Leadership and the sun.

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about Sun Tzu, the well-known Chinese general. He was a Chinese general of the 6th century BC (544-496 BC). It is most famous as the author of the book of military strategy the oldest known: the Art of war. The main idea of his work is that the objective of the war is to compel the enemy to abandon the fight, even without a fight, through deception, espionage and high mobility: it therefore adapt to the strategy of the opponent to ensure victory at lower cost. Ideas from the Art of war were times and adapted by different authors for strategy and particular business strategy. The Art of war is a method of conflict resolution.

Sun Tzu was one of the most influential strategists and war leaders of all times. Based on his work, many great advices can be applied by managers to become great leaders, but not only. These advices can be useful in our everyday life. Here are thirty advices that one can use in the workplace in order to master its interactions with others, either friend or enemy.

1. The use of force is not the way to become a leader, but being a living example.

2. A great leader needs to be self-confident and trust itself.

3. He needs people to think he is strong when he is actually weak and that he is weak when he is fact strong.

4. A leader needs to adapt to his enemy. If his opponent seems to be more secured, he must prepare. Also if he is impulsive, irritate him. Act as you are weak, so that he appears to be arrogant. If he is taking his ease, you need not to provide him rest. If all his forces and resources are united, divide them. Put division between sovereigns and subjects if they are united.

5. Always remember that you better avoid the fight and subdue your opponent to win a war.

6. You are being excellent when you manage not to fight and break the enemy’s resistance.

7. A great leader needs to have a great mind so he can fully control his body and optimize his capacities.

8. The best warrior is the own who wins the battle before going to war, not the one going to war hoping that he will win it.

9. In order to understand your enemy’s mind, you need to become your enemy.

10. Always keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer.

11. Let people think of what you could achieve if you were at your full potential.

12. Knowing your enemy as you know yourself always avoids you the taste of defeat. On the contrary, if you only know yourself and not your enemy even your victories will have the taste of a defeat. Worst, if you ignore yourself and your enemy, you will be defeated systematically.

13. There 5 things one needs to know if he wants to reach victory:

a) You will always know when you have to fight and when you should not fight

b) You will always know how to conduct with either superior or inferior forces.

c) You will always know what drives each one of your enemies.

d) You will always be prepared to attack your opponent when he is not prepared

e) You will always know who has more resources.

14. A great leader needs to be quick-witted and subtle, almost formlessness. He needs to be extremely charismatic and very mysterious, almost soundlessness.

15. No victory comes without a well-prepared strategy, which is the base of all fight. And no strategy is efficient without good tactics. “Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat”.

16. The more you confirm opportunities the more you get opportunities.

17. Never let your opponents have what they want: if he is full, you need to starve him, when he is relaxed you need to toil them, and make him talk when he is quiet.

18. Victory comes when you truly know yourself.

19. Keep on moving like the wind would, be closely formed like the wood, spread like the fire and stand still like a mountain.

20. Allow no one to read your inner plans, and when you act, strike like the thunder.

21. Always do the opposite of what others are expecting from you. For instance, avoid them when you are strong. Insist on their weakness, and surprise your opponent.

22. Always hide your real intentions. Look wick when you are actually strong and ready to move. Look helpless when you are actually ready. Look distant when you are actually near your objectives. And of course all this advices can be taken reciprocally.

23. A country should never have a prolonged warfare since it will never benefit from it.

24. The sweetest victory is the one that doesn’t need any battle.

25. If he wants his men to be the most loyal men and to be ready to sacrifice themselves for him, a great leader needs to treat them, as they were his own beloved sons.

26. Always provide your opponent the perfect gateway so he can retreat easily.

27. The deception is the result of all warfare.

28. When your army surrounds your enemy’s army, leave them an outlet free. Do not press a