Flower power: How Ikebana can help your career

Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, may conjure images of educated women filling time over a cup of tea and a gossip. But now their husbands are just as likely to get in on the act. Japan's corporate world has taken to the craft as it not only teaches how to cut plants and where to place branches, but also how to run companies and enhance commercial skills.

"From ancient times, the Japanese have known the importance of living in harmony with nature, flowers and plants. The four seasons are so clearly seen and felt in Japan, it's essential to be one with the seasonal changes," according to one of the top ikebana artists in Japan, Eikou Sumura, master instructor of the Sogetsu School.

Outside of Japan, flower arranging tends to focus on the interior display of the bouquet. Ikebana of course works to arrange flowers in an attractive manner, but there is a lot of emotion involved in the Japanese method too.

"It's about expressing our hearts and souls, inner thoughts and feelings through flowers and plants," says Sumura.

And this is what top business people come to learn. Considering where to place the three main pieces of the ikebana arrangement and the supporting stems is akin to building a mini-organization. Relying on decisiveness, judgment and inspiration, ikebana teaches its students how to see the broader view.

"If you're too close when creating, you won't see the bigger picture. But equally, the details are essential. Ikebana teaches you to step back and see what's important, what's missing," says Sumura.

Ikebana includes working with your hands, all parts of the brain, the five senses and multiple dimensions -- consciousness of space, containers and the varying plant materials. It's also about stress relief, and enjoying the moment as you express the best of each plant, flower and branch.

"The act of self-expression required in creating a single ikebana art provides ample time to face yourself and your innermost feelings, enriching your soul," according to the master teacher.

Ikebana is also a hospitality tool used to welcome guests so they feel relaxed when visiting others. For example, traditionally hosts sprinkle water in front of the entrance 30 minutes before guests' arrival to cleanse the air and purify the environment. And something would feel missing if there was no floral arrangement at the entrance. Just as tea is served to guests to show respect, flowers at the entrance of a building do the same.

Sumura and her studio, Ikebana Atrium, create the installations in the lobby of the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel as a welcome gesture to guests. The flowers and plants of the lobby installation are alive with spirit and their intention is to convey warm feelings of hospitality.

There are two main categories of Sumura's ikebana on display at the hotel: abstract and natural expression. The latter emphasizes how to best enhance nature's materials, by finding the best expression for each branch and flower. Hotel guests tend to relate more to nature enhancing ikebana as they project their own stories on to the arrangement such as "that branch reminds me of where I went mountain bike riding last summer."

This ancient art also celebrates the different life stages of each flower and plant. While elsewhere some may see a dying flower as ugly, ikebana teaches us to enjoy the changes. As Sumura says, "Enjoy the falling leaves and petals, and the hole the bug made in the leaf. This is ikebana."

Good advice for all, not only CEOs.

Learning ikebana

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