Sun Tzu on weighing both sides before a fight. From The Art of War by Sun Tzu, about the 5th century BC.
China, around 500 BC. Tradition says a general named Sun Tzu wrote a short book on war for the king of Wu. Little about his life is certain, and the book we have probably took shape a century or more later.
It opens with a custom of its day. Before an army marched, its general went into a temple and worked out the odds.
The Art of War, credited to Sun Tzu, says the winning general makes many calculations in the temple before the battle. He weighs rulers, generals, weather, ground, discipline and training on both sides. In 1944, the Allied weather count found a one-day gap that German forecasters missed, and the Normandy landing went ahead on June 6.
The side that counts more usually wins before the fight begins. Practical advice: before a big ask, write down what each side needs and what each could walk away to.
Well established · checked against 6 sourcesWrite down what you and the other side each need before your next ask.
“I want to ask for a raise next month. How do I size up my odds first?”
Ask for a raise, with a mentor playing the other person. →
Count Before You Commit and the other 11 ideas of The Art of War, a minute at a time.
Download on theApp StoreEvery idea is drawn from the public-domain text, and its names, dates and quotes are checked against the sources listed with it. The paintings are made for Counsel; they show the scene, not a historical record.
