3 Lessons for high performance from Cobra Kai

If you too are an 80s kid, or at least a fan of movies from that era, you’ll probably have fond memories of the Karate Kid trilogy. I don’t watch a lot of television, but I waited in anticipation for the release of Cobra Kai on Netflix a couple of weeks ago (and I am late to the table, given that the series launched in 2018 on YouTube Red). A week later, and I’d finished both Series 1 & 2, which means I now need to wait a long time for Series 3 to drop in 2021....

So, why am I talking about Cobra Kai here on LinkedIn? Let’s just say there are a LOT of lessons in this series that can be applied to teamwork, individual mindset and our attitude to work (and life). 

In the spirit of the Cobra Kai dojo rules, I’ve broken down three of my top takeaways for you and what this means for your high performance mindset:

Rule #1: Strike First

I definitely don’t intend this is a way that involves using your fists. In the arena of business and work, don’t wait for something to happen. Instead, make it happen. Put yourself out there, experiment and test new concepts, learn from failure and strike again. Sure, you may need to adjust your technique but keep up the momentum.

Rule #2: Strike Hard

In the same vein as striking first, I’m not condoning violence. Striking hard means being clear and focused on your goals - and then giving it 100%. When you set out to achieve something, aim for bigger and better. Have purpose. Run with it. Focus on striking beyond your target, and then go hard to achieve results.

Rule #3: No Mercy

Ok, so perhaps we need to alter this just a teeny bit. In fact, mercy and compassion are crucial for success. Let’s change this rule to “No Fear” or at least set some boundaries around what we mean by “No Mercy”.  If anything, have no mercy for the unqualified fears that hold you back. Acknowledge these but then knock them out of your way. Be comfortable stepping out of your comfort zone and stepping into your fears. Don’t give up - be resilient and relentless if you want to achieve your goals.

That’s it. Three simple yet highly effective rules to set yourself and your team up for success. 

If you’ve watched the series, what life lessons did you gather from it?