David Kiger argues that the principles in Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' can significantly enhance business leadership and strategy. Key lessons include the importance of understanding oneself and one's competition, emphasizing strategic planning over financial power, and using market competition to strengthen business success. Effective leaders must be prepared with multiple plans and adapt to changing market conditions to remain competitive.

1. What can The Art of War teach you to
become a better leader?
By David Kiger Image courtesy of Jose Luis RDS at Flickr..com

2. Many business leaders believe that their world is all about
power. Well, although high positions in big companies do
involve power (in some organizations there is actually a
Game of Thrones,) the strategy and wisdom of a good
entrepreneur should go beyond that. More than reading
"The Prince," by Niccolò Machiavelli, a good business leader
should take a look at "The Art of War," by Sun Tzu, and in
this post, you'll know why.
The wisdom contained in this brief treatise on war can be
applied to different aspects of life. The Tao lessons included
in the book are related to basic principles of the universe
and life itself. For this reason, it is perfectly possible to think
of a business interpretation of this treatise on war. Let's look
at some lessons.

3. Sun Tzu says, "Know thyself and know your enemy." "Every
battle is won before it is waged." In these two statements
lies the importance of the leader's strategy to position
his/her company or a product before selling it. A company,
product, or service must be sold before being
manufactured, and by knowing the potential needs of
customers. The Art of War means knowing strategies,
planning, and developing processes and activities
coherently. It is not about who has the most economic
power.
Sun Tzu speaks of war as "a matter of life and death."
Interpret this matter thinking about the existence of your
company, and you will understand this basic principle.

4. The question of life or death has to do with staying or
disappearing from the market, and that your competitors
could lead you to destruction, or they could help you to
strengthen your business. Remember: A product must be
sold before it is produced, knowing the needs of your
customers' potentials. That means to achieve the victory
before getting into the battle. The market is a field of many
battles where information is key before fighting. Know your
strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of the
competition.

5. Now, the very existence of the competition is more important
than what you may think. Many companies would like to be
the only guys in town, but they do not realize the usefulness
that may derive from a real competition to achieve the
business success. How is that? You will see. When you put
marketing strategies in motion, you are besieging your future
customers. They will be defended behind the walls of your
competition, and it will certainly not let you come in to take its
territory. Assume it as an alliance between your customers
and your competition. How to dissolve it? By using the proper
strategies so that your customer becomes “your ally,” and
thus get positive faster results. This means your finances will
be less hit because if the war goes too far, as time is money,
your cash flow and the morale of your sales executives will be
weakened. The problem is that this pessimism may be
transmitted to all the employees of your company.

6. Read also: Becoming a leader: How to get the most out of
life when it is at its worst, by David Kiger
Consider a price war between two companies. If this
spreads, the campaign falls into a financial crisis. You must
have an effective strategy with as many tactics and
stratagems as possible, with different plans. If plan A fails,
you must have plan B in motion, and be prepared to
execute plan C in case everything else fails. Speed ​​will
make a difference to your goal. Whenever you manage to
sell more products to customers by using the right
strategies, competition weakens, your business
strengthens, and you will have more ability to keep growing
in your sales. Do not forget it: Battles in the business world
often depend more on strategies than on financial power.

7. On the other hand, there are times when you will have to join your
competition to defeat a stronger competition. For example, a
multinational company has penetrated the niche market of two
local businesses (two bakeries, for instance) that fight for the
same clientele and territory. What can they do? They can meet
as allies and agree what products and what prices to offer, as
well as creating a consortium, or a temporary union, and thus
defend the customers they don’t want to lose.
Moreover, a good strategy is accompanied by good planning in
the projections and budget of all areas of the company. Do not
overlook any details or spare resources to implement the tactics
of your main strategy. You must have a plan A, and not settle for
just a few cards down your sleeve. You must learn to adapt to
changes, and not lose your mind if the market or the competition
forces you to change the strategy.

8. There are other wonderful teachings in the Art of War, and I
recommend you to read this text carefully. I hope this will
serve you to be a better business leader. See you next time!
Recommended: Applying Lessons from Sun Tzu and The
Art of War to Everyday Life