The purpose of forming such an army is to achieve a swift and decisive victory. If victory cannot be achieved quickly, the weapons would be blunt and the army would also lose its fighting spirit. When they attacked the city walls, they would be very exhausted. If the army is on a military campaign for too long, the nation’s resources would be depleted or greatly depleted. When the military is in disrepair and the nation’s resources are depleted, other neighboring warlords would capitalize on these weaknesses by launching an attack on us. Even if there are smart and capable strategists or advisers, you cannot reverse the situation. While mistakes are known to occur during military operations, one has still witnessed successful military operations in which there are long delays. No one has ever seen a military campaign in which the longer the campaign, the more beneficial it will be to the nation. – Sun Tzu Art of War, Chapter Two
The lines above indicate the importance of a quick victory. If a quick victory is not achieved, gradually more weaknesses will appear, such as dull weapons and decreasing fighting morale. The longer the military campaign, the lower the morale of the soldiers, as they miss their home. The longer the campaign, the greater the cost to the nation, due to daily costs. In addition to incurring large expenses, accumulated throughout the campaign, the nation also runs the risk of being attacked by neighboring countries. And to emphasize how dire the situation could be from a prolonged campaign, Sun Tzu said that even the best strategist could not reverse the situation.
To achieve a quick victory, and thus reduce the burden on the nation, Sun Tzu advocates the following along the following lines of:
1) Looting the enemy’s resources. In this way it weakens the enemy by depleting its resources and the nation could save resources in transportation, equipment, etc.
2) Infuse hatred of enemies in your troop. This would raise the combat morale of the troops.
3) Motivate your armies by promising them material rewards, obtained by looting and looting the enemy’s resources.
4) Encourage risk taking by using immediate and noticeable rewards. This would excite and motivate the entire army, fostering competition among the troops. Note that the two important words are “immediate” and “noticeable”. If it is not immediate, the soldiers will not be tempted to act on the occasion. As the saying goes, a bird in the hand is worth more than two in a bush. If it is not noticed, soldiers may think that the reward is not worth the effort and the lack of the “envy” factor as well. People like to show their merits, especially the ones they worked hard for. Therefore, it is important that such a reward is “perceptible” in both the amount and the way it is presented to the recipient.
5) Treat enemy soldiers well. This would help a lot in intelligence work, obtaining vital information that could bring decisive advantages. But keep in mind that this could be relative. If the enemy general has been kind to his soldiers, the amount of resources spent to ‘pamper’ these prisoners of war could cost a lot, but the information they have could be vital.
Business application
So how can we apply this knowledge to the business world?
1) Try to take advantage of the resources that your commercial rivals have used. For example, the goodwill that has been created on a certain product, through the marketing effort of its rival, or the distribution network that has been established. But one thing to keep in mind is that he would have given his rival the advantage of the first to move. Therefore, it is wise to assess whether the pioneer advantage is important to your company.
2) Create a good reward system. Make sure the reward system aligns your staff’s performance with the goals you want to achieve. Have a reward system that rewards risk taking and healthy competition, if possible. Creating a good reward system is more of an art than a science, given the many complications.
3) Organize events that maintain the morale and spirit of your company employees. With high morale and spirit, you get greater efficiency and a more conducive work environment. An enabling environment in which everyone works toward macro goals will reduce staff turnover, which in turn will reduce human resource-related expenses. Another benefit of lower staff turnover is this. Most of the time, if your staff leaves, it is very likely that they will move to a rival company because their experience is related to the industry. It can spell disaster if staff join a rival company because of the information they have about your company.
4) Treat well staff who have passed from rival companies. This would allow you to gain access to valuable information that could help you close the million dollar deal you have been waiting for, or take market share from your rival, dealing a possible fatal blow to your rival.