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Sun Tzu for Women

“… supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resis-tance without fighting.”—Sun Tzu

The Art of War was written for the military leaders of the time, virtually all of whom were men. Fortunately, these strategies and tactics are universal, not gender-specific: they can be (and have been) successfully used by clever women and men all over the world.

This book addresses ways in which women can use Sun Tzu’s principles to help them succeed in a wide range of competitive environments. The differences in scope and audience lie not so much within the teachings of Sun Tzu, but rather in the ways that women can embrace and apply them to their own advantage.

1: Planning

“Warfare is of vital importance to the state, the basis of life and death, the way to survival or extinction. Therefore, it is essential to structure it according to the pros and cons of the five constant factors.”—Sun Tzu

This chapter introduces the five main pillars on which The Art of War is based:

1. Integrity

2. Conditions

3. Obstacles

4. Leadership/credibility

5. Management/policy

The topics introduced here, and their significance to women, will reappear in greater detail and different contexts throughout this book.

Integrity

“Righteousness (integrity) is the force that underlies creation.”—Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu emphasized integrity as an underlying force, or moral checkpoint, to the warrior’s ambitions. Why is this important to women?

Several reasons, the first of which may be to question the status quo of blind ambition established and widely accepted largely by the male community. Another potential issue is that the newest kid on the block, i.e., the visible minority (including women), is likely to attract more than her fair share of attention. Thus small errors of judgment, and of course indiscretions, tend to be magnified and remembered.

Basically, the message is to do the right thing (and avoid doing the wrong thing). Which begins with asking yourself why you want to do something, and the likely result if you succeed.

Example: Why do I want to be selected as the project manager?

a) To grow as a professional?

b) To motivate the team?

c) To get a promotion?

d) To get a raise?

e) To gain recognition as a woman?

f) To win a bet?

g) To keep someone else from getting it?

Personal growth and motivating yourself and others (a and b) are, in most cases, healthy and inspiring. In combination, they suggest an ideal path for women (men too, when they slow down long enough to take stock).

Seeking promotions and raises (c and d) can be worthwhile as long as you consider the cost of succeeding. Are you taking this track just because the guys are doing it, or is it something you really want for yourself? Are you prepared to rise up to the challenge of elevated expectations in exchange for more money and status? If so, go for it and good luck! But at least think about the pros and cons, and consider whether the new responsibilities are your cup of tea.

A goal of recognition as a woman is a tricky one and may prove to be a bad choice even with the best of intentions. While gaining recognition is admittedly important, this motive has the potential to lead you astray. If you really want the job (promotion, etc.), there’s nothing wrong with using the recognition factor to add fuel to your enthusiasm. Beyond that, it may be no better than the latter two incentives.

You have surely recognized that the final pair (f and g) aren’t worth your effort. For one thing, they encourage the futility of trying to get something you may not be suited for—much less want. Even more importantly, they are negative pursuits. Since you may have to work harder than most men to prove yourself, why waste your time and effort on a dead-end path?

There’s an old saying that people would throw more things away if they weren’t afraid that someone else might pick them up.

It isn’t selfish to do what works for you.

Being true to yourself puts you in a more comfortable position and frame of mind to do right by those around you. Treating colleagues fairly, lending an occasional helping hand, and being known as a reliable person are likely to benefit you as well. Granted, there may be a few individuals who won’t like you no matter what you do, but that is more often their problem than yours.

We’re not suggesting that you sacrifice your interests to allow your colleagues to succeed. That’s silly and unnecessary. Rather, maintain your code of ethics, do what feels right and seems to work for you, and establish an equilibrium between career goals and your sense of self.

Ambition for its own sake has long been associated with the males of our species; females are known to be more nurturing. Well, don’t be mislead into thinking that ambition is anti-feminine, or that you’ll have to emulate a bunch of “gentlemanly” characteristics in order to succeed.

Not when you can pursue a professional and healthy balance as a successful woman! We will pursue these ideas in greater depth throughout the following chapters.

Synopsis

If you are true to yourself, fair to others, and consistent, the rest will follow.

Taking Advantage

“When it is advantageous, move; when not advantageous, stop.”—Sun Tzu

The best time to advance, retrench, or step back depends on what is happening around you. Efficiency relates to your approach to the conditions at hand; when you are swimming against an uneven current, you can’t afford to waste your energy.

The Art of War teaches that timely use of defensive measures can be as aggressive as attack. Blindly rushing forward exposes you to obvious dangers and risks damaging potential allies and resources; preparation, a strong defense, and recognizing when to use them are among the keys to a successful campaign. Sun Tzu spoke of terrain, seasons and resources when determining tactics. These conditions are applied to useful tips and strategies for women in the later chapters of this book.

The Master also reminds us of the universal balance represented by the Chinese terms, yin and yang. In this context, it is particularly important to understand their relevance to women.

Yin, which represents the female and the earth, is traditionally associated with turmoil, darkness, cold, conservation and substance; yang—the male side—stands for heaven, light, heat, destruction and disintegration.

Yin is soft; yang is hard. Yin is moon; yang is sun. Yin is mountain; yang is river. Yin is intuition; yang is logic.

We hasten to point out that these are intended as complementary universal forces, not as definitions of the differences between women and men. All living creatures, including humans, share these qualities to a greater or lesser degree. According to traditional Chinese medicine, a person’s health is optimum only when their yin and yang are in balance; indeed, illness is believed to be the result of one or more imbalances.

What does this mean to women?

The message is threefold:

1. Despite so-called conventional wisdom, neither gender has a monopoly on thought or behavior patterns. But to shore up, tone down, or otherwise modify your natural strengths and weaknesses, you need to first identify and acknowledge them.

2. In all things, you are best served by a healthy and productive balance between contrasting qualities. Since women tend to be more grounded than their male counterparts, they can more easily learn to recognize when to emphasize a certain quality and how much of it to use.

3. Wisdom, strength, courage, purpose, skill, analysis, discipline, and all the other qualities that may be needed to succeed in a variety of circumstances, are as available to gals as guys. Applying them in proportion to the need at hand may provide you with a strategic advantage over those with heavy hands or fragile fingers.

Western societies tend to focus upon opposites, whereas Sun Tzu and traditional Chinese philosophy view differences as degrees (yin/yang) of the same thing. If this seems counterintuitive at first, it will grow familiar as you dig deeper into the pages and ideas that follow.

Synopsis

Come to terms with your assets and liabilities, and recognize when to move forward, retrench, or step back. Innovators do not go against the flow; they create their own direction.

Embracing Obstacles

“Earth embraces far or near, difficult or accessible, open or restricted, dangerous or safe conditions.”—Sun Tzu

Women know that opportunities come with a price tag. Whether you pay up front or later on, nothing worth having is for free. That’s why career and other significant decisions must be carefully weighed and evaluated: probable cost vs. potential gain.

What kinds of cost?

First, take the time and effort to learn and work toward an objective. This can entail study (formal and ad hoc), periods of long hours and hard work (apprenticeship), sacrifice and patience.

Women are often expected to juggle family obligations and career ambitions like magicians. Are these your expectations of yourself?

More subtle, but no less real are the interpersonal relationships you form along the way. And here, more than in any other facet of their careers, is where women are faced with greater obstacles—call them complications—than their male counterparts.

Recognizing

It is no secret to women that sexism is an ugly social and career obstacle to women here on planet Earth. In the U.S. and most developed nations, sexual discrimination is illegal but in full regalia; in many other places it remains the status quo.

Back in the 17th century, poet George Herbert wrote: “Words are women, deeds are men” (this from a man of letters). Two centuries later, Mathew Arnold wrote: “With women the heart argues, not the mind.” Haven’t attitudes like these finally disappeared? Not entirely. Given the sensitivity of our society and working environments today, sexist sentiments are voiced far less freely than ever before, but regardless of what is said or not said, women continue to battle for equal pay, equal opportunity for advancement, and the sort of assignments that will challenge them and allow them to prove their value in the workplace. The reasons for this are many, including outmoded ideas of what women can offer. What many men have yet to realize is that women like Catherine the Great, Joan of Arc, Margaret Mead, Golda Meir, Marie Curie, Indira Gandhi, Chien-Shiung Wu, Mother Teresa and Benazir Bhutto (to skim the surface) are not the exception that proves the rule.

In the 20th century, Marianne Williamson—author, lecturer and minister—wrote in A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?’ Actually, who are you not to be?”