Robson Bittencourts commentary on Chapter 1 of The Art of War by Robson Bittencourt Lyrics
“Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.”
“A master said: The art of competition (and business strategies) is of vital importance to companies.”
Comment: In order for companies to survive, they need to understand and master competition and business strategies and how competition really works. It is not enough to offer good products and work hard – however, important these elements are. Business strategies and competition involve detailed economic planning that takes into consideration several aspects beyond the company environment (discussed later) such as the competitor, crisis, natural disasters, government regulations, etc.
2. “It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence, it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.”
It is a matter of life and death (success and failure), a road either to safety or ruin. (business strength/steady growth or bankruptcy). Hence it a subject of inquiry that can on no account be neglected.
Comment: Mastering the art of war (or the art of competition and business strategies) is not only a bonus skill for business leaders. If this skill is neglected, businesses can go bankrupt; if it mastered and applied efficiently, the art of war can make sure the company will grow steadily and safely. Competition will happen, with or without you. Avoiding confrontation will not prevent setbacks and attacks.
3“The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.”
The art of war (competition and business strategies), then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s deliberations (business decisions), when seeking to determine the conditions of the business environment.
Comment: In this statement, we should focus on the following lessons: business leaders need to "determine the conditions of the business environment" in order to reach the right decisions. The conditions, or the five constant factors, will be explained thoroughly in the following paragraphs. They are constant thus implying that they will not change or cease to exist due to other factors, i.e., none of them should ever be neglected. If business leaders neglect one of these factors and how it influences their companies, failure is to be expected sooner or later.
4. “These are: (1) the Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) the Commander; (5) method and discipline.”
These are: 1) Business and Work ethics; 2) Economic Volatilities, ups and downs; 3) Logistics; 4) CEO, president or director of a company; 5) hierarchy and proper administration of budget.
Comment: Each factor will be commented separately.
5. “The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger."
Business and work ethics cause employees to be in complete accord with their CEO or director, so that they follow him regardless of the most difficult times, undismayed by any risks.
Comment: Many CEOs are respected (somehow) by the simple fact that they are considered a genius or showed amazing leadership skills. This may happen despite the fact they may be disrespectful and unfair sometimes. Ideally, business leaders ought to be fair and caring, in which case reciprocity will follow suit, and the employee will be in accord with the plans of their leader. Some employment practices, such as hire-and-fire and perform-or-die attitude can be very disturbing for the company environment. As a commander who executes soldiers indiscriminately - perhaps because they dared to disagree in some point - decreases morale among his army, so will happen with unfair CEOs.
6. "Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons."
"Economic volatility signifies known and unknown, economic cycles and seasons."
Driving forces in the world are the dualities night and day, cold and heat, yin and yang, ups and downs. Metaphorically speaking, we might argue here that a business leader must consider the ups and downs of the economy, the economic “seasons”. If you are prepared for this, you will deal with it more easily. When the market is "heating up", business leaders and companies must take advantage and profit from it, but they ought to be prepared for the possibility it "cools down".
7. "Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death."
"Logistics deals with geographical and cultural distances, great or small; its associated dangers and security; open business opportunities or narrow chances of it; chances of business survival or bankruptcy."
One of the most pervasive metaphors - possibly universal - is LIFE IS A JOURNEY. According to this metaphor, achieving goals is achieving a destination. In war, if you don’t achieve your destination in time, you may literally die (of starvation and thirst) or because you are caught by the enemy. Sometimes you will take dangerous or bumpy roads. You may even hit a dead-end street and you will need to back off and go in a different direction.
In business, you may get passed by competitors; you either leapfrog or fail (one of the lessons by deceased Apple CEO Steve Jobs. When he returned to Apple in 1997, the company was struggling to survive. He led the company in another direction, which made it possible for avoid death (bankruptcy).
8. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness.
"The CEO (president or director) stands for the virtues of wisdom (knowledge and business experience), sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness."
Most successful CEOs around the world are known for their sagacity (wisdom), for a certain mix of talent and knowledge (very often not acquired through formal education): Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, etc. Most of them are also bold (courage) and strict (although not in a traditional sense involving discipline and work time). However, it is their fair treatment of loyal and efficient employees that will make them great leaders; benevolence and sincerity lead to long-term results and strengthen morale in the company.
9. "By method and discipline are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure.”
By hierarchy and proper administration of budget are to be understood the organization of the staff in its proper hierarchical divisions, the rankings, positions and its responsibilities, the proper treatment of supply chains and budget spending.
Comment: Although many will say that challenging erratic leadership is important, a sense of hierarchy and respect for it is necessary for the company not to fall apart. In every level of the organization, employee needs to know what they should do and where they should go. Success will depend on clearly set goal and roles. Moreover, the operations in every level is dependent on the budget that is at the disposal of departments and individuals. Logistics - mentioned above - will not function properly if not adequately financed, for example. Obviously, companies will depend on the wisdom of their CEOs and manager to adequately set the right priorities. For example, Henry Ford believed on the central role of Marketing: "A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time."
10 “These five heads should be familiar to every general: he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail.
"These five aspects should be familiar to every general: he who knows them will be successful; he who knows them will not fail."
Comment: At this point, one must take into account that these marxism by Sun Tsu can not be taken for granted in all its aspects. Sun Tsu believed these conditions would be enough to guarantee victory. Modern warfare and society is much more complex that it was at that time. Thus, although Sun Tsu's teachings are relevant and can be applied both to modern warfare and business, we need to be knowledgeable of things escaped his 500 BC perspective: the aggressive and flexible nature of dotcom business. Eventually, what will distinguish leaders is whether they know or know not, whether they are wise or not, whether study these five aspects (and others) or not.
11 . Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking to determine the military conditions, let them be made the basis of a comparison, in this wise: —
"Therefore, in your business decisions, when trying to determine the economic and market conditions, take the following comparisons into account:
11.
(1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral Law?
"Which of the two (or more) CEOs or leaders follows a business and work ethics"?
Comment: It is widely believed that the leadership will set the principles that guide a company. If leaders do not behave and act ethically, the whole company will follow the pattern. Although the main issue at stake here are values, it can be inferred that other leadership characteristics may be copied as well.
(2) Which of the two generals has most ability?
"Which of the 2 (or more) leaders is more able to deal with the present state of the company".
Comment: Ability entails knowledge, talent, and experience. We live in a world and business environment that is extremely volatile and subject to several external forces: crisis, competition, technological advancement, etc. Although there are cases of young entrepreneurial with [supposedly] little experience who are [sometimes rather quickly] successful, it is often believed that top management positions require proof of previous successful stories. Some companies will hire special recruiters to search for the right employee, specially for executive positions: they are called headhunters.
(3) "With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth"?
"Who has more knowledge of the volatile business environment and its opportunities; of its ups and downs"?
Comment: A normal leader/CEO sees difficulties, one who master the art of business strategies sees opportunities. When faced with narrow paths (hard-to-take) opportunities, they will be cunning and bold. They know the path is narrow for everybody, thus, one needs to know it well in order to seize the opportunity. It is essential to understand dualities, to observe the sometimes opposite drives forces of the business environment: boom and recession, inflation and deflation, business allies and frontal competitors, etc.
(4) "On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced"?
"Which CEO/leader best achieves discipline and engagement with the company"?
Comment: Discipline can be achieved with fear or respect. When leaders act according to "commander" characteristics described above - work and business ethics, knowledge, wisdom, etc - hierarchy will be accepted naturally. Discipline will guarantee that important projects will be carried out and goals will be met in due time. TIME IS MONEY, thus, when discipline fails and projects get delayed by indiscipline, losses are to be expected.
(5) "Which army is stronger"?
"Which company is stronger/st"?
None of the aforementioned will matter if a company decides to go into "war" against a stronger enemy (rival). This can be better evidenced in "price wars". If a small chain of supermarket decides to compete in terms of price with a stronger chain like Walmart, the small chain will probably perish. Advertisement campaigns often play with competitors and it is often fun, but they are often equally strong. Therefore, companies and business leaders need to evaluate whether they can endure long battles on different grounds with their competitors. If the superiority of the competitor is evident, it is advisable to avoid confrontation.
(6) "On which side are officers and men more highly trained"?
"One which company are the managers and staff more highly trained and educated"?
As mentioned before, some companies with go to great lengths to hire the best employees. Some CEOs, like late Steve Jobs, only admit so-called A players. In fact, this is one of the key leadership lessons he taught, according to the article "The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs" (Harvard Business Review, April 2012). It might be that he personally based more on his cunning and intuition to choose these A-players, but many companies rely on headhunters. Consulting companies, like Mckinsey, recruit employees right from the top business schools. Those graduates do not look for a job. Jobs look for them.
(7) "In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment?”
"Which company applies reward and punishment more adequately and with constancy"?
Comment: Although some studies point that rewards do not always lead to improvement - instead can actually undermine creativity and efficiency - , employees need to know that actions have consequences, good or bad. It is only through creative systems of employee recognition that companies will achieve discipline and commitment.
13. “By means of these seven considerations I can forecast victory or defeat".
"By applying this model to analyze a company, one can forecast success or failure."
Comment: This ancient is surprisingly modern and one can intuitively see that it matches some modern management models. It is probably incomplete and it ought be more carefully studied, yet it gives us a lot of deep insights about companies and leadership.
14. The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it, will conquer: — let such a one be retained in command! The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it, will suffer defeat: — let such a one be dismissed!
"The CEO/leader that understands these simples rules and acts on them will be successful: he ought to remain in command. The CEO/leader that does not [want to] understand these rules and does not follow them, will fail. This last one ought to be dismissed."
Very often companies need to change leadership because the current CEO is underperforming. It is yet to be investigated more carefully, but one can advance the hypothesis that this leadership did not follow the "art of war" as it applies to business strategies. Example: Al Jazeera America CEO Ehab Al Shihabi was fired in 2015, according to the website Entrepreneur, " after [the company] was sued for $15 million, over alleged sexism and anti-Semitism at the company. Al Shihabi was reportedly blamed by one departing executive for presiding over a "culture of fear." (http://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/246043)
15. "While heeding the profit of my counsel, avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the ordinary rules.”
"At the same time you pay attention to the economist's advice, also make use of any circumstances or knowledge over and beyond these ordinary and conventional strategies and rules"
16. "According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans."
If the business environment changes, one should modify one's business's plans accordingly.
17. “All warfare is based on deception.”
"Business competition is based on misleading and playing with the competitors [but not with the customers]"
18. "Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."
"Therefore, when your business is able to face a competition battle, you must seem unable; when your business is is actively using competitive strategies, they must seem to be working normally; when you are at the same level of your competitor, you must seem to be inferior [at least for the competitor]; when you are actually in a lower level of competition, you should appear to be at a similar level"
19. "Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him."
"Have some baits to attract the competitor. Fake disorder and chaos, and crush him"
20. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.
21. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
22. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them.
23. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
24. These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.
25. Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus, do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.”
“A master said: The art of competition (and business strategies) is of vital importance to companies.”
Comment: In order for companies to survive, they need to understand and master competition and business strategies and how competition really works. It is not enough to offer good products and work hard – however, important these elements are. Business strategies and competition involve detailed economic planning that takes into consideration several aspects beyond the company environment (discussed later) such as the competitor, crisis, natural disasters, government regulations, etc.
2. “It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence, it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.”
It is a matter of life and death (success and failure), a road either to safety or ruin. (business strength/steady growth or bankruptcy). Hence it a subject of inquiry that can on no account be neglected.
Comment: Mastering the art of war (or the art of competition and business strategies) is not only a bonus skill for business leaders. If this skill is neglected, businesses can go bankrupt; if it mastered and applied efficiently, the art of war can make sure the company will grow steadily and safely. Competition will happen, with or without you. Avoiding confrontation will not prevent setbacks and attacks.
3“The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.”
The art of war (competition and business strategies), then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s deliberations (business decisions), when seeking to determine the conditions of the business environment.
Comment: In this statement, we should focus on the following lessons: business leaders need to "determine the conditions of the business environment" in order to reach the right decisions. The conditions, or the five constant factors, will be explained thoroughly in the following paragraphs. They are constant thus implying that they will not change or cease to exist due to other factors, i.e., none of them should ever be neglected. If business leaders neglect one of these factors and how it influences their companies, failure is to be expected sooner or later.
4. “These are: (1) the Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) the Commander; (5) method and discipline.”
These are: 1) Business and Work ethics; 2) Economic Volatilities, ups and downs; 3) Logistics; 4) CEO, president or director of a company; 5) hierarchy and proper administration of budget.
Comment: Each factor will be commented separately.
5. “The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger."
Business and work ethics cause employees to be in complete accord with their CEO or director, so that they follow him regardless of the most difficult times, undismayed by any risks.
Comment: Many CEOs are respected (somehow) by the simple fact that they are considered a genius or showed amazing leadership skills. This may happen despite the fact they may be disrespectful and unfair sometimes. Ideally, business leaders ought to be fair and caring, in which case reciprocity will follow suit, and the employee will be in accord with the plans of their leader. Some employment practices, such as hire-and-fire and perform-or-die attitude can be very disturbing for the company environment. As a commander who executes soldiers indiscriminately - perhaps because they dared to disagree in some point - decreases morale among his army, so will happen with unfair CEOs.
6. "Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons."
"Economic volatility signifies known and unknown, economic cycles and seasons."
Driving forces in the world are the dualities night and day, cold and heat, yin and yang, ups and downs. Metaphorically speaking, we might argue here that a business leader must consider the ups and downs of the economy, the economic “seasons”. If you are prepared for this, you will deal with it more easily. When the market is "heating up", business leaders and companies must take advantage and profit from it, but they ought to be prepared for the possibility it "cools down".
7. "Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death."
"Logistics deals with geographical and cultural distances, great or small; its associated dangers and security; open business opportunities or narrow chances of it; chances of business survival or bankruptcy."
One of the most pervasive metaphors - possibly universal - is LIFE IS A JOURNEY. According to this metaphor, achieving goals is achieving a destination. In war, if you don’t achieve your destination in time, you may literally die (of starvation and thirst) or because you are caught by the enemy. Sometimes you will take dangerous or bumpy roads. You may even hit a dead-end street and you will need to back off and go in a different direction.
In business, you may get passed by competitors; you either leapfrog or fail (one of the lessons by deceased Apple CEO Steve Jobs. When he returned to Apple in 1997, the company was struggling to survive. He led the company in another direction, which made it possible for avoid death (bankruptcy).
8. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness.
"The CEO (president or director) stands for the virtues of wisdom (knowledge and business experience), sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness."
Most successful CEOs around the world are known for their sagacity (wisdom), for a certain mix of talent and knowledge (very often not acquired through formal education): Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, etc. Most of them are also bold (courage) and strict (although not in a traditional sense involving discipline and work time). However, it is their fair treatment of loyal and efficient employees that will make them great leaders; benevolence and sincerity lead to long-term results and strengthen morale in the company.
9. "By method and discipline are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure.”
By hierarchy and proper administration of budget are to be understood the organization of the staff in its proper hierarchical divisions, the rankings, positions and its responsibilities, the proper treatment of supply chains and budget spending.
Comment: Although many will say that challenging erratic leadership is important, a sense of hierarchy and respect for it is necessary for the company not to fall apart. In every level of the organization, employee needs to know what they should do and where they should go. Success will depend on clearly set goal and roles. Moreover, the operations in every level is dependent on the budget that is at the disposal of departments and individuals. Logistics - mentioned above - will not function properly if not adequately financed, for example. Obviously, companies will depend on the wisdom of their CEOs and manager to adequately set the right priorities. For example, Henry Ford believed on the central role of Marketing: "A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time."
10 “These five heads should be familiar to every general: he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail.
"These five aspects should be familiar to every general: he who knows them will be successful; he who knows them will not fail."
Comment: At this point, one must take into account that these marxism by Sun Tsu can not be taken for granted in all its aspects. Sun Tsu believed these conditions would be enough to guarantee victory. Modern warfare and society is much more complex that it was at that time. Thus, although Sun Tsu's teachings are relevant and can be applied both to modern warfare and business, we need to be knowledgeable of things escaped his 500 BC perspective: the aggressive and flexible nature of dotcom business. Eventually, what will distinguish leaders is whether they know or know not, whether they are wise or not, whether study these five aspects (and others) or not.
11 . Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking to determine the military conditions, let them be made the basis of a comparison, in this wise: —
"Therefore, in your business decisions, when trying to determine the economic and market conditions, take the following comparisons into account:
11.
(1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral Law?
"Which of the two (or more) CEOs or leaders follows a business and work ethics"?
Comment: It is widely believed that the leadership will set the principles that guide a company. If leaders do not behave and act ethically, the whole company will follow the pattern. Although the main issue at stake here are values, it can be inferred that other leadership characteristics may be copied as well.
(2) Which of the two generals has most ability?
"Which of the 2 (or more) leaders is more able to deal with the present state of the company".
Comment: Ability entails knowledge, talent, and experience. We live in a world and business environment that is extremely volatile and subject to several external forces: crisis, competition, technological advancement, etc. Although there are cases of young entrepreneurial with [supposedly] little experience who are [sometimes rather quickly] successful, it is often believed that top management positions require proof of previous successful stories. Some companies will hire special recruiters to search for the right employee, specially for executive positions: they are called headhunters.
(3) "With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth"?
"Who has more knowledge of the volatile business environment and its opportunities; of its ups and downs"?
Comment: A normal leader/CEO sees difficulties, one who master the art of business strategies sees opportunities. When faced with narrow paths (hard-to-take) opportunities, they will be cunning and bold. They know the path is narrow for everybody, thus, one needs to know it well in order to seize the opportunity. It is essential to understand dualities, to observe the sometimes opposite drives forces of the business environment: boom and recession, inflation and deflation, business allies and frontal competitors, etc.
(4) "On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced"?
"Which CEO/leader best achieves discipline and engagement with the company"?
Comment: Discipline can be achieved with fear or respect. When leaders act according to "commander" characteristics described above - work and business ethics, knowledge, wisdom, etc - hierarchy will be accepted naturally. Discipline will guarantee that important projects will be carried out and goals will be met in due time. TIME IS MONEY, thus, when discipline fails and projects get delayed by indiscipline, losses are to be expected.
(5) "Which army is stronger"?
"Which company is stronger/st"?
None of the aforementioned will matter if a company decides to go into "war" against a stronger enemy (rival). This can be better evidenced in "price wars". If a small chain of supermarket decides to compete in terms of price with a stronger chain like Walmart, the small chain will probably perish. Advertisement campaigns often play with competitors and it is often fun, but they are often equally strong. Therefore, companies and business leaders need to evaluate whether they can endure long battles on different grounds with their competitors. If the superiority of the competitor is evident, it is advisable to avoid confrontation.
(6) "On which side are officers and men more highly trained"?
"One which company are the managers and staff more highly trained and educated"?
As mentioned before, some companies with go to great lengths to hire the best employees. Some CEOs, like late Steve Jobs, only admit so-called A players. In fact, this is one of the key leadership lessons he taught, according to the article "The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs" (Harvard Business Review, April 2012). It might be that he personally based more on his cunning and intuition to choose these A-players, but many companies rely on headhunters. Consulting companies, like Mckinsey, recruit employees right from the top business schools. Those graduates do not look for a job. Jobs look for them.
(7) "In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment?”
"Which company applies reward and punishment more adequately and with constancy"?
Comment: Although some studies point that rewards do not always lead to improvement - instead can actually undermine creativity and efficiency - , employees need to know that actions have consequences, good or bad. It is only through creative systems of employee recognition that companies will achieve discipline and commitment.
13. “By means of these seven considerations I can forecast victory or defeat".
"By applying this model to analyze a company, one can forecast success or failure."
Comment: This ancient is surprisingly modern and one can intuitively see that it matches some modern management models. It is probably incomplete and it ought be more carefully studied, yet it gives us a lot of deep insights about companies and leadership.
14. The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it, will conquer: — let such a one be retained in command! The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it, will suffer defeat: — let such a one be dismissed!
"The CEO/leader that understands these simples rules and acts on them will be successful: he ought to remain in command. The CEO/leader that does not [want to] understand these rules and does not follow them, will fail. This last one ought to be dismissed."
Very often companies need to change leadership because the current CEO is underperforming. It is yet to be investigated more carefully, but one can advance the hypothesis that this leadership did not follow the "art of war" as it applies to business strategies. Example: Al Jazeera America CEO Ehab Al Shihabi was fired in 2015, according to the website Entrepreneur, " after [the company] was sued for $15 million, over alleged sexism and anti-Semitism at the company. Al Shihabi was reportedly blamed by one departing executive for presiding over a "culture of fear." (http://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/246043)
15. "While heeding the profit of my counsel, avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the ordinary rules.”
"At the same time you pay attention to the economist's advice, also make use of any circumstances or knowledge over and beyond these ordinary and conventional strategies and rules"
16. "According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans."
If the business environment changes, one should modify one's business's plans accordingly.
17. “All warfare is based on deception.”
"Business competition is based on misleading and playing with the competitors [but not with the customers]"
18. "Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."
"Therefore, when your business is able to face a competition battle, you must seem unable; when your business is is actively using competitive strategies, they must seem to be working normally; when you are at the same level of your competitor, you must seem to be inferior [at least for the competitor]; when you are actually in a lower level of competition, you should appear to be at a similar level"
19. "Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him."
"Have some baits to attract the competitor. Fake disorder and chaos, and crush him"
20. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.
21. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
22. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them.
23. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
24. These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.
25. Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus, do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.”