John Minford, #SunTzu 10: 4 "'Deadlock' means that neither side finds it advantageous to make a move. On deadlock terrain, even if our enemy offers a bait, we do not make a move; we lure him out; we retreat. And when half his troops are out, that is our moment to strike."
Not sure why, but this verse was a bit harder for me to catch, today, than in quite some time. Maybe it's partly because our commentators don't seem to break it down for us very well, and I saw no concrete illustrations of the actual tactics described. I hate that.
So, back to my usual tricks: 1) Neither side can move well. 2) Don't accept any bait proffered. 3) Lure the enemy out craftily. 4) Retreat, until half his troops our out. 5) Strike with confidence for victory.
You should see how my shoulders dropped and I breathed out happily once I could see my lovely little list of five elements. I don't know, it just makes me feel like I understand, or maybe am beginning to understand. You know?
Let's try a business example, first. You're the best salesman on your team. You know your boss is taking heat over how much money the company is paying you and is angling to cut your territory or your commission rate, or maybe even fire you.
You know upper management will absolutely NOT back you, even if they're no big fan of your weak, primarily political boss. Part of you is tempted, though, to walk in and show them what a great job you could do if they fired him and hired you. DON'T DO IT!
Even if you don't get fired - you probably will - you surely will pick up no points and would most likely set yourself up for a coming smackdown. No, no! Rather, get creative. First, do an analysis of your territory and - NOT telling anyone about this - see where you can improve.
Seriously, identify your record month and go beat it, even if just by a percentage point or two. Then write the humblest memo thanking your boss for his tremendous support in helping you best your previous record. He is certain to take the glory, and you should be very happy.
Now, look around your team. Identify the one other salesman that shares the best chemistry with you. Take him out for lunch, you pay. Tell him you've had some thoughts about how his territory might offer some leverage he might want to consider. Help him build a plan.
Be clear, I'm NOT talking about faking anything here. You can always give credit up. You can always find a way to help a lateral or subordinate to improve performance. Document your work. Make the other guy look better than you. You will escape the deadlocked territory.
But what about a genuine bad guy boss, one really out to get you right now? Again, similar tactics will assure you success. Document everything. Write careful, solid reports. Improve your own performance and others' too. And wait for your bad guy boss to reveal himself.
If your performance is on the upswing, it will be your performance that protects you. And, if that fails and you do get canned, your documentation assures you the ability to find a new and better job. That too is stepping back and luring your enemy half way out of the terrain.
Who remembers the movie Kingdom of Heaven with Orlando Bloom? There's a great scene in which, having bested his enemy but shown him mercy, his enemy tells him that all his enemies will know his color. That's part of how you win political battles at work. They all know your color.
All good souls around the world today celebrate the death of Abu Baghdadi. I watched a fair bit of analysis over the day, and here's something I did not hear. The only audience for Impeachment that matters are the Republican Senators. Trump lured them out of deadlock today.
Like any other group in the world, the only thing that matters is their own prediction of victory, in this case, victory 2020. As long as Republican Senators feel victory is in the wings, they can then consider supporting Trump. You could hear the joy in their voices today.
I try to make my real predictions on the basis of data, but I always end up making early predictions just by analysis alone. On that basis, while I've thought it all along, I have to say that today really was the turning point for 2020 victory. I believe Trump did it again.
And how? He retreated out of deadlocked terrain between Syria and Turkey and lured all his opponents in. Then, and you know he knew he would, he takes out Baghdadi to universal acclaim. What's more, he shows the world he's no wimp, and in the best possible way.
Can't you see him back in the Oval Office saying, "Pence, where's that Diet Coke I asked you to hold for me?" Oh, and the press. 35 minutes following a-10 minute speech. Did you hear Howie Kurtz say that no other President, ever, would have done that? Oh yeah.
And if you were listening, did you hear the respectful tones not only from each questioner, but from the entire room? This is EXACTLY what Master Sun means when he tells us to lure the enemy out, wait till half his troops have advanced, and that's the moment to strike.
You have to admit, it's just inspiring, don't you?
287 verses completed, 169 to go. To return to previous sections in our #WarForAmerica2020 and #SunTzuForMAGA series, don't forget to head over to @WarForAmerica21. You'll find the digital table of contents for this series, there. Please retweet each entry you enjoy.
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