The Sun Tzu Way

INTRODUCTION
I first read Sun Tzu the Art of War when I was only ten years old, and quite possibly even before then. Frankly, I think it's the greatest book known to civilization. But much more importantly, I live the book. That is why I founded Sonshi.com and why I am so passionate about sharing his views, concepts, and principles with other people. However, Sun Tzu cannot be restricted to just a Web site. His way must be applied in your mind and in your actions throughout your day. It is not a method of warring as much as a method of being able to conquer fears and inadequacies -- a method of peace and security. So it is my intention now to share with you some of my views on how I see things. Note the "I" because certainly it's not expected that you agree with everything I committed down to paper here, for everyone has his or her own experiences and perspectives on life. Rather, I would like to at least contribute, however little, something positive to your knowledge of how to live in the way of Sun Tzuevery day. It is the path of wisdom, credibility, benevolence, courage, and discipline.

EXPECTATION
I am not going to tell you that by reading this essay you will be the king of destiny and the master of results. Far from it. I am also not in any position to tell you can you succeed in your endeavors, because in the end, it comes down to the individual and the many factors surrounding that individual. We are but one island among countless islands, competing for a limited amount of resources. But most of us continue to go on with our everyday business as if we are our own person, thinking that somehow we, alone, can make things happen. That is one of the biggest errors any intelligent and motivated person can make.

SELFLESSNESS
As I look out my window, I see trees swaying back and forth, brightened by endless rays of sunshine. The trees, majestic as they are, cannot exist by themselves as they need the sun, water, nitrogen, and various nutrients. In addition, their very fate depends on my actions: whether to cut them down or to let them remain intact. The point is we live life as one entity among many, and because of this fact, one cannot and should not act in a vacuum. What does this mean? It means an individual is essentially nothing without others. Like the trees, we depend on other people similar to ourselves to survive, to trade, to learn, to be happy. It also means that sometimes, regardless of how well prepared or skilled a person is, he or she will have to accommodate factors that are unforeseen. You can create a situation that will drastically increase your chances of success, but there are no guarantees for it coming to fruition due to the myriad of forces that may or may not help your goal. Look at your circumstances always as a system instead of just yourself. It teaches your mind to explore further and think about and consider others in their own worlds. Not

surprisingly, people won't care about your situation until they know you care about theirs. The value you bring to others will determine your own value within the community. Ironically, this method of thinking less about yourself -being unselfish -- gives you an ungodly amount of support and power from the people you interact with on a daily basis. Any desired result starts with you, but its continuation depends on the decisions of many. In other words, all worthwhile outcomes are based on factors related to the individual and his or her surroundings. Though a nation should stand on its own and make its own decisions, Sun Tzu was not against the idea of forming alliances. The single best way to facilitate a relationship is to listen to the other side's worries and concerns. By really understanding the other side, he or she will be more receptive to your circumstances.

ATTITUDE
You may have heard that attitude is everything. Perhaps. How you view the world will definitely affect what you do. But that's just it: it is what you do that is important, not how you feel or how you present yourself to the world. Attitude, then, is only as good as the actions that it supports. And in many cases, the actions themselves affect the very attitude you have.

Therefore, do not get so wrapped up into having a positive attitudehaving a positive force in getting results is much more valuable -- and substantive. Few things irk me more than someone so positive that he or she does not do anything to minimize damage in case a disaster happens. In a way, it's a crutch that many people use to make do without a thorough plan. Be careful. When Sun Tzu talked about preparing three months to conduct a siege properly he was not far off. Without this preparation, as much as one-third would diewithout even accomplishing the mission! The waste can exceed to intolerable levels if one does not pay closer attention to such matters. You may have read books geared towards motivating the reader. It's not uncommon to also have seminars with fast speakers trying to motivate and encourage you to try harder and to do better. Finenothing intrinsically wrong with them. What people often don't understand is that real and self-sustaining motivation comes from the inside, not from the outside. Thus, good books and seminars always try to tap your inner self, creating the spark that will lead to a never-ending fire. It is this inner fire that you must know you have, or else you'll be forever dependent on external sources.

ETHICS
There is a fine line between good and evil, right? I don't think so. When you begin to think in these terms, it's almost too late. An upright leader must be the example for his or her people. When you are near evil, i.e., in the grey area, you must increase your discipline. The norm will only be as good as the standard. You are the standard. Whether your people reach that standard or fall well short of it will be their choice, but I must tell you the force from your example is undeniablewhether it be good or bad. As Sun Tzu

advised, when the general is strong, the nation is strong. When the general is weak, the nation itself is weak. He is its safeguard, and when that safeguard is not in place, havoc is inevitable. If yielding to pressure to do an unethical act isn't bad enough by itself, you will not get respect from the very people applying the pressure. Now imagine how the populace would view your action. Sun Tzu shared us the concept that when the general is given the responsibility to protect the nation, he can disregard even the ruler's commands if it meant a disadvantage to the nation. Would you do the same? Even though criticisms towards the guilty from others are sometimes hypocritical, most people view themselves, rightly or wrongly, as honest. So when they hear of any immoral or unethical acts, they are quick to judge. Avoid being judged altogether by not allowing yourself to be near any wrongdoing.

COMPLETENESS
As human beings with inherent flaws, we tend to show the world how we normally act in important matters by how we act in unimportant matterswhether we are aware of it or not. How neat the desk is, how organized the plan, how the smallest details are accounted for. These things mirror your mind processes and how they all function and interact with the outside world. As such, seemingly trivial aspects will invariable translate themselves to the final product. What can we do? Be clean, be detailed-oriented, and most of all, be thorough. Don't be satisfied with 80 percent completion or even 90 percent completion -- go for 100 percent. The payback for

such extraordinary quality is staggering compared to the efforts put forth to satisfy the last 10 or 20 percent. Unfortunately, few people know this secret. The Art of War states that before a nation could conduct warfare properly, massive amounts of gold and resources are required. Otherwise, don't bother, because the nation will suffer a defeat. If an individual decides to start a project, he or she must have the ability and discipline to finish and finish well.

TEAMWORK
The most common word in business for quite some time has been "teamwork." Terms from sports and games are often quoted when one gets into competition. More often than not, I call teamwork by other names: decision by committee, groupthink, and responsibility avoidance. Don't get me wrong. I think when all team members feel the same way about a goal or a mission, they work towards that end. It comes naturally. This is true teamwork. But when progress is stalled because more and more people want to get involved, stagnation and a lack of accountability become rampant. As the old saying goes, too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth. Teamwork can also be dangerous. When a group has an expert and the rest are non-experts, teamwork tends to make the final decision mediocre compared with the single advice from the expert. How about if this decision affects a surgical procedure...and you're the patient? At least in this case and in many similar cases, counting votes where the majority rules is the worst thing a group can do. Sun Tzu, time and time again, relied on the almost omniscient general to make the best decisions, and in some situations, kept the soldiers ignorant. The expert must be able to present his or her knowledge, and therefore, should be given much more weight than someone who just wants to hear his or her own voice.

HUMBLENESS
Being humble is not just about what you show to people. Instead, being humble is about not hoarding credit, letting go of fame, and not worrying about how others would view you -- so that you can accomplish your goal in the most efficient manner. Sun Tzu said a good general is never praised because he wins the "easy" battles, taking advantage of the opponent's "apparent" weaknesses. Like an egg against a stone. Interestingly, most of the time the best general prevents battles altogether! How, then, can someone be famous for battles that never happened? Thus, the good leader must be strong enough to do what is best for the organization, and not for his or her legacy or to uphold a reputation. As such, the humble leader makes decisions and takes action primarily for the benefit of the group, company, or country. Little is considered for his or her well-being. Because of this attribute, the leader is often considered trustworthy and is well respected by others. All in all, an individual of this like stature has unlimited power, transcending all artificial labels, titles, or recognitions.

RESULTS
Start with yourself: your strengths, limitations, tendencies, personalities, likes, and dislikes. Knowing that you will not be able to accomplish a task is as important as knowing that you can. Because you know yourself, you can predict how you, as an individual, will act in the future. Make sure circumstances help, not hinder, your progress, but at the same time, be realistic. Build in contingencies if possible. For example, Sun Tzu pointed out an army will be insufficient when attacking (and sufficient during a defensive maneuver). Thus, make sure you will be able to minimize risks when insufficient.

What is most critical here is being completely honest with yourself about who you really are and of your current condition. There is great pain when you find you are weak in particular areas where before they were not viewed as weaknesses. Please know, however, that the harder you are on yourself, the easier everybody seems to be on you. Whether you decide to further improve your strengths or reduce the liability of your weaknesses, they should all be accounted for in the self-analysis. After looking at yourself, you can turn now to outside factors. These variables must have some direct influence on the final outcome. The more influential the variable, the more time one should devote on it. Write them down or commit them to memory. They can be people, things, or actions. Once they are identified, these variables must be made to be supportive of the outcome. How this difficult task can be done varies from situation to situation. Continually follow up with them to make sure they are, in the end, still supportive. Even the most competent people sometimes neglect this last step.

I want to point out these outside factors are essentially uncontrollable. Regardless of how well you can guide them in the general direction, he/she/it will do whatever he/she/it wants to do at a critical time. Your level of performance, then, is not so much based on what the final decision is but rather the amount of influence you were able to apply versus what it was before you applied it. With both inner and outer factors in check, the possibility of success is high. Certainly not a guarantee but much more so than if one were to let the situation run its course.

PEACE
Sun Tzu's ideal military leader is calm in the midst of chaos, being able to even appear chaotic to deceive his enemy. The ultimate skill is separating oneself from the stresses of everyday life. Thus, a strong leader's response does not correlate and follow with the stimulus, which in effect, is quite impressive to his or her people and to the competition. With this ability, one can think clearly without influences corrupting the process in bringing about the best solution. He or she has inner peace in a world of perpetual turbulence. How many times do you find yourself so wrapped up in present worries, you can't seem to think clearly, and that the decision was made based primarily from the tension? The wise leader understands that being upset or being happy is ephemeraland to have those emotions affect decisions that may last long after would be a big mistake. If it is possible, the strong leader waits until emotional feelings pass before doing anything rash. I would say practicing patience during such troubling times will be difficult to bear, almost impossible for someone inexperienced or of a young age. But that is exactly how your opponent would want you to react, capitalizing on your mental weakness. Take great care. The technique of dividing external pressures from internal concerns is definitely easier stated than applied. Therefore, if you can realize this important feat to its fullest capacity, I consider you not only master of yourself, but also in turn, master of many.

CONCLUSION
The concepts discussed above are from a practical standpointexactly as intended. I don't desire to motivate as much as to point out the good and the bad; with some luck, you can then decide on your own. It would be an accomplishment on my part if you e-mail me at sonshi@sonshi.com to tell me that this essay helped you in some small way towards your goals. I wish you the best.

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