Once upon a time in ancient China, there was a kung fu school high up in a mountain. Three disciples at this school had completed their training. In accordance with tradition, they departed to wander the world for ten years, using their martial arts to help people and uphold justice.

After a decade of adventures, they returned to the school at the appointed time. Much to their surprise, they found the place deserted. They could tell it had been abandoned for quite a while. Everything was falling apart, and weeds grew everywhere.

The junior disciple voiced the question they were all thinking: "Where is everyone? What happened to our school?"

The senior disciple said: "I feared something like this might happen. I think it must be because the Master had no more new techniques to teach, and so decided to close the school."

The second disciple shook his head: "That is unlikely. I think it must be because the disciples have not kept up the maintenance of the school, thus allowing everything to fall into such a sorry state."

The junior disciple disagreed: "That is just as unlikely. I think it must be because the Master was getting older, but there were no capable students in the new generation to take over."

They argued over this but could not achieve agreement. They searched the area but could not find any trace of the people they knew. Finally, they gathered to discuss the situation.

The senior disciple was the first to speak: "I do not think we can solve this mystery. We may never know what caused the decline and abandonment of the school."

The second disciple nodded: "I think it may be more important for us to consider what we should do next."

"Our duty seems clear to me," the junior disciple said. "We must restore the school to its former glory. That is what the Master would want us to do."

"Yes, I was about to suggest the same thing," the senior disciple agreed. "I can take up the primary teaching duties. After all, I used to serve as the Master's assistant instructor. Among the three of us, I have the deepest insights into our style of kung fu."

"Definitely," the second disciple also agreed. "I can take charge of the school's daily operations. I will plan and supervise all the work necessary for ongoing maintenance. After all, I am known for my attention to details. Among the three of us, I have the most organizational ability."

"This is great!" the junior disciple was excited. "I can serve as the school's liaison to the outside world. After all, I have always been known for my outgoing personality. Among the three of us, I have the most social connections to leverage for our benefit."

The three settled in. They cleaned up the decaying school and worked together to rebuild everything. Slowly, their hard work paid off. The word got out that their kung fu was once again emerging as a formidable force in the martial arts world. New students began coming.

The disciples continued their efforts, and the school became more famous and prosperous than ever before. A few years later, the three of them gathered together to celebrate their success.

"You know, I never thought we would become so successful," the junior disciple remarked after a few drinks. "How do you think we got to this point?"

Wine in hand, the senior disciple responded: "Is it not obvious? Our success is primarily due to the powerful new techniques I have developed. Notice how they keep the students hungry for more advanced levels of learning!"

The second disciple set down his cup and scoffed: "Nonsense! As powerful as your new techniques are, they would do us no good if we do not have this immaculate setting in which to teach. Our success is primarily due to my careful management. Just look at the smooth running of our daily operations!"

"No! You are both wrong." The junior disciple was irritated: "Without the constant flow of new blood, it will not matter how great our techniques are or how organized the school is. Our success is primarily due to my efforts in promoting our kung fu to the world. Look at all the students I have recruited!"

Their arguments heated up and became quarrels. At first, they kept the bickering private, but soon their conflicts spilled out into the open.

Their public hostility to one another had a big impact on the school. The students felt increasingly uncomfortable in the tense environment. The school's prosperity and prestige began to diminish as the students stopped coming one by one. One day, the three disciples discovered they had no students left.

They all felt their differences were beyond reconciliation, so there was no point to continue working together. It was time for them to leave again. They would all be better off going back out into the world, each seeking his own destiny.

Prior to going their separate ways, they discovered there was one thing they could agree on: the cause for the decline and abandonment of the school.

It was not the lack of new techniques. Nor was it the lack of diligent maintenance. Nor was it the lack of a new generation of students.

It was... the lack of harmony.

Some kung fu practitioners observe that studying the Tao makes them better martial artists. Others note that the reverse is just as true - practicing kung fu improves their understanding of the Tao. In this story, we begin to see how the two are indeed connected at a fundamental level.

The disciples had different theories about why the school was abandoned, but despite their differences, they were able to band together and succeed in restoring the school. The key to their success was their unity of purpose. In that unity, their uniqueness as individuals became powerful assets. Each of them focused on his own specialty, and the combination of their complementary skills became much greater than the sum of its parts.

This is the same pattern we observe in life - when people come together in a joint effort, they will succeed if they can align themselves to the same goal and contribute their unique skills to its achievement. This is a time-tested law of success in the Tao. Those who understand it know that it is every bit as ironclad as any scientific laws of nature.

The success of the disciples did not last. They began to fail when they lost their unifying goal. For each disciple, the goal changed from restoring the school to parading the self. Straying far from the Tao, each felt he deserved more credit than the others. Thus, their singular purpose split into three separate agendas. It did not matter how successful the school was; their differences drove them apart and guaranteed failure.

Life mirrors this aspect of the story as well. When people fall out of alignment with one another, their individual uniqueness will turn from awesome assets into lethal liabilities. What started out as a synergistic combination will dissolve into the clash of egos. This is the flip side to the law of success.

How do we map the teachings in this story to the real world? One easy way is to think of the kung fu school as a symbol for business in general. In this paradigm, the senior disciple represents the research & development department - the engineers and designers who improve existing products and create new ones. They play an essential role, because they are the custodians of the company's core competencies.

The second disciple represents managerial personnel at every level of the company. They are the executives who organize, plan, coordinate and supervise business activities. Although they are sometimes regarded with loathing - many people express dislike for the boss - their role is as essential as any other. They represent the order necessary to channels the chaotic energy of the company into profitable productivity.

The junior disciple represents all the people in the company who work in sales, marketing and public relations. They interact with the public and present products to prospective customers. No company can do without such professionals; no commerce can take place without their contribution. They are the face of the company to the outside world, and as such are indispensable.

In fact, we can easily see that all three aspects of the company are equally indispensable. They are like the three legs of a stool. If any one of them breaks, the stool cannot remain standing. If any one part of the company thinks it can function without the others, it will quickly discover itself sadly mistaken.

The patterns shown in this story are not limited to the business world. They are universally applicable to other human endeavors. The sports world is a good example. The athletes of a team all bring their unique skills and abilities to the game. In a match, they play different roles and work together to defeat the opposing team. The more they can align themselves to the goal of team victory, the more likely they will achieve success. But if they seek glory for themselves instead of the team, then their chance for success will rapidly diminish.

It is no different with the family. Think of your own family as the kung fu school - every member of it plays a unique combination of roles. At any given moment, it may be your role to use your creativity in domestic tasks, or keep the household moving along in an orderly fashion, or contact relatives and entertain visitors. If all family members work toward the unifying vision of a happy family, then the result will be a cherished home that provides security and warmth. But if they put their own selfish interests first, then the result cannot help but degenerate into dysfunction.

There is one more level to this story beyond its wide applicability to team dynamics. It is a secret you will master when you come upon the realization that you are in fact the ultimate organization symbolized by the kung fu school. The senior disciple is your creative mind, your ability to absorb knowledge, solve problems and invent new solutions. The second disciple is your ability to organize your world and channel your energy in constructive ways. The junior disciple is your social charisma - just as every organization needs some way to interact with the outside world, this organism known as you also requires an interface with other people.

If your three disciples can work together with a unified purpose, they will bring honor and prosperity to you, their kung fu school. This, unfortunately, does not always happen. We often find ourselves conflicted about what we want. This inner conflict - the bickering of the disciples - blocks the progress to success and brings about failure. If we do nothing about it, we risk ending up like the abandoned school.

We can avoid this fate by learning from the story. Just as the three disciples trained in the art of kung fu, we need to train ourselves in the art of keeping the inner disciples together in a harmonious spirit. We can master this kung fu through the realization that everything ties back to the alignment of the human heart. It is the ultimate source of every success, failure, gain and loss. Therefore, we begin the training there, by resolving conflicts and establishing harmony deep within.

This is crucial because we need to become truly harmonious individuals before we can hope to lead or participate in a harmonious group. Such a group, coming together to work toward a unified goal, has the power to move mountains. In the same way, when the aspects of your mind come together to function in synergistic harmony, there is no limit to what you can accomplish.

In other words, once you have completed your training, it will be time for you to venture out into the world. In accordance with tradition, you will practice your kung fu in helping people by sharing your harmony with them... and through being of service to others, live a life of adventure!

 

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