Sun Tzu's "The Art of War"

I finished reading Sun Tzu's "The Art of War". I have been told this book is held in high esteem in management circles. I can also see these strategies being used historically.

As I read each passage, I spent time trying to think of both leadership examples and historical examples to provide further insight into just how much Sun Tzu's ideals have influenced the world. When I think about it, that's what made the book that much more challenging to read. I think what's also interesting to note that Sun Tzu's ideals are also heavily influenced by the Tao religion. I think for me to have gained everything out of this book, I should also have been reading the I-ching as well. This book is also on my list.

Some examples of leadership I have read include:

-"If soldiers are punished before a personal attachment to the leadership is formed, they will not submit, and if they do not submit they are hard to employ."
I take this to mean that in a team environment, if the leader does not empower it's members and treat them as if they are valued, then the team will turn it's back on the leader and in essence become ineffective. I have seen this and it does happen. It's sad when it does for everyone involved.

-"If you are quiet and inconspicuous, others will not be able to figure you out. If you are accurate and orderly, others will not be able to disturb you."-Mei Yaochen said this. To me, it indicates those that have the ability to focus are much stronger than the leaders that are merely driven by ego.

One link I have made to historical events:

-"Unless you know the mountains and forests, the defiles and impasses, and the lay of the marshes and swamps, you cannot maneuver with an armed force. Unless you use local guides, you cannot get the advantages of the land."

I can think of two historical examples for this quote. The first is the ill fated Franklin expedition. So he wasn't travelling with an armed force. However, he was travelling with a team in order to discover the Northwest Passage. He didn't use indigenous people to help him obtain information about the lay of the land and use existing technologies in this north to help him survive. However, there are plenty of examples of those people who have used indigenous people and techniques and survived. The one I can think of at this time is the first person to conquer Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary and his travelling sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

The second example for this quote is in World War Two and Hitler's disastrous attempt to take Russia in the winter. Besides the other many problems of Hitler's campaign around this same time, it should have been common knowledge then that Russia is cold in the winter and not a good time to invade.

There are many more examples from history which you can use to represent Sun Tzu's points which I simply do not have enough time and space to present here.

I enjoyed the book. However, reading it and making these connections has taken a fair amount of time. I was also challenged by the very notion that good leadership is taken from a book devoted to war strategies. My world view does not allow myself to comtemplate on war very often. I prefer more peaceful pursuits. For me to exist with my present attitude I need to believe that there are things out there, including leadership, that can be obtained by non violent notions. Life lessons are not always learned from war.

Thanks for reading.

Lynn

Next challenges (in order of completion):
Lobsterfest
Machiavelli's "The Prince"