Throughout history leadership is perhaps one of the most widely conversed subjects. For good reason, the art of leadership has been synonymous with success. Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Alexander, Hannibal and Caesar. All these names fill ancient stories alongside dramatic heroics that have perhaps grown just a little embellished with time. Fictional or real, these stories are all about leaders. Heroics, leadership and victory, all are vital to these ancient depictions. The Art of War is no different, while the book hardly tells grand tales of Sun Tzu’s mighty military exploits, it builds him up as a fantastical leader nonetheless. The Art of War is specific, it tells you exactly and with examples of how to be a good leader, a leader like Sun Tzu. Reading these tips and tricks I couldn’t help but wonder about something. In the world today, with warfare having changed so dramatically, do the lessons from The Art of War still apply now as well as they did centuries ago? To look at this I wanted to look at some examples of leadership, such as how Sun Tzu recommends rewarding and punishing people, as well as techniques he uses to inform and employ those under him. The Boy Scouts of America pride themselves on many things, first and foremost, however, is teaching leadership skills and giving hands on management experience to America's youth. As an Eagle Scout I can attest to the extensiveness of the experience, I hope to use my understanding of leadership as a lens of looking at how Sun Tzu’s advice applies.
It has been my experience, that communication is vital when it comes to organizing groups. Without everyone involved knowing the scope of the task at hand, or how to do their assigned jobs, whatever it is the group is working towards will be slow to accomplish. With this in mind, the first thing I feel a good leader should do is make sure the people working with them are quickly and adequately informed. Speed of information insures that there is little time spent meandering without knowing what to do. Adequate information should insure that jobs are done well and in the correct fashion. To this end Sun Tzu does offer some words of advice when it comes to communicating with his army. “So in night battles you use many fires and drums, in daytime battles you use many banners and flags” (Tzu). These methods were the fastest and most reliable ways of communicating accurately with large groups at the time. In battle people at all levels of command would know how to interpret these flag and drum commands. I interpret this as Sun Tzu clearly recognizing the importance of a leader informing those working under them. There is more to communication than simply telling people things accurately and quickly however, especially in a battle field, or corporate setting.
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Not all news is good news, and bad news can be devastating to moral. Certainly new of losses in battle are more devastating than a project failing in a business. The result can be similar between the two though, a loss of moral leading to a decrease in enthusiasm for work. Sun Tzu to has a comment for this kind of situation: “When the outlook is bright, bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when the situation is gloomy” (Tzu). He is referring to the common soldier in this instance, if a concerning development had occurred certain people would need to know to be prepared but not everyone. When something wonderful has happened, Sun Tzu encourages you to let it be known. This just makes sense, in all things, people like to succeed. Even if this accomplishment was not made by the group being told they can still feel succeed by proxy, if they feel that the success of the army, company or group will lead to their own success. This second piece of advice is not perfect for all cases, in a company where an individual is working for themselves and does not particularly care about the company, chances are they feel like the company does not care much for them. In this case a monthly report on the finances of the company probably means little to them. That is why in addition to keeping people informed, you must also make an effort to keep people loyal to your cause.
Leadership is a big part of drawing out loyalty in people. Nothing brings out loyalty faster than if people believe that what is good for the cause, is also good for them. Through this, rewards and compensation are a vital tool in tying together an individual's feelings of success with the groups own success. Sun Tzu of course understands the importance of rewards: “Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day” (Tzu). Rewards for good service, in this case, refer to going above and beyond what is expected of a person. When these kinds of behaviors are rewarded and quietly and swiftly when noticed, it encourages everyone to act more like that. Rewards are great for encouraging good behavior, however people still need to be treated and compensated fairly, or they will never do more than the absolute minimum to get by. That is why Sun Tzu makes another point, having to do with the treatment of those working under him. “Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley” (Tzu). Treat the people under you well, make sure they are fed, warm at night, healthy. For someone to be loyal it is almost essential that they have their needs cared for. As a troop’s Senior Patrol Leader in the Boy Scouts this is evident. There are some things that just need doing before you can effectively do other activities. Everyone needs their tent for the night, the area for cooking dinner needs to be set up, someone needs to go and get water. Basic necessities like this seem minor but if you can’t assure those first, nothing else will be done in a productive fashion. This can be applied to business as well, if a worker is stuck in a rut, feeling that their boss makes an exorbitant amount of money while they struggle to make ends meet, then it is easy for that worker to grow to resent their boss. Rather then getting work done productivity, the lack of loyalty and support will cause a constant productivity loss. If the worker was better taken care of, if they felt that the success of their superior was the same as their own success, then it is much less likely that they would resent their superiors and the efficiency of the workplace is far improved.
Besides leadership and communication there is another important factor to leading a group, execution. This can mean many things, delegating tasks, specific methods for doing things, planning. All of this can make or break a project. Sun Tzu, of course, is well prepared for properly executing his commands. For example, when it comes to the importance of planning, Sun Tzu is no slacker, clearly understanding the importance he recommends, “Plan for what it is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small” (Tzu). A bit of preparation makes for far more efficient work, Sun Tzu understood this and that is why he makes such a recommendation. Planning is such a common theme throughout The Art of War, it might be more apt to call it the art of preparation. To go into a battle or any project without preparation, leads to failure, in the case of battle, this would be death. Finally, Sun Tzu recommends perhaps one of the most important lessons taught in BSA, “The principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach” (Tzu). Clearly this is leading by example, he is not specific if the leader must be the example, or if the leader must appoint someone else as the example but it is important either way. In the Boy Scouts leading by example is the de facto sort of leadership, groups your in charge of are typically small. For these small groups of scouts setting a good example, either by yourself or with other members of leadership is vital. Without a good role model to show how certain tasks should be done, or what behaviors should be followed, it can be hard to get things done. Perhaps to an extent this is more particular to young men and boys then it would be to the troops Sun Tzu would be leading, regardless it is my experience that a good role model is indispensable.
Communication, loyalty and the methods of command. All of these are important aspects of leading a group and of ensuring that work is done in the most efficient manor. Throughout The Art of War Sun Tzu provides many words of wisdom. Interspersed between military tactics, maneuvering and supplying of armies however, there is still even more advice on the delicate art of leadership. Sun Tzu’s guidance shows the importance of communication, without it tasks big and small will become impossible no matter the size or skill of those working under you. He stresses the importance of loyalty, or at the very minimum willing service. Without proper compensation troops won’t fight, workers won’t do more than they have to and efficiency as a whole is sacrificed. He shows the importance of a strong example, to inspire those working for him to do their best with a clear role model. For all these reasons and plenty more beyond the scope of this paper, Sun Tzu is clearly an experienced and wise leader, not just for his time period but perhaps of all time. The guidelines for leadership he established are visible at even for a child of young age and can be put into practice for almost any situation. I would say that these rules certainly can be applied to business today, not for the cut throat nature of some of the advice, but because of how it guides useful leadership for the sake of a productive workforce.
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