Business leaders, since time immemorial have been inspired by war. So much so that popular war terms have entered business lexicon. Take a look:
• 'Capture' Market Share
• 'Kill' competition
• 'Ambush & Guerrilla' advertising strategy
• And more.
‘The Art of War’ by Sun Tzu, has inspired a legion of business leaders. The reason – it does not deal with war but with conflict. The lessons contained in this classic are timeless and can be applied to war and business as to conflicts faced in families or in our daily lives!
Let me share with you a selection of quotation drawn from this book which can be applied to any situations where conflicts abounds.
Take time to read and saviour them; reflect upon them and if they resonate with you, then do internalise and apply them to resolve conflict whenever and wherever you may face them:
1. “Opportunities multiply as they are seized”
2. “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity”
3. “Who wishes to fight must first count the cost”
4. “Know yourself and you will win all battles”
5. “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle”
6. “There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare”
7. “Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.”
8. “You have to believe in yourself.”
9. “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak”
10. “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting”
11. "There are not more than five primary colours, yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen"
12. “Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting”
13. “Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across”
Did these quotes inspire you? Do share your thoughts. More importantly do take time out to share quotations which guides & inspires you in resolving & overcoming conflict!
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About the Author:
In this series, Rajesh Srivastava, Business Strategist and Visiting Faculty at IIM Indore gives you a regular dose of strategy case studies to help you think and keep you one step ahead as a professional as compared to your peers. Rajesh is an alumnus of IIM Bangalore and IIT Kanpur and has over 2 decades of experience in the FMCG industry. All previous
Strategy with RS posts can be found here.
