This note explores the concept of ki, or energy. It concentrates on aikido, a Japanese martial art that channels the human body's natural energy toward balance, health, grounding, and the mental clarity required to overcome obstacles and discover new insights. Aikido is a defensively oriented martial art, designed to utilize the ki of the attack in a manner that turns that energy to the detriment of the attacker. The note discusses the six principles of aikido and applies them to business situations. It brings new perspectives on challenges and opportunities faced by businesses ranging from Dollar General to Standard and Poor's to Rodale Press, and generates insights about strategy, including purpose, mission, culture, mergers, and competition.

Iconoclasts with strongly held beliefs and a willingness to buck orthodoxy, Apple's Steve Jobs and the Chicago Bulls' Phil Jackson shared similarities in character, leadership style, and life experience that extended beyond the extraordinary successes they achieved in their chosen fields. Both came of age in the United States of the mid-20th century, a time and place characterized by Americans' growing interest in philosophical traditions outside of the Western mainstream. In their teens and twenties, both men became interested in Eastern religious practices. As young men, Jobs (who would as a teenager travel to India to study Buddhism) and Jackson (whose interest in Eastern practices earned him the nickname "The Zen Master") developed a particular affinity for the Zen tradition of Buddhism, which had a lasting influence on each man's worldview. Although Jackson and Jobs were very different leaders operating in remarkably different industries, both men's rise to the top of intensively competitive fields were influenced by their commitment to three Zen principles: nondualism, practical wisdom, and inherent enlightenment. This note gives a brief overview of the history of Zen and the philosophical framework that underpins it, then describes the potential that these three tenets hold for unlocking strategic insights.

Go (or Wei-ch'i, as it is known in China) is a centuries-old board game popular across Asia. Many have drawn parallels between military successes and the game's complex methods, in which a player encircles, isolates, and captures enemy pieces and geography, but Go also offers lessons for business. This technical note offers a basic description of Go, followed by a collection of business-strategy anecdotes punctuated by comparisons to Go strategies and quotes from Sun Tzu.

This note on warfare summarizes treatises by Chinese (e.g., Sun Tzu, The Art of War, ca. 500 BC) and Japanese (e.g., Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings, 1643 AD) warriors, reviews their philosophies and leadership lessons, and offers modern applications.

In March 2009, Ulrich Bez, CEO of British carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd., found himself grappling with some tough news from Switzerland. The company had just debuted a novel car concept, its first crossover model under its rarely used historic Lagonda brand, at the Geneva Motor Show, but the negative press criticizing the four-wheel drive, four-seater car's design and concept was troubling and unexpected.

This note contains some tips and best practices that drive effective nonprofit boards. The note will also examine the key responsibilities of nonprofit boards, and identify gaps in the effectiveness of these boards.

The purpose of this note is threefold. First to provide a short historical background to the development of the notions of universal mind and related concepts in Aikido and Ki Aikido. Second, to provide an even briefer critique of certain efforts to apply ideas from Aikido and Ki Aikido to issues concerning everyday life, management, and leadership. And finally, to examine a set of critical concepts, or principles, which aim to provide a more practical, real-world understanding of universal mind.

Naguib Sawiris, CEO of Egyptian Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH), continuously scoured the globe for opportunities to expand his telecommunications empire. In 2005, Naguib looked across the Mediterranean Sea and announced his intention to acquire Italian telecom operator Wind Telecomunicazioni S.p.A. (Wind), one of Italy's leading telecommunication providers in the largest leveraged buyout in European business history.

This document provides a step-by-step guide to the sequence of tasks involved in the strategy development process including the eight activities necessary for strategic planning.

This case shows how the Roman army adopted the tactics, types of arms, and pieces of armor that were effectively used by its adversaries. Besides equipment, the Romans also incorporated superior intangibles such as tactical knowledge of their enemies. For example, when the Roman Republic confronted the Gauls in 390 BC, the open fighting order of the Gallic tribes had revealed the weaknesses of the Roman phalanx fighting style. Over the next half-century, the Roman army incorporated these superior tactics and underwent substantial changes that made the Roman army an even more efficient fighting machine.

Maria Rodale, heir apparent to Rodale Press (Runners' World, Bicycling, Organic Gardening, Prevention Magazine) is about to begin a sabbatical to prepare herself for her as-yet-to-be-determined leadership role. She must consider several challenges: ascertaining her new job and convincing the chairman (her mother) to share power, gaining the confidence of more-experienced senior management, navigating family (shareholder) politics, and charting a new corporate direction and strategy.

The night before she assumes her new role as vice chairman of Rodale Press, Maria Rodale prepares her coming-out speech and polishes her 90-day plan for how she will "make her mark." Recent financials indicate positive results, causing Maria to wonder how she will be able to imbue the firm with a sense of urgency given the fast-changing publishing business.