Synergy

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This simplistic definition of Synergy is an apt metaphor for River Valley Tang Soo Do Academy. No one individual defines River Valley.

When the school first started it was centered on my teaching and my abilities. Over the last ten years that concept has changed. In the early days I taught every class, now we have a diverse group of competent instructors and assistants who bring a world of talent and knowledge to the students of River Valley. This group meets at least once per month and is collectively known as the “Leadership Team”. In addition to the Leadership Team we have another group of Black Belts who recently entered the Instructor Training Program and will be involved in the teaching activities at the studio.

One of the often unspoken aspects of synergy is that if you take away a part the whole continues to go on. This is also true of River Valley. No single individual is so important that the studio could not survive without him or her, myself included. Do not worry, I am not planning on going anywhere, I merely point out that the studio has grown to a point that it is a viable entity without my presence. We see this every week with the Wednesday and Saturday classes, as well as the Little Dragon’s pre-school program. These programs run, and run very well, without my direct involvement.

The nature of successful synergy is that the organization continues to grow as new parts are added. Add one part and get twice the return. In a synergistic environment 1+1 = 3. With the help of some very dedicated students we have been able to grow from a handful of students to over 100!

The questions we need to ask are “Where do we go from here?” and “What can I contribute to the success of the whole?” I ask every student to take these questions into consideration. Regardless of your rank you can be a part of the success that River Valley has achieved and the continued success that we will have in the future; both for ourselves and for the World Tang Soo Do Association.

I salute those people who have made River Valley successful and to all those who will come in the future and make us even more successful.

Tang Soo!

Master Scott C. Homschek

Originally published on www.rvtsda.com October 2002