Sun Tzu was a general in ancient China more than 2,500 years ago and the author of the most famous book on military strategy, The Art of War. Wherever possible, he always preferred to win without fighting. “Every battle is won before it is fought” and “When you are certain that a conflict is unavoidable, be the first to strike” are just some of his thoughts that have gone down in history and that today’s leaders still bear in mind.
But his knowledge doesn’t only apply to military strategy. In fact, other authors have adapted Sun Tzu’s teachings, as Becky Sheetz did in The Art of War for Small Business, or Francisco Alcaide, who devotes a chapter to Sun Tzu in Aprendiendo de los mejores (“Learning from the best”).
Whether we are talking about business, life or habits, we win or lose for the same reason: bad strategy or bad planning.
In habits and success
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
Sun Tzu would not lead his army into a battle where the terrain was not in his favour and the other army was better prepared. He would not attack the enemy’s strong point, but its weakness. When it comes to habits and success, we can summon all the willpower in the world, but if the terrain is wrong, we will rarely achieve what we set out to do.
For example, it’s very hard to succeed if you keep surrounding yourself with the same people who, in a way, led you to a life without aspirations.
It’s hard to give up drugs if you’re still surrounded by drug addicts, or to kick the drinking habit in the middle of a botellódromo (an area set aside for open-air group drinking in Spain).
It’s hard to write a book in a noisy environment, or to be more productive if you keep answering every WhatsApp message from people who have the whole day free.
(See: The importance of the people you surround yourself with, as it has never been explained to you)
When we don’t achieve our goals, we blame ourselves and call ourselves failures, but our failure wasn’t due to a lack of willpower or persistence; it was due to bad strategy.
On persistence, Sun Tzu said:
“What matters most is victory, not persistence. Persistence is like fire: if it stays lit for too long, it will burn itself out.”
Breaking a bad habit isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be complicated either if we have first attacked the root of the problem and studied the terrain to prepare our strategy.
For example, if you are very overweight and want to lose weight, first make it harder to get at all the sweets and junk food you have around. Second, don’t choose to follow an athlete’s programme and exercise routine, because you’ll get frustrated and give up. You can do that later on, but for now, stay motivated.
Battle by battle, victory by victory, day by day. Some goals in life are like eating a big elephant. The approach that has given the best results is one bite at a time. Whoever tries to eat it all at once usually comes to a bad end.
Here is Sun Tzu:
“Choose the battles that are easiest to win first, before moving on to the harder ones. That way you improve your position, the opposition is weakened and your army’s morale will grow.”
In business
“Do not attack a well-defended area; look for a way to attack a vulnerable one.”
In other words, don’t attack a company’s strengths but its weaknesses. That’s how a small business can beat a big company. Malcolm Gladwell was talking about this when he said that in the epic battle of David against Goliath, it was Goliath who stood no chance against David. Goliath was the one at a disadvantage.
Sometimes your business can’t compete on price, but it can compete on quality or by adding value. At other times, you can’t compete on quality, but you can on price.
Sun Tzu’s thinking focuses on finding the easiest way to achieve a specific goal, because for him:
“If you know neither your enemy nor yourself, you will lose every battle.
If you know yourself but not your enemy, you will win some battles and lose others.
If you know yourself and you know your enemy, you will not lose even in a hundred battles.”
Information is power. Anyone going to a job interview should know the company inside out. A business owner should know their market, who their competitors are, what their competitors do, and their strengths and weaknesses.
(See also: 17 ideas and thoughts from Machiavelli applied to business and leadership)
Sun Tzu:
“Only when you know every detail of the terrain can you manoeuvre and fight. Those who know when to fight and when not to are the ones who triumph.”
In business and in life
“The art of war is based on deception. When you are far away, make them believe you are near. When you are near, make it seem that you are far away. If you keep your adversaries from knowing the place and date of the battle, you will win.”
The more others know about you and your intentions, the more vulnerable you will be. If you are about to make an important move in your company, a new service or a new product, don’t announce it until you are ready to bring it to market. Otherwise, your competitors may get ahead of you.
The same goes for your personal life. You’ve probably come across the old advice not to broadcast your happiness to everyone, because even many of your friends want you to be happy, just not happier than they are, and envy is quick to show up.
In decisions
“Never attack out of anger and in haste. Take time to plan.”
Over time I’ve learned something we should all know and put into practice. Never make decisions in a state of anger or extreme enthusiasm. Step back to reflect, think it over and make the decision from a neutral emotional state. It’s really just common sense, but it takes a lot of self-control and discipline to put it into practice.
For example, if you have a partner and you argue, in that moment you may say things you later regret. And even if you regret them, the damage will already be done; the relationship may even have broken down because of that moment of anger.
The same happens in the business world. In the heat of the moment, you could drive a good employee out of the company. You could also squeeze a supplier, or a customer, too hard.
As far as possible, always keep your emotional balance, and when you find yourself worked up, step back and think it over, because, as Sun Tzu also advises:
“If your enemy is easily provoked, irritate him.”
General Sun Tzu knew that an irritated, angry person tends to act in a very predictable and extremely clumsy way. So make decisions based on analysis and consistency, never from an agitated state, whether for better or for worse.
In life, we’ve all seen the foolish things we can do for “love”. That’s why people are advised not to make important decisions about their partner in the first 12 months of a relationship, because that’s when our brain is still consumed by dopamine and serotonin. In other words, at that point we don’t see in the other person even the most obvious flaws that everyone else sees, and we could make decisions we might later regret.
Sun Tzu in life and business
“Wear out your enemies by keeping them busy and not letting them catch their breath.”
And combine this advice with “the art of war is based on deception”. When it comes to business, you should always be on the move. If a competitor wants to keep up with your pace, make it hard for them. Make them sweat. Wear them out and push them into making bad decisions.
In business and in life, use the rumour mill and spread disinformation far and wide. Many years ago, taking advantage of people’s weaknesses, I made sure to keep my competitors very busy and their brains worn out while I rested easy.
I knew which of my competitors and friends were gossips by nature, and I would meet them for lunch. There I would tell them that a new client had called me, or that I had landed a big contract with a company that had a project “somewhere”. And I knew they would spend time and effort trying to take the contract from me or track down my new client. While they were chasing ghosts, I got on with productive work.
Keep the enemy close, busy and lost.
I gave an example in an article I published called “The first time I applied The Art of War to sales”.
