Sun Tzu & The Art Of Innovation
??Travis "Grizzly" Jacobs
Product Development, Innovation, Mechanical Engineering, Creativity, Leadership, Communication
A summary from Sun Tzu, The Art Of War
Leadership ... Hire Great People ... Weak Leaders & Frustrated People Will Destroy You
When the worker is strong and the leader weak, the result is insubordination.
When the leader is strong and the worker weak, the result is collapse.
When the senior leaders are angry and insubordinate, and fight the "enemy" the result is ruin.
Tactics ... Be Decisive & Quick … But Make Well Informed Decisions
Indecision and delay can cause problems during battle
Long drawn out projects do not benefit anyone
Make timely and quality decisions .. the Leader should make few decisions
When it comes to decisions ... quality over quantity
Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight ...
Whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle ... will arrive exhausted.
Rapidity is the essence of war, take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots.
Tactics ... Exploit Your Enemy's Weaknesses ... Avoid His Strengths
If your opponent has a bad temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even though he has a strong defense ... is well prepared ... & heavily fortified.
All we need do is attack a location he will be forced to defend.
Avoid what is strong and attack what is weak.
Tactics ... Plan Ahead ... Don't Make It Up As You Go
Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.
Carefully study the well-being of your men, and do not overtax them. Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength.
Leaders are not fit to lead an army on the march unless they are familiar with the terrain and the natural forces
Local guides will give us the advantage ... those who know the terrain & the weather
The wise coach develops his plans well before the big game, the good quarterback practices & trains with his team.
WARNING: Don't attack someone just because they made you mad
No leader should fight merely out of anger
Don't just do something for the sake of doing it ... make sure it adds value
Information Is King: Don't Go Into Battle Without Knowing What You're Up Against
What enables the wise coach and the good QB to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is knowledge ... planning ... preparation ... discipline
Now this knowledge can be obtained from
- Experience
- Calculation
- Expertise
- Training
- Research
- Analysis
- Investigations
Knowledge of the enemy's situation can only be obtained from the knowledge of men.
A leader unable to estimate the strength of his own team or the strength of the enemy has little chance of victory.
Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.
How To Lose ... Tell Your People To Do Something They Can't ... Promote Incapable People ... Work Your Team To Death
There are three ways in which a leader can bring misfortune to his team
- By issuing commands that the troops cannot obey ... being ignorant of the situation ... problems & the fact they cannot obey.
- When ignorant of the subject ... situation ... technology ... and participating in their administration ... forcing a death march ... working your team to death
- By employing & promoting incompetent people ... by tolerating asshole behavior.
Teamwork
The ability to pick out the right men ... that can work well together.
When he uses teamwork his fighting men become like logs rolling down a step hill
Winning
Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:
? He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
? He will win who knows how to handle both small & large teams ... very well trained & disciplined teams ... inexperienced, untrained & undisciplined teams.
? He will win whose people are united by the same purpose throughout all its ranks.
? He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
? He will win who has capability ... expertise and is not interfered with by the boss
Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy without any fighting ... attack the enemy's strategy ... attack his weak points ... attack locations he does not defend.
Know The Enemy ... Know Yourself
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
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11 个月Travis "Grizzly" Jacobs cannot agree more. Weak leaders and frustrated staff for sure will destroy what you built in decades.
Optimizer of people, systems, dollars, and energy.
5 年Great points!? Could be called The Art of Management :)
Auditor | Mentor | Experienced Leader
5 年....and sadly the downfall of many large companies....
A passionate Nonprofit sector consultant helping clients tap into resources through funding diversification, stakeholder engagement, strategic and impact management, project development, and special events.
5 年It is not often that I come across something written from the context of fighting in leadership. Sounds like the the actions of bullies are the disfunction described in what no one should ever need to encounter. At the same time I have seen, and experienced the unfolding of such behaviours and actions the author writes of out on the battle fields of those who know not what they are doing.