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 Friday, March 09, 2007 |
 Before anyone criticizes me on being a war monger, READ THE BOOK. Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" does not advocate war. It is about winning. He believed war to be a costly endeavor as a path to winning. Sun Tzu believed that anyone who relies on war will perish, as well as anyone who is a pacifist will be extinguished. He lived in a violent time. Sun Tzu spent much effort in the book to convince the reader that the first choice was always to win without fighting and offered many strategies. On the other hand, the state often is confronted with no other choice but to defend itself, and Sun Tzu said you better be prepared, or else face a dire consequence! Often his strategies are debated, but they are always discussed. As a reference for management and winning in a corporate culture I find it has excellent advice. Personally, I do not agree with all 13 of his points, some of them don't seem to translate well from military to corporate strategy, some are rooted in Chinese culture, and some are only hints of a deeper more involved strategy.
In eastern cultures "The Art of War" is required reading for corporate executive. It has even caught hold here in the US. Tony Soprano admitted to reading it in an episode of "The Soprano's". I could write lab note after lab note on my interpretation and how it applies to western corporate management.
My quick version of a famous Sun Tzu story. This is not in his book, it is in another book of the same era that offers a biographical passage.
Sun Tzu lived in 6th century BC China. He caught the attention of the emperor who was in the middle of a war. As a test of Sun Tzu's teachings the emperor gave him 180 of his women to command. Sun Tzu commanded the women but they did not respond. They giggled. Sun Tzu had the emperor's two favorite concubines (who were the generals in this female army) beheaded! The emperor tried to stop Sun Tzu but he responded that he was given a commission and was entitled to run his army the way he wanted. The women were beheaded. The women then did as Sun Tzu bid, marching in formation, etc. The emperor then dismissed Sun Tzu after this demonstration was over.
Sun Tzu pointed out that at this point the women would walk on hot coals for him. Sun Tzu believed in rules, regulations, strong command, and the "dao". He understood the cost of war in terms of money and lives. The emperor did make Sun Tzu his general after this and he went on to become a legend in winning campaigns for the state.
At the very least you must agree that Sun Tzu was effective. One often overlooked aspect of this book is that Sun Tzu taught that you must take war, being a general, (or your vocation) seriously to win. When the emperor gave Sun Tzu women to command, he was doing it lightly, possibly in jest of Sun Tsu. When Sun Tsu had the two women beheaded he showed that this was a serious matter, that war is not to be taken lightly but is the most serious matter of the state. Basically what Sun Tzu told the emperor, to his face, was that war is a serious matter and that the emperor was unable to accept this. The emperor was not serious. |
admin4 at 2:22 PM |
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