Entrepreneurial Goldmine

I recently read The Art of War for the 6th time!   Sun Tzu , the ancient military leader was before his time…his actions may not be lawful today, but his strategies, leadership and execution were thought through well.  The leadership lessons of his legacy are  extremely valuable and I always find new practical lessons with each re-read.  Have you ever wondered where these books got their theme:  The Art of the Deal (Donald Trump), The Art of Profitability (Adrian Slywotzky), The Art of the Start (Guy Kawasaki)…I actually located “15 “Art Of” Books, Websites and Videos” that I think are interesting.  These are just the few I know of or read.  In any case, the leadership lessons in the Art of War have inspired the aforementioned authors to attempt a similar model for giving the lessons associated with their passion, expertise or theme. 

The Art of War, which was written during the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu, is all about strategy, which I love.   Wikipedia describes the Art of War as “one of the oldest and most successful books on military strategy in the world. It has had a huge influence on Eastern military thinking, business tactics, and beyond. Sun Tzu recognized the importance of positioning in strategy and that position is affected both by objective conditions in the physical environment and the subjective opinions of competitive actors in that environment. He taught that strategy was not planning in the sense of working through a to-do list, but rather that it requires quick and appropriate responses to changing conditions. Planning works in a controlled environment, but in a competitive environment, competing plans collide, creating unexpected situations.”

Simliar to that reality TV show – Survivor, Sun Tzu teaches how to out think, out wit and completely overpower your opposition through precise execution.  You can apply his leadership lessons with employees, business competition, corporate ladder competition, general decision making and even in competitive activities such as playing poker.  Sun Tzu promotes doing the unexpected when it’s least expected and doing exactly what’s expected without restraint when you have the most leverage.  Most people like to pull back when they have the advantage, not Sun Tzu.  As a military general and leader of people, he promotes weakness as a strategic tactic; however, showing weakness as a deceptive strategy to get the enemy to base his strategy on your weakness is exactly what Sun Tzu would do.  I could go on for hours…the next time you want a good leadership book, take a break from the 2009 model of “the new, new thing” and pick up The Art of War.  Make sure it’s an original translation….

Other “Art of” books, websites and videos influenced by Sun Tzu and the Art of War:

Art of War By Sun Tzu

The Art Of The Deal

The Art Of Profitability

The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened …

The Art of Unix Programming

The Art of Computer Programming

The Art of the Possible

The Art of Grantsmanship

The Art of Writing Proposals: Some Candid Suggestions for …

How to Change the World: The Art of Schmoozing

The Art of Manliness

The Art of the Mix

The Art of Shaving

The Art Of Innovation

The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human …