Victorious warriors win first and then go to war
Defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
If there is but one Art of Strategy I would use before launching a product, a company or going up against a competitor, it would be this one. Far too many times you see people jump into a conflict, without thinking through the strategy of how to win. Once you are in the battlefield, Art of Strategy reduces to the Art of Street-fighting and its too late in most cases other than a lengthy drawn out conflict to easily win.
Ultimately, if possible I would change the first rule to: Win, without striking. Asking the question, Are you likely to succeed. If so how, and if not, what can you do to succeed.
Many a warrior has used this technique. Part of it is getting ready in mind or in attitude to win. But the art is actually deeper.
My path to understanding this came after many years at Apple, where we launched product after product, only to find ourselves always getting killed by Microsoft. True the products were always better in design, quality and ease of use. Yet we would find Microsoft at every step, out flanking any move that Apple made. It was only later that Apple changed its strategy, instead of Macintosh “for the rest of us” it became Macintosh for “design and desktop publishing” In doing so, Apple survived and grew to be a great company, only to almost lose it all, and then like a phoenix, rising again under Steve Jobs.
By the time I was running Glam, this was used very effectively by the team. Glam became #1 before it went out and became known as the leader. The focus was to reach Number One, or win and then strike right through it in the market.
How does one build the Art of Strategy? How does one learn to think like that? How does one bring the Way of the Warrior in everything you do?
Tshua-Roshi Starts by placing the arrow
Quick, look, has the arrow already struck the target?
Where?
Just like Al Ries says in the Positioning: the battleground of the mind- Winning in positioning is meaningless, unless one wins in the minds of the people.
It starts with your attitude and then your thoughts. Have you won in your mind? Are you sure this is something you can and want to win? Are you being realistic and honest, yet pushing yourself to your maximum limits? Do you consider success as a reality?
In many ways, this is one of the most common things I see with leaders, visionaries, CEO’s, and founders. The ability to see the future and plan for it.
The Art of Strategy goes deeper. Not just to win in your mind, but to be able to see you and the world in a way victory is possible. This is the most elusive part. Josh Stein, one of the talented VC’s at DFJ says this many times- “You are dealing with running the company now, but are planning and working through things 6 months to 1 year ahead of time.” Winning in your mind is not just seeing the future, it is seeing the present, the full real Now, and every step along the way, the world around you and your competitors, their mind and moves, and the work it will take to win, the execution and the follow through to ensure the victory.
Takuan Soho
Essential Dialog for Developing the Mind
In the writings on the way to train your mind in Fudochi, or unmovable wisdom, the question is asked “where to place your mind?” For me this has been a source of tremendous learning and focus. Lets take the example of Win, then strike. Is your mind placed on the winning or the striking? One of the reasons we hold training to build the team on Art of Strategy is that this is a path that needs learning, time and experience. (Takuan Soho is the zen master who also known for the little yellow daikon pickles “takuan” that you enjoy in Japanese Food!)
For beginners, the mind is asked to be placed at one place or focus on one step at a time. At work, this would mean taking a long term goal, and as Steven Covey suggests, break it down to mid-term an then to short term baby steps. The mind is placed on these baby steps, as we learn to build ourselves. With time, the mind can be placed at the whole. Sort of like hearing Bach’s music without following one of instruments in a Fugue, or seeing the sky not only the moon. Then with time, the mind can be placed anywhere- seeing the whole or parts without loosing the experience. Finally the mind can be free to be anywhere and nowhere. Always, as we transcend through the barrier, there is always a duality that breaks through our beliefs. That is the goal of learning the Art of Strategy and practicing it in our everyday lives.
Takuan says: “If you place your mind in the action of your opponent, the mind will be taken by the action of the opponent. If you place your mind in the sword of your opponent, it will be taken by the sword. If you place it at the intention of the opponent, it will be taken by the thoughts of the opponent to strike you. If you place it on your own intention of not being struck, it will be taken by your own thoughts. If you put it in the posture of the opponent, it will be taken by the other person’s posture.” What this means is there is no place to put the mind. Not stopping the mind is the object and essence and takes training and discipline. Put nowhere, the mind can be everywhere. If not restricted to one direction, it can be in all.
Once we have found a way to place the mind nowhere, it becomes our tool and we are free of it. Again, another path that leads to the way. But how to train the mind? That is another story, one with kings, treasure and gifts…
There is the story from The Zen Ways to Martial Arts of the king that wanted a fighting cock that would always win, so he asked a zen master of the samurai to help teach it the techniques of combat. After a few days the king asked if it was ready at which the zen master replied:
“No. He is strong, but his strength is empty. All he wants to do is fight.”
After a few days the king asked again to which the response was “No, not yet. He is fierce now, and looking for a fight to to test his strength.”
Again after days of training the king inquired if it was now ready. “Now, it may be possible” said the zen master. “He remains calm , his posture is good, and yet it has a lot of power deep within.”
“So we should go ahead with the fight.” said the king.
To which the zen master replied, “Possibly”.
So all the great fighting birds were brought together and the combat started. But not one would come near that one. They all looked at him and ran away terrified and he never needed to fight.”
Or as the koan goes:
Although it does not
mindfully keep guard,
the scarecrow
does not stand in vain
Tags: art of war, Business, CEO, Martial Arts, Startups, the way
