Who is Sun Tzu?
To hand down the wisdom he had gained from his years of battles Sun Tzu wrote a book, The Art of War, that became the classic work on strategy in China. His book, which details a complete philosophy on how to decisively defeat one's opponent, has given guidance to military theorists and generals throughout the ages. In The Art of War, military readers found a holistic approach to strategy that was powerful and deep--it is truly a masterpiece on strategy. As the former U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell said, “I’ve read the Chinese classic The Art of War written by Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu has been studied for hundreds of years. He continues to give inspiration to soldiers and politicians. So every American soldier in the army knows of his works. We require our soldiers to read it.”
Today, Sun Tzu's appeal has extended beyond the military realm into the world of business. Because business by definition deals with competition, Sun Tzu's principles are ideally suited to competitive business situations. Because business, like warfare, is a contest of wills, dynamic and fast-paced, based on both morale and machines, and deals with the effective and efficient use of scarce resources, many business people across the globe have found value in Sun Tzu's teachings.
Sun Tzu has also entered our popular culture. In the movie Wall Street the hero Bud Fox and the villain Gordon Gekko both use Sun Tzu's strategic philosophy. Gordon counsels Bud, "I don't throw darts at a board. I bet on sure things. Read Sun Tzu, The Art of War. Every battle is won before it is ever fought." Later, Bud puts his new learning to work to defeat Gekko, stating, "If you enemy is superior, evade him. If angry, irritate him. If equally matched, fight, and if not, split and re-evaluate." Sun Tzu even made an impression on Tony Soprano. His view:
"Been reading that -that book you told me about. You know, The Art of War by Sun Tzu. I mean here's this guy, a Chinese general, wrote this thing 2400 years ago, and most of it still applies today! Balk the enemy's power. Force him to reveal himself. You know most of the guys that I know, they read Prince Machiavelli and I had Carmela go and get the Cliff Notes once and--he's okay. But this book is much better about strategy."
Unfortunately, for the many who would like to gain insight into Sun Tzu's strategic philosophy, there is no recourse but to read The Art of War and attempt to directly apply Sun Tzu's phrases about ancient military operations to their modern strategic problems. That is no simple task. Therefore, to offer a more straightforward bridge between today's world and Sun Tzu's ancient wisdom, Mark McNeilly has written two books. Sun Tzu and the Art of Business: Six Strategic Principles for Managers is written for business professionals while Sun Tzu and the Art of Modern Warfare was created for those who have an interest in how Sun Tzu's ideas have been applied in military history and current warfare.
