Sun Tzu was written around 500BC (a little before Aristotle) and became the authority on how to manage societies, governments, and organizations. Its still used today and one of the primary reads for all military cadets But what can we take to help with better employee engagement? Here's 13 quotes translated into business thinking and application

1. “The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources” Sun
Tzu
13 Sun Tzu Quotesapplied to workforce engagement and human capital
“plan for what is difficult
while it is easy, do what is
great while it is small”
Many have likened running a firm to managing troops.
The book (c.500BC) helps firms make more informed
decisions on conflictresolution, managing troops,
resource planning &motivation. We explore relationship
dynamics between leadership &employees
Competitive advantage hasandwill continue to be amoving
targetrelyingonknowingyourworkforce strengths,weaknesses
andexposuresandbeingable to preemptandrespondto external
andinternal changesinprecise accord(purpose-effortaligned)
planningshouldinvolve astrongvision,direction,bold
leadership,discipline & organisation.Itwarnswhere
generalslack vision& foresight- soldiersortroopswill
lack natural impetusandevenif they outnumbertheir
opponentswithoutgoodpurpose,unificationof willsand
highmorale –successisneverguaranteed
“Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will followyou intothe
deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will
stand by you even untodeath” - Art ofWar

2. #1
WISE WARRIOR AVOIDS THE BATTLE
Conflict is costly with uncertain cost
benefit returns and leads to resource
and capital misappropriation. Poor
use leads to greater exposure at a
time you need it the most
#2
KING IS ONLY FOND OF WORDS, AND
CANNOT TRANSLATE THEM INTO DEEDS
Complexity is costly, blinding and
crippling and the best way to reduce it
- is to empower those who know what
the job really needs. But this means
they willingly have a high duty of care,
rewarded for good results & supported
#4
TO CONQUER AND ACHIEVE BEYOND
THE REACH OF ORDINARY MEN IS
FOREKNOWLEDGE
Foresight is about predicting what
may be in the future, how cause-
effect relationships operate and
knowing how to cope with macro
environmental changes in legislation,
economics, social shi ts and
reputation risk exposures
#3
MEASUREMENTS OF SPACE ARE
DERIVED FROM THE GROUND
Strategy sets an agenda (cost
reduction or revenue growth) but
workforce culture, strengths and
vulnerabilities ultimately decide on
what is both possible & probable
#5
WHEN ONE TREATS PEOPLE WITH
BENEVOLENCE , JUSTICE AND
RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND REPOSES
CONFIDENCE IN THEM, THE ARMY WILL
BE UNITED IN MIND
Leadership is not about subjugation
but creating an environment that
inspires, energises and mobilises
people, tools and processes. Leaders
need to be clear, well coordinated,
exercise analytical foresight, uphold
fairness, impartiality and righteous
#6
ENSURE THE SAFETY OF YOUR DEFENSE
AND HOLD POSITIONS THAT CANNOT BE
ATTACKED
Pareto 80:20 rule is useful in locating
organisational value: 80% of b2b
profits from 20% of clients or staff or
time. Given rates of attrition and
disengagement stakeholders simply
can't afford to lose key talent in order
to prevent cascades of unforeseen
interconnected breakdown or failure
NotableQuotes for Better Engaging Employees

3. #7
AN ARMY MAY BE ROBBED OF ITS
SPIRIT AND COMMANDER DEPRIVED
OF HIS COURAGE
High employee engagement is born out
of leaders who are clear, fair, trust
worthy and responsibly driven in
planning and implementation.
Employees carry a high level of
intellect but poor visions and support
systems hinder full potential and reach
#8
TREAT YOUR MEN AS YOU WOULD YOUR
OWN BELOVED SONS. AND THEY WILL
FOLLOW YOU INTO THE DEEPEST VALLEY
Leadership is about winning the hearts
and minds of the workforce seeded in
a high duty of care. This helps prevent
resource burn out and material
misappropriation. When foresight and
planning is strong, despite difficult
conditions (‘terrain’) - plans will be
naturally executed with less inertia and
confidence in reaching goals
#10
CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT I WOULD DO
IF I COULD DO ALL I CAN
A plant yielding most amounts of fruit
does so by being able to establish its
roots deepest in the ground.
Pragmatic, simple, robust systemic
visions help blend the right soil
nutrients. Almost everything will be
underutilised and far from reaching
it's true potential without the right
environment-culture
#9
SUPREME ART OF WAR IS TO SUBDUE
THE ENEMY WITHOUT FIGHTING
Aggression is a symptom of things
out of control framing conflict as
little more than differences of
opinion. Sun Tzu strongly recommends
resolving conflicts whilst small but
more importantly engineering an
environment and conditions that self
organise and regulate
#11
WATER SHAPES ITS COURSE ACCORDING
TO THE NATURE OF THE GROUND OVER
WHICH IT FLOWS
Fluid formations foster agility from a
governance perspective but has as
much to do with people's thinking as it
does technology or process alignment.
Agility is a state of being able to
respond to industry dynamics and
more fully capitalise on opportunities
but success depends heavily on being
able to act in precise accord to the
stimulus presented and prediction
#12
REWARDS FOR GOOD SERVICE SHOULD
NOT BE DEFERRED A SINGLE DAY
The age old fear induced management
approach is no longer enough and
people who leave employers can
expect salary increases much greater
than those enjoyed by longer term
loyal employees. Growing pressures on
living costs and an ongoing search for
better work life balance will all make
talent retention progressively complex
and difficult
Engagement is Half Emotionally and Half Logically Driven

4. #13
DURING THE EARLY MORNING SPIRITS
ARE KEEN, DURING THE DAY THEY
FLAG, AND IN THE EVENING
THOUGHTS TURN TOWARD HOME
Employers should keep a perspective
on why employees come to work. They
are social creatures and work is a
means to an end to sustain a life style
centering around social and family
values. Employees are not brought but
rented for as long as you are able to
afford to do so or they want to stay
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