Sun Tzu, The Art of War and Your Business - Part 1 of 6
“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” - Sun Tzu, The Art of War
I was inspired by a recent post by Harry over at Men With Pens. His post was a study of The Book of Five Rings, “A classic text on the Japanese Way of the Sword,” as it applies to writing and working as a freelancer. He discusses the five elements of swordplay and how they are equally relevant to writing and, I would argue, all aspects of running a business. I won’t try to summarize the entire post, because you should really check it out for yourself, but here are the five elements: Ground (Building your foundation - discipline and stability), Water (Adaptability - staying calm in the face of adversity and change), Fire (Taking Action - putting your passion to good use), Wind (Style - finding the best approach), and The Void (Attitude - what binds it all together). Seriously, go read the whole post, it’s well worth your time.
Harry’s post reminded me of something I had long since forgotten. When I was 15 I started a neighborhood lawn mowing business, and one of my clients (AKA neighbors) gave me a copy of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War and told me I could learn everything I needed to know about business from that book. I thought he was crazy at the time, but years later, after running a business, I get it.
Corporate America - Our Battlefield
Sun Tzu was a Chinese general and military strategist in the sixth century BC. His book, The Art of War, consists of 13 chapters, each devoted to one of the aspects of warfare. Even though the book was written 2500 years ago, the concepts are still applicable today. Because the free market is governed by the interplay of competing businesses, many of Sun Tzu’s lessons have withstood the test of time. Historians have claimed that Napoleon, one of history’s greatest strategists, studied The Art of War. More recently, executives at corporations like Google and Microsft have begun to apply its lessons in the corporate world.
While I definitely think the book is worth checking out, some parts are more relevant than others. Take, for instance, Sun Tzu’s theories on the use of fire to destroy an enemy’s camp. I could give you a very creative interpretation of its application, but it would either be complete BS or it would give you the impression that I support arson. Instead, let me break down what I think are the most relevant of his teachings:
Managing Your Troops: The art of discipline, accountability, respect and admiration.
Tactics, Measurement and Calculation: The art of planning so that you have ensured victory before you’ve begun.
Leveraging Advantage: The art of avoiding strength and attacking weakness.
Adaptation: The art of reacting to circumstance, changing tactics, and constantly innovating.
Leadership: The art of balancing responsibilities, doing what’s right, and inspiring loyalty.
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As Sun Tzu said,
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.”
Never underestimate the power of planning. Develop a solid business plan and revisit it regularly to see how things are progressing. Do the same for marketing with a comprehensive marketing strategy. Analyze your market and your competition. Train your staff and reward them for a job well done. Apply these concepts to your business and it will grow.
I’ll see you on the battlefield.
What an inspiration! Go Kyle Go! Buckets and buckets of blessings on your...
Kyle,
Excellent post and thanks for all the linkage!
I haven’t read The Art of War, but maybe I’ll have to. Just one of those things I haven’t gotten around to yet.
I just subscribed so I can catch the rest of the series. Keep up the good work!
March 28th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Harrison,
Thanks for stopping by. Like I said, this post was inspired by your series on The Book of Five Rings. The Art of War is definitely worth checking out, I was amazed at how many of the 2500 year old principles have withstood the test of time.
Hopefully I’ll have the time to wrap up the series throughout the week. Stay tuned.
March 30th, 2008 at 5:50 pm