The Art of War has maintained its popularity because of its applications outside of military
strategy.
Its teachings became quite influential in business, politics, and even marketing.
In this video, I will explain to you 8 powerful lessons taught in this book.
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Now let’s start with the first: Never Use “Limited Resources” as an Excuse
for Bad Strategy “There are no more than five primary colors
(blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination, they produce more hues than
can ever be seen.”
Sun Tzu, “The Art of War” While it’s easy to use the excuse of limited
resources as the problem of an ineffective strategy, you should learn to maximize the
resources that you have.
When handling your small business, there are limitations regarding time, money, and comprehension.
It’s not likely that you have a $10,000 monthly marketing budget.
But, understanding that your business has some weaknesses is actually a strength.
Sun Tzu is telling us that even when facing limitations, creativity can lead to new possibilities
that we create.
From only five colours, the world has an almost infinite amount of different colours to pick.
For example, the colour Green isn't possible until yellow and blue are combined.
So, when building an effective marketing strategy for your business, you need to start by identifying
the resources that you have and the ones you don’t.
Do you have so much time, but no money to invest?
Do you have a limited amount of time but a considerable budget?
The goal here is that even with a scarce amount of resources, you can find combinations that
produce good results.
The difference between success and failure stand in being resourceful over being dependent
on resources.
Success Takes Discipline and Execution.
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.
Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
Sun Tzu, “The Art of War” Everyone knows that a smart strategy is the
key to success, right?
It means having a Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound strategy.
Smart strategies are designed to give any business project structure and support and
to set out more clearly what you want to achieve, and by when.
It’s clear that Sun Tzu gives more importance to developing a functional strategy, and I
don’t disagree.
Without a good strategy, all of your marketing efforts will be vain.
You can work as hard as you want, but you’ll never achieve success unless you know what
you’re working towards.
Without a game plan, you can’t measure progress and performance.
This is why you need tactics too.
Tactics are your day-to-day tasks.
They are the engine of your marketing ship.
Tactics power your business towards your goals.
Speed First “What is of the greatest importance in war
is extraordinary speed: one cannot afford to neglect opportunity.”
Sun Tzu, “The Art of War” A quick victory is the main goal of the war.
If this is late in coming, the troops are discouraged, and morale declines.
When the army engages in long-term campaigns, the resources of this state will not be sufficient.
Thus, while we have heard of stupid hurry in warfare, we have not yet seen a clever
operation that has been prolonged.
Plans, strategy, and tactics are important, but if you know that your project will have
to be done anyways, speed will help you out far more than passivity.
The Art of War explains that success requires “winning decisive engagements quickly”.
Meaning that Moving swiftly and strongly is a big part of this.
Always plan to complete a part of your project that delivers value within a fixed amount
of time.
This is similar to setting up many project milestones with deadlines.
Breaking things into smaller pieces makes the goals less complex, allowing you to attack
and achieve them quickly.
If you’re launching a new business, the most important thing is to get it off the
ground, up and running as fast as possible.
This will give you three benefits.
First, you’ll be more motivated to continue, if you didn’t move quickly in the beginning
to gain momentum, you’re likely to get stuck in a mental breakdown.
Second, it’s a lot easier and enjoyable to work on your project or business once things
are moving forward, since you’re seeing direct results from your work, and aren’t
worrying about working for no real results.
Finally, you will be first into the market, a huge advantage in the world of business.
Search For Easy Attack Points “So in war, the way is to avoid what is
strong, and strike at what is weak.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.
People sometimes like to brag about working extra hours as if it’s earned them some
kind of badge of honor.
Yet the Art of War recommends the exact opposite: finding the weak, low-effort points of attack
when working towards your goals.
so you will get the maximum result with the least effort.
Sure, you could apply for a job in the traditional way.
But if you can get connected with the hiring manager directly, maybe through some other
network connections, then why not?
If you’re looking to start a new business, look for whatever shortcuts you can to move
quickly.
The point is, you don’t have to be a magic genius or an Elon Musk to create a great business.
You just have to recognize and fill a need which is much easier to find if people have
already done the job for you.
Let the people take satisfaction in working hard, while you reap the same rewards without
as much investment of time, effort, and money.
Managing Energy and Staying Motivated “There is no instance of a nation benefiting
from prolonged warfare.”
Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”
The workaholics and wannabe entrepreneurs advocate working 16 hour days, and although
success does require one to work hard, and in some instances insanely hard.
That’s not even remotely possible, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
And nor is it healthy, or is it an effective way of working over the long term!
Our minds and bodies simply aren’t made to work that much.
In the book, Sun Tzu tells us how to manage your energy.
By doing this, you will be more efficient and maximize your productivity over the long
term.
You will be well fueled, and thanks to this, it’s easy to get work done.
This is especially true when doing work that is more technically involved or more creative,
as things that require a lot more thinking when compared to everyday tasks, like chores,
cooking, or sitting in traffic.
As a part of energy management, Sun Tzu also discusses methods of staying motivated.
If supposedly you’re working on a big project, such as developing your business, or anything
else that takes time and effort, your motivation won’t be at its peak.
And if you are, you won't be able to sustain it for a long period.
It’s healthy and important to refuel your motivation from time to time.
If you hit a big milestone in your project, business, or life, take the time to celebrate
your successes!
Enjoy it and savour the accomplishment.
By doing this you will put yourself in a good mood and remind you that it’s all worthwhile.
You can even establish rewards for hitting certain goals, before you actually get there.
Knowing that there’s a sweet prize at the end of the road will make you more motivated,
and you will keep going when times get tough.
Be Flexible If you can be flexible in your strategies,
and you always seek to have a variety of tactics, you will accomplish so much for your business
or projects.
Although "The Art of War" was the collection of the experience of many military strategists,
the combination of all the lessons and talents created something truly impressive.
A flexible business can provide the collective power and many talents of its team to open
new paths in Art of War business tactics.
It has been proved that businesses that operate with more flexibility in their day to day
operations tend to grow at a faster rate than those who do not.
This can be attributed to the fact that people are happier working for a business that allows
them the freedom to do their job the way they think it’s the best.
Being flexible is not something that business owners should worry about, but rather it is
something that can actually help you take your business to the next level.
If you have been searching for a way to breathe fresh life into your business, you may discover
that being flexible is all that you need.
Also, being flexible will make you more responsive to change.
The shifting dynamics of the workplace and marketplace means that you need to adapt and
respond to change quickly.
Resisting this can lead to excessive stress and failure.
Embracing flexibility will help you adapt to difficult situations more easily and more
quickly.
Expect the Best, but Prepare for the Worst.
When planning for war, Sun Tzu always prepared for the worst.
No matter how well-trained his soldiers were, the possibility of surprise by their enemies
was always there.
Going into battle, there were countless variables and tactics to consider.
Only by preparing for and anticipating his enemy’s moves would he be able to succeed.
It was critical that he considered the worst-case scenario with possible solutions at all times.
For every move his opponent might make, he had to find a counter-attack.
When working on a project at work or doing anything else that is important to you, you
have to use the same kind of attention to detail sometimes.
Often there are so many things that can go wrong with all types of plans, so thinking
ahead to find solutions or to minimize the damage can be very helpful.
However, I’m not saying that you should always be looking for what could go wrong
in life.
That kind of mindset would not only stop you from achieving success, but it will also remove
happiness from life.
If all you do is imagine the things that could go wrong with everything, the world will look
like a dark place.
It is important for your happiness that you always keep a positive mental attitude and
expect things to go your way, while, at the same time, preparing for unexpected problems.
No One Wins in Prolonged Conflict “There is no instance of a nation benefiting
from prolonged warfare.”
Sun Tzu, “The Art of War” This is one of the most important lessons
of The Art of War: although conflict is a continuous part of life in which human beings
intentionally engage; if it is prolonged it hurts everyone involved.
The lesson here is; Don't search for conflict, search for a resolution.
It’s important that you know that even if you win a conflict, you will find yourself
a loser in one way or another.
We get so much more out of life, personally, professionally, and spiritually when we work
to stay in harmony with the world around us.
So, what do you think about this extraordinary book?
What’s your favourite lesson from The Art of War?
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