What is Tenuki?

Tenuki is a term from Go (think Japanese chess). It means to do something different. It means refusing to be led around by your opponent. It means thinking strategically, not just tactically. It means taking back the initiative. There's an expression: "When in doubt, tenuki."

Does tenuki mean fleeing from adversity? Hardly.  (It also has nothing to do with the tanuki.)  Sometimes the best way to answer a question is to realize that the question is wrong.  Change the agenda.  Go in a new direction.

I embrace the concept of Tenuki in my own work.  I don't believe there is such a thing as "good enough."  Even if you're successful, there's always a way to make it better.

Business is not a game, but the principles of Go represent universal ways of living, especially in the competitive context.  You need to keep the initiative and you need to maintain momentum.  If something's not working, you need to know when to walk away.  And once you've found a comparative advantage, you need to go out and find another one.

This is tenuki.

Courtesy of Sensei's Library