Sun Tzu for Execution: How to Use the Art of War to Get Results

When I'm reading, I like to highlight passages and important nuggets of information that might be interesting or helpful to read again in the future. It directs the eyes and helps me maximize my reading based on my learning style.

At the end of Sun Tzu for Execution: How to use The Art of War to Get Results, by Steven W. Michaelson, I noticed that a great deal of the text had been underlined, something on just about every page.


Until you reach page 46, it's simply The Art of War, translated by Pan Jiabin and Liu Ruixiang. It's a nice translation into modern English, very easy to consume and understand. Then on page 47, we move into commentary in a second part called “The Art of Execution.”

There are five sections in this second part: Simplicity, Create Alignment, People Always, Flexibility, and Have Towering Strengths. Michaelson chose these five sections “to add a business relevance and context to Sun Tzu's writings.” The book feels a little like a reference, in that the five sections are tabbed at the pages' edge – it's easy to figure out which section is being read.

In fact, it reads more like a handbook than a start-to-finish read. If you are familiar with the lessons in the book, it's a nice reminder of things you should be doing as a business owner, leader, or independent contributor to drive your organization.

I enjoyed the title, and picked up a few copies to share as well.

Enjoy,

Bryan

Some quotes from each section I underlined in my copy:

Simplicity

• "If you can make it easy for your employees to understand how to succeed at work and reward them in a way that encourages that behavior, they are more likely to give you what you want.  The simpler the idea, the easier it is to get everyone to understand it and make daily decisions that support it."


• "...you need...creativity to be channeled in a specific direction.  it must be focused on a consistent vision for the company.  Otherwise, costs can get out of control and the actions of your employees will be random and uncoordinated with larger strategic objectives."

Create Alignment

• "No manager wants to be told exactly what to do and how to do it...we want to be able to figure out how to solve a problem, and to utilize our own creativity and judgment in doing so."


• "Building on someone else's knowledge is cheaper than building your own.  When possible, consider building on lessons that cost someone else the money to learn."

People Always

• "People have a tendency to find the pay level they can make.  At its most simplistic, if you pay $7 per hour, you will have a tendency to attract $7 per hour people."


• "Assuming imperfection, and managing skillfully, is a leader's job.  It is also one of the most critical aspects of being a skilled commender.  It is one reason why experienced managers frequently outmanage inexperienced ones."

Flexibility

• "Use your customers to communicate to your employees - be it directly or indirectly, through surveys and research - it will have more impact than if you say those things yourself."


• "A new view of a problem is valuable - in meetings and in deliberations, strive to get a variety of opinions heard.  This simply leads to better decisions."


• "In high-turnover organizations, build well-defined processes to pass on company knowledge from one "generation" of employees to the next."

Have Towering Strengths

• "Spreading the understanding of what a company's competitive advantage will be is as important as defining that advantage."


• "Successful leaders know how to manage a variety of priorities - they know how to keep multiple balls in the air.  They also know how to manage risk.  Jobs that let people fail on their own in small ways are great for teaching people how to balance priorities and manage risk.  People who have had jobs like these are good candidates to promote and recruit.  Their prior experiences give them a chance to be very good at execution."