Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(9)
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3 star:		(1)
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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.

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.

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

I enjoyed reading this book. It didn't set my world on fire, but it was fairly well written and easy to follow. I don't like being told too much what I'm going to be told later. The author did a little more of this than I usually put up with. I would have liked the book better if it had just said what it wanted to say.

It contained 13 chapters as follows:

1. Planning: The Elements of Strategy
2. Doing Battle: Speedy Victory
3. Strategy: Know Thyself & Others
4. Disposition: Win First, Then Fight
5. Momentum: Use Timing to Generate Momentum
6. Real & Unreal: Illusion is the Other Side of Reality
7. Conflict: Don't Show Your Hand
8. Imagination: See Things No One Has Seen
9. Managing the Troops: The Principles of Management
10. Terrain: Move According to Your Environment
11. Nine Battlegrounds: Be More Competitive by Doing Less
12. Attack by Fire: Fireproofing Yourself
13. Espionage

If you have goals and dreams, then you may find this book helpful when trying to put together a strategy for trying to reach them. It will remind you that you have strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in your life. And a little strategic planning can help you solve your problems in an efficient manner.

My favorite chapter was #1. The six elements discussed there were:

>> Righteousness: How to make winning decisions.
>> Timing: From universal to personal timing.
>> Resources: Turn your liabilities into assets.
>>Leadership: A state of mind.
>>Managing: It's all about execution.
>> Deception: Appear weak when you are strong.

The book is just as applicable to men as it is to women. But the author's target audience is women. Everything in the book is written as though the author is speaking to a woman. 4 stars!

As a women in the midst of working towards changing careers and moving up in the work place, I found this book very useful. This book has made me think about how I present myself at work, what I really want to do with my life, and what I need to do to get there. This book is not at all about feel-good, mushy things, it has us look at our strengths and weaknesses and strategize to succeed. I would recommend this to any women that is career-orientated. In fact, I will be getting this for several friends for Christmas.

Just superb! A very helpful book specifically written/translated for women, though men can definitely benefit from it too. It's not something that you will read then relegate to your shelf to eat dust. You would want this book on a place where you can easily reach for it, then read snippets again. Highly recommended!

Anyone that knows the original writing's of Sun Tzu will tell you that you really need to read and re read the text several times and take into context other writings of the period to be able to truly understand relate it to our modern environment. Many scholars say that this was done by Sun Tzu on purpose so if it ever fell into enemy hands it would be somewhat confusing.

This particular rendition does a thoughtful analysis and brings to light the true message behind that Sun Tzu was trying to say. It take the mystery out of the text and reveals the common sense intellectual approach that Sun Tzu brought to conflict!

If you have been baffled confused or curious about the original Art of War text read or get this rendition on Ipod I have been reading art of war for 25 yrs and this was the all time best at getting across the true message. I loved that I have been reading this text for many years and still garnered new insights and genius from this new rendition.

This book is the answer to my current job problem where im working surrounded by office jelousy & women from venus. This book is great, pratically ate it, was the answer to my pryers. I was waiting for it in strand book store, awful customer service kept me waiting until i decided to buy from it amazon. Bought it they send it fast shipping. Now i enjoy it, This book open my eyes on the job field, *MUST* BUY

I read this book for the first time about 10 years ago when I was just starting work as a trainee in an international corporate firm, and then I looked for it again some years later while I was going through a blind spot in my career. I loved it in both occasions. The issues addressed are real, practical and timeless and the author applies the art of war with skill and grace. I was particularly struck back then by the tale of crabs in a boiling pot pulling each other down rather than helping others escape, which I have found sadly true of many human interactions and has been a timeless reminder for me of how important it is to be open to help others reach their goals and how generosity will at some point return back to you. I highly recommend this book to young women (and men) entering the corporate world.

Stefania Lucchetti
Author of "The Principle of Relevance" The Principle of Relevance

This is a must read! If you want to make it to the top at work or in life this book will help you become a winner.