Hopefully, you’re not taking any physical punches at work, but there are plenty of mental, emotional and psychological equivalents that practising tai chi can help you overcome. Image: Stock.
When May Busch took up the ancient Chinese martial art of tai chi, she did not expect it would also provide lessons in how to deal with workplace setbacks.
When I took up tai chi 18 months ago, I had no idea it would provide me with so many relevant lessons as a leader and businessperson.
This is one insight: In tai chi, it’s not a bad thing to get hit, as long as you’re grounded and ready for it.
Being grounded is a core idea in tai chi. It’s being connected to the earth, and you feel it through your heels. That’s why they started my class by reminding us to “find your feet” and to feel your connection to the ground through them.
So, when a tai chi master receives a punch, they channel it into the ground through their heels. The same applies to us as leaders and in our careers.
While I’m not taking any physical punches at work and hopefully neither are you, there are plenty of mental, emotional and psychological equivalents to go around.
Like the time the chief executive called to yell at me for taking an unsanctioned action (even though my boss had asked me to do it), or when a colleague spread the rumour that I had broken an agreement (it wasn’t true), or watching a less-tenured colleague get promoted ahead of me.
You’ll have your own version of these.
The interesting thing is you’ve probably had some ”hits” you’ve been able to shake off quickly and move forward gracefully, but others have stayed with you way too long.
What makes the difference? Just as in tai chi, if you’re grounded, that negative energy doesn’t stay with you; it just passes right through and into the ground.
When you’re not grounded, things will affect you more strongly and for longer. Those setbacks can knock you down or even knock you out.
If you tend to ruminate on things that go wrong or mistakes you’ve made, as I do, setbacks will affect you even more. Those stress hormones like cortisol will run through your body on repeat for 36 hours or more.
If being grounded comes through your feet in tai chi, then what is the equivalent for the rest of your life — and especially, what does being grounded mean in a leadership context?
For me, it’s knowing who you are, and the value you bring, without needing others to tell you.
Sure, we all like positive feedback, and it’s helpful to have others corroborate what’s good about us, but being grounded means knowing deep down that you are worthy, even if you need to be reminded every now and again.
It’s having clarity on your values — what matters to you. It’s achieving a state of calm and composure so negative comments, or the equivalent of a punch, don’t knock you off centre. Or, when you are knocked off centre, you can find your way back to stable ground.
Just as your body is the conduit for the physical hit to pass through in tai chi, in the rest of your life, it’s your nervous system that is the conduit for mental and emotional hits.
The best way to manage your nervous system back to a state of calm is to breathe slowly and rhythmically.
So, the next time you feel you’ve taken a non-physical ‘’hit”, remember to stay grounded and tap into your breathing to stay present and in the moment.
That will allow you to respond rather than just react — and being intentional in your response is always the winning strategy.
May Busch works with good people who want to advance their careers and make the difference they’re meant to make in the world — without sacrificing their values in the process. She is the author of VISIBLE: How to Advance Your Career without Playing Politics, Selling Your Soul or Working Yourself into the Ground. She can be contacted at [email protected].
