Sun Tzu's Art of War is considered to be the first self help book. It was written around 513 BC and consists of 13 chapters devoted to every aspect of warfare. On the onset it may seem as a treatise on military strategy and tactics, at least that is what it was supposed to be, but fortunately it does not end there. The Art of War is a timeless masterpiece. The essence of the chapters can be applied to any walk of life to achieve greatness and perfection, much like any of the holy books or epics. Art of War simply transcends time and genre as it can be applied for personal development or for wealth creation.
Ironically, not everyone can comprehend the actual work, let alone deciphering it and applying to another field of life. Even the basic act of translating a significant work into another language is daunting and the exact nuances will be lost in translation. Many world leaders, generals, sports coaches and motivational speakers have drawn inspiration from Art of War making it one of the most popular reference books for strategy and tactics. This formidable work was as common as rice and chopsticks in the eastern part of the world. People have used it in business, legal and other competitive professions ever since the first translation in French appeared in 1772, and it has been propagated into many languages. Numerous books have been written for business executives and managers based on the teachings of Art of War.
One of the foremost advice Sun Tzu gives is to win without fighting, and it is this advice that can be applied into any competitive field. Business is a battle, a battle to succeed, perform better than the competition and foresee the market trends by watching and studying closely. All the 13 chapters can be adopted for modern business and effectively applied for success. Art of War is relevant for any period of time and any profession where discipline, growth and winning matters. The Art of War contains such wisdom that the modern entrepreneurs and business professionals cannot ignore, and should not ignore. A few of the key issues found in the pages of Art of War in context of business and entrepreneurship are keys to succeed, flexibility, decision making, planning for any contingencies, leadership qualities, cutting costs, studying markets and so on. The Art of War is the formula for success when applied as prescribed by the master himself. The statement 'he will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight' is apt and evergreen in any given field. Sun Tzu was an extraordinary man with very deep insight about human nature.
The book 'Sun Tzu's Art of War: A 52 brilliant ideas interpretation' by Karen McCreadie is a brilliant work where she has described 52 ideas in modern business relevance. It is a practical book with practical approach to modern business problems and solutions based on master Sun Tzu's principles. It should be on the list of must reads for any modern professional. Karen McCreadie is also the author of 'Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich'. Karen McCreadie is a business graduate and a successful professional ghost writer.
Resources: