Hero's Code

Empowerment matters

Everyone seems to be for it, few openly oppose it and yet I have seen lots of companies struggle with empowerment in action.  There is apparent nobility in the idea of some abstract person or other having more power to act.  Yet when it comes to their direct reports, many managers feel less than comfortable to allow true empowerment to flourish.

So what is empowerment anyway?  How often do we fool ourselves into thinking that we really “understand” what other people mean?  The devil is in the detail and you know that words have power.

I was reading an article in the journal “Patient Education and Counseling” which reported the results of research that examined doctors’ use of euphemisms and their impact on patients’ beliefs about their health.  One of the current trends in primary care is to respect patient autonomy and move toward shared decision making when it comes to treatment. However, there is a bit of problem here.

Research shows that patients do better when doctors use the phrase ‘there is fluid on your lungs because your heart is not pumping hard enough’ rather than the more direct, medically correct – and blunt term – ‘heart failure.’  The emotive power of words can damage our health.  They can also damage our personal and organisational wealth.

If you want to explore this idea for yourself pop into your nearest organisation facing the “change or slow death” dilemma.  Interview a sample of senior managers and ask them what they mean – specifically - by empowerment. We might expect there would be a reasonable consensus when it comes to this meaning, but like me you might be surprised.

In his book “Deep Change”, Robert Quinn found that views of empowerment split into two main camps that we could call “mechanistic” or “organic.”

The first group believe that empowerment is about delegation and accountability – a top-down process in which senior management produce a vision and they then communicate specific plans and assignments to the rest of the team.  In this approach, decisions are delegated to the lowest appropriate level.

The second group believe that empowerment is about risk taking, growth and change.  In this viewpoint empowerment was about trusting people and tolerating their imperfections.  When it came to rules, these managers understood that existing structures might just act as a barrier to excellence.  Rather than asking permission, managers in this group expected their subordinates to seek forgiveness when necessary.  In a real way, organisational members were expected to act as entrepreneurs and risk takers.

The trick here is not go to get fooled into thinking that this model or any other is the truth.  Like all models, this one might be a useful lie. Good enough until a better one comes along.
The point is, if you are in an organisation undergoing change that talks about empowering its people yet without too much to show for all the talk, you might just check what managers really believe when they talk about empowerment.

Abuse of technology

A British study found that workers distracted by phone calls, e-mails and text messages suffer a greater loss of IQ than a person smoking marijuana.

The constant interruptions reduce productivity and leave people feeling tired and lethargic, according to a survey carried out by TNS Research and commissioned by Hewlett Packard.

The survey of 1,100 Britons showed:

• Almost two out three people check their electronic messages out of office hours and when on holiday
• Half of all workers respond to an e-mail within 60 minutes of receiving one
• One in five will break off from a business or social engagement to respond to a message.

Nine out of 10 people thought colleagues who answered messages during face-to-face meetings were rude, while three out of 10 believed it was not only acceptable, but a sign of diligence and efficiency.

But the mental impact of trying to balance a steady inflow of messages with getting on with normal work took its toll, the Press Association reported. In 80 clinical trials, Dr. Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King's College London University, monitored the IQ of workers throughout the day.

He found the IQ of those who tried to juggle messages and work fell by 10 points -- the equivalent to missing a whole night's sleep and more than double the 4-point fall seen after smoking marijuana. This is a very real and widespread phenomenon, Wilson said.

We have found that this obsession with looking at messages, if unchecked, will damage a worker's performance by reducing their mental sharpness. Companies should encourage a more balanced and appropriate way of working. Wilson said the IQ drop was even more significant in the men who took part in the tests The research suggests that we are in danger of being caught up in a 24-hour 'always on' society, said David Smith of Hewlett Packard. This is more worrying when you consider the potential impairment on performance and concentration for workers, and the consequent impact on businesses.

Gandhi’s visionary lesson

A visionary leader goes deep into the core of the organisation and touches the root issues – the issues of bread and salt.  Curiously, very few senior executives are ever able to do so and therefore are destined to struggle with the challenge of aligning the operational present with the developmental future. 
So – what do I mean by “bread and salt.”

In the early part of his career, Mohandas Gandhi successfully confronted some forms of discrimination in South Africa.  His reputation meant that when he returned home to India he was encouraged to get involved in politics.  He chose to take a long journey through his homeland instead.  On his travels, Gandhi endured pretty unpleasant conditions as he patiently listened to the peasants in villages and farms across India and observed their environment.

Shortly after this, at a political convention, the country’s top politicians gave rousing speeches calling for home rule and expulsion of the British.  The audience largely agreed with these sentiments and expressed their support.

Finally, it was the turn of the unpretentious Gandhi to speak.  As you might expect, when he was introduced people started to leave their seats and wander around the convention floor.

Gandhi talked about the “authentic” India he saw.  In his low-key way he pointed out that the citizens of India didn’t care for a single moment who was ruling the country. They could care less about home rule.  What they cared most about was bread and salt.  Their lives were hard and focused on issues of survival.  Gandhi’s view was that unless the politicians understood the real issues – bread and salt – the voters would simply be replacing the British tyrants with Indian ones.

As Gandhi continued to speak, the audience gradually returned to their seats and began to listen much more intently.  Curiously, this small, unassuming man was communicating something of deep importance to a whole nation.

Gandhi had journeyed through the country and through his deep reflections captured the true essence of India.  Here he was, expressing this in a way that touched the hearts and minds of his listeners. When we really think about it, such articulation is often at the heart of deep and radical change.

The term radical derives from the Latin word for “root.”  To make radical, effective change one must go to the root, origin or archetype.  For a vision to be influential it should reflect the insight of the individual or group that has gone to the root and deeply contemplated the core issues.  Gandhi’s vision was based on such a reflection and was powerfully rooted in both facts and values.  Because of this it was able to inspire passion.

It is sometimes difficult for executives to be in touch with bread and salt issues because the way information is filtered as it slithers through an organisation.  The messages an executive receives are polished, filtered and massaged through many hands.  In a hierarchy, we can seldom know what is truly going on below us.  And you know, some executives are not comfortable being around the “masses.”

Is the truth in India or elsewhere that isolated and insulated people cannot succeed in motivating others for long?  Think back to some of the vision documents you have seen.  If they are frail and lack the ability to inspire, they communicate a lack of coherence. They have no resonance with the group they are meant to inspire. In fact the note sounds hollow or discordant.  The “walk” of management will almost certainly not match their “talk” - and soon the vision document slides silently into decay and obsolescence.

Email mind virus - but a useful one?

A couple of days ago a good friend sent me one of those emails that has a suggested benefit from passing it on. Trouble was it was a hoax.

The same day I received another email suggesting that I read the short message in the powerpoint file attached and pass it on - with a karmic benefit for doing so. This was clearly yet again a meme - a mind virus.

It points to a benefit for passing on to others - the greater the number touched by this the greater the benefit.
Interestingly I see no "down side" for not acting to pass it on. So Im passing this on.

So why do I mention this.
Well it was definitely a message with a mind virus. But I believe a good one.
For students of mind viruses and memes the message presupposes a number of things that can't be proven.

I have transcribed the message below for you - complete apart from the Chinese lettering.
If you want to look at the original files you can download them from my public .Mac site at the following link.
They have been scanned for viruses etc.

http://homepage.mac.com/jonesderek/FileSharing13.html

So what do you think of this.

The way I look at this no one ever got hung for passing on good thoughts.
Hmmm...

****************** Begin *******
This is a nice reading, but short. Enjoy! This is what The Dalai Lama has to say for 2005. All it takes is a few seconds to read and think over. Do not keep this message. The mantra must leave your hands within 96 hours. You will get a very pleasant surprise. This is true for all – even if you are not superstitious… or of whatever religious belief… Faith…

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R’s: Respect for self, Respect for other’s and Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

FORWARD THIS MANTRA E-MAIL TO AT LEAST 5 PEOPLE AND YOUR LIFE WILL IMPROVE

0-4 people: Your life will improve slightly.
5-9 people: Your life will improve to your liking.
9-14 people:You will have at least 5 surprises in the next 3 weeks.
15 people & over: Your life will improve drastically and everything you ever dreamed of will begin to take shape.
Do not keep this message. The mantra must leave your hand within 96 hours. You will get a very pleasant surprise…

******** End *********

How do you see beliefs?

I have written a few times about beliefs. Today I want to write about them in a fairly analytical way.  Belief systems have a number of peculiarities that set them apart from facts and set them apart from other "systems."

Belief systems are not consensual.  Different beliefs may well result in different interpretations of the same  phenomena.  For example, depending on one's beliefs, the "generation gap" results from insensitive and restrictive parents - or from ungrateful and immoral children. 

One's beliefs can influence intrepretations of relatively secure facts; for example, some smokers refuse to believe that smoking causes cancer.

Beliefs deal with conceptual entities such as the generation gap, the supernatural, extrasensory perception or karma.  Things thta you can't generally carry in a wheelbarrow.  Thus an entity that exists in one belief system may be absent in another.

Sometimes beliefs represent alternative worlds; typically "the world as it should be."  Ideologies often have implicit alternative world views.

Beliefs have an evaluative or affective component. So events tend to be good or bad, to invoke pleasure or displeasure.  We could conceive of two types of affect. One involves the world divided up into good and bad things for example.  A second aspect of affect is how it influences the operation of a system.

Beliefs may be built on subjective experiences or episodes.  Logical, rational deductions may be based on a subjective event.  For example, an elaborate theory may be constructed around an event that was believed to occur but that actually did not.  An example is the N-Ray episode I wrote about yesterday.

One does not know, a priori, what knowledge is relevant to a belief. The knowledge pertinent to a medical diagnosis of cancer, for example, can be codified fairly easily.  It is less easy to decide what is irrelevant to conceptual entities such as, for example - the sexual promiscuity of today's youth

Credibility and emotion interact when it comes to evaluation.  One may believe  something is true with real passion; or there may be no emotional investment at all in a particular belief.

These charateristics make reasoning from belief much more complicated than reasoning from facts or measurable uncertainties. No wonder it isn't easy.

Alien Beliefs

These days I play in a world of consulting and coaching where human attitudes and beliefs, whether spoken or not, are fundamental to behaviour and success. I can never infer or deduce another's thoughts from the hints in what they say or what they do. However, it is truly amazing what can happen when any of us gets to examine a crusty old, unconscious belief that has shaped and maybe limited our lives for so long. In a moment, we can be free of it and our whole life takes a different course.  Society has long been fascinated by the attitudes and beliefs that shape human behaviour - messy and challenging indeed.

In the past my world was one of academic research and scholarship.  You would think that this domain of objectivity would be immune to the vagaries of human beliefs. Not so.  Aliens would know better.  Scientist's are actually human and as prone to belief-itis as the rest of us.

Now just imagine what aliens might think.  I was watching an oldish TV show "3rd Rock from the Sun" on TV the other day. You may not have seen it but it portrays the comic attempts of a family of aliens trying to fit into our modern society.  They actually manage to get along pretty well with humans.  It's a funny programme.  The aliens are interesting and a lot more fun than the humans I have to say.

Of course, a group of aliens would be caught in five minutes in my town. Humans are far too strange and irrational.  In my town we get up really early in the morning then head off in all directions in metal machines with wheels. We drive really fast in opposite directions with just a painted line and bit of belief to keep us apart. Sometimes the lines don't make a difference.

You know, the aliens would start to learn our rules in order to fit in but they would quickly spot some flaws in human logic. When are you supposed to do X? - and when are you supposed not to? 

Everybody here seems to know. We have some expected behaviours.  But we don't understand any of it. We only do it because long ago we forgot how this all started. We aren't paying attention any more to the ideas, attitudes and beliefs that shape our behaviour.

The aliens might enjoy a conversation with a person who speaks only facts. The type of conversation you could just imagine having with an official who refuses to give a personal opinion, make a prediction of the future or offer an explanation for the past.

Instead, suppose they overheard the testimony of a couple of police officers;

"We were called to the scene at 11:57 and found the suspect holding two hostages. We overpowered the suspect without injury to any party. The suspect is now undergoing psychological evaluation"

What they do not say is that they believe the suspect is guilty, he is nuts, they believe he is a drug abusing sadist, that they were terrified whilst overpowering him, that they sincerely hope he gets the maximum sentence possible and so on.

Police officers rightly stick to the facts; at least whilst they are on duty.  Afterwards they are as full of opinion, belief, innuendo, prejudice and emotion as the rest of us.

In this example, the distinction between belief and fact is amplified to make the point that so much of human discourse and confusion lies in the beliefs, speculations, predictions and desires of all of us. Beliefs are real enough to create impact but lie beneath the surface of our communications like icebergs.

I wish I could tell you that science was more objective.  However, this has never been true and is not today.  Long ago, Sir Isaac Newton failed to report absorption lines in the prismatic solar spectrum, though they would have been clearly visible with the apparatus he was using. The most likely explanation for his failure to see them is that he held theoretically based expectations that such phenomena should not exist.  Because he believed they did not exist, he failed to see them, or at least to note their presence.

While Newton failed to see something that did exist, scientists of the early twentieth century saw something that did not exist. First reported by Rene Blondlot in 1903, "N-rays" appeared to make reflected light more intense.

During the period 1903-1906, some 120 trained scientists published almost 300 articles on the origins and characteristics of this spurious radiation, the so-called N rays. So long as they were believed to exist, the effects of N-rays were "observed" by many scientists. Of course, once it was determined that N-rays did not exist, their effects ceased to be observed.

You have all heard the expression "I will believe it when I see it."  However, Dale Purves studying the neuroscience of vision at Duke University has suggested that actually the truth is often closer to the statement "I see it because I believe it."  Vision is to some extent a reflex activity in which what we perceive is biased by our conditioned expectation of what should be.

Twenty years ago, belief systems were a serious topic of research in the field of artificial intelligence and decision theory. A quick scan of the academic literature today shows that belief systems are still a serious topic of research. Whilst some of the world seeks to understand the rest of us will do what we can.

Who will die for our vision?

Isn't language wonderful?  The way we communicate person to person can bring us to tears or take us to war.  We can change the path of our lives based on hearing a few words. 

Even realising this now, brings enormous power.  We no longer should hallucinate that we "know what people mean" just because of what we heard them say.  We can start to spot more and more the lack of detail in what people tell us.  One of the gifts that NLP brought me is greater awareness of how we can all use language to greater effect.  If we are going to be involved in crafting vision statements we need all the help we can get.

Recently I was asked by an acquaintance to "take a look at" their vision and mission statement.  The senior managers of this company had given themselves three months to come up with a vision statement.  I imagine it is no surprise to you to learn that they had spent a couple of months, produced dozens of drafts and they still felt no closer to something they could really live with.

Now not too long ago, securing a position in a company like this one would have meant a job for life.  Things have changed.  Members of this organisation, like many others, are facing an uncertain future and the notion of a generating a meaningful vision was a sound one.  After all, a vision could allow alignment of the hearts and minds of everyone for the greater good. 

However, in so many organisations there are problems with this.  First of all, the visioning effort rarely seems to come up with something that is persuasive, exciting or passionate.  Those involved produce a vision without life.  Worst of all, is the tendency, even when the senior team do manage to generate a vision they can live with - they don't live with it!  The CEO or top team behave in ways that are not consistent with their communicated vision.

Behaviour which is incongruent with the words and spirit of a vision is an important issue.  A friend of mine  once asked a similar group of leaders, "Who is willing to die for this vision?"  No one spoke up from the uncomfortable silence.  A bit extreme perhaps - but there is an important point here.

In most, if not all teams, there are political undertones.  When engaged in a visioning exercise they will tend to forge a bunch of abstract generalities into a statement to which no one will object.  Along the way, the words get fuzzy and the passion in the details gets lost - all in the name of avoiding pain.

I just wonder though, whether a worthwhile vision ever came from an individual or group engaged in painless compromise.

Compromise statements are empty words that are not inspiring because they are not visionary at all.  Statements that are not motivating don't produce the desired change of behaviour and everyone all too clearly sees that the talk is meaningless.

Developing a vision is extremely difficult because it involves confronting any lack of integrity that exists in the system.  Few people seem to be up to this exercise.  When people in an organisation express a need for clarity and a useful vision, it might just irritate the senior team who may feel inadequate about their ability to provide just that.

Careful wishes

Last week was interesting because it allowed me to see into a world that I don't often get to play in these days.  I held a research methodology course for a group of new post-graduate research students at my local university. 

Now I don't know about you, but many people who aren't involved in research tend to think that it is difficult.  After all, the idea is that these folks are working at the edge of the "state of the art" in a field of activity.  It's a case of the StarTrek mentality - they have to "boldly go!" and the emotion that this invokes is sometimes more fear and uncertainty than useful curiosity. 

The students I worked with came along to day one with an expectation that "This  is going to be a difficult week!"  If I achieved anything at all last week, it was to install a better belief about their personal ability to develop an excellent research project and enjoy the process.  The curious think for all of us is that we often don't notice now the beliefs that don't serve any purpose but to hold us back.

I generally tell people these days that I will refuse to work with them if they are miserable and that our work together should be fun - or I don't want to play.  Now - sometimes I get blank looks - but more and more as the week goes on we will all find greater energy, greater progress and better ideas are just on tap. 

Although I might not get into explaining why fun can seem to work so well -after all, it is much better to get the realisation by doing certain things and seeing the results for themselves - the simple answer is that our state determines the behaviours that are possible for us all.  And - our behaviours lead directly to our results. 

Now what I mean by fun needs to be appropriate to the situation. The point is, to choose a state that is resourceful.

I don't know about you, but I meet people all the time who want help with goal setting or something like that.  They have a problem and they wan't that to go away, but they haven't realised that it's best to always think through what they really do want.  People make the big mistake of thinking of what they haven't got or what they can't do.  They have a little voice that pops up and talks to them. Their self-talk stops them from sleeping and keeps drawing their attention on this miserable gritty, grimy problem stuff.

They need to understand, to dream of what is possible instead.  Now they know they don't like this internal dialogue and want to shut it off.  Yes you can shut it off, but you can also tune to a different voice.  In his book "Time for a Change" Richard Bandler points out.

They could talk inside themselves like Mozart. They'd have an opera motivating them. Then they'd want to keep all their voices. They'd have a great laugh like Mozart. Their world would resonate with music and excitement instead of nasty voices whining and screeching.

When people focus just on what they want and need in their lives that is exactly what they receive - more want and more need.

Principle of Accommodation

Nature’s way is simple and easy, But men prefer what is intricate and artificial
- Lao Tzu

Many people are so goal oriented they forget that the process of moving toward our goals is more than half the fun.  Just as gravity is certain and ever present and so is the law of accommodation.  Most of us can’t trust this law because we have self-doubt or lack of awareness that this principle exists.

We are obsessed with “Can I really do this?” rather than “HOW can I do this?”

Sports people, martial artists and successful people from all walks of life know that progress is actually pretty mechanical.  If you practice something over time, with attention to details, with persistence and willpower then improvement has to happen.

OK - Yes I know that the degree of improvement will depend on a number of factors.  There is most certainly going to be one thing that each of us can be World-Class in.  A number of things we can excel in and even more we can be good at.  Anyone who practices over time can be competent, even expert, in a chosen endeavour.

By listening to the small silent voice that surfaces within us - as desire - we can sometimes identify our unique talent that can make us world class.  Some people would call that spirit seeking expression.

Here is a simple physical way to understand how this law works.

Choose a physical activity that is presently a little beyond your reach:
It may be a push-up, a sit-up, a one-arm push-up, touching your toes or one of a million things.

Once you have chosen your feat, attempt it several times in the morning and again in the evening.  Do this every day.

With each attempt, you are asking your body to change.  Ask politely – don’t force it – don’t overdo it – but be consistent.

Don’t set any goals, time limits, or specific numbers of attempts to do each day.  Some days you may do more and some less.  Don’t visualise an outcome.  Continue this for a month and see what happens.

Without really trying, you will find that in this relaxed way you will have improved.  Your body will accommodate your polite request.

The principle can be applied to make desired changes in your life.  The principle applies to more than just physical matters.

Achieving desired outcomes is a natural result of relaxed practice over time, and consistently pushing toward the edge of your comfort zone (but not through).  Going through the comfort zone is painful and gets quick results but they may not be lasting if it hurts too much. This way may be longer but perhaps the results will cost less emotionally to achieve and be more permanent.  Of course, goal setting, visualising and writing down goals will help too. 

Last winter in Wellington - Your personal Haka

One of the abilities that successful people have is an ability to trip instantly into a highly resourceful state. Sometimes that state might be relaxed and calm - other times high adrenaline.

On a trip to New Zealand I found a way to get into state that appealed to my love of martial arts as well as my interest in state mastery.

Ignite the Breath – States for Success
It’s a wet winter morning near Wellington. As the prison gates open the tattooed warrior approaches. Spring-like steps and moving rapidly toward us with his taiaha at the ready he halts now at the threshold. With wild-eyes and threatening gesture the line is drawn and a single fern leaf is placed for us, the visitors. My hair stands on end.

As the warrior withdraws from the line, our leader advances to lift the leaf. 
In the old days one wrong gesture now and all hell would break out here. The leaf is lifted correctly and we advance slowly forward.

Resourceful states
I am blessed to be able to work with some amazing people. Although I might be coaching them for their benefit it is impossible not to benefit personally. Successful people – particularly happy and successful people - always have strategies, and often-unconscious ones, that they are using to shape their lives and those of their publics.

I can just ask these folks, “Now just suppose I were you in this situation. If I had to be you, what would you be thinking and feeling?” A chance to step inside someone’s shoes and try bits of their strategies on for size is a real bonus. It’s not that I want to copy. Actually, there is always a way to just get better and better.

One thing I really like to know is how people get into resourceful states for great performance. 

The drum
Just recently I was talking with a friend about generating energy and excitement in the work place. I really liked what he did in his last company to get his sales people into state. David had a big Japanese Taiko drum on the floor of his open plan office. When one of the team made a sale they would rush over and beat the drum for a couple of minutes.

If you have ever been near these drums you can appreciate there is a strong urge just to beat them – it sounds good and feels good. It literally resonates through everyone and creates an instant physiological response. Everyone in that space gets entrained to the rhythm. Hmm.. maybe not appropriate for every situation but it certainly had a powerful effect.

Often we can see that even highly successful people use fear as a personal motivator. I coached a man who was Ernst & Young’s World Entrepreneur of the Year. He built a multi-national technology business from nothing and you would expect him to know a few things about facing entrepreneurial fear.

He commented that he could be in the darkest emotional space and know that in a few moments he would have to change his state and be upbeat in front of his management and staff. He focused on how he would be letting people down if he didn’t perform; his family, his friends, his team were visualized around him and from that negative space he found the energy source inside to perform. He had an unconscious strategy to engage overdrive.

So what works for you?

That day in Wellington allowed me to engage with a prison unit established to rekindle the traditional spirit and values of the Maori in those who have lost their roots. Far from being a soft option this was for the inmates a hard way of returning to spirit.

For many people the closest they get to the Maori way is to glimpse the All Blacks on TV. I think of Mr Lomu lined up to intimidate the opposition. Who wouldn’t be! The Maori haka is normally associated with performing a war dance. It is a generally recognised as a symbol of defiance performed on the rugby field by the All Blacks. Yet the haka has a number of deeper meanings.

HA means breath.
KA means to ignite, to energise.

Therefore HAKA can mean to "ignite the breath". 
A way to ignite the breath, energise the body and inspire the spirit!

A great Maori haka expert Henare Teowai of the Ngati Porou tribe said this about performing the haka

"kia korero te katoa o te tinana (the whole body speaks)".

When performing the haka the whole body literally speaks using the combined energies of movement, sound and emotion. Interestingly, reversing the order of the syllables in the word HAKA produces KAHA which means STRENGTH in Maori.

The haka, Ka Mate, an abbreviated version of which is used by the All-Blacks, was composed in response to a great personal challenge where the composer was facing possible death. The words invoke feelings of acceptance and resignation facing death that the samurai of Japan sought as the state of no-mind.

So what, you ask?
Well - Why not take the spirit of the haka to get into a resourceful state when you need it?
If I lead a corporate group through the haka they don’t need to be taught the meaning – they get it anyway.

Create your own haka. A personal ritual that ignites your energy and resolve. What thoughts and memories can you recall right now that put you in a powerful state of mind and body? Remember a time again when you felt really inspired? We all have lots of times like this. So what were you saying? How were you standing? Feel the energy flow through you once more.  Notice the feelings that swirl through your body and see them grow and grow.

Adopt these same movements, feelings and memories into your own haka sequence. It may only be a couple of movements with one or two key words. The intensity and passion is simply more important than the complexity. 

Use this ritual to ignite your breath and power up your energy against your own worst enemy. Yourself.

Psyche yourself up to be your very best.  Each day.

Kia rite, Kia rite
Kia mau Hii!
Ringa pakia
Waewae takahia
Kia kino nei hoki

Thanks to my friend and true Maori warrior Hirini Reedy for his guidance on Maori Warrior arts