“Looking at the ways of the world, we find that all things great and small interrelate. If one acts in accordance with his own interests while refusing to recognize the needs of others, this will lead to mutual destruction and nothing is more disadvantageous or calamitous to society than this.”
-Jigoro Kano
I don’t know about you, but, personally, I would like to avoid “mutual destruction.” In fact, I doubt there are that many humans who think “you know what would be great…destroying myself and those around me! Let’s go!”
And yet, what this quote points out is that our tendency to be narrowly focused on our own interests without considering the needs of others can have ‘calamitous’ results.
Over the last couple weeks, I’ve been inspired by the life and teachings of Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo.1 Kano also wore many other hats. He was a professor, a historian, a statesman, a philosopher and the first Japanese member of the International Olympic Committee.
So how do Kano’s teachings connect to Shared Responsibility on top teams?
First, his teachings exude wisdom, fusing seemingly opposing ideas.2 Second, the two core principles of Judo have strong coherence with the idea of Shared Responsibility when applied to the top team.
Leadership principle: Shared responsibility is the path of maximum efficiency for top teams.
Kano often lectured on Judo’s two core principles: Maximum Efficient Use of Energy (seiryoku zenyo) and Mutual Prosperity (jita kyoei)3. As we’ll discuss, these two principles form a potent combination across domains (sports, work life, personal life):
Maximum Efficient Use f Energy (seiryoku zenyo 精力善用): this principle is about using one's energy most effectively. It means not wasting effort, but channeling it in the right way, just as you'd want to ensure steady effort over the course of a marathon. In the team context, this principle translates to matching activities to team members' strengths and ensuring that everyone’s efforts serve the larger goal. It also means limited energy is wasted on unnecessary conflicts or redundant tasks.
Mutual Prosperity (jita kyoei 自他共栄): In Judo, it signifies that for one person to benefit, both the practitioner and their opponent should gain something from the encounter. Those gains may be of different magnitudes, yet there is a conscious awareness of how each individual stands to propser. The result is that the sum of the benefits is greater than if each individual had been focused only on their own benefit (i.e., 1+1>2). Applying this principle on a top team facilitates the pursuit of shared goals. It also opens the door to the required tradeoffs of shared responsibility. It reinforces the importance of creating an environment where success is shared, and challenges are collectively addressed with laser focus on creating maximum value for the organization overall.
But how do you achieve this potent combination of maximum efficient use of energy and mutual prosperity? Especially when, by Kano’s own estimation “conflict arises when one person acts solely in their interest,” undermining the application of these principles.4
One recipe for achieving these two principles on top teams is to ensure high-quality individual relationships amongst the team. These individual relationships are the secret sauce that determines whether shared responsibility will be the main course or just an overhyped appetizer. In other words, high quality relationships on teams allow you to bring out the best of the capabilities of other members of the team, which should result in maximizing value for all of the organization’s stakeholders.
So what are key ingredients for high quality relationships on teams?
For this I turn to Richard Boyatzis, Melvin Smith and Ellen Van Oosten’s recent work.5 They highlight three essential ingredients for high quality relationships:
Shared Vision: A commitment to the big picture ‘what’ and ‘why’ of your organization and team’s existence.
Shared Compassion: Caring for each other as people not just their roles.
Shared Energy: Mutually reinforced enthusiasm for working towards the Shared Vision AND working with each other.
While these three ingredients are crystal clear, many top teams I’ve worked with and observed often have unresolved conflicts, which results in the absence of one or more of these elements. Moreover, establishing these three ingredients in every relationship on a top team takes investments in attention and time.
That said, these investments in attention and time pay off in that they result in teams that operate with maximum efficient use of energy and that maximize mutual prosperity.
In essence, the Judo of Shared Responsibility results in a situation where members of the top team are working efficiently AND also looking out for each other. Everyone's rowing in the same direction, and they're also ensuring their teammates are healthy in body, mind and soul.
Take Action: Practical and Proven Steps
Assess and address the quality of individual relationships on the team. Identify the specific relationships that are weak or broken down. Help each individual understand the cost of their lack of engagement or unresolved conflict. Do not let these issues fester.6
Spend time re-affirming commitment to the vision. This needs to take the form of both one-way communication (emails, recorded videos, town hall addresses) and two-way communication (workshops, offsites), especially with top teams.
Give permission and create the space for feedback. Teams that consistently give each other positive AND constructive feedback have higher degrees of trust. Deliver positive feedback in the form of gratitude (“I’m grateful for how you took care of that customer complaint.”) Expressing gratitude for strengths of others brings neurological benefits to the feedback provider.7 Higher awareness of specific distinctive strengths enables others to contribute “beyond their mandate.” In other words, both the feedback deliverer and the feedback recipient benefit. For constructive feedback, offer it from a place of benevolent intent (“I’m sharing this with you because I have very high expectations for you and I know you can reach them.”)8
Reflect: Some Questions to Consider
For the key relationships on my team(s), where do I have lower awareness of how my goals interact (i.e., complement or conflict) with the goals and interests of others?
For the team(s) I am on, which of the three essential elements of high quality relationships (Shared Vision, Shared Compassion, Shared Energy) is the strongest? Which has the most room to improve?
Which one relationship on my team(s) would be strengthened by more consistent positive and constructive feedback?
If this week’s Friday Reflection was practical or enjoyable (or maybe even both!), please share it with your colleagues and friends.
This rabbit hole began in a somewhat comical fashion when I was having the important debate with a friend regarding which martial art the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were trained in. I never really got to a clear answer on this debate (so let me know if you know) but I did stumble upon some quotes from Jigoro Kano, which led me to a book on his teachings entitled Mind Over Muscle.
Through reading his work, I’ve come to appreciate that Judo is much more than a fighting style (my naïve previous belief). It is a way of life that emphasizes the best use of physical and mental energy, and it encourages applying this energy toward the good of society.
Judo translates to the “gentle way”, despite being a martial art that involves combat and techniques that can floor an opponent. Talk about a delightful paradox.
Another recent book that has been shaping my thinking is Hitendra Wadhwa’s Inner Mastery, Outer Impact. It is a beautifully written book that includes historical anecdotes, science-backed research, thought-provoking quotes and practical actions. One of the principles he espouses is this idea that wisdom includes “fusing opposing ideas to arrive at higher, more integrative truths.”
These two pieces break down each of the individual characters within these principles: seiryoku zenyo and jita kyoei. They made me further appreciate the poetic nature of the interpretation of these principles.
I appreciate Kano’s acknowledgment of this danger. As I’ve written before, there are perils involved in Shared Responsibility.
Their book Helping People Change: Coaching for Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth is one of the books that has most shaped my coaching. Their emphasis on coaching for compassion and building resonant relationships helps me to complement my focus on being a sounding board to solve strategic business and talent issues.
These principles apply to resonant relationships in a coaching context, but the research they cite applies these principles in a broad range of settings from healthcare to schools to father and daughter relationships.
It is also notable that “shared interests” is not one of the ingredients. In other words, you don’t have to all go golfing or all spend time in the Hamptons over the summer to create high quality relationships on a top team.
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the value and the path to reconciliation in organizational life and hope to write a Friday Reflection on this topic in the near future.
There’s research from cognitive science that reinforces the importance of gratitude as it activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) in our brain. When the PNS is activated we tend to be in a more open and curious state.
Taya Cohen and other researchers she has partnered with have done fascinating research on the benefits of benevolent intentions when delivering honest, constructive feedback.
Love it, @Sean. Well done.
2 quick ideas:
1) Your relationship ideas/recommendation is also related to a good book I read recently by Michael Bungay Stanier - "How to work with almost anyone"
2) The origin of this post (footnote #1) made me laugh and then get seriously curious... according to Quora... "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles practice a fictional martial arts style called "Ninjutsu." Ninjutsu is a Japanese martial art that focuses on stealth, agility, and striking techniques. In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, the four turtles were trained in Ninjutsu by their sensei, a humanoid rat named Splinter. The turtles each have their own unique personality and fighting style, but all of them use Ninjutsu techniques in their battles against enemies such as Shredder and the Foot Clan."
Thank you!