Power of Proximity

As a young, impressionable youth, I was fascinated by Bruce Lee. Back then, he appeared as Kato in the TV series, The Green Hornet. It was my first introduction to martial arts, and I was hooked. Like a lot of kids growing up, I wanted to meet Bruce Lee and to have the opportunity to train with him.

I started training in martial arts when I was 13, shortly after Bruce tragically died at the young age of 32. My dream of meeting and training with this martial arts icon had been dashed.

Or so I thought.

In 2008, I was inducted into the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame for my work teaching predator awareness and rape and assault prevention in schools and universities across several states. Shortly after my induction, the founder, Professor Marty Cale, invited me to join the organization and serve as its Vice President.

It was there I got to experience the Power of Proximity.

The United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame is sponsored by the International Martial Arts Council of America, an independent martial arts association for school owners, instructors, and their students. The membership of this global association put me in close proximity to many of the icons in our industry.

That included Grandmaster Richard Bustillo.

I met GM Bustillo at one of the IMACUSA National Training Camps and we became good friends. He taught in my school, spent time in my home, and became an adopted “Uncle” to my children.

He was a student of Bruce Lee.

It was through the tutelage of GM Bustillo I was exposed to Jeet Kune Do, the blended martial arts system created by Bruce Lee and taught to this students.

The Power of Proximity.

It was through GM Bustillo I had the privilege of meeting Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee’s daughter, when the Hall of Fame paid tribute to her father a few years later. GM Bustillo orchestrated a phone call, allowing me to speak with Shannon and talk through how we wanted to honor her father at our event.

Once again, the Power of Proximity.

In 2015, Professor Cale passed the reigns of the Association to me when I assumed the role of President and CEO, and I have continued to see the Power of Proximity play out.

Over the years, I’ve met some of the “living legends” in martial arts including Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, Jeff Speakman, Nate Quarry, Tak Kubota, Chris Leben, Frank Dux, and Taky Kimura, who was Bruce Lee’s best friend and first JKD Black Belt.

Many of them have introduced me to their inner circle, which I would not have met otherwise.

This is the Power of Proximity in action.

It’s an opportunity for a rare VIP experience with great martial artists.

A few years back, I was intrigued by a movie, Vantage Point. It’s a political action thriller focusing on an assassination attempt on the President of the United States. The scene is replayed from the vantage point of different characters in the film. Each replay of the assassination attempt provides new details, as the vantage point of each character takes the viewer closer to the Truth.

The closer the characters got to the shooter, the closer they got to solving the crime.

Once again, the Power of Proximity.

Proximity, by definition, is the nearness in space, time, or relationship. It’s also defined as closeness. When speaking of people, proximity means the nearness or closeness to a person or group of people.

Why is proximity SO important?

Proximity is important for success because it facilitates enhanced communication, fosters stronger relationships, encourages collaboration, and allows for easier knowledge sharing. If you’re leading a team, proximity can lead to more frequent interactions, better understanding, and a stronger sense of shared purpose.

This can ultimately boost productivity and success.

Proximity can make the difference between missing, meeting, or exceeding your goals.

Successful people place themselves in close proximity to other successful people. It’s in those moments of close proximity that we hear conversations, gain new insights and a greater perspective, enjoy deeper, more meaningful experiences, and experience new encounters and revelations.

Proximity moves you from being an outsider to being an insider having greater access and availability.

Have you ever attended a conference or event?

You can buy a general admission ticket, spend a bit more to enjoy preferred seating, or you can spend more to enjoy a VIP experience including front-row seating, backstage passes, and an opportunity to take selfies with the celebrities. It’s a more intimate, up-close, and personal experience that comes with special privileges.

Proximity gets you closer to the action. It creates VIP moments.

More importantly, proximity can get you closer to the actors who create the action.

Leaders need to understand, and utilize, the Power of Proximity.

Why?

The people you are leading need to hear the conversations you as the leader are having with other leaders and influencers. They also need to learn to see the little things (the details) they may be overlooking or ignoring. This provides them with greater insight, expanded knowledge, and the wisdom that comes from the right use of this knowledge.

As a leader, using the Power of Proximity allows those you’re leading to catch a glimpse of a greater, deeper perspective, to see what is required to not only meet expectations but to exceed them. It’s the Power of Proximity that allows those you’re leading to encounter what it means to be a leader and experience the weight of leadership for themselves.

Jim Rohn famously said, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Spending time with those you’re leading activates the Power of Proximity, helping you equip and empower those who will one day lead...and perhaps one day take your place.

Remember, people want to be in proximity to those they admire or want to be like.

I’ve been privileged to lead the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame since 2015. Each year, we host a 3-day national training camp featuring 15 Master level instructors, each teaching a different martial arts discipline. We conclude that weekend with our Hall of Fame banquet and Awards Ceremony, a black-tie event honoring an amazing group of martial artists.

When our special guest instructors enter the room, the Campers can’t wait to have the opportunity to introduce themselves, take a selfie, and spend a few minutes with our celebrity guests. Once they take the floor to train, the excitement in the room is often electrifying, as the Campers are getting the opportunity to train with a legend in the Arts.

Throughout the event, school owners, instructors, and students attending the camp will look for an opportunity to talk with our Camp Instructors, Regional Directors, Martial Arts Ambassadors, and Staff. They ask questions, seek guidance and advice, and listen to the stories and insights being shared.

These individuals are taking advantage of the Power of Proximity to engage in meaningful conversations, learn new information, and discover how to practically apply what they learned in their business or personal lives. It’s not just an experience, it’s a life-changing encounter that elevates their personal and professional lives.

That is the Power of Proximity.

Proximity moves you from being an outsider to becoming an insider with greater access.

Remember, people want to be in proximity to those they admire or want to be like.

My mentor, Dr. John Maxwell, often reminds us as leaders to “walk slowly through the crowd.” Jesus modeled this in the Bible. So did Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela. They understood that people want to be in proximity to those they admire or want to be like, and they created those intimate moments of closeness at every opportunity.

Black Belt Leaders understand this is important for three reasons.

First, they understand that people want to experience something different. They want to have an encounter with someone they respect, admire, or want to learn from. Leaders use the Power of Proximity to provide others with a place to experience nearness or closeness with those who are seeking to connect with them.

Secondly, when people are in close proximity to a leader, it changes their position. They move from being an outsider to becoming an insider with greater access. They move beyond being a follower to becoming a disciple and being mentored by that leader. Discipleship is the next step in the journey from follower to leader. Proximity makes this possible.

Thirdly, the Power of Proximity alters the perspective of others. Being near a leader facilitates the easy transfer of knowledge, wisdom, and expertise. With greater insight comes a deeper, more meaningful perspective, which enhances problem-solving, elevates productivity, and improves outcomes for everyone involved.

Black Belt Leaders understand the Power of Proximity. They not only use it to get close to those they are leading, but they also use it to get close to other successful people whom they respect, admire, or want to be like.

I spend thousands of dollars a year to have the privilege and opportunity to be in close proximity to other successful leaders who are ahead of me on the leadership journey. After all, if I’m not willing to invest in me, why should I ask others to do the same?

I pay for Mentors and Coaches who regularly speak into my life, stretch my thinking, and hold me accountable. I pay to attend conferences, workshops, and masterminds so I can glean from the collective knowledge being shared from the speakers on the stage.

I understand the Power of Proximity and use it to become a better version of who I am and what I do.

Remember, proximity moves you from being an outsider to becoming an insider with greater access.

You cannot give what you do not possess.

You cannot transform others until you, yourself, have been transformed.

In traditional martial arts, you train with a Master Instructor for several years before earning your Black Belt. All the time, you’ve been in close proximity to the Master, hearing, seeing, learning, and doing more. You’re stretching your thinking and discovering you are capable of saying, doing, and becoming SO much more.

You don’t just experience martial arts. You end up having a face-to-face encounter with the Black Belt Leader Within, waiting to be discovered, developed, and deployed.

In the process, you transform from follower to student, then from student to disciple.

A Black Belt is not a symbol that you’ve arrived. It’s a sign that you’ve benefited from the Power of Proximity long enough to demonstrate you’re a serious student who is now ready to learn at a deeper, more meaningful level.

For a Black Belt Leader, the Power of Proximity is transformational. It’s not an arrival, but a journey that never ends.

Don’t forget that people want to be in proximity to those they respect, admire, want to be like, or desire to learn from.

They are seeking transformation.

Black Belt Leaders utilize the Power of Proximity to first transform themselves. Then, they create transformational encounters for others…and teach them to do the same.

It’s about YOU experiencing VIP moments with those YOU are following, so you, in turn, can create VIP experiences for those you are leading.

That’s the Power of Proximity.