Study the wind

As I mentioned in a recent post ("It's better to be a warrior in a garden..."), I've been watching the television series Shogun, based upon James Clavell's classic novel that takes place in Japan in the year 1600 during the Azuchi–Momoyama period.  Once again, I am reminded of Japan's fascinating cultural history.  Without giving anything away (no spoiler alerts here!), I wanted to share a quote by one of the main characters, Lord Yoshii Toranaga, played masterfully by the actor Hiroyuki Sanada and historically based upon the historical figure Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868.  The character Yabushige asks, "How does it feel to shape the wind to your will?"  To which Toranaga replies, "I don't control the wind.  I only study it." 

In other words, Toranaga doesn't see himself as directly controlling the events around him.  Rather, he studies them so that he can understand all of the forces at play, which he uses to to adapt his actions to his personal advantage.  It's not a reach to say that Toranaga is practicing a form of what we now call contingency leadership (see also my post, "Connecting the dots..."), which states that the right style and form of leadership is the one that is most appropriate for the specific situation at hand.  I also see elements of commander's intent (see my post "We rely upon your ability...you know what to do") and the High Reliability Organization (HRO) principle of "Deference to Expertise".  But mostly a see a brilliant strategist and tactician who is exercising all of his leadership prowess.  

As I've mentioned in several posts in the past (see, for example, "Good luck is the twin of hard work" and "Lucky Breaks"), leaders create their own luck.  Thomas Jefferson once said, "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."  In other words, if you work hard and do your best, you will have a greater chance of success in whatever endeavor you choose.  Peter Economy wrote an article for "Inc." magazine entitled, "5 powerful ways to make your own luck every day".  He lists five ways to "make your own luck" which I think we can all agree:

1. "Tap into your optimism" - hard work and a great attitude go a long way!

2. "Be open to the possibilities" - take advantage of whatever life throws your way.

3. "Listen to your inner voice" - follow your intuition as much as you can.

4. "Shoot for the moon" - aim high, set your goals in advance and work hard to achieve them.

5. "There is no finish line" - never stop!  Be persistent and continue to grow and learn. 

Create your own luck.  Connect the dots.  And study the wind.