Sun Tzu and The Art of War for Contractors & Careers

Success in all aspects of life has to do with how effectively you align your opportunities and resources.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

Take on too much and you spread yourself too thin, introducing excessive stress, risk, and potentially failing in an unrecoverable way.  

Taking on too little will leave you with wasted potential and won’t create the right levels of stress that develops character, relationships, and capabilities.    

Taking on the wrong things won’t be fulfilling in the long-term, so it isn’t truly sustainable.

Quote: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy or yourself, you will succumb in every battle. Sun Tzu

PLANNING STARTS A GOOD INVENTORY


Know yourself deeply, including what you are really good at and what you aren’t so great at. Know what you love doing and what you don’t like doing.   

Understand your customer’s true needs, both stated and unstated.  

Know comparatively how you and your competition fulfill those needs. Be very honest with yourself about how your respective strengths and weaknesses are evaluated by the customer.



Related Training

3 Facts About Ownership Transition Deal Structures
The Deal Structure including dollars, timing, terms, legal entities, taxes, and contractual documents is the most tangible part of the transaction. The Deal Structure WILL NOT do three very critical things - Cash, Capabilities, and Trust.
Impacted Productivity - Fighting Back
Fighting back effectively against labor productivity impacts will significantly improve project outcomes including customer satisfaction if handled properly. There are four interrelated aspects to effectively fighting back.
Competency and Compensation
A large part of sustainable growth for contractors is being able to effectively leverage people with a narrower set of skills to still deliver the same level of value-add to the customer.