The Dead Talk

War (Business) is of vital importance, therefore it must be studied thoroughly.

Warfare (Business) is built upon deception and understanding/exploiting weaknesses.

A speedy victory is the main object of war (Business);  if it is long, weapons are blunted and morale depressed.

Generally, in war (Business) the best policy is to capture rather than destroy.

In war (Business) know the enemy’s strength.

In war (Business) know the enemy as well as you know yourself, if you do not the odds of winning or losing are equal.

In war (Business) know the enemy’s plans:  agitate him, lure him out, probe.

In war (Business) an army is like water:  avoid strength attach weakness.

In war (Business) do not announce your intentions or plans.

In war (Business) unskilled leaders go into court or battle to work out their conflicts; whereas, brilliant strategists achieve their objectives through tactical positioning.

In war (Business) much time should be spent calculating, estimating, analyzing, and positioning to gain triumph.

In war (Business) skillful leaders do not let a strategy inhibit creative counter movement.

In war (Business) when a decisive advantage is gained over a rival, skillful leaders do not press on; they hold and give their rival a chance to surrender or merge.

In war (Business) skillful leaders create the appearance of illusion, or vulnerability so the rival is helplessly drawn towards this illusion of advantage.

Said another way . . .

An individual contribution (or lack of it) can make the difference between a startup growing or becoming another fire sale.

If directions are not being followed, management is failing to communicate.

People follow you because they love you or because they fear you. You must be capable of both styles.

Never engage your competitor head-on; it is too costly in resources. It is about running a “territory game” (market share) and not about taking down your competition.

It is unlikely you will win with a team full of mercenaries (freelancers).

Preparation trumps everything.

Don’t toss good money after bad

Ego does not provide you with the guts to go against big challenges, it actually clouds your vision.

Building visions of grandeur from the stories of the very few who got lucky and made it is dangerous. Many more have “perished” on the way to success.

Commentary Note:  Isn't it strange, how in America many of these thoughtful reflections go un-noticed not just in business, but in politics, religion, sports, education, healthcare, hollywood, and in our personal lives as well.  Are we that vain to think that we have learned in a few hundred years what it took other civilazation thousands of years to learn?  Or, as my mother you to say:  "Respect your elders."