People are the Centre of Leadership
The Art of War is regarded as the most influential manual on politico-military thinking, strategy and tactics. The treatise has its origins in today’s China, authored some 2,400 years ago.
Amazon.com puts it like this.
The Art of War remains the most influential strategy text in warfare. It [still] has a great influence on East Asian and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy, sports and beyond.
It has become customary to attribute authorship of The Art of War to Sun Tzu, a military strategist and general who served the Wu State (770-476 BCE), which seems unlikely according to Britannica.
However, no matter its authorship and exact time of writing, it rightfully continues to influence and shape both politico-military and civil thinking, strategy and tactics.
The Title
The title of the book is deceiving, in a way, because an underlying theme throughout the book’s pages is the avoidance of war.
Furthermore, the word ‘war’ must be read more broadly to cover and include any unproductive thinking and behaviours that are zero-sum in nature.
The optimal strategy and outcome of the ruler, general, chairman, CEO, principal, and you and me, is to avoid war at almost any cost.
Essentially, war (conflict) has its roots in the failure of influence.
However, what we have seen through the millennia, and sadly still right now, is that rulers, people in charge, and each of us, have missed, and still miss, this primary advisory, preferring to go straight to war…
The art of war is not to go to war.
The question is: How do we avoid war?
Let us define war as zero-sum behaviours that lead to war.
The answer lies in one of the compelling maxims from The Art of War, with just three key words.
KEEP PEOPLE CLOSE
The original line is quoted in the opening infographic, while the modernised version is presented below as The Practice of Influence.
The sentiments of both the original and the modern interpretation are a reflection of the core elements of Influential Leadership.
Within each of the Influential Leadership System’s architectural elements people are at the centre of leadership, including the purpose of leadership, its philosophy, principles, the behavioural attributes and the outcomes we pursue.
It is self-evident that proper leadership is people-based, it is about people and for people, both those who are like us, AND those who are different in outlook and in any other way.
Unless we adhere to the principle of keeping our supporters close, while keeping those who challenge what we stand for and what we practice even closer, we end up in zero-sum gaming.
Leadership is not manipulating zombies who look like, think like and act like I do, but understanding, appreciating and respecting ‘otherness’, and taking them along.
Influential Leadership teaches us to be self-aware (another dictum from The Art of War—self-knowledge), which implies walking in others’ shoes because we get to know ourselves through others.
Unless I invest myself in another person’s life, how do I acknowledge them, understand them, and how do I know who I am?
What Influential Leadership intends at each Leadership Moment is a win-win Outcome, which is to avoid war (which is different from avoiding productive competition, I must add).
As you go about your week, at each Leadership Moment, keep your supporters close and those who challenge your ways even closer.
Regards,
Colin @ Karoo
We Activate Leadership!
Leadership Weekly Note: 3724.090924
e: colind@karoo.world
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