The Art of War: Bollocks or Brilliance?
The business world is rife with buzzwords, clichés, and so-called “timeless” advice. Yet, among all the sources of guidance, one ancient text stands out for its ubiquity and, frankly, its overhyped reputation: “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu. Often revered as the ultimate guide to strategy, this book has achieved near-mythic status. But let’s get real for a moment: is it truly the profound manual everyone claims it to be, or is it just a collection of platitudes that sound good but offer little practical value? The most elaborate ‘as per my last email’ ever?’
Why Sun Tzu’s Magnum Opus is Overrated and Overhyped
The Art of War’ by Sun Tzu has been hailed as a masterpiece on strategy and leadership, with its principles being applied not only in the battlefield but also in business, politics, and everyday life. Entrepreneurs and corporate executives declare they’ve turned to it for inspiration and advice on how to succeed in competitive business situations and hundreds of business books claim to have applied the lessons taken from the book to office politics and corporate business strategy citing its utilitarian values on management practices. Some businesses even make it required reading for their key executives.
The Criticisms of “The Art of War”
- Vague and Generic Advice:
Packed with gems like if you’re going to lose, don’t do that, or if you’re not prepared, you will be disorganised; maybe the better title would be Sun Tzu’s Art of Having the Bare Minimum of Common Sense. Aphorisms like “know your enemy and know yourself” or “all warfare is based on deception” are undeniably catchy. However, they are also incredibly vague. Knowing your enemy and yourself is undoubtedly important, but the real challenge lies in the how. The book leaves readers without actionable insights, relying instead on broad strokes open to interpretation. In the business context, this vagueness translates to advice that is hard to implement. - Historical and Cultural Disconnect:
Written over 2,500 years ago in a completely different cultural and historical context, “The Art of War” is deeply rooted in the specifics of ancient Chinese warfare. Modern readers, especially business readers, often struggle to draw direct parallels between ancient military strategies and contemporary corporate challenges. The cultural and temporal gap dilutes the relevance of Sun Tzu’s teachings. - Lack of Empirical Evidence:
Unlike contemporary strategy books that often draw on case studies, data, and empirical research, “The Art of War” is theoretical. There are no case studies of successful companies that followed Sun Tzu’s principles, no data-driven analysis, just philosophical musings. This lack of empirical grounding makes it difficult to assess the real-world applicability of its advice.
The Memeification of Sun Tzu
One of the most frustrating aspects of “The Art of War” is its memeification. In today’s digital age, snippets of Sun Tzu’s wisdom are plastered all over social media, often out of context and stripped of any meaningful nuance. Quotes like “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting” are shared as if they are profound revelations rather than the self-evident truths they often are. Reducing complex ideas to simplistic memes trivialises the original work and encourages a superficial understanding.
The Liar’s Game
Let’s face it: many who claim to have read “The Art of War” are likely bluffing. The book’s revered status makes it a handy tool for appearing knowledgeable and sophisticated without having to do the hard work of deep understanding. Throwing out a Sun Tzu quote in a meeting can be an easy way to sound strategic without saying much of substance. This phenomenon contributes to the book’s mystique but also underscores its function as a superficial badge of intellect rather than a practical guide.
The Misguided Praise
The only reason anyone would read it is if they wanted to throw around quotes like, “When near, appear far. When far, appear near. Lure with bait, strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared to strong avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride.” Honestly, how could anybody have sat and read this? It’s like reading a horoscope: “Tuesday, you’ll be lucky.” It’s just garbage. Yet, people claim they’ve read it and give it 62 four-star reviews. It’s incomprehensible!
The Practicality (or Lack Thereof)
Sun Tzu advises, “The business of the general is to be quiet and listen to your secrecy.” In today’s world, I’ve found that sharing information is much more useful. Wisdom like “being outnumbered is generally bad” and “your enemy can’t guess your strategy if you don’t have any” is common sense, not profound insight.
Sun Tzu is more than one person as well. Is this the ultimate strategy guide or a compilation of ancient musings? And should you lead like Sun Tzu, refusing comforts and living as the meanest of your soldiers? Sure, it sounds noble, but is it practical or even necessary in the modern context?
The Modern Relevance
Whenever I see it on someone’s LinkedIn profile, I think, “Well, you’re just lying, aren’t you?” I could believe that they’ve maybe read quotes, a few excerpts, the short version you can buy at WHSmith, but there is no way they’ve read all eight volumes! It would be more believable if they said they’d read it in the ancient Chinese original. Most have skimmed the tiny little version they picked up in a garage. None of these people have said, “There was a profound piece of wisdom that I found in this book that I implemented. Let me tell you what the outcome was.”
Everyone who says, look at me, I’m world famous, I’ve got a Ferrari. They obviously haven’t read Art of War because otherwise, they wouldn’t have a Ferrari. They would have whatever the “meanest of their troops” had; They’d have a push bike or a f**king scooter!
Conclusion
In conclusion, while “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu has its place in the pantheon of strategic literature, it is not the be-all and end-all that its proponents often claim. Its vague advice, cultural disconnect, and lack of empirical evidence render it less practical than modern readers might hope. Moreover, the memeification and the tendency of people to feign having read it only add to its overrated status. Instead of relying on ancient texts, we would do well to seek out more contemporary, data-driven insights that offer clear, actionable guidance in our complex, modern world.
So, the next time someone drops a Sun Tzu quote in a meeting, feel free to roll your eyes and remind them that real strategy requires more than just catchy aphorisms. It requires context, depth, and a lot of hard work.
Here are seven strategy books that offer practical, data-driven insights and contemporary relevance, making them excellent alternatives:
1. No Bullsh*t Strategy: A Founder’s Guide to Gaining Competitive Advantage with a Strategy That Actually Works, Alex M H Smith
What if strategy could instead be clear, simple, bold, and even actually useful? That’s what No Bullsh*t Strategy is all about. It sweeps away all the garbled corporate nonsense and dry academic theorising to leave you with pure strategic sauce, which can be immediately actioned. It’ll make you see your business in a new light, and effortlessly unlock insights you didn’t know you had in you. Even better, it makes strategy fun.
2. Better, Simpler Strategy: A Value-Based Guide to Exceptional Performance, Felix Oberholzer-Gee
The most successful companies outperform their rivals in nearly every business segment and corner of the world economy. What is their secret? In Better, Simpler Strategy, Harvard Business School professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee shows how these companies achieve more by doing less. At a time when rapid technological change and global competition conspire to upend traditional ways of doing business, these companies pursue radically simplified strategies. At a time when many managers struggle not to drown in vast seas of projects and initiatives, these businesses follow simple rules that help them select the few ideas that truly make a difference. Better, Simpler Strategy provides readers with a simple tool, the value stick, which every organization can use to make its strategy more effective and easier to execute. Based on proven financial mechanics, the value stick helps executives decide where to focus their attention and how to deepen the competitive advantage of their business.
3. The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World’s Greatest Teams, Sam Walker
“The Captain Class” investigates the leadership qualities that distinguish the greatest sports teams in history. By identifying the common traits of exceptional team captains, Walker provides valuable lessons on leadership, teamwork, and the dynamics of high-performing groups. This book offers a unique perspective on strategy through the lens of sports, making it relevant for business leaders seeking to build strong, cohesive teams.
4. The Invincible Company: How to Constantly Reinvent Your Organization with Inspiration From the World’s Best Business Models (The Strategyzer Series), Alexander Osterwalder
Alex Osterwalder and Yves Pigneurs’ Business Model Canvas changed the way the world creates and plans new business models. It has been used by corporations and startups and consultants around the world and is taught in hundreds of universities. After years of researching how the world’s best companies develop, test, and scale new business models, the authors have produced their definitive work. The Invincible Company explains what every organisation can learn from the business models of the world’s most exciting companies.
The book explains how companies such as Amazon, IKEA, Airbnb, Microsoft, and Logitech, have been able to create immensely successful businesses and disrupt entire industries. At the core of these successes are not just great products and services, but profitable, innovative business models–and the ability to improve existing business models while consistently launching new ones. Hear from Alex on the MYFB Podcast.
5. “Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works” by A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin
Written by former P&G CEO A.G. Lafley and strategy advisor Roger L. Martin, this book lays out a practical framework for creating and executing winning strategies. It breaks down the complex process of strategic decision-making into clear, actionable steps and provides insights from the authors’ extensive experience in the business world.
6. Connected Strategy: Building Continuous Customer Relationships for Competitive Advantage, Nicolaj Siggelkow
What if there were a way to turn occasional, sporadic transactions with customers into long-term, continuous relationships–while simultaneously driving dramatic improvements in operational efficiency? What if you could break your existing trade-offs between superior customer experience and low cost?
This is the promise of a connected strategy. New forms of connectivity–involving frequent, low-friction, customized interactions–mean that companies can now anticipate customer needs as they arise or even before. Simultaneously, enabled by these technologies, companies can create new business models that deliver more value to customers. Connected strategies are win-win: Customers get a dramatically improved experience, while companies boost operational efficiency. In this book, strategy and operations experts Nicolaj Siggelkow and Christian Terwiesch reveal the emergence of connected strategies as a new source of competitive advantage.
Each of these books offers a fresh perspective on strategy, grounded in modern business practices and supported by empirical evidence. They provide practical advice that can be directly applied to real-world scenarios, making them invaluable resources for anyone looking to develop robust and effective strategies.