Since Xplicity’s activities occasionally interact with Kendo activities, we decided to analyze what is common between a software developer and a warrior. You will be surprised how many common skills they both need!
INTRODUCTION
No doubts that we all know what describes a software developer. However, many are not familiar with Kendo conception. So, in a nutshell, Kendo is a traditional Japanese martial art, where nowadays warriors use bamboo swords and protective armor. To my opinion, this activity is not only eye-catchy, but also useful for personal growth. Like many other analogical ancient martial arts, Kendo as a mindset pays high attention not only to physical action, but also to working on personal development. The latter is very important for software developers. But let‘s review everything in it‘s own turn.
KENDO AND XPLICITY
We are lucky to have a very passionate developer Marius Radvilavičius, who is also an active Kendo practitioner and head instructor and Kyuemeikan Kendo school in Kaunas. Probably everyone from Xplicity team has tried Kendo activity at least once in a lifetime under Marius‘ supervision. Moreover, this activity is always included into our annual Academy practices. So, what is so special about it? What people learn here?
COMMON DEVELOPER’S AND WARRIOR’S SKILLS
- Continuous learning.You never stop. Once you learn the basics, you keep learning and improving your skills. In warriors’ case, the outcome if they stop improving their skills is predictable: they start losing battles and once defeat becomes crucial. In software developer’s situation – you need to stay in a loop with the newest technologies and market requirements when you desire to grow.
- Repetitiveness.In martial arts – the more you practice some certain move or technique, the better you master it. It’s the same about coding: the more code you write or problems you solve, the more experienced you become. Although, task itself may sometimes seem monotonic, repetitiveness is very significant for those, who seek for the best possible quality. To be honest, there is no such a thing as a perfect move or a perfect code, but there is always something to improve and this is one of the essences in both: Kendo and software development.
- Concentration and focus.In a battlefield you become vulnerable when your thoughts are distracted by outside irritants or irrelevant ideas. In Kendo there is a term called “Zanshin”. This is the alert state of mind when body is ready to react to opponents’ mind and body moves. You need to concentrate and focus on every move. When it comes to a coding, situation is alike. In order to avoid bugs or inefficient work process developer needs to focus on the task he/she is performing. We always invite Xplicity Academy participants to Kendo activity, where they get opportunity to try themselves out from a different angle and ascertain how important focus can be.
- Curiosity.It encompasses learning new techniques, positive attitude when something isn’t going exactly as it was planned, persistence and determination to implement the self-set task. Curious ones always look for opportunities how to make it better, faster, of higher quality or how to turn impossible into possible.
- Technical progress.Till warrior is constantly improving the quality of every move, software developer is analogically looking for additional programing language functionalities, hidden shortcuts or technical opportunities to make product work without crashes and errors.
- Courtesyis one of features that characterize Kendo warriors. Everything here starts from a bow and ends with a bow. Respect to other team members is also very important in software development. This initiative is very welcome in shaping general company’s culture. Being grateful, helping someone out and simply being polite strengthens the spirit of a whole team.
- Ability to be a team-player.You can achieve great things with a team. When there is knowledge sharing, when you’re helping your teammates, standing up for your team, guiding or leading great results can be achieved. No difference if this is Kendo or software development, you learn a lot from others by observing them, communicating and asking for advice. Masters can learn from their students and vice versa. Supporting each other is a key importance thing.
CONCLUSION
The list of skills could be much longer, but probably you have already realized the main idea. Things which sometimes seem to have nothing in common, in fact can be very comparable. Our Dev Academy workshops and team strengthening activities, such as Kendo, serves as a great proof. Observation and involvement into this event inspired me to analyze the importance of some skill sets common and essential for both: software developers and warriors. You know what? In fact, software developers also are warriors in their own way. Every day they need to defeat themselves in finding the correct digital solution that actually works, they need to solve tasks rapidly, to fit their deadlines and demonstrate knowledge of some certain technology. But once they get over themselves, a well-deserved recognition comes along and they are one step closer to mastership.