A Day at the Dojo:
Discover the Aikido Executive
What if the most powerful leadership philosophy in the world was perfected on the mat — not in the boardroom?
Most executives are taught to push harder, fight smarter, and outlast the competition. IBCircle Member Kei Izawa has spent a lifetime proving that the greatest leaders do the opposite — and winning every time.
On Thursday, June 25, IBCircle invites you to something genuinely unlike any event we have held before. Leave the conference room behind. Step onto the mat. And discover why the ancient Japanese art of Aikido may be the most relevant leadership framework for the world you are navigating right now.
Our Host:
Kei Izawa
Aikikai 7th Dan Black Belt · Former Chairman, International Aikido Federation (2016 –2021) · Former GM/Opel Executive · Acclaimed Author
IBCircle Member Kei Izawa is one of the most extraordinary figures you will ever encounter — a man who has operated at the highest levels of both global business and international martial arts simultaneously, and who has spent decades translating one into the other.
As a senior executive at GM/Opel, he led transformations in some of the world's most demanding markets using principles drawn directly from the dojo — outmaneuvering larger competitors not through force, but through alignment, timing, and redirection. As Chairman of the International Aikido Federation, he governed a global organization spanning dozens of countries and hundreds of thousands of practitioners. And as the author of The Aikido Executive and The Victory Paradox, he has codified those insights into a leadership framework that is changing how executives think about power, conflict, and growth.
"You cannot control what you collide with. You can only control what you blend with."
— Kei Izawa
What You Will Experience:
This is not a lecture. It is not a seminar. It is an immersive, hands-on afternon — part dojo, part executive workshop — in which Kei brings his framework to life in a way that no book or conference talk can replicate.
Why This Matters Right Now:
- On the mat: Experience the physical principles of Aikido — alignment, redirection, Musubi (the art of blending with opposing energy) — in a safe, welcoming environment. No experience necessary.
- In the room: Translate those same principles directly into Monday-morning boardroom strategy — navigating high-stakes conflict, leading without force, and breaking through organizational paralysis.
- The Victory Paradox: Understand why the leaders who win most consistently are those who have learned to stop fighting — and start redirecting.
- Japanese Business Practice: Explore the deeper principles — Musubi, Masakatsu Agatsu, Zanshin — that underpin both Aikido and the way Japan's most enduring companies are built and led.
- Peer conversation: Candid, off-the-record exchange with IBCircle's internationally experienced executives, founders, and investors.
In a global business environment defined by volatility, tariff uncertainty, and geopolitical realignment, the instinct to push harder, to force outcomes, to out-muscle the competition is precisely the instinct that is exhausting your organization.
The Aikido Executive offers a fundamentally different model: lead from the center, redirect rather than resist, and achieve victory not by overpowering opposition but by rendering it irrelevant through alignment. This is not philosophy. It is a system — battle-tested in both the dojo and the boardroom.
"Fluidity beats force. The strongest position is not the most rigid — it is the most adaptable."
— Kei Izawa
WHY THIS ROOM IS DIFFERENT
? TWICE AWARDED ?
Business Networking Organisation of the Year
Global Innovation & Excellence Awards · 2025 & 2026
IBCircle events attract global executives, serial founders, and sophisticated investors who value substance over small talk. Attendance is intimate by design — space is limited to preserve the quality of conversation and the depth of the experience.
For our international members and followers who cannot join us in person: this event will be documented and shared. The ideas of the Aikido Executive are as relevant in London, Tokyo, and Singapore as they are in Colorado.
EVENT DETAILS
- DATE/TIME: Thursday, June 25, 2026 – 5:00 to 7:30 PM
- LOCATION: One Dojo, 3005 Sterling Circle, Suite 150, Boulder, CO 80301
- FORMAT: Immersive session — dojo and executive workshop
- DRESS CODE: Comfortable clothing suitable for light movement
- REFRESHMENTS: Refreshments and light snacks
TICKETS
- $55 for IBCircle Members & Members' Guests and First-Time Guests
- $175 for Non-Members
Space is strictly limited · This event will sell out · IBCircle's standard no-refund policy applies