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All 22 learnings · one per slide
The Art
of War
Sun Tzu, in bytes
22 key learnings on strategy from the ancient Chinese classic, applied to work, business and everyday conflict.
22 learnings · ~40 sec eachSwipe →
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The Art of War, in bytes
22 key learnings from the ancient Chinese text on strategy traditionally attributed to Sun Tzu, following its thirteen chapters. Each takes about 40 seconds to read. Swipe, use the arrows, or your keyboard.
The Art
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Learning 1 · Ch. 1: Laying Plans
Plan Before You Act
The teaching
The opening chapter says victory goes to the side that makes more thorough calculations before the battle. Sun Tzu lists factors to weigh: purpose, timing, terrain, leadership and discipline.
Today
Before a system rollout, assessing people, process, data and timing avoids many crises later.
Use it
Do the analysis before committing resources.
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Learning 2 · Ch. 1: Laying Plans
The Five Fundamentals
The teaching
Sun Tzu weighs five factors before any campaign: moral cause, which unites people with their leader; heaven, meaning timing and conditions; earth, meaning terrain; the commander's qualities; and method and discipline.
Try this
Before a big initiative, score yourself and your competitor on each of the five.
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Learning 3 · Ch. 1: Laying Plans
All Warfare Is Deception
The teaching
Sun Tzu advises appearing weak when strong and strong when weak, so opponents misjudge you.
Today
Companies keep product plans quiet so competitors can't react early.
Use it
Don't reveal your whole hand.
Spot itwhat others display may not be their real position.
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Learning 4 · Ch. 2: Waging War
Long Wars Drain Everyone
The teaching
No country has ever benefited from prolonged warfare. Long campaigns exhaust resources, morale and support.
Today
Drawn-out legal disputes often cost both sides more than settling would have.
Use it
Aim for quick resolution. Long conflicts rarely pay.
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Learning 5 · Ch. 3: Attack by Stratagem
Win Without Fighting
The teaching
The supreme skill is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Defeating a plan is better than defeating an army.
Today
A company that makes a partnership offer can turn a would-be competitor into an ally.
Use it
Look for ways to win that avoid open conflict.
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Learning 6 · Ch. 3: Attack by Stratagem
Know Yourself and Your Opponent
The teaching
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear a hundred battles. Know yourself but not the enemy, and you'll win and lose equally. Know neither, and you'll lose every time.
Today
A pitch built on deep knowledge of both your strengths and the client's priorities is far likelier to win.
Use it
Study both sides: your own limits and the other side's needs.
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Learning 7 · Ch. 3: Attack by Stratagem
Don't Let Rulers Interfere
The teaching
Sun Tzu warns that leaders who meddle in decisions they don't understand, without knowing the situation on the ground, cause defeat.
Today
A sponsor who overrides an experienced project team on technical details can derail delivery.
Use it
Give capable people authority to decide where they have the knowledge.
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Learning 8 · Ch. 4: Tactical Dispositions
First Make Yourself Invincible
The teaching
Good strategists first put themselves beyond defeat, then wait for an opportunity to defeat the enemy. Avoiding defeat is in your hands; the opening comes from the opponent.
Today
Building savings and skills first means you can act when a real opportunity appears.
Use it
Secure your position before chasing gains.
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Learning 9 · Ch. 4: Tactical Dispositions
Win Before the Battle
The teaching
Victorious armies win first and then go to war; defeated armies go to war and then look for victory.
Today
Deals are often won by preparation and relationships long before the final meeting.
Use it
Do the work that decides the outcome before the moment arrives.
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Learning 10 · Ch. 5: Energy
Combine the Expected and the Unexpected
The teaching
Sun Tzu describes direct and indirect forces: the ordinary engages, the extraordinary wins. Their combinations are endless, like notes in music.
Today
A solid core offer plus one surprising extra can win a client.
Use it
Pair a reliable approach with an element of surprise.
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Learning 11 · Ch. 5: Energy
Momentum Matters
The teaching
Energy is like a crossbow drawn tight; timing is the release. Well-organised forces create momentum that carries individuals along.
Today
A team that scores early wins on a project gains confidence that lifts everyone.
Use it
Build momentum, and choose the right moment to release it.
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Learning 12 · Ch. 6: Weak Points and Strong
Strike Weakness, Avoid Strength
The teaching
Like water flowing around obstacles to low ground, attack where the opponent is weak and avoid where they are strong.
Today
A small firm wins by serving a niche the big players ignore, rather than competing head-on.
Use it
Find the gap others aren't defending.
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Learning 13 · Ch. 6: Weak Points and Strong
Be Formless Like Water
The teaching
Water has no fixed shape; it adapts to the ground. Strategy should adapt to the opponent rather than follow a rigid plan.
Today
Teams that adjust plans when requirements change outperform those that stick rigidly to the original design.
Use it
Hold your aims firmly and your methods loosely.
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Learning 14 · Ch. 7: Manoeuvring
Turn the Long Way into the Short Way
The teaching
Manoeuvring is hardest of all: making the indirect route the direct one. A detour can arrive first.
Today
Investing time in training a team may feel slow, but gets the project done faster overall.
Use it
Sometimes the indirect path is the quickest.
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Learning 15 · Ch. 7: Manoeuvring
Leave an Escape Route
The teaching
When you surround an enemy, leave them a way out. People with no escape fight desperately.
Today
In a negotiation, give the other side a face-saving option.
Use it
Don't corner people; let them retreat with dignity.
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Learning 16 · Ch. 8: Variation in Tactics
Adapt to Circumstances
The teaching
Sun Tzu lists roads not to follow and positions not to contest, and says even a ruler's orders need not be obeyed if they don't fit the situation.
Today
Knowing when to drop a standard process because it doesn't fit a unique case is a mark of expertise.
Use it
Follow principles, not rules blindly. Adapt to the actual situation.
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Learning 17 · Ch. 8: Variation in Tactics
Watch for Leaders' Weaknesses
The teaching
Five dangerous faults in a leader: recklessness, cowardice, a quick temper, a delicate sense of honour, and excessive concern for their people that paralyses action.
Today
A manager with a quick temper is easily provoked into poor decisions in negotiations.
Use it
Know your own faults, because opponents will exploit them.
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Learning 18 · Ch. 9: The Army on the March
Read the Signs
The teaching
Sun Tzu describes reading small signals: birds rising, dust clouds, soldiers' behaviour, to understand what's really happening.
Today
Short replies and missed meetings can signal a client is losing interest before they say so.
Use it
Pay attention to small signals. They reveal what words don't.
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Learning 19 · Ch. 10: Terrain
Treat People Well, Lead with Discipline
The teaching
Treat soldiers like your own children and they will follow you anywhere, but kindness without discipline creates spoiled, useless troops.
Today
Great managers combine genuine care with clear standards.
Use it
Combine care with clear expectations.
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Learning 20 · Ch. 10–11: Terrain, The Nine Situations
Know the Ground
The teaching
Different terrain calls for different tactics. Understanding the situation's landscape is essential to choosing the right move.
Today
Entering a new market without understanding local regulations and culture invites failure.
Use it
Understand the environment before choosing your strategy.
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Learning 21 · Ch. 12: Attack by Fire
Never Act from Anger
The teaching
A ruler should not go to war out of anger, nor a general fight out of resentment. Anger can turn to gladness, but a ruined state cannot be restored.
Today
Firing off an angry reply to a client can lose an account permanently.
Use it
Make big decisions only when calm.
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Learning 22 · Ch. 13: The Use of Spies
Information Is Everything
The teaching
The final chapter stresses intelligence: foreknowledge comes from people who know the situation, not from guesswork or omens. Sun Tzu says spending on good information is the wisest investment.
Today
Talking to the people who actually use a system reveals problems no specification will show.
Use it
Invest in good information before big decisions.
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All 22 learnings complete
That’s all 22 learnings.
The best victories avoid the fight altogether. Where could better preparation save you a battle?
Abhay Kumar JaiswalFCA · PMP® · Workday Financeabhayjaiswal.com
Summaries in my own words. Read The Art of War itself; it is short.
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Summaries are written in my own words for learning, with chapter references. The Art of War is in the public domain and has many translations; chapter titles vary between them. More Books in Bytes