The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military text from 500 BC, attributed to Sun Tzu, the Chinese military strategist. Each of its 13 chapters is devoted to a different set of skills (or arts) related to warfare and how they apply to military strategy and tactics. From terrain, to when to fight, and even the proper use of spies – The Art of War covers it all.
Why is the Art of War Still Relevant?
The Art of War offers timeless wisdom. Clearly, for military purposes, the Art of War has been used by different leaders with different ideologies when they wage war. It has been used by Mao Zedong in the Chinese Civil War and also American Gulf War generals Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell.
Outside of the military, The Art of War has been used by executives and lawyers to gain the upper hand in negotiations and win trials. Business-school professors often assign the book to their students, and sports coaches use the tactics to win games.
People continue to draw on the lessons of the arts and apply them to their day-to-day lives.
7 Actionable Steps from the Art of War
1. Prepare
“Now 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 few calculations beforehand.”
Sun Tzu
Doing preparation work is rarely fun. It requires making quiet time to sit down, rack your brain around various situations, write-out all your thoughts, and research to fill in those gaps. It can be frustrating that most of what you end up working on doesn’t even happen. Using war as an example, the battle can only go one way.
However, preparing the scenarios makes you proactive rather than reactive. The advantage of the preparation is that you can manage problems much quicker and more efficiently because you have already solutions at hand that can be applied. Studies also show being prepared helps lower stress, anxiety and increases confidence.
Preparation is also important for handling life – we can only have so much foreseen in the future and by planning you can skirt issues.
2. Take time to Reflect
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
Sun Tzu
Taking the time to reflect on yourself is one of the key components of the Art of War. Reflecting on your enemy is critical as well. Researching, reading, and consolidating the notes about them is vital to success. However, it is almost always easier to research the company you want to apply for, the competitive landscape of the industry for your side hustle, or the sports team you going to play this weekend.
Knowing yourself takes time and energy. Sometimes it also isn’t the easiest to look past the surface level and see our faults. However, it is in these moments where we see where we are strong, resilient, and where we can grow.
A study from the British Journal of Psychology found that those who regularly reflected were able to rise above their current situation, and if so desired, started making proactive decisions about moving their life towards what they want it to be.
In another study about the Pathways to Adult Civic Engagement (PACE) – college student volunteers were studied. The students who talked with people about their volunteer experience and participated in independent reflection about their experience were more likely to join PACE or similar organizations.
Reflecting not helps you create the life you want, it also helps you be more engaged with your community in ways that are meaningful to you!
Check-out some of our popular reflection exercises below:
- Insight from the Mexican Fisherman Parable
- Memento Vivi | A Reminder to Live
- Writing Your Future Exercise
3. Know the Foundation
“Based on the Five Essentials for victory:
1. He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight
2. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces
3. He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks
4. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared
5. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign
Sun Tzu
The above points are all great guiding principles, but they are also common sense. Much like in many areas of life – you have to understand the essential elements of art to be able to execute on it. You need to master the basic techniques of oil painting if you want to make the next Mona Lisa, and you need to master coding fundamentals before creating the next best video game.
Practicing the basics can sometimes be boring, but they are imperative to success.
4. Big problems Sometimes Have Simple Solutions
“An army can march great distances without distress if it marches through a country where the enemy is not.”
Sun Tzu
When facing ambitious projects, ask yourself how you can make the solution as simple as possible. For instance, if you have to safely move an entire army – go through territory where the enemy is not. You could go upstream and fight the enemy, or you could take a longer way around to avoid them together.
When you are facing your work, how can you make the tasks as manageable and pleasant as possible? Finding motivation and having the skill to tackle tough challenges is hard enough, no need to make it unnecessarily complicated as well.
Are you looking for some guides on how to be more efficient in your work? See the guides below to help!
- How to Motivate Yourself Every Day
- The Effective to-do List Method
- How to Set Your Priorities for the Day
5. Watch Dangerous Behavior
There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general:
1. Recklessness, which leads to destruction
2. Cowardice, which leads to capture
3. A hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults
4. A delicacy of honour that is sensitive to shame
5. Over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble
Sun Tzu
When given a prestigious position or an important task – it is vitally important to keep ourselves in check. We have to remember to stay humble and continue to act in a way that got us this opportunity in the first place.
In a study conducted by the International Journal of Manpower, they found that common causes of failure often relate to the leader’s personality traits. The most common flaws of leaders found in their study were arrogance, aloofness, perfectionism, insensitivity, selfishness, and betraying other’s trust. The solution – know yourself and learn to curb your destructive tendencies before they undermine your trust with your subordinates.
By staying present and mindful, you can better tackle your task at hand with your team.
6. Always have an outlet
“When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.”
Sun Tzu
In a battle, leaving an opening keeps the enemy more docile. If you fully surround them, they have no way out and will fight viscously to survive. However, if you leave an opening – they will simply leave or move to exit instead.
We can apply this to our own life as well. Always have a back-up plan and even a creative outlet.
We do have to be careful as well. Studies show that people tend to keep options open out of an aversion to loss rather than a desire for flexibility. When you are creating your back-up options, pick items that you really would want to have in your life or items you can work towards.
Such as finding your dream job, or ascending the ladder of financial independence.
In your life, how can you have an outlet for your work, your financial situation, or even a hobby? Having options in case your current plan fails leaves you room to navigate towards something you would like doing instead of vivaciously fighting to keep what isn’t working or hard has been lost.
7. Every Action Needs Purpose
“Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical. No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique.”
Sun Tzu
Studies show people are prone to being busy over having an ideal time. People will slow-down work so it fills their entire day, or will purposefully delay work items so they can them at the end of the day to have something right before they leave their shift. Instead of using the extra time for more productive behaviors, or even taking a break – people will simply course correct so they are always busy.
When you are working on tasks, delaying the items, or find yourself jumping to the next thing, occasionally ask yourself if what you are about to do is truly necessary. Sometimes only focusing on high-priority items and taking breaks is the best way to get your work done in the first place.
Need help hitting those high productivity tasks – check out the below guides
Key Take-Aways
- Most of the path to victory begins long before the battle starts. It means preparing your scenarios, working on your character, and inspiring your troops to face adversity to overcome their hardships.
- When in the fight, it is critical to leave options and trust in your pieces of training
- Sometimes winning the fight means avoiding the fight in the first place or knowing when to take a break to be stronger for the next challenge
Action item
Which take-away stuck out the most to you today? Write it on a post-it note and do one practical action with that piece of advice every single day for the next week. See how it improves your day-to-day life.
