There's a scene in The Karate Kid that many of you may remember. Mr. Miyagi asks Daniel, the boy he's training to be a fighter, to balance on either side of a small row boat and practice some blocking techniques. As Daniel balances on the boat he whines about when he's going to learn to punch and kick. Mr. Miyagi replies that learning to balance is most important and the prerequisite to further techniques. And then as if to burn that principle into his head Mr. Miyagi rocks the row boat sharply and Daniel loses his balance falling into the frigid water. We all need a Mr. Miyagi in life no?
Recently I realized that balance is crucial to every facet of life and particularly as a manager. And the reason I came to this realization was because I myself was not balanced in my dealings and that had negatively affected me throughout my career.
