Management Training

The goal in the classical Japanese Zen arts is to achieve mastery through spiritual practice. In recent years, many attempts have been made to bring this kind of Zen thinking to the West. Starting with Eugen Herrigel’s fascinating book, first published in 1948, Zen in the Art of Archery, many authors have applied his thinking to other skills, producing such works as Zen and the Art of Skiing, Zen and the Art of Golf—even Zen and the Art of Poker.

Theoretically, the spiritual practice of Zen could be brought to bear on any sort of endeavor. Why not to the art of management?

A basic tenet of the Zen approach is that with a tremendous amount of correct exercise under the tutelage of an acknowledged master, an activity could be perfected and then practiced automatically.

As described in a recent New Yorker article, a well respected surgeon felt his skills had reached a plateau and wanted to move forward. He considered how even world-class opera stars and athletes at the highest levels employed coaches. He realized that perhaps he, too, could benefit from coaching, even though he had already achieved a very high standard of practice. He decided to seek a coach who could help him develop to an even higher level.

The road to mastery, it has been said, involves growing from unconscious incompetence to conscious incompetence to conscious competence and, finally, to unconscious competence.

If, in your role as a manager, you have already traveled from unconscious incompetence (as a beginner when you had no idea about the mistakes you were making) to the stage of conscious incompetence (in which you can see some of your mistakes), then it might be time to seek some coaching. Even if you have reached the stage of conscious competence, it still might be good to seek ways for continuously improving yourself, until you become a true master, an expert who without much conscious thought can automatically do the right thing every time.

In the Zen tradition, achieving the highest skill level requires working with a master, a teacher who is willing to guide you. In contemporary terms we would say coach you and mentor you. You would practice your skill to the point at which your coach says you no longer need him/her.

How could you identify such a great teacher and where might you find him/her?

Your “master” should be someone who has already attained the level of unconscious competence. He or she will be a person you know is an excellent manager who calmly, comfortably, and consistently makes the right decisions and is well liked and respected by his/her employees. Of course, this person must be willing to accept you as a “student.”

Your master-coach-mentor will probably be someone you presently work with, or with whom you worked in the past. An honest, direct approach to such a person should be made. Tell him or her that you want to improve your managerial skills, that you have noticed how effective he/she is as a manager, and you would like him/her to help you become more effective also.