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The
Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War'
is one of the world's best books on
strategy and competition. It was written in app. 500 B.C. and established
itself as the leading treatise on confronting and defeating opponents
through superior
strategy.
For over twenty-five hundred years, it helped its
readers find
competitive advantage using the secrets of Sun Tzu. Its
competitive methods work extremely well. 'The Art of War', the first of the
military classic, offers a distinct philosophy on how to discover the path
to success. This philosophy works in any competitive environment where
people find themselves contesting with one another for a specific goal. |
Five Elements for Comparing Competitive Position
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Philosophy:
A competitor with a strong philosophy
is a strong competitor. A clear philosophy makes
decision-making easier. Understanding your competitor's
philosophy allows you to predict them.
-
Heaven:
Trends over time that are beyond your
control. You must foresee these changes to adjust to them.
-
Ground:
It is both where you fight and what you fight for. The Ground is the
basis of all competition because it is what people are fighting
about. Competitors are distinguished by the position they hold on
the ground. You can and must chose the ground over which you battle.
Your choice of ground is a key aspect of your success.
-
Leader:
The success of the competitive unit depends on five qualities in its
leader: bravery, intelligence, strictness,
trust in and care
about people.
-
Methods:
Methods have five qualities the make
them effective: systems, organization, learning, support, and
standards.
The Four Skills
of an Effective Competitor
The five elements that define a competitive
position
also create the four skills that define the competitor's interaction
with the competitive environment:
-
Knowing:
the ability to get hard information.
-
Vision:
the ability to foresee the future.
-
Action:
the ability to move or stay where we are.
-
Positioning:
the ability to use the Ground to find success.
These skills define your external
competence in the competitive world. |
