Emptiness: Finally, and most importantly, you must be able to apply the aforementioned qualities depending on the situation.Market trends, opportunities, and threats are only visible to those who are alert. Wind: You must learn constantly from your competitors and be at the forefront of innovation in order to stay ahead.Fire: You must be able to process new information quickly and act decisively in order to seize high-value opportunities before your competitors do, and to overcome sudden serious obstacles.Water: You must have the ability to think with fluidity and flexibility in order to look at problems from different points of view, reformulate the current strategy when necessary, and often reinterpret your own knowledge of the industry to assess new opportunities and threats.Earth: You must have a solid understanding of your industry, a clear vision for the future of your business, a sound strategy to follow, and a resilient personality to deal with uncertainty, contradiction, and stress.The Best Memorial Day Mattress Sales For Steep Savings And Better Sleep The samurai master must become one with his sword, contemplate all techniques at once, and choose the best technique at every single moment until victory is achieved. Emptiness: Once a samurai has mastered the combat techniques resulting from the first four elements, he must then let go of everything he knows by forsaking any preference for one technique over another.Wind: A samurai must be alert of his surroundings in order to use topography, weather, lights, and shadows to his advantage, while also learning from his opponent so as to use his skills against him.

Fierceness is key to creating opportunities and seizing them. Fire: A samurai must be vigorous, able to move quickly in any direction, strike his sword cleanly at any angle, and shift directions in the blink of an eye, thus forcing his opponent to retreat and make mistakes.Water: A samurai must be able to move his body and handle his sword in a fluid yet overwhelming fashion, thus imposing his own rhythm in combat while disrupting that of his opponent.Earth: A samurai must have rigorous knowledge of swordsmanship, practice with discipline, stand firmly, and keep good balance.
