Applying Lessons From Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” to Your Business

“In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.”

One doesn’t need to be a literary expert to understand one thing — if a literary work survives for millennia, there is value in it that is intrinsic and timeless. There are messages within that have found application to the lives of people across centuries and continents. Thus, such works must not be ignored by anyone seeking to educate themselves.

The Art of War isn’t merely a collection of battle tactics. It is a book about psychology, leadership, ethics, and strategy that is written in a concise, strict, and soldierly style. It is also a book from which you can learn general principles that can be applied to your own modern life. I have attempted to extrapolate some principles below that can help you succeed as a modern-day entrepreneur, freelancer, or office worker.

On true value…

To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence. Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight and conquer and the whole Empire says, “Well done!”

In this day of validation by social network, it is easier than ever to mistake public appreciation for personal excellence. It…