The Art of War for Executives [Paperback]

Donald G. Krause (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1995

A comprehensive interpretation of Sun Tzu's The Art of War combines the original classic's advice on leadership, strategy, organization, competition, and cooperation with the ideas of contemporary business philosophers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Few classic texts offer the insights that The Art of War does, and this edition brings it home to executives in the clearest fashion l've ever seen. --Sydney Finklestein, author of Wht Smart Executives Fail

An easy-to-read handbook for gaining success in all areas of competition. --William Keppen, entrepreneur and CEO --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Donald G. Krause provides consulting services and writes books on competitive strategy implementation and leadership development. He has 30 years of experience with Fortune 500 companies, smaller businesses, health care organizations, the US General Accounting Office, and his own firm. Mr. Krause is a seasoned lecturer and educator. He was voted educator of the year for 1999 at Robert Morris College in Chicago, IL. He is also the author of The Way of the Leader and Musashi's Book of Five Rings for Executives. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 116 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade; 1st edition (February 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399519025
• ISBN-13: 978-0399519024
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,029,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too Simplistic, June 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of War for Executives (Paperback)

The book is too simplistic and lacks the spirit of an ancient general, there are no real world examples in this book. My recommendation is to read "Sun Tze The Art of Business"

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The foundation of good business thought, May 4, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of War for Executives (Paperback)

This book has earned my highest offer, I often cart it around my house and I always know where it is. It serves me as being a "Owner's Manual" for every aspect of business. The author does an excellent job in applying the words of an ancient warrior to today's business operations. I have never found any other book that simply spells out success in competition like this does. This book has become the basis of the way that I think about my business transactions. Don't let the name fool you, one of the primary points of this book is if a battle is fought and won correctly, you will never have to shed any blood on the battle field. It teaches you that skill, not size, is the most important factor in doing business

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strategies of Competition Based on the Writings of Sun Tzu, July 8, 2007

By 

Mark B. Cohen "Improving government for the ... (Philadelphia,PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of War for Executives (Paperback)

One of the growing methodologies of business books is to take the writings of some long-ago sage, and to apply the wisdom shown to modern conditions. This is one of the more useful examples of such a book.

Sun Tzu, a Chinese general of 2500 years ago, was able to unify China by skillful use of limited power. The author takes the writings themselves, and then applied the ideas of modern business thinkers (Tom Peters, Peter Drucker, Warren Bennis, and others) and military strategists (Helmuth von Moltke, George S. Patton, J.F.C. Fuller) to them. The result is an interesting mixture of a translated Sun Tzu with provocative aphorisms and analysis.

Aimed at business readers, this book is also valuable in wider contexts such as volunteer organizations, non-profits, sports, government, competitive activities of all kinds--and of course modern day military ventures. No one has unlimited resources to pursue all desirable objectives, and the advice of this book, while unlikely to be startingly new to most readers, is fresh and well stated. The basic analogy here is between war as practiced by Sun Tzu and every day competive activities for rewards large and small, individual, organizational, and societal.

"Sun Tzu's central idea is that battles or competition are won by the organization or person who, first, has the greatest competitive advantage and who, second, makes the fewest mistakes. Competitive advantage can be provided by many factors including superior manpower, superior position, superior execution, and innovation....But competitive advantage is not the determining factor in success. It is people who fight and win battles. And the most important person in the battle is the general.

"According to Sun Tzu, the ideal general wins the war before the fighting begins. He does this in two ways: first, he develops his character over time; second, he creates a critical strategic advantage....A general gains a critical strategic advantage by placing his organization in a position where it cannot be defeated and waiting for the enemy to give him an opportunity to win....

"Sun Tzu's army is modeled on what can be termed a "natural organization" model. Natural organizations have three characteristics. First, they exist to serve a defined purpose....Second, they are information centered....They avoid unwarranted opinion and conjecture, choosing to deal with uncertainty by estimating reasonable probabilities. Third, natural organizations are completely flexible and totally adaptable. They respond quickly and effectively to changes in their environment that affect their ability to serve their defined purpose."

The author defines Sun Tzu's principles in modern jargon as (1) Learn to fight; (2) show the way; (3) do it right; (4) know the facts; (5) expect the worst; (6) sieze the day; (7) burn the bridges; (8) do it better;
(9) pull together; (10) keep them guessing.

"Competition should occur when we have something important to gain or when we are in danger. In competitive situations, we should not allow our emotions to govern our actions....Sun Tzu also mentions five character flaws that can lead to failure. These are recklessness, timidity, emotionalism, egoism, and overconcern for popularity....

"Sun Tzu states that competitive advantage arises from creating favorable opportunities and then acting on these opportunities at the appropriate time. In other words, winners do the right thing at the right moment.

"But Sun Tzu also reminds us to govern the desire to act with the need for patience. He teaches us that we can be held responsible for putting ourselves in a position where we cannot be defeated, but others must create the opportunity to win. Hence, we must be willing to wait. Just because we know how to win does not mean that we can win. Move when it is profitable and stop when it is not...

"Sun Tzu says that in war there are only two types of tactics: expected and unexpected. Effective commanders combine expected and unexpected tactics according to the requirements of the situation. But it is unexpected tactics that create the opportunity for victory. Unexpected, or innovative, tactics cannot be defended against in advance. Innovation is the one weapon that makes you invincible. The power of innovation makes victory certain."

The author has created a very wise and very thought-provoking book. Those who read it and ponder its deeper meaning will greatly benefit from it.