***Reposted from my former blog written in 2016***
One of my favorite leadership readings came from The Art of War by Sun Tzu. One of my college instructors assigned this work many years ago as part of a leadership course and it really impacted my mindset within the workplace. The strategy required to find success within the workplace can be found in this old guide to war. Work is much like war in the way that you need to think strategically to be successful in your growth.
Here I lay out the different chapters of The Art of War with a little commentary as well.
- Laying Plans – An advancement forward, whether in battle or career growth, can turn into a quick failure without a plan laid in place. Planning your path forward and putting the correct pieces in place ahead of the battle will set you up for success in the end. As Hannibal on the A-Team always said, “I love it when a plan comes together.”
- Waging War – War is a serious endeavor. Failure to view war in such light is an almost guarantee for disaster to strike. Failure to not invest in the necessary path in your career can plant you in a place where you are bogged down for years trying to get back on track.
- Attack by Stratagem – Choosing the correct time to make the move for advancement within your career is very important. Often employees view their capabilities through the rose-colored glasses while looking in the mirror. A careful evaluation of your skills as well as honest feedback from trusted peers will help keep you honest in your personal evaluation. Attempting to advance in your career much like in war too early will cause you to end up falling on your face or sword.
- Tactical Dispositions – Ensuring that you have put yourself in the best position for success is a great step in career advancement. Tactically aligning your strengths so that you stack the deck in your favor is a bold strategic move for when you are moving up in the career world. Much like in war if you have applied a strong battle strategy you will be able to quickly overcome the obstacles in your way.
- Energy – Displaying proper energy when driving towards a new position in your career is important. When in the interviewing process be sure to display the proper amount of energy by carefully studying those which will be providing your evaluation for the position. Carefully match the temperament of the interviewer like a dance or even a reed in the wind.
- Weak Points and Strong – Know your weaknesses and your strengths. Creating a strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis is a great practice in self-evaluation. Carefully studying your capabilities and determining where you are strongest and where you are lacking can assist you in the battle for career growth.
- Maneuvering – Making sure that you are attacking a situation like an interview from the right direction is the key to reaching success. It is always easiest to defend the high ground when in battle much like it is easier to secure a promotion if you have laid the groundwork ahead of time.
- Variations of Tactics – Do you have a toolbox of gifts that you bring to the table? Much like in battle, if you have a very diverse war chest you provide yourself a greater opportunity to be successful in the fight. Archers for distance, cavalry for overbearing strength and foot soldiers are all specific in their capabilities much like the varying talents you can bring to business such as organization, project management and people skills to the board room.
- The Army on the March – It is easier to move a rock once you have established a momentum. Once you have started your growth path be sure to keep the forward momentum strong by constantly learning, constantly providing value and constantly being an asset to your organization.
- Terrain – It is easier to walk through your house in the dark after you have lived there for a while than it is to walk through your your friend’s house and you get up for a late night glass of water only to stub your toe on the coffee table. Just like in this example, if you have grown accustomed to working in a specific industry you can use the skills you have learned at one level to build upon for your next opportunity.
- The Nine Situations – You can find yourself in different environments in which you must be able to function. The Art of War states 9 different battlegrounds and you can find these in the workplace as well.
- Dispersive Ground – This is the workplace that has an embedded leadership in place. This leadership may be against change and growth and can be difficult to see new opportunities available.
- Facile Ground – Have you ever stepped into a new workplace only to find yourself stuck? This is the facile ground. You have invaded this new work space only to find that you wish you never took on the challenge. You may not get out of this one in one piece.
- Contentious Ground – Are you in a work area that you are opposed on all sides? Maybe you are part of an organization that sits between those calling themselves business and the IT area performing work. If so you know that when the mud begins to sling you are in the middle contentious ground.
- Open Ground – A more comfortable space to find yourself within if you are in business. You have space to perform your work as needed and your coworkers do as well. Nobody is stepping on each other’s toes and the movement can happen without great amounts of altercation.
- Ground of Intersecting Highways – To be in a place of leadership which you are taking on new employees because you are the primary group of acquisition this is the ground of intersecting highways. You may have a few different groups coming together but because you are the one with the greatest amount of numbers you hold the place of leadership.
- Serious Ground – Your serious ground is those places where you have come from in your past. You have built relationships with other members within these other areas and they work as confidants in difficult times as well as provide you with support when needed. The serious ground is also a safe place that you can fall back to if times get rough because you have established that place of trust which you are welcomed back to like family.
- Difficult Ground – Sometimes you go into a new work area and you have to tread carefully. Everything you say can be misconstrued and used against you. Much like the proverbial mine field the difficult ground must be tread upon with caution.
- Hemmed-In Ground – Coming into a new workplace with a small group of embedded problem employees have dug in can be a disaster in the making. Often no matter how much you attempt as a leader to bring change, the problem employees can work like a cancer thwarting your every efforts. This hemmed-in grounds prove that your energies will be greatly overwhelmed due to the deeply built trench warfare ahead of you.
- Desperate Ground – The final type of workplace you can find yourself fighting in is the desperate ground. This is the workplace which you have pushed yourself into only to find yourself in the fight of your career life. If you are to get out of this mess it will take great amounts of sacrifice as well as using every tool in your toolbox. Be careful that you evaluate all of the different possible grounds before moving into workplace. It gives a new meaning of looking before leaping.
- The Attack by Fire – When in battle the use of fire can be utilized in many different ways. Whether you are using it to destroy the soldiers, their supplies, their homes or as a deferment it has many effective uses. In the workplace there are many different tools which you can use for multiple purposes. Be sure to be resourceful in utilizing the tools you have at your disposal.
- The Use of Spies – Finally, when you are preparing to make your next step in your career take advantage of any contacts which can prepare the way before you move forward. Have those friends spread propaganda (good words and praise) in the area before you arrive. You can also have those friends observe areas of challenge which you can prepare yourself to address when you start within the new area.
Hopefully you are able to gain some insight that will help you in your career path.
Resources
You can purchase The Art of War here!
