How Tae Kwon Do can be applied to Project and Program Management

For the uninitiated out there, Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art which was developed circa 1940s. Of the parents who are reading this, many of you will have enrolled your children in TKD classes for one of any number of reasons which include boosting their confidence, improving their interaction skills with other kids and also adults, and of course self-defence. You may even have joined along with them to boost your fitness levels or even just to show willing etc. From my own point of view, I had previously been enrolled in a Tae Kwon Do class around 1992, and that time around I got to yellow tag. Fast forward to 15 years later and I found myself accompanying my first daughter to TKD classes in the next town. At this point I should explain the grading system as it will give you a feel for what's involved in terms of learning and commitment [depending on which federation you belong to, there are slight variants]:

• White belt: everyone starts from this point. In a nutshell, you haven't achieved any grades but are working towards your first tag. At this point, you learn a pattern called '17 basic movements' which prepares you for what is to come
   
• Yellow tag: this means that you have successfully executed pattern number one [Il Jang]
  
  
• Yellow belt: this means that you have successfully mastered and executed pattern number two [Yee Jang]
   
• Green tag: this means that you have successfully mastered and executed pattern number three [Sam Jang]
   
• Green belt: this means that you have successfully mastered and executed pattern number four [Sah Jang]
   
• Blue tag: this means that you have successfully mastered and executed pattern number five [Oh Jang]
   
• Blue belt: this means that you have successfully mastered and executed pattern number six [Yuk Jang]
   
• Red tag: this means that you have successfully mastered and executed pattern number seven [Chil Jang]
   
• Red belt: this means that you have successfully mastered and executed pattern number eight [Pal Jang]
   
• Black tag: at this point you will be honing each of your eight patterns to perfection  
   
• Black belt (1st Dan): this means that you have successfully executed four of the eight patterns you mastered previously. The four are randomly chosen by the examiner. 
   

One you have achieved your black belt, it's time to start learning the pattern which will get you to your 2nd Dan, namely Koryo, but hopefully I've provided enough context by now.

All of the above takes a varying amount of blood, sweat and tears. In my case, during my red belt grading, I picked up a fractured rib from an over-industrious sparring partner who temporarily forgot the meaning of 'light contact', hitting me with the force of a sledgehammer with his leg as a I swung round. Although the pain was quite severe, I assumed that I had merely been winded, so carried on [they make them tough up North!] Here's a key point: it takes an investment of around 3 years of attending at least two classes a week - sometimes three, and putting in hours of effort at home to practice the patterns.

Now, you may be asking yourself, what does all of this have to do with project management, and the answer is, a lot, because, weaving through the fabric of this martial art are 5 key tenets, which I have ordered in terms of priority for project and program management:

1. Etiquette
2. Modesty
3. Perseverance
4. Self Control
5. Indomitable Spirit

When I learned about these tenets, I immediately drew parallels between TKD and project management. The reason? Well scan the list and think about it for a minute…

For me, there is not one of these tenets which, if not applied correctly, will make you a better project or program manager. To prove it, I'm going to spend the rest of this post dealing with the first one - etiquette. Just what is etiquette anyway? When I typed the word 'etiquette' into my friendly search engine, here's what came back:

'the customer code of polite behaviour in society or among members of a particular profession or group.'

Interesting, eh? I'm in the profession of project management, and I'm guessing that many of you reading this will be too, so already, we seem to be on to something. I wonder how many of us consciously - or even sub-consciously - apply some sort of etiquette to our fellow project managers. I'm sure we apply it to our customers and other stakeholders of the project, but what about our fellow PMs?

Respecting the workplace

I can tell you that, in TKD terms, etiquette means bowing as you enter the training room [known as 'dojang' in Korean]. What is your relationship with your office space or cubicle? Do you even think about it? On a basic level, you are in a space dedicated to your work, and how you organise and respect that space says a lot about you as a person. So when you arrive and depart from your work space, you can approach it with respect, just as TKD practitioners respect the dojang.

Respecting those in your profession

In terms of applying etiquette to those in your profession, this is achieved via all communication mechanisms. I don't want to wander too far into email etiquette territory here, suffice to say that, with that particular channel, you can be clear in terms of your expectations by summarising 'the ask' in the subject line, along with when you need a response by. Clarity is good, and can often negate the need for follow-up or clarification. I want to focus just a little on online groups, such as those dedicated to project and program managers, be it internal or external. The fact that you are part of a time honoured profession that goes all the way back to the Egyptians* [what: so you don't think that the pyramids were one of the largest scale projects ever!!!?] is great, and linking up with other professionals will do you no harm; in fact, who knows what doors it may open…? There is always someone new to project management and if you can welcome them in by pointing them in the right direction, this will increase your coaching and mentoring skills, improve their knowledge and also benefit the company overall. Of course, etiquette is very much tied in with the way we conduct ourselves, so conduct yourselves with professionalism at all times. First impressions very often stay with people, so be professional from your very first contact with those in your profession. If you are a PM, your program manager will likely have expectations of you with regards to professionalism. Conversely, if you're a program manager, your project managers will be looking to you for inspiration amongst other things. Remember that, as project managers, they may well be likely to be aspiring towards program management at some point in the future. If you handle this badly, you may not just put them off their aspirations, but also badly dent their confidence and perception of project and program management as a whole. That is some responsibility isn't it, but did anyone say it was going to be easy?

Focus

At the start of a pattern, one always stands to attention [known in Korean as 'Cha Ryuht']. I always find this stance to be extremely beneficial, as it allows you to focus on your breathing and to 'get in the zone'.  The next stance is 'Choon Bi', which is translated as 'Ready'. Let's just consider these points for a moment. In the frenetic world of project management, how often do you get yourself into position and steady yourself for the activities ahead? Or do you just jump straight in?  Here's another key point then: there are very few occasions in life in which it's not beneficial to take a deep breath and focus. The reason? As many mindfulness practitioners will attest to, breathing is a powerful way to control the mind. Not only that, but science is starting to show tangible benefits such as a more productive mind, as well as a reduction in impulsivity and an increased ability to regulate emotions. Speaking of regulation, how about regulating the level of cortisol - aka the stress hormone - in the body? And the amazing thing is that this is all part of etiquette.

Final thoughts

By the way, if you are thinking of taking up Tae Kwon Do, my advice to you is this: the most important aspect of your training is the master of the club. If you can find a master that is truly focused on the martial art, rather than the money, then you have found the right club. My second point is that you should always consider not only what you are looking to get out of the club, but also what you are prepared to put in. There will likely come a point - assuming that you reach a certain level of competence - that you may be privileged enough to be invited to help in some way, therefore consider that, at this point, you may well be investing emotionally in the club. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, by the way, but it is something to be aware of.

I hope you found this post of some value; next time I'll be focusing on the second tenet of Tae Kwon Do, which is Modesty.

*For more on this, you may want to check out 'The History of Project Management (Lessons from History)' by Mark Kozak-Holland