What War Strategy Can Teach Us About Careers and Leadership – The Art of War by Sun Tzu

What War Strategy Can Teach Us About Careers and Leadership – The Art of War by Sun Tzu?

The Art of War

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The Art of War was written in 6th?Century BC as a treatise for the purpose of instructing military officers to think of warfare strategy creatively. Tzu considered warfare as an art form expressed by a stratagem that could be employed creatively given the variety of circumstances that may present themselves on the battlefield and the events leading to warfare.

The book covers 13 chapters – each subject matter covering an area that Tzu deems as essential in order to achieve successful combat. Within the book there are separate isolated lessons or proverbs that serve as guidance in military instruction.

In modern times, people have sought to transpose the lessons, originally intended for a military campaign, as a guidance and inspiration in dealings in a commercial context, rather than translating it in terms of genuine warfare.

Before I go further, it’s important that I frame 4 key points. Firstly, I am viewing the lessons of the Art of War through a commercial lens i.e., what lessons can be taught from a career, leadership and entrepreneurship perspective. The Art of War is ultimately about a successful campaign and strategy for the pursuit of an objective. This can easily be adopted within a career, leadership or entrepreneurship context. Tzu’s war that he refers to, for our purposes,??can be the promotion sought at work, the effective management of a team or successfully running/establishing of a company.

Secondly, the book covers several isolated proverbs on the subject matter of the chapter. For the purposes of this exercise, I am unable to visit all the proverbs. However, I will select a few proverbs that can easily be applied in my usual framework of leadership, career and entrepreneurship. I have put down the corresponding number of the proverb in the respective chapter (this explains the odd numbering below).

Thirdly, anyone who has read Niccolò Machiavelli’s?The Prince?will see a common or shared philosophy, particularly??in Tzu’s and Machiavelli’s shared use of deception in order to gain control. Both pieces of work share a common maleficent tone. I do not agree with the entirety of its philosophy of the book. Notwithstanding this, I still think that there are useful proverbs which can be taken and used to help aid leadership, career and those on the path of entrepreneurship.?

Finally due to the isolated nature of the proverbs I have decided to deviate from my usual book analysis style by reviewing themes. This time around I have decided to quote Sun Tzu directly with some of the powerful proverbs that jumped out to me. I have done this because it allows for readers interpretation.?

The true power of this book, is found when the lessons are reflected on and digested once the reader has contextualised each proverb for themselves. Tzu’s philosophy is that the very art of war is precisely this – an art form.??The ability to not lean too much on predefined rules, paradigms of thought or behaviours, but to treat your action (or indeed inaction) as an art form by drawing on different tools in a variety of different circumstances creates this art. Art is not a matter of rules as it is an act of creativity.??To do this very philosophy justice it is important to allow for the??interpretation of the reader and not impose my meaning on the proverbs identified. To impose?my?rules and interpretation would be to remove the art form that Tzu speaks of. In line with the spirit of this book, I would like to allow the readers’ own art to be formed by quoting directly from Tzu. I have selected some quotes that I feel are applicable to careers, leadership and entrepreneurship.?

Quotes from Sun Tzu – the Art of War

Laying Plans

“9. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness”. (Sic.)?

10. “By method and discipline are to be understood the marshalling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army and the control of military expenditure”.

“18. All warfare is based on deception”.

“19. Hence when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe that we are close”.

“21. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.”

“24. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.”?

“26. Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can see who is likely to win or lose”.?

Waging War

2. “When you engage in actual fighting , if victory is long coming then men’s weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be dampened. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength”.

3. “Again if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the state will not be equal to the strain.”

4 “Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to able to avert the consequences that must ensue.”

19. “In war let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns”.

20. “Thus it may be known that the leader of armies, is the arbiter of the peoples fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril”.?

Attack by stratagem

1. In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy’s country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them”. (Sic)

2. “Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting”.

5. “The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain, while the town still remains in taken. Such are disastrous effects of a siege.”

7. “With forces intact he will dispute the master of the Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph will be complete. This is the method of attacking by Stratagem”.?

9. “If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy ; of quite unequal in every way, we can flee him.”

Tactical Disposition?

8. “To see a victory when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence”.

9. “Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight and conquer and the whole Empire says ‘well done!’”?

10. “To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength; to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.”

15. “Thus it is that un war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights. And afterwards looks for victory”.

16. “The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.”

17. “In respect of military method, we have, firstly Measurement; secondly, Estimation of quantity; thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, Balancing of chances; fifthly, Victory.”

Energy

2. “Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals”.

10. “In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack – the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of manoeuvres”.

14. “Therefore a good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision.”?

Weak points and Strong

1.“Sun Tzu said: 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.”

17. “For should the enemy strengthen his van, he will weaken his rear; should he strengthen his rear??he will weaken his van; should he strengthen his left, he will weaken his right; should he strengthen his right he will weaken his left. If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.”

28. Do not repeat tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.”

31. Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.”

Manoeuvring

13. “We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country – its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, it’s marshes and swamps.”

21. “Ponder and deliberate before you make your move.”

29. “A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return. This is the art of studying moods.”

Variation in tactics

12. “There are five dangerous faults that may affect a general:

(1)???Recklessness, which leads to destruction;?

(2)???Cowardice, which leads to capture;?

(3)???A hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults;

(4)???A delicacy of honour which is sensitive to shame;

(5)???Oversolicitude of his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble”

The Army on the March

42. “If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive; and, unless submissive, then they will be practically useless. If, when the soldiers have become attached to you, punishments are not enforced, they will still be useless”.?

Terrain

18. “When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct; when there are no fixed duties assigned to officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result is utter disorganisation”.

25 “Regard your soldiers as your children and they will follow you into the deepest valley’s; look upon them as your own beloved sons and they will stand by you, even unto death”.

The Nine Situations

19. Rapidity is the essence of war; take advantage of the enemy’s unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots.”

59. “For it is precisely when a force has fallen into harms way that it is capable of striking a blow for victory”.

The Attack by Fire

19. “If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are”.

15. Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise; for the result is a waste of time and general stagnation”.?

The use of Spies

“Be subtle! Be subtle! And use your spies for every kind of business”.

“Whether the object to crush an army, to storm a city, or to assassinate an individual, it is always necessary to begin by finding out the names of the attendants, the aides-de-camp, and door keepers and sentries of the general in command. Our spies must be commissioned to ascertain these.

The Art of War contains some useful decision making framework tools to operate within. Rather than viewing it as a direct instructional warfare manual, I feel that readers should operate the proverbs as tools when faced with an object that they are in pursuit of. The real value of this book comes from reflecting on the proverbs and truly internalising their??possible meanings that are applicable to almost any situation both professionally and personally. My two key takeaways are the strategic efforts required on any endeavour and the inter-personal relationships (in Tzu’s context between soldiers, generals and officials) in order to succeed on a mission of any sort. With this in mind, Tzu’s instructional guide, albeit thousands of years ago, still has some sound advice for all those on the path of career growth, leading others or entrepreneurship.