{"id":991,"date":"2011-05-24T09:50:43","date_gmt":"2011-05-24T14:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.business-ownermagazine.com\/?p=991"},"modified":"2016-10-12T10:14:53","modified_gmt":"2016-10-12T15:14:53","slug":"business-secrets-of-the-samurai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/2011\/05\/business-secrets-of-the-samurai\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Secrets Of The Samurai"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You might think that a business manager, whose leadership style is based in martial arts, would be quick to lead by intimidation. For Robert St. Louis, a vice president of operations with a fifth-degree black belt in Kobudo, nothing could be further from the truth.<\/p>\n<p>As a manager, St. Louis is a believer in leading as a samurai warrior in its most literal sense. \u201cThe term samurai means, \u2018To serve.\u2019 If I\u2019m serving, as well as leading others, then I\u2019m doing my job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>St. Louis, 45, is a soft-spoken executive for a medical components manufacturer in St. Paul, Minn. This native of Milwaukee, Wisc.., began learning martial arts as an 11-year-old.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy baseball coach told me that I needed to find another sport,\u201d St. Louis said. \u201cIt was shortly after his blunt assessment of my baseball ability that I began observing a martial arts instructor through the window of a karate school. I was in awe of his control and grace. I\u2019ve been involved in the martial arts ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Teaching others\u2014the highest honor<\/strong><br \/>\nIn 1990, after studying for seven years in Japan, St. Louis began teaching martial arts himself. It\u2019s in the teaching of others that he is most passionate. St. Louis sees teaching as the highest measurement of a person\u2019s legacy and an obligation he holds dear as a manager.<\/p>\n<p>St. Louis recalled how one of his young karate students articulated what he tries to accomplish on a daily basis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of my students, a 12-year-old girl, gave me a plaque with a quote that really touched me\u2014it read, \u2018What nobler profession, or more valuable to the state, than that of the person who instructs the rising generation,\u2019\u201d St. Louis said.<\/p>\n<p>Continual learning and an awareness of what\u2019s going on around you are as essential to business as they are martial arts. St. Louis shared how the book \u201cThe Art of War\u201d encourages one to look beyond that which is staring you in the face. Look at your situation from every angle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWorking the periphery of an organization can pay big dividends,\u201d St. Louis said. \u201cThere is always more to a problem than the most obvious. One can make progress by gaining support on the perimeter of an issue or a company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Confrontation is a last resort<\/strong><br \/>\nMartial arts teachings reveal that the extreme amount of energy exuded in confrontation often is the least fruitful option. In business, St. Louis reminds people to always be aware that a partner, client or adversary is seeking a \u201cwhat\u2019s in it for them\u201d resolution. St. Louis also contends that if someone is presenting an idea that is only good for one side, it\u2019s wise to clarify any potential pitfall that may occur down the road. Think about the vision of where you want to be in the future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we work together, what can we accomplish?\u201d St. Louis said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dealing with adversity\u2014practice makes perfect<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen St. Louis teaches business seminars, he leans heavily on the teachings he learned growing up. In the movie \u201cThe Karate Kid,\u201d the master instructed the student to practice one move over and over again. Through this kind of practice, one learns patience. Patience not only allows us to refine our skills, but understand ourselves.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen a company arrives at this point of understanding, that\u2019s when a paradigm shift can occur,\u201d St. Louis noted.<\/p>\n<p>When one has refined a technique to its maximum point and strong results aren\u2019t being seen, it\u2019s time to move on to another way, or a better way, of doing things.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is through the process of refinement that we strengthen the spirit of the employee, so that their skill can be called upon reflexively,\u201d St. Louis said. \u201cUltimately, this method of skill refinement produces an intense and positive result. The type of martial arts I teach is called Kobudo. At its best, Kobudo produces a type of spirit or energy. In business, it\u2019s exciting when you can overcome adversity and actually feel the energy in your organization.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In any business situation, it helps to have confidence in the person or company you\u2019re doing business with. This confidence comes about through practice. By repeatedly demonstrating positive results, others gain confidence in your ability. When the key decision agents have confidence in you, they are relaxed and can act quickly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Empowerment in the workplace<\/strong><br \/>\nMartial arts should not be rigid. When practiced correctly, it\u2019s about flow, grace and dynamic energy. St. Louis believes that a good manager, as well as one\u2019s work environment, should be open and dynamic.<\/p>\n<p>A good work environment is all about maximizing people, equipment and the organization\u2019s focus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf our company is using all of its strengths, then I should be able to create an environment where others can excel,\u201d St. Louis said. \u201cAs a manager, I have two choices: Either I am draining the energy of my people or am I getting them excited about the opportunities presented here. I need to have people feeling involved. Involvement is the key to empowerment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lead with the future in mind<\/strong><br \/>\nFor St. Louis, conversations about martial arts or business regularly come back to teaching. He revels in what he\u2019s learned from his martial arts master instructors. His eyes light up when he speaks of a prot\u00e9g\u00e9 who has been promoted four times in the past two years. He humbly acknowledges those who have shared quotes, insights and encouragement that he can pass along to others. It\u2019s all about giving back and continuing a legacy that has inspired him since he was 11 years old.<\/p>\n<p>St. Louis summed up how he\u2019s married his martial arts training into the business principles that guide him today.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I teach one person and they teach one person, the art continues in a very subtle and gentle way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gentle is the last word you\u2019d expect as a guidepost from a fifth-degree black belt. Then again, Robert St. Louis would smile if you said he\u2019s not what you expected. Just as there is a Yin for every Yang, a samurai will tell you it\u2019s wise to expect the unexpected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>You might think that a business manager, whose leadership style is based in martial arts, would be quick to lead by intimidation. For Robert St. Louis, a vice president of operations with a fifth-degree black <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/2011\/05\/business-secrets-of-the-samurai\/\" title=\"Business Secrets Of The Samurai\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[294,293,214],"class_list":{"0":"post-991","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business-management","8":"tag-manufacturer","9":"tag-robert-st-louis","10":"tag-the-art-of-war"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=991"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3732,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991\/revisions\/3732"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}