7 Quotes from “The Art of War” To Make You a Better Leader

Become a man people will happily follow.

The Art of War has become one of the most popular self-help books of all time.

Written 2,500 years ago by a legendary general named Sun Tzu, the book was the first of its kind, a tome totally dedicated to the study of warfare. Originally meant for the eyes of military commanders, the treatise has transcended its warlike niche and is now read and revered by ordinary people of all professions. Notably, the book is extremely popular with those seeking to learn the subtle art of leadership.

That’s because the ancient Chinese classic contains several time-tested tips regarding the management of companies and men. I have taken the liberty to compile 7 of The Art of War’s best leadership quotes here. If applied, they will transform you into a leader people are happy to follow.

1. “Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day.”

Too often, we are too quick to condemn and too slow to praise.

My personal experience as an entrepreneur has taught me that the vast majority of people are willing to work hard given the right motivation. And interestingly, a lot of the times the motivation isn’t financial. According to a recent study, Millenials are happy to choose a happier workplace over a fatter paycheque.

To be a good leader, make sure no good deed goes unrewarded. The next time somebody performs well, reward them! Praise them from your heart and make sure they receive their accolades in public. This way, your actions make a very clear statement to all, one that shouts, “Good performance is rewarded here.” This is positive reinforcement at scale.

Be slow to criticise and quick to praise. Be open-handed in your dealings with your superiors and subordinates alike, and dole out rewards in a just and timely manner.

This is how you win the hearts of men.

2. “Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.”

Sun Tzu recommends taking it one step further, and treating your subordinates like you would your own children.

Indulge children excessively, and they become spoiled and useless. Berate and punish them incessantly, and they become traumatised and grow up to become damaged adults. The secret of good leadership, as with good parenting, is to be firm but not harsh. Like Jim Rohn said,

“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.”

To quote Tom Peters, “True leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” A true leader sees his men not as what they are, but what they are capable of becoming. He helps them bring their innate potential to the surface, for he knows that what is good for his men is good for the team. And his men, knowing that their leader has their best interest at heart, will love him for it.

So treat your subordinates like you would your own children. Strike a delicate balance between reward and punishment. Help them to be all that they can be, and they will be loyal to you until the end of their days. Make them understand that you want what is best for them, and they will follow you to the darkest hells and the deepest oceans.

This is the power of treating your men like family.

3. “He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.”

Ultra-successful companies have one thing in common: a crystal clear motto.

Facebook’s was “Move fast and break things.” Nike’s slogan is “Just Do It.” And Apple, the first trillion-dollar company in the world, goes by “Think Different.” We might think that mottos are nothing more than catchy-sounding, made-up words, but that would be a big mistake. Mottos are condensed stories, and stories are all-powerful. PhD historian and best-selling author Yuval Noah Harari wrote that,

Fiction has enabled us not merely to imagine things, but to do so collectively. We can weave common myths such as the biblical creation story, the Dreamtime myths of Aboriginal Australians, and the nationalist myths of modern states. Such myths give Sapiens the unprecedented ability to cooperate flexibly in large numbers…

That’s why Sapiens rule the world, whereas ants eat our leftovers and chimps are locked up in zoos and research laboratories.

Good mottos, like all fables, draw a firm line in the sand. In just a few seconds, they tell people what your company is about, and more crucially, what your company is not about. Your motto is your North Star, your guiding light, your Ten Commandments uniting your team to a shared cause. A motto serves to join what would otherwise be hundreds of disparate individuals into a single blade.

So create a motto, one bigger than any single person. Create an idea worth waking up and hustling for. This is how you imbue your team, from the lowliest intern to the swankiest executive, with the same winning spirit that will lead your company to victory.

4. “Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.”

One of the most important tasks a leader has is to create and maintain a strong team culture. Jim Rohn famously said that,

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

The best way to achieve this is by hiring capable people that complement the company culture. Should they not be a good fit, you can train them. But should they not be amenable to even that, you must get rid of them at once. Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet’s best friend and advisor, had this to say about his hiring process:

“It’s just so useful dealing with people you can trust and getting all the others the hell out of your life. Wise people want to avoid other people who are just total rat poison, and there are a lot of them.”

A fine sword should be kept oiled and sheathed, and in the same way, a good company should be surrounded by positive, empowering staff. All it takes is a handful of toxic people to bring a once-vibrant establishment to its knees. As the person-in-charge, your job is two-fold; to continue to encourage good employees while seeking out and ruthlessly eliminating those who would otherwise corrupt your company culture.

It isn’t an easy job, but it is up to you to trim the weeds that would otherwise strangle your lawn.

5. “He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.”

An effective leader does not micromanage.

He instead strives to hire well and entrusts experts to their task. When he comes across a situation in which he is unfamiliar, he must humble himself and seek help from these specialists instead of blindly giving commands. Keep in mind that many a good company has been crushed not by opposing market forces, but by hubristic leadership.

Be confident enough to delegate that which you are awful at; this will not only give you the time and energy to double down on what you are good at, it will also give your men the autonomy to do their jobs well. Napolean Bonaparte said, “Never interrupt an enemy when he is making a mistake.” Well in the same vein, never interrupt your men when they are doing good work.

Delegation is the hallmark of an effective leader.

6. “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”

It is telling that Sun Tzu himself begins The Art of War by cautioning against war itself. He writes,

“The wise warrior avoids the battle.

He who wishes to fight must first count the cost…there is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.”

Conflict brings more harm than good. Keep in mind that your job as a leader isn’t to engage in pissing contests to bolster your ego, but to protect and ultimately better the lives of the men in your care. Thus, seek to not engage in pointless altercations. Should conflict be necessary, do your utmost to end the dispute with as little harm done to both sides as possible.

A good leader steers his men to harmony, for he understands that it is only through peace that men can lead full and vibrant lives, and that understanding, not violence, is the cornerstone of prosperity.

7. “A leader leads by example, not by force.”

This last example is corny but true.

Leadership has almost become a bad word. It brings to mind an inept man bellowing orders and pushing people around, only to complain that nobody is willing to listen to him. As Niccolò Machiavelli wrote in The Prince,

“He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.”

A true leader walks the walk. To inspire bravery in his men, Alexander the Great led his troops from the front in all battles. Winston Churchill took only eight days off in the six years he spent fighting World War 2, encouraging the rest of Britain to work as hard as he did. And when Julius Caesar landed in England, he ordered his men to burn all their ships, stranding the Roman army as well as Caesar himself in a foreign land with victory as their only means back home. Like Alessandro Bersell said,

“Great leaders don’t tell you what to do. They show you how it’s done.”

By holding themselves to the highest standards, these great generals, in turn, inspired their men to do the same. You can wave your hands in the air and yell until you’re blue in the face, but your men will never be convinced until your words are alloyed by your actions.

Put yourself in the mind of your men for a moment. Who would you rather follow; a deskbound boss with a big mouth, or a commander who’s been in the trenches, who genuinely cares about his men and who backs up his big words with valiant deeds?

The choice is easy.

In Summary

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” — John Maxwell

Being a leader isn’t easy.

It means giving out rewards when rewards are due. It means treating your men like family, like your own dearest sons. It means always putting the needs of your team above your own, for as Simon Sinek wrote, “Leaders eat last.”

Being a leader means that instead of paying lip service, you lead by example. It means that when you command your men to take a castle, you better be right there with them dodging arrows and scaling walls. More than anything, being a leader is a lifestyle. The question is, is it one you’re ready to live?

The very fact that you’ve read this article to the end means you’ve considered rising to the challenge. Good! The world can never get enough of movers and shakers, of self-sacrificing men made of true-blue steel. Let’s end of this article with a quote by Heraclitus. 2,500 years ago, the Greek philosopher said,

“Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn’t even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.”

Rise to the challenge. Go forth and make a difference. Go forth and lead!

Become a true leader, the one who will bring the others back.