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Conversations in Management

Miyamoto Musashi

With your mind as high as Mt. Fuji you can see all things clearly.

A clear mind was particularly important in Musashi’s line of work. He was samurai and the foremost swordsman in 17^th century Japan. It was a period of intense turmoil as the rival Toyotomi and Tokugawa clans violently clashed in their bids for political and military supremacy. It didn’t help Musashi that his skill in the martial arts was unsurpassed. That notoriety (with a touch of arrogance) made him a magnet for every samurai with a sword eager to knock the master down a peg or two. They never succeeded. In a long series of legendary duels he defeated all challengers—as well as their retainers. He ultimately died of natural causes but not before completing the book that has kept his memory alive to this day. That work is The Book of the Five Rings. In it he uses the imagery of earth, water, fire, wind, and the void to provide both a practical and philosophical guide to the art of war fighting. And for Musashi, war was an art rather than a simple application of brute force. To him, combat required the perfect orchestration of physical dexterity, mental acuity and deep spirituality.

Given his approach to the martial arts, it’s not surprising that Musashi looked to Mt. Fuji for inspiration. Fujisan rises from the western edge of the Kanto plain with a stunning grace that belies its massive size. At over 12,000 feet, it’s the highest peak in Japan and has been a destination for pilgrims since at least 663 CE. Today, more than 200,000 people a year ascend Mt. Fuji during its brief two-month climbing season. They climb for many reasons. For some it’s a spiritual journey. For others it’s an adventure. Still others—in the spirit of George Mallory—climb because it’s there. Whatever their specific reason, they are all bound with a common underlying purpose. Everyone climbs to reach the summit—to see things clearly—and to savor that mountain top experience.

We’ve all had that feeling whether or not we’ve climbed Fujisan or any other mountain. It’s that time when everything in our lives is in perfect alignment and for a moment we feel the exhilaration of knowing “we got it right.” Those mountain top experiences come when we’ve tasted success in any of its many forms. It might be work related or entirely personal. It can come from finally discovering that you can love and be loved in return. We also feel it when someone else succeeds spectacularly and we know we’ve played a part in helping them reach their own mountain top. Whatever its source, it’s a great and long-remembered feeling.

Unlike deliberately setting out to climb a mountain, we tend to let mountain top experiences sneak up on us. We take them where and when we find them. That might not be an entirely bad thing, but it’s worth remembering that we’ll never reach the top with downcast eyes and a preoccupation on our weaknesses and limitations. Life at the top is about building on our strengths and maintaining confidence in our ability to succeed—to get it right. Your climb in life may be difficult and often perilous but you can reach the peak. So keep climbing—there’s plenty of room and it’s clear at the top.

—Ebert