[Strategy as a Way of Life: "Know the Question. Then Find the Answer"]

Did this article before the Sun Bin article in 2003.

http://www.jadedragon.com/archives/martarts/swol01.html

Strategy as a Way of Life
"Know the Question. Then Find the Answer"

Is this your life? Breathing and moving in an increasingly linear, driven world with the tick of the market clock, drive-time, prime time… all the forces of our modern life that sometimes push us in a single direction of chaos.

Where going to and from vacations can be more exhausting rather than refreshing. Even the cycle of the seasons has become lost on us in our climate-controlled world. We cover huge distances in a matter of hours, jumping time zones without effort, yet few of us can tell what phase the moon is in or what time the sun rises each morning. If this is your schedule, welcome to the real world.

Here in the United States we are living in a world of macro transitions that is being powered by many macro-sized technologically-driven velocities of change. This can be a place where many people are looked upon as commodities and relationships are identified as transactions. By looking around, one can see that there are many people who are barely finding time to rest and think, while interacting with a continuous time-based world. The question that I hear continuously is "The world is shifting and changing so quickly and I am not changing fast enough. What can I do?"

My first suggestion is to find some quality time for the purpose of developing a proper systematic strategy that will allow you to stabilize your position and direction in life.

Step 1: Avoid the Confusion

Avoid the hypes around you and embrace the changes. Don't read any newspapers or access the Internet. Disregard the TV or radio. Just slow down and focus on spending some quality time re-centering yourself. You can relax by doing a single and simple task. These small but meaningful rituals are important because they allow you to focus on a single task or a sole mission. You can also relax by playing some music or doing Tai Chi Chuan. (In my case, I would just jump on my bike and go.) The bottom line is to focus on being consciously aware of yourself and your surroundings while enjoying the process of doing simple things. This exercise will teach you to become consciously aware of yourself and your surroundings while enhancing your concentration prowess.

"Be peaceful, easygoing, upright, and calm; then the measures you impose will be accommodating. If you are good at managing but are not calm, then empty your heart and even your mind, and wait for unease to fall away. This helps master rank." --- Kuei-ku Tzu (Master of the Ghost Valley)

Finding Your Temple of Serenity

To avoid external chaos, I recommend that you locate a clean, well-lit but serene place to contemplate and reflect. It can be a library, temple, church, coffee shop, or tearoom. Regardless of the location, the ideal locale should be a place where you can consciously slow down the pace of your life and think. It should be quiet enough to allow you to hear your own thoughts and where no one can distract you. Idealistically, this place will be your temple where you can focus on developing your "winning" strategy (presuming that you already know your mission).

"Now, if the estimates made in the temple before hostilities indicate a victory it is because calculations show one's strength to be superior to that of his enemy; if they indicate defeat, it is because calculations show that one is inferior. With many calculations, one can win; with few one cannot. How much less chance of victory has one who makes none at all! By this means you examine the situation and the outcome will be clearly apparent." --- Sun Tzu

Remember, establishing emotional control is important.

"It is the business of a general (or a strategist) to be serene and inscrutable, impartial and self-controlled." --- Sun Tzu

"Therefore I say, know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril." --- Sun Tzu

REMINDERS

I have always been reminded by my former mentors of the importance of knowing the right questions before getting to the answer. Which is why I always draw a "question mark" on the wall whenever I am lost in midstream.

The next step is asking yourself a list of questions that will guide you in your endeavor.

The following is a list of 30+ questions that I ask myself.

Starting Points

• What is your current mission at this moment?
• Do you remember the importance of "strategizing" remotely away from the maddening crowd?
• What are your standards of excellence?
• Are you constantly prepared for most general "life and professional" situations?
• Do you remember that "developing and implementing strategy 24x7" is a way of life?

continued

Six Questions for Strategizing

• Can you achieve your objective without destroying it? (Read Chapter 3 of Sun Tzu's The Art of War)
  "Generally in war the best policy is to take a state intact; to ruin it is inferior to this." --- Sun Tzu
• Do you recall that "intentional and unintentional changes, illusions and deceptions" are part of the strategy game?
  "All warfare is based on deception." --- Sun Tzu
  "Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril." --- Sun Tzu
  
• Do you have the experience and patience to secure the foreknowledge on the opponent before developing the strategy? (Read Chapter 13 of Sun Tzu's The Art of War on the topic of foreknowledge)
• Do you have the experience to proceed quickly toward your objective?
• Do you have the patience and control to find the absolute weakness of the opposition before shaping their will and intent?
  "Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered; those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. Thus the wise win before they fight, while the ignorant fight to win." --- Zhuge Liang
• Do you have the character-based leadership to lead by example? Better yet, do you remember Sun Tzu's principles of leadership?
  "The five qualities of a strategic leader are wisdom, sincerity, humanity, courage, and strictness." --- Sun Tzu

Playing the "Transitions" Game

• Do you know the importance of avoiding the trends and embracing changes?
• Do you remember how to change the micro process without losing your focus of the target?
• Do you remember whenever you are in the "state of calmness" that ideas will appear?
  And that any mental walls you had encountered are temporary?
• Do you remember to be on guard for time thieves who will steal your time?
  (Any waste of time can prevent you from succeeding in your goals.)
• Are you always prepared for situations of varying degrees of risk?
  "Study requires calm; talent requires study. Without study there is no way to expand talent; without calm there is no way to accomplish study." Zhuge Liang
• Do you remember the importance of achieving long-term balance in all of your endeavors?
• Do you understand how to integrate the strategic concepts and tactical principles of Sun Tzu to the different scenarios in your professional and social life?
• Do you remember that being in an emotional state of chaos is the beginning state of most downfalls? And can you stay calm, civil, and in control under pressure?
  "Detach from emotions and desires; get rid of any fixations." Zhuge Liang
• Do you remember the various drawbacks in your pursuits and how these relate to all parts of the [life strategy] game that you are involved in?
• Do you remember that it is important to read the classics at least once a year? And do you read books that contain timeless wisdom and are concise in content?
• Do you remember that the true strategist prevails by possessing the capability to implement a strategy around his strategic understanding of the events, trends, and human conditions? (This attribute is the dividing line between the professional and the amateur strategists.)
  "To overcome the intelligent by intelligence, however, is a matter of opportunity. There are three avenues of opportunity: events, trends, and conditions." --- Zhuge Liang

Teams and Alliances

• Do you remember the importance of friendships and alliances and the distinction between those two qualities?
  "Opportunistic relationship can hardly be kept constant. The acquaintance of honorable people, even at a distance, does not add flowers in times of warmth and does not change its leaves in times of cold: it continues unfading through the four seasons, becoming increasingly stable as it passes through ease and danger." --- Zhuge Liang
• Do you have a good team working with you?
  "Good generals select intelligent officers, thoughtful advisors, and brave subordinates. They oversee their troops like a fierce tiger with wings." --- Zhuge Liang
• Do you have a private circle of friends who emphasize the way of strategy every day?

continued

Strategic Focus

• Do you know the importance of concurrently keeping your mind on the process and your eye on the correct target?
• Do you remember the importance of balancing the strategy aspect and the implementing aspect of the game?
• Can you name how many times you have persisted and persevered over tough odds throughout the course of your life? (When you can remember that, you can "persist and persevere" again and again.)
• Do you remember that there can always be "second and third order" effects for every committed action?
• Can you consistently balance your grand strategic view with your logistical strategy and tactical strategy?
• Do you remember the importance of reviewing your victory or setback after completing a mission?

I am sure that this listing of questions is rather demanding, but it does take a great amount of effort to be a competitive strategist—especially in such chaotic times. Asking and answering some of these questions will give you a clue as to your position in this game called "life."

The Pinnacle of the Consummate Strategist

Q: So how do you know when you have hit the pinnacle of becoming the consummate strategist?
A: When you can consistently visualize and create a single long-range mechanism (plan) that is greater than the sum of its components and then execute it effortlessly!

"He who has mastered this art [of war] knows the way of heaven and earth, has the support of the populace, and is fully aware of the enemy situation. When he needs to determine his battle array, he knows how to set up the formations. He fights when there is assurance of victory. He stops fighting when there isn't. Such a commander is a general worthy of his sovereign. … For one who has really mastered the way of warfare, his enemy can do nothing to escape death." --- Sun Bin (the great grandson of Sun Tzu)

Finding Another Perspective in Life

Sometimes in life it is necessary to have another perspective in life. In my case, I would either talk to my inner circle of strategist friends or find it by reading many of the classics. (What is a classic? It's a tightly focused short book with low-page counts that possesses what I consider timeless wisdom.) My former mentor refers to these classics as "super text." From my perspective, there are so many great books out there and so little time to read them all. But it is important to re-read as many of these classics at least once a year.

continued

Reminder on The Importance of Practicing Good Strategy:

Always think in terms of securing medium to long-range gains. This can be accomplished by remembering the following rule when devising your strategy.

"Even in the good times, you need to be conservative, totally focused and not expand beyond your means. The good times can never last forever. Things come in cycles always."

As mentioned before, it is important to practice proper strategy.
"When people of great wisdom hear the Truth, they diligently practice it; when people of moderate wisdom hear the Truth, they practice it now and then; when people of lesser wisdom hear the Truth, they laugh at it. If there were no laughter, there would be no Truth." --- Lao Tzu

Summary

Once you have asked and answered all of these questions, you might know where you stand in midst of your situation.

Once your target is selected, focus on developing a strategy to hit it. Once the critical path toward your target is clearly established, carefully choose the time to fulfill your intent. The next step is concentrate on "Completing the Challenge and Keeping the Faith."

We are all strategists [Thinkers - Implementers] in our own way. While some of us are good in either the execution of tactics or the process of logistics preparation, others are better in both of these two aspects. Then, there are those who are good in analyzing the grand scheme of things. Very rarely do you ever see someone who can balance their grand strategic view with their logistical strategy and their tactical strategy. Those who do are world-class strategists and the grand survivors in the Game of Life."

Some of the answers for these questions can be found in my articles on Sun Tzu and Zhuge Liang or essays from great strategic thinkers like Sima Yi, Sun Pin, Tai Kung & B.H. Liddell Hart. Regardless of where you find your answers, it is significant that you know which of the "priority" questions needs to be answered for that moment. More questions and some answers can be found in my earlier article "The Mind of the Strategist: Knowing the Questions."

From a personal point of view, it is important to live a good but intelligent life. Remember to use "strategic thinking" as a way to enhance one's lifestyle, not to replace it.

Whatever you do, I wish you success, peace, and joy in your current and future endeavors.

--- eof