Management Secrets from History E-Book

Daniel Diehl

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 283

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

If you could go back in time and ask any historical figure for advice on how best to manage your business or staff, who would it be? Benjamin Franklin, Niccolo Machiavelli, Elizabeth I or Helena Rubinstein? Well, they are all here, and more... Featuring nearly 20 figures from across two and a half millennia, this fascinating book brings you peerless advice on, and insights into, the essential nature of leadership and the human condition. Presented in their own words - through diaries, letters and published works (plus contemporary analysis and commentary from Diehl and Donnelly) - the advice is sometimes extreme, occasionally humorous, always profound.

Leseprobe

SUN TZUMACHIAVELLIHJ HEINZELIZABETH ICONFUCIUS

MANAGEMENT

SECRETS

FROM HISTORY

Historical Wisdom forModern Business

Daniel Diehl & Mark P. Donnelly

This book is dedicated to our parents,who always managed in spite of the odds.

This book was first published in 2002 under the titleHow Did They Manage? by Spiro Press, London.

This new edition first published in 2007

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

This ebook edition first published in 2012

All rights reserved

© Daniel Diehl and Mark P. Donnelly, 2012

The right of Daniel Diehl and Mark P. Donnelly, to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

EPUB ISBN 978 0 7524 8281 1

MOBI ISBN 978 0 7524 8280 4

Original typesetting by The History Press

CONTENTS

Contents by topic

Acnowledgements

Introduction

Section I Dictators, Despots and Rogue Thinkers

Sun Tzu

Many centuries ago Sun Tzu accurately recorded the gentlemanly art of war as it existed in his own world. Subsequently, this record has become the world’s most widely read book on how to size up, and deal with, the opposition. We offer carefully selected extracts from the book.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Personally a very private man, Machiavelli’s classic 16th-century book on leadership and service, The Prince, is a timeless study on motivating people, dealing with ‘the boss’ and the competition, and improving the individual’s ability to control themselves and the masses.

The Pirate Code

Contrary to popular belief, most pirate ships were governed by strict codes of conduct that set out the responsibilities of both men and officers. We offer three of the finest surviving examples of these rare documents.

Section II Holymen and Higher Powers

Moses

While most famous for delivering the Ten Commandments to his people, Moses also set up a slate of laws by which the Hebrews should conduct themselves in their day-to-day lives and their relationships with one another.

Pope Gregory

When St Augustine of Canterbury became Archbishop of England in the late 6th century, Pope Gregory I wrote to him explaining how to convert the pagan Britons to Christianity without offending their beliefs or their sensibilities. It is a classic study in dealing with competition and surviving the aftermath of a takeover.

Hildegard von Bingen

A nun and mystic visionary, Hildegard is best remembered for her soaring religious music. Less well known is her insightful correspondence with the leading religious figures of 12th-century Europe, including bishops, archibishops and four popes, all of whom sought her advice and counsel.

Section III Industrialists and Merchant Princes

HJ Heinz

Best known as the man who brought 57 varieties to the tables of the world, HJ Heinz was an innovator in advertising and a pioneer in management/worker relations whose benevolent outlook towards business, and financial success, has seldom been matched.

Helena Rubinstein

Founding a cosmetics empire on little more than a few jars of her mother’s homemade face cream and an innate sense of business savvy, Helena Rubinstein was the epitome of the self-made millionaire.

Lillian Vernon

A pioneer in the mail-order catalogue business, Lillian Vernon built a small commercial empire from her kitchen table. How she managed her business and turned it into a multi-million dollar industry is essential reading for the ambitious executive and budding entrepreneur.

Section IV Kings, Queens and Conquerors

Hammurabi

As the greatest and most famous king of ancient Babylon, Hammurabi encoded the earliest known set of egalitarian laws applying to all people, regardless of their social status. Many of them are surprisingly applicable to modern business and human resource management.

Solomon

Credited with being history’s wisest ruler, King Solomon’s wisdom has become legendary. Both his actions and writings, as they come down to us from various books of the Old Testament, disclose great truths and clever hints for dealing with people – whether subject, friend or enemy.

King John

England’s King John and his fractious nobility left us a timeless document of human conduct, the Magna Carta. It is not only the world’s oldest constitution but also one of history’s most impressive guarantees of the rights and duties of both rulers and subjects.

King Edward I

The tactics by which King Edward I imposed English sovereignty over both Scotland and Wales, and in the process became one of the fiercest warrior kings of all time, are legendary. Here is a sample of the laws by which he governed his kingdom.

Queen Elizabeth I

One of England’s best known, and best loved, monarchs, Elizabeth I was a shrewd politician who guided her kingdom through a period of constant political danger and religious strife with unfailing courage and grace. Her writings and speeches remain as insightful as they were more than four centuries ago.

Section V Philosophers and Sages

Confucius

No one man has had a greater impact on the long history of China than Confucius. Since his words were first recorded in the 6th century BC, the phrase ‘Confucius says . . .’ has become a catch-phrase for insightful gems of wisdom.

William Shakespeare

Although it is most unlikely that ‘The Bard’ ever considered himself a philosopher, he was an acute observer of human nature. Two of his characters, Polonius (from Hamlet) and Shylock (from The Merchant of Venice) had vastly different approaches to offering business advice; both are worthy of study; as much for why they did not work as for why they did.

Bejamin Franklin

Undoubtedly one of the 18th century’s greatest diplomats, when Franklin turned his scathing wit on the British Empire for its treatment of the American colonies, he unwittingly bequeathed history with an enduring critique on good management techniques.

Elbert Hubbard

The father of modern print advertising, Hubbard wrote extensively on managerial style, human relations and how labour and management should relate to one another. His writing is filled with wit, insight and the necessity of hard work as an essential ingredient to success.

Lillian Gilbreth

Best known as the mother of 12 children whose life was recounted in the book and film, Cheaper by the Dozen, Lilliam Gilbreth also revolutionized the concept of manpower management in industry and the role of middle management in the workplace.

Bibliography/Permission acknowledgements

CONTENTS BY TOPIC

Becoming an Effective Manager

Bingen, Hildegard

Confucius

Heinz, HJ

Machiavelli

Moses

Pope Gregory I

Rubinstein, Helena

Solomon

Sun Tzu

Vernon, Lillian

Corporate Theft and Crime

Edward I

Hammurabi

Pope Gregory I

Criminal Offences

Edward I

Dealing with Business Associates

Bingen, Hildegard

Confucius

Hammurabi

Moses

Pope Gregory I

Shakespeare

Solomon

Vernon, Lillian

Dealing with the Competition

Bingen, Hildegard

Elizabeth I

Heinz, HJ

Machiavelli

Moses

Rubinstein, Helena

Solomon

Sun Tzu

Dealing with Superiors

Bingen, Hildegard

Confucius

Elizabeth I

Hubbard, Elbert

Gilbreth, Lillian

Moses

Pope Gregory I

Solomon

Dealing with the Workforce

Bingen, Hildegard

Confucius

Elizabeth I

Gilbreth, Lillian

Hammurabi

Heinz, HJ

Machiavelli

Moses

Pope Gregory I

Shakespeare

Solomon

Sun Tzu

Vernon, Lillian

Effective Use of Manpower

Gilbreth, Lillian

Financial Dealings

Heinz, HJ

King John

Legal Procedure

Hammurabi

Management and Worker Rights and Responsibilities

Edward I

King John

Pirate codes

Managing a Subsidiary Company

Franklin, Benjamin

Hammurabi

Heinz, HJ

King John

Sun Tzu

Maxims and Clever Sayings

Heinz, HJ

Hubbard, Elbert

Middle Management

Dealing with your middle management team

Bingen, Hildegard

Confucius

Elizabeth I

Heinz, HJ

Machiavelli

Pope Gregory I

Rubinstein, Helena

Shakespeare

Solomon

Vernon, Lillian

Role of middle management

Gilbreth, Lillian

Selecting your middle management team

Confucius

Machiavelli

Sun Tzu

Vernon, Lillian

Public Relations

Heinz, HJ

Rubinstein, Helena

Vernon, Lillian

Settling Personnel Disputes

King John

Solomon

Starting Your Own Business

Heinz, HJ

Vernon, Lillian

‘A prudent man always follows in the footsteps of great men and imitates those who have been outstanding’ – Niccolo Machiavelli, from The Prince (16th Century)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Sir Isaac Newton once said: ‘If I have seen farther than others it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants’. This was never truer than in the compilation of this book. Our greatest debt is, obviously, to those whose words of wisdom are included in these pages. But beyond these are dozens of individuals, companies and publishing houses who have helped us along the way. These include: the staff of the York Minster Library, Debbie Foster and Ed Lehew at HJ Heinz World Headquarters, The Roycrofters Society, Allison Kyle Leopold, Father Lionel Fanthorpe, Oxford University Press, McGraw-Hill, Weidenfield & Nicolson, Harper Collins, Random House, Houghton Mifflin & Co, Coward-McCann Inc, The Avalon Project at Yale Law School, David Hochberg, Lillian Vernon and the Lillian Vernon Corporation and finally Kevin Bullimore of the British Library who once again helped us ferret out obscure information. A special thanks to our publisher, Sarah Flight at Sutton Publishing. To all of these, and others too numerous to mention, our heartfelt thanks.

INTRODUCTION

The concept of ‘management techniques’ first began some time in the late 1970s, just before the ‘greed is good’, leveraged buy-out, ‘everyman-for-himself’ 1980s kicked into gear. At least that is what most management gurus would have us believe. The fact is that a select group of people have been managing other, larger groups, of people since long before humans built their first city or ploughed their first field. If there hadn’t been strong leaders the cities would never have been built and the fields would never have been ploughed. Thankfully, the words of many of these individuals have come down to us through their diaries, letters, legal codes and published works. It is from these that the contents of this book have been drawn.

It is probably fair to say that over the 8,000 years of human civilization every conceivable management technique has been tried, probably more than once. Anything that might appear to motivate people has undoubtedly been put forward as the best way to do so – bribes, holding children captive, passing out gold and titles of nobility, expunging criminal records and, of course, offering a boost up the corporate ladder, however that may be defined at any given moment. Some of these ideas were good, at least for their time; a lot more were disastrous. Some of them worked – even some of the questionable ones – and some did not. Our point is to illustrate that there is no such thing as a ‘new’ or ‘modern’ management technique; neither the modern world, nor any one individual, has a monopoly on wisdom. Consequently, the logical place to look for the broadest possible variety of tried and true managerial styles is in the dusty pages of history.

This book contains managerial acumen as expounded by the famous, the not so famous and the downright infamous over the course of the last 4,000 years. Where necessary, the original text has been modernized to make it more accessible to our readers, but we have taken every possible care not to change the flavour, meaning or intent of the original author. For the majority of entries, we have also offered some modern-day commentary and analysis. Each entry is accompanied by a brief biography of the individual concerned and the circumstances under which they came to set down their laws, codes or thoughts. To distinguish between our modern-day commentary, analysis and headings and original text, all original text appears in a classic ‘serif’ type while our text appears in plain ‘sans serif’.

By comparing how men and women in the past dealt with their own circumstances (sometimes making their life better and sometimes leading to disastrous ends) you should be able to deal more effectively with the sages and barbarians, warriors and conspirators, courtiers and power brokers that pass through your own life.

We thought long and hard about how to arrange the table of contents. Should our ‘contributors’ simply be listed in alphabetical order, or possibly in strict historical order, or maybe in some other way? We finally divided them by the individuals’ various philosophical styles . . . which is a fancy way of saying the chapters are grouped according to job description. Obviously, a medieval king is going to have a different approach to management than, say, a Buddhist monk. In the end, we divided everyone into the following section categories: Dictators, Despots and Rogue Thinkers; Holymen and Higher Powers; Industrialists and Merchant Princes; Kings, Queens and Conquerors and, lastly, Philosophers and Sages. These diverse and open-ended categories seemed, to us, to pretty well cover the gamut of those who have come to influence how one individual deals with their fellows.

Within these five, broad categories, the individual chapters have been listed in chronological order. This will allow you, the reader, to see how management styles have changed and evolved over the centuries and select the ones that are best for you. Are you more comfortable with the management style of a hard-bitten warrior like England’s King Edward I or a Victorian-era hippy like Elbert Hubbard?

The text within each chapter has been arranged according to topics such as Dealing with Business Associates, Becoming an Effective Manager and the Effective Use of Manpower. A complete listing of these topics can be found in the ‘Contents by Topic’, p. viii.

By grouping the chapters into broad categories and dividing their content according to topic, we allow our readers to pick and choose how to approach the book. Do not feel constrained to read it through from beginning to end. Read it in any order that suits your mood, or your needs.

It will be obvious to the reader that there are not a great number of women among our list of master managers. The reason for this is simple – no matter how competent a woman may have been, it has only been over the past century that they could fight their way into positions of authority. Fortunately, we have found a few exceptional women who, despite massive opposition, public ridicule and sometimes worse, were brave enough to leave their mark and pass some of their ideas and experiences down to us. But even here there are hints of sexism. In the section by efficiency and manpower expert Lillian Gilbreth, for example, Gilbreth only addresses her comments in the masculine, despite the fact that the work was written after the Second World War had brought millions of women into the workplace.

Some of the material in this book may strike you as amusing, some as extreme or appallingly brutal; some will just not be quite your style. Taken too literally, some of the advice would be downright illegal! But just as surely, you will find a lot of sound information that will serve you well in your dealings with those who work for you, those for whom you work and those with whom you must negotiate on a daily basis. Time, social mores and technology may have moved on since Hammurabi was King of Babylon and pirate corsairs plundered the Spanish Main, but the fact is that human beings, and the things that motivate them, have changed precious little. Read the secrets of the masters. Take them to heart . . . and prosper.

SECTION I

DICTATORS, DESPOTSANDROGUE THINKERS

SUN TZU

CHINESE MILITARY PHILOSOPHER, c. EARLY 4TH CENTURY BC

The Art of War, written by Sun Tzu, is not only the oldest known book on military tactics, but also one of the most comprehensive, and popular, volumes ever written on the subject.

Written in China during the early years of the ‘Warring States period’ (475–221 BC), The Art of War was compiled approximately two or three generations after the death of Confucius and is roughly contemporary with the works of Socrates and Plato.

Based on the text of the book, the Chinese social and military structure of this period must have been impressively advanced.

There are references to a class of professional officers, a standing military that numbered many thousands and a social system stable enough to support them. By comparison, at the time The Art of War was written, Rome was little more than a collection of mud-brick buildings. The only earlier western states capable of supporting a comparable system would have been Assyria, Peria, Babylon and Egypt.

Despite the insightful wisdom of the book, there is no historical evidence to verify the existence of its author, Sun Tzu. Whoever he was, Sun Tzu was an acute observer of human conflict and an infinitely practical man.

In The Art of War, we find the earliest acknowledgement that conflict is an inevitable part of civilization and, as such, should be studied as an integral part of government planning; what today we would call ‘National Defence’. Sun Tzu also takes into account the side-effects of protracted social conflict such as military financing, supply, inflation, the possibility of econonic collapse and the displacement of people.

More than a tactical handbook, The Art of War is a guide to winning conflicts in the most economical manner possible. As the author sees it, the most effective war is one that is never fought. If you can out-manoeuvre and demoralize the enemy to such an extent that they surrender without ever taking to the field of battle, you have won a far more impressive victory than one that involves bloody carnage. In short, The Art of War is a study in the philosophy of human conflict and the types of men who should, and should not, engage in it. The qualities that made a good general 2,400 years ago in China are the same qualities necessary to win victories in today’s corporate boardroom.

The following excerpts from The Art of War have been edited and rearranged for clarity and consistency, using our headings.

BECOMING AN EFFECTIVE MANAGER

A good commander must be quiet, just and impartial. He must be secretive, moral and just in order to maintain order. His officers and men must be kept in ignorance of his plans.

This is a hard line to walk. The most effective managers must be even handed with all their people despite personal feelings. They must never reveal their long-term plans to even the closest members of their staff who might, inadvertently, say the wrong thing at the wrong time. If knowledge of your plans gets out, you have no one to blame but yourself.

There are several fundamental factors in war, among them are moral influence, command and doctrine. The moral factor ensures that the troops are in harmony with their leaders so they will follow them through life and into death without fear.

If your own standards are in question, you cannot expect your people to be loyal to you.

Command defines the general’s qualities of wisdom, sincerity, courage and ability to discipline his men. Doctrine is organizational ability, control and the ability to assign appropriate ranks to the officers, regulate supply routes and provision the army.

This has as much to do with recognizing, and nurturing, talent in others as it does with your own qualities of leadership. No one can be everywhere, but those who put good people in key positions won’t have to worry.

Every leader has heard of these factors, and those who master them win; those who do not are defeated. War is of vital importance to the state; it is the path to survival or ruin and it is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied.

Growth and expansion are essential to business success; but it is only those who learn how to grow safely that will survive.

A man who knows when to fight, and when not to fight, will be victorious. A victorious army wins its victories before the battle but an army that fights only in the hope of winning is destined to defeat. If you know your enemy and know yourself, in one hundred battles you will always be victorious. If you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing the battle are equal. If you are ignorant of both yourself and of your enemy, every battle is at great risk.

Always plan ahead. If you are going head-to-head with other companies, or with others in your own company, all the cleverness and self-confidence in the world will not serve you half as well as an objective appraisal of your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of your opponent.

MANAGING A SUBSIDIARY COMPANY

When enemy chariots are captured, replace his flags and banners with your own and mingle the captured chariots among your own and take them into the field.

Treat captives well and care for them.

By these methods you can win the battle and become stronger.

When you take over a company, either by friendly or unfriendly means, integrate its personnel into your company as quickly as possible. By making them an integral part of your larger team they are less likely to turn on you or to become a take-over target for a rival company.

SELECTING YOUR MIDDLE MANAGEMENT TEAM

Generals are the guardians of the state. If they provide effective protection, the state will be strong; if they are defective, the state will be weakened.

These are the five qualities that are dangerous in the character of a general:

A reckless leader may be killed.

A cowardly commander may be captured.

If he is quick-tempered, or rash, he can be made a fool of.

If his sense of honour is too brittle, he can be dishonoured by lies and rumours.

If he is too compassionate, he can be easily harassed.

There are three ways in which an army can bring disaster on its nation: when the general orders an army to advance when it should retreat, or to retreat when it should advance; when men ignorant of military tactics are allowed to take part in their planning; when generals who do not understand command assume authority. Any of these traits in a commander is a serious fault which can lead him to death and bring his army to calamity.

The above two extracts tell us what to look out for when selecting members of management and negotiating teams. Select your teams carefully and be certain that every member of your team is up to the job assigned to them. Just because a person is good at one particular job does not necessarily mean they will be equally good at another, so base your decision on the specific job they are to fill. Perfectly competent people assigned to the wrong job can spell disaster for the project, for themselves and for you.

Generals who are capable and whose decisions are not interefered with by the king, will be victorious.

When you have selected your management teams and assigned them to specific areas, let them carry out their assigned tasks in peace. If you cannot trust them to do their job, you were wrong to place them in that particular position. Either reassign them to a place where you, and they, feel comfortable or get rid of them.

When a commander goes into battle without seeking personal fame and withdraws without orders, to protect his men, but without concern for his own punishment, he is a precious jewel of the state. Such a man regards his men as his own sons and they will die with him.

Even the best managers occasionally disobey orders, the question here is ‘why’. If they habitually overstep their authority, or are just trying to make themselves look important, they should not be in authority. If, on the other hand, their ultimate concern is the good of the people in their charge, they are that rarest breed of person; a caring and astute human being.

DEALING WITH THE WORKFORCE

A man whose army is united in a common goal will be victorious. Command your men with civility and inspire them with loyalty and intense zeal and victory is certain. Keep your troops well nourished, unite their spirit, conserve their strength and do not unnecessarily fatigue them. Orders to the troops must be consistent to be effective; if orders are not consistent the troops will become disobedient.

Always treat your rank and file people fairly. If they are happy with your management style they will be far more willing to stand behind you in difficult times.

Managing many men is no different from managing a few; it is only a matter of numbers.

Deal with the mass of the workforce in the same way you would your personal staff; there may be more of them, but the same tactics will work just as well with a large group as with a small one.

DEALING WITH THE COMPETITION

In laying your plans, decide which leader possesses moral influence and which commander is more capable. Which army has the better-trained officers and men? Which side administers rewards and punishment in the most enlightened manner? By answering these questions you will be able to predict which side will be victorious and which will be defeated.

Know the competition. Only by learning their strengths and weaknesses, and comparing them with your own, can you make a rational decision as to their ability to fight you or, indeed, to defeat you. When you know as much about your opponent as you do about yourself, and you weigh the strengths and weaknesses of both sides objectively, you will know which side will triumph.

The reason why an enlightened commander can triumph over their enemy is that they have advance knowledge of his situation. If you can determine the location of the enemy’s forces, you can concentrate your own forces to inflict the most damage, while he must divide his. Probe your enemy to learn his strengths and weaknesses. Determine the enemy’s plans to understand which strategies will be successful and which will not – thus victory can be created.

Learn as much as you can about the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent before you test your strength against theirs. Only by knowing their strengths and weaknesses, and how they are likely to react towards you, can you be relatively certain that you will defeat them.

When the enemy’s ambassador addresses you humbly, but the enemy continues preparations for war, he will advance. When the ambassador’s language is deceptive but the enemy advances boldly, they will retreat quickly. When the ambassador appears apologetic, he is playing for time. When the enemy unexpectedly requests a truce, he is plotting against you. When the enemy fails to take advantage of an opportunity to advance, he and his men are fatigued. When there is a disturbance in the enemy camp during the night, his men are afraid. When the enemy’s troops are disorderly, their commander has no prestige. If the enemy’s officers are irritable, they are exhausted. When a commander offers his men too many rewards, he is at the end of his resources. When he punishes his men too severely or too frequently he is severely distressed.

This is a short course in successful negotiating tactics. Always take your lead by judging the approach of the opposing side. By understanding their tactics and ‘body language’ you can keep one step ahead of them.

A wise commander must consider both the favourable and unfavourable factors in a battle. By taking into account the favourable factors the battle plan becomes feasible, by weighing the unfavourable factors difficulties may be resolved.

There is no such thing as too much information. Even discovering that your opponent is stronger than you thought they were is important. By knowing their strengths as well as their weaknesses you can determine their vulnerable points and those areas that you should avoid.

Those who are skilled in war can become invincible but cannot make the enemy vulnerable; consequently, you may know how to win, but you may not necessarily be able to do so.

Invincibility lies in defence, victory in the attack. Defend only when you lack strength, when you have abundant strength, attack.

A smart business person can learn to make their company invulnerable to attack; but no matter how much you know about your opponent, you can never guarantee that you can beat him until you actually go up against him in open competition.

When the enemy occupies the high ground do not confront him; when his back is facing a hill, do not oppose him. If he pretends to flee, do not be deceived into pursuing him.

Don’t let yourself be led into a position where you cannot possibly win.

Follow every situation, every move of the enemy, from a distance, but when the enemy presents you with any opportunity take immediate advantage of it.

After you have gathered all your intelligence and marshalled your forces, wait until you see an opening that will give you an advantage before you attack.

The army that comes first to the battlefield and waits for his enemy will be fresh for the battle; those who come late and rush into the fight will be weary. Those who are skilled in battle bring the enemy to them and are not forced to go to the enemy.

It is always better to manoeuvre yourself into a position where you can make the first move. The person left to make the second move will always be one step behind.

All warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when possible, pretend you are incapable of fighting, when you are active, feign inactivity. Make your own forces seem inferior to encourage the enemy’s arrogance. Offer him bait to lure him towards you then, while feigning disorder, attack him. Anger the enemy’s generals to confuse his mind. Keep him under constant strain to wear him down.

Always keep your opponent confused. Never reveal your true strengths, do the unexpected and keep up the pressure.

Those skilled at dealing with the enemy can make him move by creating a situation to which he must adapt; they lure him with irresistible bait and entice him with profit. A skilled general finds victory by manipulating the situation.

March to the battle by a circuitous route and divert your enemy’s attention by laying bait to attract him.

Your enemy must not know where you intend to meet him in battle; thus he must divide his forces and prepare to engage you in many places. With his forces scattered, those that you have to engage in any one place will be small in number.

Never let your opponent know your true intentions. Make him think you are doing one thing when, in fact, you are only distracting him.

Speed is the essence of war. Take advantage of an unprepared enemy; travel by unexpected routes and strike at the enemy where he least expects it. When the enemy is rested, make him move until he is weary. Go to places where he must follow, move quickly to where he does not expect you. Make the enemy weary by keeping him constantly occupied. Make him rush about by presenting him with possible advantages. Those who are skilled in war make it impossible for the enemy to unite his troops and co-ordinate his men. When the skilled warrior disperses the enemy’s forces they cannot reassemble; when they are concentrated he throws them into confusion.

An opponent, especially one who is unprepared, can be confused and put off guard simply by being kept constantly under pressure. The combination of relentless pressure and not knowing what your true intentions are can wear down the competition surprisingly quickly.

When you have won a victory, do not repeat the same tactics again. Respond to each new set of circumstances with new variations in your strategy.

If you are constantly in adversarial situations, vary your tactics from one confrontation to the next. If you don’t, even the cleverest tactics will become predictable.

Victory is the only prize of war. If victory is long delayed troop morale will become depressed and their strength will be exhausted.

Through lengthy campaigns the riches of the state will be exhausted. When an army takes to the field, prices will rise and the wealth of the people is depleted. When your strength is exhausted and your riches are spent, others will seize the advantage and move against you. There has never been a long war from which a nation has benefited.

Extended confrontations are self-defeating. If you cannot reasonably expect to win quickly, avoid the conflict at all costs. There is no such thing as a ‘moral victory’ if you are left bankrupt in the process of obtaining it.

In war, it is preferable to take an enemy state intact rather than bring it to ruin. To capture the enemy’s army – all, or in part – is better than destroying it. It is better to foil the enemy’s tactics than to attack his army. Next best is to destroy his alliances. Only if these fail should you attack his army. The worst approach is to attack his cities, do so only when there are no other options.

The skilled warrior subdues the enemy without battle. Your aim is to take the enemy intact. To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the sign of a great general; to conquer the enemy without fighting him even once is true greatness.

If you destroy the competition in the process of defeating them, you may win nothing more than the mountain of debts they acquired during the long battle. Make your move swiftly and surgically, salvaging as much of the competition as possible and make them a profitable part of your own company. Better yet, manipulate them into surrendering to you without ever going to battle. If you cannot do either of these, avoid the fight entirely.