Lessons From The Art of War: How To Lead

Today I will be writing about Good vs Bad leadership.

What's the difference between a good leader vs. bad leader? What do good leaders do differently?

This an essential question every leader must ask themselves.

We all face challenges and situations every day that test our patience, skills, and mindset. 

What separates a good leader vs bad leader is how they handle the challenges they face every day.

The Art of War has been used in many areas outside of the military with a lot of it being about fighting battles without actually having to battle. It explains how to out manoeuvre an opponent so that a physical battle is not actually needed.

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”

-Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu states that the greatest leaders are able to beat their enemy without fighting.

This concept can also be applied to business and dating. Not just people who are aggressively running their mouths at you.

An example of this was how he (Sun Tzu) proposed leaders to attempt to take over cities without physical battle but instead force the occupants to surrender through psychological warfare.

The best slaves are the ones who think they are free.

The Qualities of a Bad Leader

In the book, 'The Art Of War' Sun Tzu lists the following characteristics that, if found to dominate a leader’s personality, will bring the downfall of that leader’s army:

1. Recklessness. Leaders who move forward to fight at every opportunity and see all situations as reason for a battle will get their army killed in the end.

2. Over-Cautiousness. Leaders who always avoid fights, look for the way out and are preoccupied by a wish to return home safely will end up being cornered and captured, because the enemy will find a way to chase them into a trap.

3. Hot-Headedness. Leaders who are easily angered can be provoked into declaring war without a plan in place.

4. Vanity. Leaders who have a high self-esteem and a desire to preserve their noble reputation at all costs can be manipulated through character assassination and slander.

5. Excessive Compassion. Leaders who care too much about the welfare of their people can lose sight of their objectives. Hard as it may sound, you have to be prepared to accept a certain amount of collateral damage in a campaign. If the enemy suspects that you are trying to avoid incurring any casualties whatsoever, they may try to manipulate you by targeting civilians knowing that this will throw you into confusion.

The above five characteristics exist in every single one of us, but none of them should be dominant. Do not let your personality become an obvious target for the enemy.

The Qualities of a Good Leader

Sun Tzu states that an army must be commanded by a single person who makes each soldier feel as if they were being led personally by the hand. This is how to make the army work as one.

The perfect leader will have the following qualities:

1. Calmness. A good leader is not angry or forceful. 

“Power” is not “force” and an army cannot be kept together for long through intimidation. Therefore, remain calm most of the time and only show your teeth when it is really necessary. 

Think about how men who physically hit women think they're leading her or about parents who think hitting their child instills discipline and respect. 

Most of the time, when you use physical force/power, it only instills fear, not respect.

Again, the best slaves are the ones who think they are free.

2. Unpredictability. Do not make the obvious move, and avoid leaving a pattern in your past activities. The enemy should not be able to identify what you will do in the future from what you did in the past. Do not take predictable routes, change your camp position . . . keep the enemy guessing.

3. Inscrutability. You also need to be unreadable, so that even if an enemy spy succeeds in infiltrating your camp and observes you from close quarters they still cannot read your thoughts.

4. Self-Discipline. There is a difference between obedience, discipline, and self-discipline. Many people are obedient, some have discipline forced upon them, but few are self-disciplined. While others rest and relax, the good leader works and only rests when it is the correct time.

5. Secrecy. There is a delicate balance between keeping plans secret and involving your command team. Too much secrecy and the command team will be alienated; too little and plans will be leaked. It appears Sun Tzu prefers more secrecy and to keep his command team loyal in other ways.

6. Leading By Example. Always be there with your troops (but maybe not always at the front), be observable, and earn the respect of the soldiers by sharing their hardships. 

Sun Tzu uses various images here to back up his point that the commander is “with the troops.” The first image he gives is of the commander leading the troops up a ladder that is then kicked away, allowing for no return. 

Alternatively, the army is represented as a great herd of animals moving as one with the leader in the centre directing them all in a way that cannot be predicted from the outside. Be with the troops in all dangerous situations, but remain unknown to the enemy.

If you want to lead a team of people, Children, or women, you do this by leading by example.

Develop your character as a leader to maximise the potential of your employees.

To lead by example means to guide others through your behaviour instead of your words. Your intention is to inspire others to copy your behaviour. 

I will probably do a specific post on how to lead by example in the future

7. Responsibility. As leader you must confidently assume responsibility for the whole force. Be at the centre of everything and use your troops in the most efficient way with the best results.

A responsible leader is one who takes accountability for their instead of deflecting, this individual chooses to take responsibility or springs into action to fix a problem. They don't spread blame; they own and address the issue on the table.

A perfect leader is calm, unpredictable, unreadable, self-disciplined, discreet, is in the thick of it with the troops and is in total command from the centre.

- Till next time.