Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names. –John F. Kennedy

Well, for some reason, I’m digging the blogging all of a sudden. Seems like with a new year, I’m having these long stints of clarity by reviewing the big picture and reflecting on the past 24 months. Last week, I delivered a seminar through Skype Video (very cool) to the Women President’s Organization of Albany NY. Although I covered much of the “What Men Don’t Tell Women About Business” content, we strayed off a bit as we discussed the honor code that man have with each other (as it pertains to business).

As a young man, I learned that there were rules that men had between each other. Agreements might be a better description. There are certain things that you do and certain things you don’t do, depending on the situation. When I got interested in Judo in university, I started reading more on martial art philosophy and learning the true meaning of bushido (the way of the warrior) and a lot of it resonated with me. Upon this conversation with the group in Albany, something become immediately apparent to me. The women (and men) I know that are extremely successful in business reflect the seven fundamentals of bushido which leads to their continued success. I thought I’d share these characteristics with you as they are things I think about on a daily basis. Consider them guiding principles, a personal mission statement, even the ‘focus’. Bushido isn’t something attained, it’s something practiced. The kanji looks like this:

武士道

Characteristic 1: Rectitude: morally correct behavior or thinking. This in it’s truest form is being righteous

Characteristic 2: Courage: Knowing what scares you and stepping into it. Fear has no power when you face it.

Characteristic 3: Benevolence: Being well meaning and kind

Characteristic 4: Respect: Having appreciation for others skills, talents, and unique contributions

Characteristic 5: Honesty: Acting in a truthful manner with those you engage with. The second part of this is being honest with yourself.

Characteristic 6: Honor: Doing what you say and saying what you do.

Characteristic 7: Loyalty: Staying true to those you pledge alliance with.

Last year, a long-term participant in one of my models exemplified counter actions to bushido. She did not conduct herself morally; she lived in fear;  she was mean spirited; she lacked respect for herself, colleagues, and clients; she was dishonest; she lacked honor in how she conducted herself; and she was disloyal. What troubled me more than anything is that she was an expert at ‘talking the talk’, but when I got a chance to look behind the scenes, I realized that myself and her clients had been duped. Her colleagues were well aware of most of this, but chose to hold themselves to a higher standard and not throw her under the bus. In retrospect, she is one of the most vile people I have met in business and I’m curious how long it will take for her actions to catch up with her.

Recently a colleague of mine had a long term friend start doing something shady in business behind her back. As she told me, it was apparent to her that I was getting angry. She stopped the conversation and said to me, “you are getting noticeably agitated with the situation.” I took a second and told her that there are few things that I can handle less than disloyalty and someone taking the kindness of someone and using it selfishly for themselves. Long story short, both women in these examples have been deep sixed and at some point will realize that Karma really can be a bitch.

For you (and me), the practice is in working on each of the seven principals of Bushido. The biggest step is to commit to doing your best and trying to do business in a righteous way. This isn’t always easy to do, but with practice it can become easier. You can’t control how people act, but you can control their interaction with you . I still find myself slipping into wanting to be mean, angry, aggressive, and manipulative, but I know that it will come back to bite me in the ass. The people you step on when making your way up the ladder are the same people you pass on the way down. Good people do good business in a profitable and sustainable way. You’re job is not to convince people to be decent. It’s your responsibility to set your own code of conduct and then follow it.

When thinking about Bushido, honor codes, women in business (and women scorned), I always pop back to the scene in Pulp Fiction when Samual Jackson gets biblical:

Ezekiel 25:17. “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is The Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”

Choose your path wisely. At the end of the day, it will determine your outcome and remember that you have no one to answer to but yourself.

I look forward to your comments…