Many dojos and systems come and go over the years.  A few stay a couple generations.  Only a handful stand the test of time.  One of the main reasons dojos or systems fail to stay intact over generations, is the same reason new companies, born from the brilliant ideas, and unending tenacity of the company’s founder fail when the company is passed down to a son, or corporate heir.  The company, or dojo, or system was kept alive by a cult of personality.

A cult of personality is a group of people who follow the ideas, ideals, and methods of a leader with strong personality traits.  Followers and students alike are motivated by the leader, tales of his or her exploits, their mental and/or physical fortitude. The way the person speaks and writes.  How that leader’s personality affects them – personally.

There are many dojos and systems like this.  Along comes a smart, sometimes brilliant practitioner or teacher.  He or she has strong opinions, demands alot from students, maintains an atmosphere that attracts students and brings the best out in them.  There is usually some level of mental, verbal and physical presence.  The leader has answers to important questions, and the answers seem to make sense.  When that person isnt leading class it just isnt quite the same.  It may be good, but not the same.

Inevitably, when that leaders leaves the dojo, or dies, the successors struggle to maintain the same environment that existed.  Most often a dojo or system will splinter into groups led by those closest to the original personality.  Each one of them insisting they understood the “real” message of the prior leader.  He showed them the real secrets, or passed on the real knowledge and philosophies.  Even family members of the original personality, who may or may not have ever dealt with their family member in the dojo, come out of the woodwork to claim either they should have the control or sometimes, that nobody should have the control.

This scenario has played out thousands of times across the centuries from great philosophical leaders, to military leaders, political leaders, and other strong personalities who developed followings. Each time there were similar endings to the story.  Who was closest to them.  Who knew the real teachings. Blah Blah.

Occasionally however, usually through thoughtful planning, leaders understand how these cults of personality work, and do things to ensure that the important things are maintained without the specific need for an ultra-charismatic leader.  Usually there is success and longevity for similar reasons – no matter the specific social area. 

For a dojo or a system, some key areas that need to be contemplated are:

• Is the technical system valid and effective.  Is it based on reality, and adaptable to changing realities?
• Is there an effective teaching methodology?  Is there a way to transmit knowledge in an effective and repeatable fashion generation after generation?
• Are there core traditions that are important to keep in place and repeat?  Do they serve a specific purpose that will remain important to students generation after generation?
• Do multiple senior level people know and understand these things deeply, and understand the importance of them so that they feel they do not need to reinvent them or come up with different methods?
• Is there an atmosphere that can be learned, taught, maintained generationally?
• Can a new strong personality emerge from the dojo with strong knowledge of the above named items, with some new and exciting takes on things, who can preserve what is important and motivate another generation to maintain the dojo or system?

These are important questions to know the answer to.  Without some of these things in place, which are known and understood by senior members of a dojo or system, there is little hope for longevity of a dojo or system.  More than likely, new strong personalities will emerge and reinvent the original idea, and start their own cult of personality….and the cycle starts again.