The Art of War for Women: Sun Tzu's Ancient Strategies and Wisdom for Winning at Work [Hardcover]

Chin-Ning Chu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2007

Forget everything you think you know about strength, strategy and success. This brilliant adaptation of the ancient masterpiece The Art of War shows women how to use Sun Tzu’s philosophy to win in every aspect of life.

Would you like to transform your weaknesses into strengths? Succeed at work without compromising your ethics? Integrate your style and personal philosophy into every action you take? If so, this book is for you. In The Art of War for Women, bestselling author Chin-Ning Chu brings the eternal wisdom of philosopher-general Sun Tzu to women looking to gain a better understanding of who they are – and, more importantly, who they want to be.

In the West, when we think of war, we imagine battle, casualties, brutality. But Sun Tzu, the man who wrote the Art of War some 2,500 years ago, was Chinese, and the Chinese think of war differently than we do in the West. In their view, war does not revolve around fighting. It is about determining the most efficient way of gaining victory with the least amount of conflict.

That’s why Sun Tzu’s Art of War is particularly appropriate for women. Let’s face it, as intelligent and accomplished as we may be, there are very few of us who are comfortable with direct confrontation or situations where our triumph means someone else’s defeat. We are natural negotiators and problem solvers; most of us prefer win-win situations to those in which winner-takes-all.

But there is another reason The Art of War is particularly appropriate for us. Although Sun Tzu’s book is about the application of strategies, every one of those strategies begins with having a deep understanding of the people and the world around us. They also require us to understand ourselves – our strengths and weaknesses, our goals and fears. In other words, the aim is not to apply a series of rules coldly and dispassionately, but rather to integrate ourselves and our unique talents into the strategies we will employ.

This is not a feel-good book. (But you will feel good after reading it.) It is not a motivational book. (But you will be motivated to achieve what you want, once you are done.) Ultimately, its purpose it to provide women with the strategies we all need to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of our goals and dreams.

Sun Tzu’s Art of War is the most influential book on strategy ever published, selling tens of millions of copies worldwide in several editions. Written by one of today’s foremost authorities on Sun Tzu, The Art of War for Women is sure to become a classic in its own right.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The workplace is a battlefield, according to author, speaker and businesswoman Chu. In her latest, she distills The Art of War, Taoist philosopher-general Sun Tzu's international bestseller on the fundamental elements of warfare and business strategy, into a primer and call-to-arms for working women. In vivid battlefield terminology, Chu covers everything from promotions and work attire to dealing with sexual harassment and male chauvinist co-workers. Lessons tend toward a "universal nuggets of wisdom" format; one of the keys Chu advances is "Know Thyself," because "how well you know the world around you is directly proportional to how well you know yourself." Other chapters cover the disposition of winning, conflict strategy, the utility of imagination, techniques for management and "fireproofing yourself." At a time when the ideal of a full, fulfilling work and home life seems more difficult than ever to achieve, Chu's primer on becoming "an effective strategist and warrior" will give doubters cause for reconsideration.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In one slim book, consultant and author (Thick Face, Black Heart 1992,^B and others) Chu clarifies any mystique surrounding the enigmatic Sun Tzu's treatise on the art of war--plus translates his philosophies into practical strategies for women at work. The heart of her tale? To thine own self be true--and, further, vow to transform weaknesses into strengths. After all, elements of success (winning wars, that is) are just as critical today as 2,500 years ago: the combination of ethics, timing, resources, leadership, and managing are integral to the personalities of the best executives, men and women, today. For sure, her Sun Tzu interpretations can be added to the regular B-book litany of style and substance, personal resumes, and manager-ready qualities. On the other hand, prepare to spend time with more unusual topics, all replete with excellent advice: dealing with spies and con artists, assessing possibilities and perils of specific business terrains (that is, friendly versus complex), and insulating yourself from firestorms and other company tragedies. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business (April 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385518404
• ISBN-13: 978-0385518406
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful Advice for Issues that are Ages Old, April 28, 2007

By 

Lisa Shea "medieval swordfighting enthusiast" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of War for Women: Sun Tzu's Ancient Strategies and Wisdom for Winning at Work (Hardcover)

Back about 2,500 years ago, a Chinese man named Mr. Sun went through many hardships and lived in a world full of civil war. Seeking to gain employment with the current leader, he wrote a "military resume". This work outlined his tactics in an obscure manner so that the leader would be intrigued enough to talk to him - and would need to keep Sun around to interpret and put into action the words. That opus was of course The Art of War, and "Mister" in ancient Chinese was written as Tzu.

2,500 years later, it seems that this deliberately complex and vague work has become the guidebook for men and women in all aspects of life. Its advice on how to approach a problem, how to deal with adversity and how to handle the whims of fate are as valid today as they were back then. People are still jealous, deceitful, and harsh. Businesses still undercut each other. Co-workers still back-stab to get ahead. The problems that Sun Tzu wrote about are problems we face today. The answers, in essence, are the same.

Chin-Ning Chu, an accomplished female Chinese business strategist, has taken on this work in a fresh light. Yes, the tactics are great for men facing battles in a male world - but in modern times, women have stepped up to gain their stage. A revolution not seen for thousands of years is taking place, where women are educated, can vote, have full and equal rights alongside men. As they say in the movies, with great power comes great responsibility. For perhaps the first time in history, it is no longer enough to blame the glass ceiling, the upbringing, the pressures of the world for our success or failure. We have - more than perhaps any generation which came before us - the ability to take the reins in our hands and give it our very best shot.

That's the straight-from-the-hip advice provided by the book. With numerous examples, we hear how women claimed they were helpless and unfairly turned down for promotions and advancement, when investigation found that these women actually sabotaged their own chances. Life isn't always fair, but in order to succeed in whatever arena you choose - family life, charity work, the boardroom - you have to do your very best to shine. Success won't be handed to you just because you think you deserve it. You need to be your own most vocal advocate - and to do that promotion in a way most in line with the atmosphere you are in.

The book is realistic. If you've got a nasty co-worker that is always undermining you, various techniques will be offered to help you overcome the situation. However, in the end, it may be best to find another job. You might claim that the job is perfect for you - but a job is a complex combination of many factors, which includes the people you work with. Another job will be *more* perfect because its combination is more in line with your path for yourself.

You also get a message echoed in many other current releases, which is to make sure the path you're on is one you really *want* to be on, deep down. People strive to be top in business because it's expected of them, not necessarily because it will make them personally happy. If you'd rather be home with the kids, running a small business from your home office, then find a way to make that work. It is critical that your daily life reflects your dreams and goals if you want to be truly happy, for your family and friends around you to share in that joy, and to find a real measure of success.

I found a few of the sections to be a bit extreme. One area talks about sexual harassment and says that women get offended by a pat on the shoulder. Perhaps some women do - but I don't! I find encouraging physical contact like that to be an important part of our society. It's very sad if we've gotten to the point that patting someone on the shoulder as a congratulation is grounds for legal action.

In general, though, I found a lot of helpful advice in here. At its very core, the entire book is a reminder that nothing is new under the sun. Issues that we find pressing in our current modern world were just as important 2,500 years ago. People are simply the way they are. By reading through the wisdom of the ages, we can help make our own world one which are are proud to live in, and our path one we are happy to follow.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sun Tzu as You've Never Seen Him, April 21, 2007

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Michael P. Maslanka (dallas, texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of War for Women: Sun Tzu's Ancient Strategies and Wisdom for Winning at Work (Hardcover)

There are so many of these books. Sun Tzu for this, Sun Tzu for that, Sun Zu for a landscaper, that I thought several times before buying yet another. But the book is slim, so I bought. Glad I did. Chu gets to the point: a woman needs to pick whether she wants to be Cinderella or a CEO, but she can't be both(Sun's advice to know yourself); don't blame discrimination for not moving ahead even if real( pick your battles and don't pull the litigation trigger mindlessly); a jealous co-worker trying to undermine you, then "slap her twice the first time she steps out of line"(as Sun wrote, "keep your plan as dark as the night/when you move/be as unpredictable as the thunderbolt."). Always keep in mind that your goals and decisions must be righteous---do the right thing for the right reason. This is not cuddly advice(been dating a guy for several years and he won't marry you? Read her section on the Tao of Closing the Deal for both personal and business advice. ) She makes clear that Sun must be read as a whole, that each section of the Art of War compliments the other. A welcome addition to the literature.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Slanted version of ancient book, with contrived examples., June 15, 2009

By 

Diverse "bobh" (Glendale, WI, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of War for Women: Sun Tzu's Ancient Strategies and Wisdom for Winning at Work (Hardcover)

The author takes the ancient book "The Art of War" and contorts it's essence for a female audience. When the author's reinterpretation of Sun Tzu's ideas are followed, they always work. The obvious audience slant and the "it never fails" statements make the book average.

The strategies in The Art of War are based on Taoism. Taoism's main goal is "To be in harmony with the Universe, with Tao." Sun Tzu applied war strategies using Taoist principles, and came up with The Att of War. So, a lot of this "..for Women" version is based on being 'In Harmony' with The Tao.

The books examples succeeded in the person getting exactly what they wanted 100% of the time, on all levels.
Example: In chapter 3, the author says "Actions must be in harmony with the Tao." Then she gives an example: "Amanda worked for a large corporation, but the job wasn't "right" for her. So Amanda left a $1million dollar severance/pension to join a high-risk startup. Amanda did this because she knew it was the "right" thing to do. Even though the move was very risky, Amanda worked hard and made $10million.".
In another example, a female executive was angry because she only got a $2000 bonus. So she quit. She then created a company and made 10x her old salary.

The problem with the book is that the strategies imply that following your emotions (the Tao) ALWAYS results in peace, success and wealth. The author never gives a single example that doesn't succeed on all levels: emotionally, ethically and financially. This book would be more truthful to give an example like "Amanda's unease about the actions of her boss and coworkers made quitting the right thing to do. Unfortunately, Amanda's ethically correct action resulted in her not succeeding financially. The job market was tight, and Amanda couldn't find another position. She tried to start a company, but getting clients was difficult, and the business wasn't successful. But, Amanda acted correctly in accordance with The Tao, did what she thought was best. Amanda is at peace with her decision, even if it failed financially."

If the author wanted to be even more truthful, she would also include an example like "Amanda watched her coworker's actions and judged them unethical. Since unethical action is not in accordance with The Tao, Amanda quit. But perception is prone to error, and Right Action is not always obvious. Amanda later learned that she didn't have all the information, and that she misjudged the situation, causing her a lot of financial problems and a stain on her reputation. Understanding the correct actions to follow The Tao is difficult and confusing, and understanding The Way is not obvious. but Amanda did the best she could, and now is better at perceiving Correct Action in accordance with The Tao."
The author implies that every person has perfect judgment and is always working with complete, accurate information.
Examples that include all probable outcomes, and not just the best ones, would be "in harmony with the Tao of this book", because this book's theme is making decisions that create peace within you, as opposed to concentrating solely on winning. This book doesn't advocates a ruthless cut-throat, win-at-all-costs approach, it advocates the opposite. Yet the examples result in always winning.

The author states that if you follow your emotions (the Tao), you ALWAYS succeed financially as well. And that isn't true in real life. Taking high-risk usually results in failure. That's why it's high-risk. Taoism isn't a cosmic Santa Claus, that rewards you for good behavior. To imply different isn't honest.

The 2nd half of the book is a long diatribe about how men have historically destroyed the earth, and declaring "The 21st Century as the Century of Women!". She then makes accusations about how violence, destruction and thick-headedness have been the rule, and these are all caused by men. She basically declares a Fatwah against men. This part is embarrassing, as she makes broad generalizations and baseless claims. Her proof consists of examples like "I went into a store, and the men weren't helpful, but a women was." So, if you're in the mood for a rousing "Go Girl!" speech, set up with the requisite enemy to spur passion and anger, then you'll love this part of the book.

Overall, the book has flashes of insight that make it somewhat interesting. But the examples she uses to clarify though are one-sided, and her gender bias is over the top. I got much more out of this version of 'The Art of War': The Art of Strategy: A New Translation of Sun Tzu's Classic The Art of War