 |
| The Long March |
In China, clearly partial to Sun Tzu's principles was Mao Tse Tung. He put them to good use in his tough fights with Chang Kai Sek and the Kuomintangs. Mao would attack the enemy when least expected. He was able to establish dominance for many, many years. I still remember The Long March.
 |
| War in Iraq |
 |
| Last US convoy to pull out of Iraq in 2011 |
While reading the book, what came to my mind was the War in Iraq which started in 2003 and ended in 2011. The cost of that war was staggering as America spent billions. Many Americans believe that the Iraqi War was the main cause of the nation's present financial woes. Listen to Sun Tzu:
 |
| US Army's Stryker Combat Vehicle |
" If the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain. There is no instance of country having benefited from prolonged warfare....In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns."
 |
| Phil Jackson and Pat Riley |
 |
| Bobby Knight |
In the sports world, many bench tacticians are applying the Sun Tzu principles in their court battles. They see it fit to hire assistants to aid them in their game plans. Importance is now placed on studying opponents in their actual outings and they prepare for each game by deliberating on the drawing board and inside dugouts. Sun Tzu recognizes the value of studying the enemy and having a battle plan:
 |
| Challenger 2 (UK) |
 |
| The U.S. M1A1 Abrams tank |
" 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 a few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory. "
" If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. "
Pat Riley, Phil Jackson and Bobby Knight were basketball coaches who utilized the Sun Tzu principles in their work. Knight would read it before a game and was very successful in college basketball. Jackson would ask each player to familiarize himself with the brilliant ideas in the book so as to instill in the cager a warrior spirit.
In his prolific stint with the Chicago Bulls where he piloted the team to six consecutive NBA championships, Jackson regularly applied the Sun Tzu principles. In the championship series with the Utah Jazz, there were many instances when Michael Jordan would be double-teamed. Jackson would make a sudden maneuver in their offensive thrust. When Jordan could not penetrate as he was swarmed with guards, the ball would quickly be passed to the weaker side where there was little defense. And there, sharpshooters John Paxson and Steve Kerr would shoot virtually unmolested. As Sun Tzu points out:
 |
| Leopard 2A6 (Germany) |
 |
| M32 Multiple Grenade Launcher |
" You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.....all we need to do is attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve. "
Riley, too, consistently used the principles of Sun Tzu in his court battles. In the NBA championship series in 2006 where his team faced the Dallas Mavericks, Riley and the Heat recovered from a 0-2 deficit by making a brilliant maneuver in the succeeding games by creating problems for ace forward Dirk Nowitzki by putting him in early foul trouble. Miami's attack was almost always on him. This hampered his production and the Heat won the next four games to wrap up the title. Here is Sun Tzu on military strategies:
 |
| Leclerc (France) |
 |
| Corner Shot 40mm Grenade Launcher |
" Reduce the hostile chiefs by inflicting damage on them, and make trouble for them."
" He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning maybe called a heaven-born captain."
The Sun Tzu principles can be applied in any business organization. In fact, the basic management functions are all covered by these principles. Planning is the deliberation Sun Tzu says a leader must do before going to war. In management, deliberation is the preparation stage where goals are defined and standards are set. It is knowing where one wants to go, how to get there and when to get there.
Organizing would be defining the roles to be played by each employee in the same way that officers and soldiers are given specific assignments while in combat. Directing and controlling would be the actual supervision exercised by a manager or supervisor over his subordinates which is much like a military officer directing and giving orders to his men.
 |
| Israel's NG& NEGEV Light Machine Gun |
 |
| Weapons of the Free Syrian Army |
" Having collected an army and concentrated his forces, he must blend and harmonize the different elements thereof before pitching his camp. After that, comes tactical maneuvering, than which there is nothing is more difficult."
" Gongs and drums, banners and flags are means whereby the ears eyes of the host may be focused on one particular point. The host thus forming a single united body, it is impossible either for the brave to advance alone, or for the cowardly to retreat alone. This is the art of handling large masses of men."
" The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy and does not require much from individuals. Hence, his ability to pick out the right men and utilize combined energy. When he utilizes combined energy, his fighting men becomes as it were unto rolling logs or stones. "
 |
| US Marine Corps' F35B Joint Strike Fighter |
In the first part of the book, Sun Tzu talks of Moral Law as a significant factor in the art of war. Moral Law refers to moral influence or the harmony within. For Sun Tzu, there must be Moral Law for the general or the ruler to succeed. The same is true with persons holding high positions in private corporations and even in government. They must be morally upright. Moral influence must be there first.
Moral Law in business management includes the company philosophy and the corporate values with which top officials and employees are expected to adhere. These are standards which govern the actions and behavior of all executives and workers. In government, Moral Law determines moral ascendancy to govern. Those of dubious character, those who are corrupt, those with poor work ethic -- they are not fit or qualified to lead or to govern and, as such, most of their subordinates will reject them.
 |
| Military training |
“The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by fear.".
“The consummate leader cultivates the Moral Law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success."
Sun Tzu's principles are very popular in the corporate world and many companies include these principles in their training modules. A giant food conglomerate regularly sends its officers and men to training seminars where they are taught "The Art of War". And this is evident in their sales and marketing strategies as they strive hard to protect their hold on being 'number one' in beer sales. Sales managers and supervisors are constantly looking intensely at competitors and they are ready to attack when needed.
They regularly check the strength of the opposition by personally going to cities and provinces and making studies on the sales output of their competitors with the intention of totally eliminating competition. They familiarize themselves with the topography and the culture of the inhabitants.
At one time, their battlecry was "Conquer and control your competitors, conquer and control the hearts of your customers." So intense is their desire to have total mastery of their rivals that one of their strategies is to persuade store outlets to sell exclusively their products in exchange for attractive bonuses and perks. They are always on guard for any competition that may be offered by new competitors. Sun Tzu says:
 |
| Military vehicle from TATA Motors |
 |
| Nuclear Proof Tank (Russia) |
" Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient. "
" He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponent is sure to be captured by them."
" The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable."
" 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, its marshes and swamps. "
 |
| General Frederick Funston |
 |
| The capture of Gen. Aguinaldo |
In the book, Sun Tzu expresses his thoughts on deception. Deception is trickery. Perhaps the greatest deception cleverly carried out was during the Philippine-American War. General Frederick Funston and his men made the pretension that they were captured by the Macabebe Scouts. When they got near General Emilio Aguinaldo, the Americans seized him. With it, the Phiippine-American War came to an end.
In politics, there are some politicians who are good in deception especially during election time. There are some who junk party mates in exchange for a better deal. One candidate for a top position in a small town entered into a secret agreement with a big group in a vote-rich area whereby only four of his councilors would be endorsed and the other four would be junked. He was willing to sacrifice the other four to boost his chances of winning. Some candidates try to pirate leaders of the opposing camp. Wily supporters, on the other hand, pretend to be allies but switch loyalty at the last minute. Listen again to Sun Tzu:
 |
| Free Syrian Army Fighters |
 |
| Woman fighter in actual combat |
" Thus one who is skillful at keeping the enemy on the move maintains deceitful appearances, according to which the enemy will act."
" By holding out baits, he keeps him on the march; then with a body of picked men, he lies in wait for him. "
All told, The Art Of War is a good book written by a great general and strategist. It is a book on leadership. The Art Of War tells us about the importance of having a good organization, of having good men, good strategies and a good system with which to run that organization. The Art Of War is about the sensitive role played by the ultimate leader which Sun Tzu describes in the following lines:
 |
| General George Patton as portrayed by George C. Scott |
 |
| General Dwight Eisenhower |
" The general who advances without coveting fame and retreating without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is THE JEWEL OF THE KINGDOM."
" Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril. "
" A power of estimating the adversary, of controlling the forces of victory, and of shrewdly calculating difficulties, dangers and distances, constitutes the test of a great general."
 |
| The Edsa Uprising in 1986 |
- Konted
Read Sun Tzu's The Art of War:
http://classics.mit.edu/Tzu/artwar.html
While whiling away the time at the Library Lounge of Anvaya Cove, I managed to finish reading the book The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu was an ancient Chinese military general. The book, written about 2,500 years ago, is a classic and the principles mentioned therein are still relevant up to this day.
