The Leadership Japan Series By Dale Carnegie Training Japan

Kokorogamae means to clarify your true intention. It is a compound word combining two characters – one for kokoro and the other for kamae, which becomes gamae when in the compound format.  Kokoro can be translated as our spirit and kamae as our stance.  If you have studied a Japanese traditional martial art, you will recognise kamae as the command to take your fighting stance.  Why is this idea of your true intention important for those of us in business?   We talk a lot about trust is business, but this is the outward manifestation of our inner thoughts, which in turn guides our actions.  Kokorogamae as a concept goes straight to the spark of the idea, the attitude, the approach, the true intention.  In traditional Japanese arts such as ikebana, the master will strip the stems of the leaves themselves, rather than leaving it to their assistants.  Similarly, in shodo, the master will grind the inkstone to produce the ink for the calligraphy to be written.  In martial arts, the master will sit quietly at the s