The Art of War

Sun Tzu and The Art of War exemplify the true meaning of the words entrepreneurship, innovation and strategy. Although The Art of War was written thousands of years ago, the strategy and concepts that are presented are still extremely relevant today. Military leaders, sports coaches and business managers alike have referenced this work repeatedly to gain a competitive edge, defeat their opponents strategically and create their desired outcome. This paper will illustrate Sun Tzu’s teachings, how they directly correlate to entrepreneurship, innovation and strategy, how the concepts and principles presented can be effectively applied in the 21st century as well as my opinion on its application. .

Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War in approximately 500 B.C., a time characterized as the late Spring and Autumn Period. During this time, military strategy in warfare in Ancient China did not exist. The primary method of war was to attack as fiercely as possible with little to no planning. The thought was that the largest army of men with the most weapons would win the war. Sun Tzu was ahead of his time in realizing that strategy was essential and war did not have to be as uncertain as it had been in the past. Hence, the smaller army with the better strategy could be in a better position than the larger opponent. His legendary quote “Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat. If you only know yourself but not your opponent you may win or lose. If you know neither yourself nor the enemy, you will always endanger yourself”, is a proven principle in the battles of his time and throughout history. The 13 chapters outline strategic tactics to be applied both defensively and offensively under any circumstances and in any battle to ensure with certainty that you will prevail against the opposition. Internal and external situational awareness combined with intelligent, calculated decision-making is the basis for overcoming any conflict or battle.

Sun Tzu’s philosophy is an extremely valuable tool in teaching and re-training oneself to deal with conflict and competition at a highly effective level. It seems as though I have been fighting battles my entire life, both personally and professionally, and have not been armed with the proper tools to succeed. My initial instinct in a confrontational situation is to react with emotion, immediately become defensive and take action without a concise thought process.. Over the course of the past few weeks, I have made attempts at following Sun Tzu’s teachings and have had victory. Whether it has been a struggle with my eight-year old son to clean his room properly or an attempt at changing common practices in the workplace, situational awareness, a strategy or plan of action and knowing my opposition has made the conflicts I face on a daily basis easier to resolve. Through consistent practice of Sun Tzu’s teachings, I feel that not only