Exemplary Leadership Strategy And Tactics: When To Use 'Sumo' Or 'Ninja'
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~ Sun Tzu
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In corporate and entrepreneurial dynamic business environments...
Competition can take many forms, requiring adapting and individually executing different leadership strategies and tactics!
Even outside of Japan, the words 'Ninja' and 'Sumo' have become common knowledge, and some of us have probably also watched last year's thrilling new adaptation of the book 'Shogun' [1] as a series.
So, it's not confusing to use the Ninja example to describe the cunning ability of executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs to sneak around or take a firm stance, as Sumo wrestlers do.
LESSONS FROM JAPANESE MARTIAL ARTS
Generally, using Ninja tactics means being agile, stealthy and making sneaky manoeuvres while appearing as harmless as possible, leading competitors to underestimate.
On the other hand, Sumo's primary key to success is being bold and powerful and taking a firm stance to give competitors a clear sign of strength.
Both methods are essential, and the best executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs...
Know when to use each, which ones to use, and how to execute them, as the following two well-known examples from the tech world elucidate.
APPLE's NINJA TACTICS
For instance, when Steve Jobs launched iTunes on January 9, 2001 [2], he used a?puppy dog scheme?for global marketing and media presence to feign harmlessness.
Interestingly, though, he initially intended to buy Universal, now called Universal Music Group, to sell their music through his platform.
Still, instead of using this strategy, which would have put him in direct competition with the significant and financially potent record labels at that time, he played the part of a harmless niche outsider.
Because realistically, how threatening could a computer company with a mere two per cent market share be to significant record labels?
But as we all know today, it worked, and all the record labels underestimated Apple's weight and gave them better terms in contract negotiations!
Generally, Ninja tactics are great for pulling the blinders over competitors' eyes, but sometimes, there's a need to haul out the big guns, which means 'Sumo'.
MICROSOFT's SUMO TACTICS
Unlike Ninja tactics, Sumo tactics are all about power, size and reputation, sometimes even displayed in the idea of buying out competitors and ruthless undercutting.
For instance, in the classic 'Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt Strategy' (FUD), a market-leading company announces a product long before it's ready because the potential of this (yet) unavailable product keeps consumers waiting, preventing them from buying competing products.
To stay in the world of computers, a great example of FUD in action happened in 1982 when VisiCorp, an early personal computer software publisher, gave a preview of a newly developed and first-of-its-kind graphical user interface (GUI) operating system (OS).
A form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through icons and audio, which is today the standard for all computers, mobile phones and tablets!
Bill Gates, who was in the early stages of developing his own GUI OS, now known as MS-DOS, was spurred into action and started promoting Microsoft's product [3], even saying it would launch before VisiCorp's.
The applied Sumo tactics of taking a firm stance worked!
Microsoft's reputation kept customers buying into potential and holding out for another?two years until the product was finally operational and launched on November 10, 1983.
LEADERSHIP LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
These classic but successful computer and tech history examples can be transferred to all dynamic business environments.
They show there is a time for both in every other open competitive market of fast-paced and ever-changing corporate and entrepreneurial business environments.
A time for Ninja- and Sumo tactics and strategies!
Healthy and sustainable growth should always be a priority on executives', leaders', and entrepreneurs' agendas, as it secures the team, company, organisation, or business.
To achieve this, strategising with cunning and strength and knowing when and why each of the two tactics explained is appropriate and should be applied is an art.
The art of exemplary leadership!
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