The Head on a Stake Lesson - King Kamehameha
King Kamehameha was the first to unite the islands of Hawai'i under one rule. The name Kamehameha (pronounced kuh-may-ha-may-ha) means "the one set apart." A great ruler, he also was not the heir to the throne on his own island, but through training and leadership, he ultimately lived as the greatest ruler of the Hawaii. If you study his legacy, there are several lessons that Business leaders can apply to today's world. Here is one of my favorites:
Forgive your Enemies. Culturally, in Hawai'i, rulers were known to destroy other leaders when the battles were over. It was often done in a very public way and with much ceremony... Head on a stake sort of way. But King Kamehameha was different from previous rulers . When he won a battle over a competing king, he would never rub salt in the wound. In some cases, he would actually give the opponent safe passage away, so that they could live another day. In turn, he was owed a debt that in many cases became a key factor in his ability to win future battles. What is the message for business today: Today's enemy might be tomorrow's partner. This works both internally and externally. Companies who compete today may through integration and mergers end up needing each other in 2-3 years. Likewise, the guy or gal across the way who is competing with your for that promotion, might make or break your career in three years.
There are other lessons to be learned from King Kamehameha... more another day..
Posted at 11:18AM May 26, 2006 by mowen in General | Comments[2]
Great Blog!! Thanks for starting it. I love the point you are making. Similarly the US government followed the advice of the anthropologist Ruth Benedict after Worldwar II to leave the Japanese emperor on the throne. An equally large issue is however in my mind, that the more powerful group often doesn't make it explicit, that they are the benefactor and will help the group that they have merged with through their power, and that this has to be recognized, or else there will be a backlash, and even though the best motivations might be present, after a couple of years you end up wanting to see the head of the king on the pole, who was helped and never acknowledged.
Posted by Max Schupbach on May 26, 2006 at 12:05 PM EDT #
Thanks for adding the point about the victor being recognized for their help to the loser. This is key and one of the reasons for future loyalty. A very good modern example was MicroSoft providing help to Apple during one of their toughest moments. You can argue about whether making a the deal was in MS's interest or not, but the fact that Apple recognized their help went along way toward renewing their partnership in some important areas.. course IPod changed everything.. If you forgot the deal.. check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxOp5mBY9IY
Posted by Mitch Owen on May 26, 2006 at 08:43 PM EDT #