The Art of War
Five Key Lessons from The Art of War In the Art of War video, which is based on the work of Sun Tzu’s Art of War, which was written over 2,500 years ago, was the first known study of strategic planning and carry-out of military operations. In addition to military strategy, these concepts have also been utilized by those in economic, political, and management arenas to strengthen the competitive edge and understanding of outmaneuvering competitors and opponents. The first key principle is to Know Your Enemy and Know Yourself. Sun Tzu’s belief was that if this was so, you will never be in danger. As this applies to management and leadership, it demonstrates that understanding your opponent is crucial to obtaining competitive advantage. The second key principle is to Avoid What is Strong, and Attack What is Weak. This principle is based on how to achieve goals with the minimum amount of resources used, and the minimum amount of destruction, or wasted time and energy of key management strategies. This would allow for a more focused concentration on those areas where results are more achievable. The third key principle is to Do the Unexpected. By keeping forces shifting back and forth, this creates frustration in leaders, and gains a better picture of how opponents or competitors will respond. This also downplays the value of direct attack, and places the emphasis on manuever and surprise. The fourth key principle is to outthink your enemy rather than to outfight him. Sun Tzu’s philosophy was such that it is tactics and strategy, not overwhelming firepower, that wins the war. He believed that numbers alone demonstrate no clear advantage. In business, it supports the idea of gaining familiarity of competitors, and finding out how they strategize to gain advantage. Having this knowledge can provide important information as to how to structure a competitive edge in order to surpass them. The fifth key principle is to make the enemy or competitor