Aikido at Work

Vince Sensei recently asked about where Aikido principles may apply to my work, molecular genetics. At first I had no ready answer, so, I paid closer attention to my activities and soon saw that several of the lessons we learn at the dojo are in action during my workday.

1. Be in the moment. Whenever I set up a reaction, cast an agarose gel, or extract DNA from a plant sample, being in the moment helps me work smoothly and reduces the chance of a misstep that could ruin an entire process.

2. Take your time. Every process in the lab takes time, something I have learned to live with. Those rare times I have made mistakes (haha) were most often the result of being in a hurry. Come to think of it, being in a hurry is itself not being fully in the moment.

3. Develop good posture. In the lab and at the computer it is easy to develop back pain if your posture isn’t good. I can vouch for that.

4. Blend. This is a very important principle for the publishing end of my job. Before any of my work is accepted it must first pass peer review. Typically an assistant editor and two or three reviewers rigorously dissect my paper and provide numerous criticisms and suggestions for improvement. Peer review is not adversarial at heart but conflicts of opinion or style can arise. Blending comes into play where I must connect with their positions and intents. By carefully listening to what they are saying I can often find the angle I need to take to resolve conflicts and bring us all to a position of agreement.

5. Be aware. Even though I basically run a one-person lab, others work in my unit and in the building it occupies. Awareness of people and activities around oneself and a readiness to respond to change or need fosters a greater sense of community (connectedness) and positive relations.

6. Be centered. In the lab, being centered can involve having what you need at hand, providing for economy of motion and reduction of distractions such as looking for a missing reagent.

Are there more instances of “Aiki” in my workplace? It is likely there are, waiting for my further development to make them apparent.

Michael C. Ashley, Ph.D.