Stanley F. Bronstein – Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

CHAPTER 7 – Contending – Part 1 of 1

Contending

Contend – To struggle in opposition.  To strive in rivalry; compete.  To strive in debate; dispute earnestly.  To assert or maintain earnestly.

Previous Posts On The Art of War

While each one of these posts is designed to be read separately and independently of each other, it would be useful if you read the previous posts on The Art of War, all of which can be found by clicking here, if you have not already done so.

More From Sun Tzu

In sum, the method of employing the military –

The general receives the command from the sovereign,

Joins with the army, gathers the multitude, organizes them and encamps.

Nothing is more difficult than an army contending.

What Does This Quote Mean?

The first thing I would like to do is restate this quote, but changing some of the words to apply them to a business or a personal context, as opposed to a military one.   Here goes:

In sum, the method of employing one’s resources –

The sub-leader receives the commands from the head of the organization,

Joins with his team, gathers them, organizes them and gets them ready for what lies ahead.

Nothing is more difficult than organizing one’s resources so that they are ready, NO MATTER WHAT LIES AHEAD.

This is My Point About The Art of War

I’ve been saying all along that the reason The Art of War has survived for more than 2500 years is that ALTHOUGH it was written for a military context, IT’S IDEAS ARE TIMELESS AND FLEXIBLE AND CAN BE APPLIED TO VIRTUALLY ANY SITUATION.

Think About It

If you work for a large company, think about the command structure there.  Think about how things flow.  Think about how things get done.  Think about how you; your team; your company all work to face the challenges ahead of you.

I’d be willing to bet that the quote above describes your situation almost perfectly.

If you are a member of a large non-profit organization, such as a church – a foundation – whatever, the same structure applies.  There is a chain of command, of some sort, and the best leaders are the ones who are able to organize everyone – who are able to get everyone to work together as a group – rather than to fight for their own agendas.

The principles behind The Art of War apply here to.

Tomorrow

We start on Chapter 8 of the 13 chapter series called The Art of War. We will learn about TRANSFORMATION.

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