If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
But
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat
But
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb to every battle
San Tsu – “Art of War”
Defeating your Enemy
The term strategy is derived from the Greek word “strategos,” meaning “general”. Its origins can be traced to war with nations fighting for territory and defeating their enemies. One of the most famous Latin works in the area of military strategy, written by “Frontiers” describes strategy as a compilation of “strategems,” which is literally translated to “tricks of war.”
San Tsu’s work “The Art of War” has been claimed as one of the best works in military strategy and is used widely today as a source of teachings in modern-day strategy, elegantly capturing “warfare” in business”
The 3 learnings from San Tsu's “Art of War” that help you shape your strategy and win in business
- Know your enemy and know yourself
You need to know your competitive advantage. Know your weaknesses and strengths and that of your competitors and use this information to form your attack strategy and tactical plan to win in the marketplace. The SWOT analysis and business models help you determine this information.
2. “The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought.
The art of winning a battle is preparation and planning. Allocate resources and know the strength of the team. Understand the right time. Speed of attack and the ability to be flexible agile and to change your tactics when needed is crucial to winning. Know beforehand how your competitors, clients, and the context are changing, and be ready to adapt or die.
3. “The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.”
Develop your character as a leader as intelligence is not enough. Align the team on the right path and enroll their emotion so that they follow you to war. Leaders need discipline and intentional focus to create success and know that they have the power to succeed or fail.
The Two Worlds Collide
As I read and learn more about how businesses win in this highly changing and competitive landscape, I would say that the art of military warfare in business has evolved. Today understanding your changing business context and the value you bring to your customers is more important than knowing and just beating your competitor.
We have shifted into a boundary-less world where the customer is evolving, demanding, and needing something new and different.
The art of war meeting the science of consumer behavior
“Today your strategy must focus on creating value for your customer and solving their problems”
Think about Samsung and Apple.
A strategy story that demonstrates this exceptionally well.
Samsung and Apple not only defeated Nokia on the frontline by understanding its competitors, preparing and planning, and leading their people but importantly they understood that the customer needs changed and technology was evolving. They changed their products and services to add value to the customer beating Nokia on the battlefield.
4 learnings from the science of business that help you win in business
Instead of focusing on defeating your enemy focus on winning your customer.
- Focus on the value you bring to the consumer
- How do you communicate that value to the consumer and make an emotional connection?
- How you have given your customers an experience they will never forget
- How you constantly re-invent yourself as there is no more just competing with your competitors but being ahead of yourself to see what the future brings and how your consumer demands are changing.
Closing
Don’t just focus on your competition and look at how you can win the battle. Focus on you, your value, and capabilities making it relevant in this new boundary-less world we live in.
“ We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.” – Jeff Bezos
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