The Art of Self, not The Art of War
A lot of people point to The Art of War as a great book to learn about how to successfully build a business (or a career.)
To that I say, “Psssht.”
While The Art of War shares what seem to be sound military tactics, its not a recipe for business success IMHO.
Maybe I’m different, but I just don’t spend all that much time worried about the competition. Success is about executing your Vision. It’s about working your brains out to accomplish your goals.
I measure Dragon Army against ourselves, not against other companies. Sure, I want to know what the competition is doing, but I’m hard-charging to accomplish our goals, as they relate to our business. Not our goals in relation to what others are doing. If Moneyball (one of five books I’d recommend above all others) taught me anything, its that its dangerous to worry too much about what everyone else is doing.
Also, the irony is not lost on me that I’m saying business is not like war, while I have a company named Dragon Army. Even so.
What do you think? Am I missing the point?
~ photo by @danielkcheung
While I’ve never read the book, the video summaries and research I’ve seen indicates the book uses wars as the context, but it’s about leadership, systems, and communication. It also pushes the goal of winning the war without ever fighting a battle and when they are necessary, to do so decisively. The business value comes from the insights on how to lead and set up our company. The idea of scalability is the message that most resonated with me.