Summary of Thinking for a Change John Maxwell recommends good thinking because it will make you better and

more successful at your job. lists eleven. 1. seeing the wisdom of big picture thinking 2. unleashing the potential of focused thinking 3. discovering the joy of creative thinking 4. recognizing the importance of realistic thinking 5. releasing the power of strategic thinking 6. feeling the energy of possibility thinking 7. embracing the lessons of reflective thinking 8. questioning the acceptance of popular thinking 9. encouraging the participation of shared thinking 10. experiencing the satisfaction of unselfish thinking 11. enjoying the return of bottom line thinking He emphasizes that it take a great deal of work to change one's thinking. He gives many cases of people who have managed to change their own thinking and tries as best he can to explain what good thinking is. Different chapters address each of the eleven thinking skills. The trouble with Maxwell's approach is that he has no good evidence that it actually helps people, beyond anecdotal, with is really worthless. What's more, there is already a whole industry of study on what counts as rational thinking, and there are college courses on critical thinking. He makes no reference to any of that work -- his approach is far closer to inspirational thinking, and is based mostly on his own experience. Whether this will be useful or not to his listeners or readers will be fairly random. It is certainly possible that some people may feel that Maxwell's practical suggestions are very helpful, but it is equally possible that people will find his approach utterly useless. Personally, Maxwell's recommendations seem to me to be a mixture of platitudes and vague suggestions, but there are occasional moments when his ideas do seem helpful. Probably the best one could hope for is that focusing on this audiobook, one forces oneself to contemplate one's own thinking, and that can be useful. Environmental Turbulence Environmental turbulence refers to the amount of change and complexity in the environment of a company. The greater the amount of change in environmental factors, He cites many well-known successful people in business as examples of good thinking. Good thinking consists of several different thinking skills. He

such as technology and governmental regulations, and/or the greater the number of environmental factors that must be considered, the higher the level of environmental turbulence. For many reasons environmental volatility and instability have been increasing for the past 100 years. Sun Tzu was a Chinese military strategist and General who authored The Art of War, an ancient treatise on military strategy, which was written about 2,500 years back. The central premise of Sun Tzu's Art of War expounds that it is only through strategy that conflicts can be overcome and real victory achieved. This can be applied to our lives even today. Regardless of the kind of challenges that one faces in life, by applying the strategic principles of Sun Tzu one can achieve the following and much more: Being successful in relationships Becoming a master in your line of work, thus creating wealth Success in achieving whatever goals you have Dealing successfully with unforeseen challenges

The beauty of the kind of strategy, or bing-fa, as it is known in Chinese, taught by Sun Tzu is that you win by circumventing conflicts which usually end up being too costly. In other words, Sun Tzu's philosophy of strategy helps you to make wiser decisions in everyday life. It will train you to get your killer instincts under your control, reshaping it into a winning or profit-making skill. Strategy of The Art of War

A strategy is the process by which we study exactly what will work in order to overcome challenges. It is a powerful tool which helps you to understand the thinking process of other people, which in turn assists you in predicting how they will behave in a given situation. By training yourself in strategy, you develop the mind of a strategist, which is able to think several steps ahead of the other people you deal with. This is what provides the winning edge. Even though Sun Tzu used a Chinese term which means "planning" to name the first chapter of his book, his connotation is actually nearer to what can be called "competitive analysis" in English. In the first part of the chapter, Sun Tzu explains the main factors that form the basis of competitive structures. However, all through the book, the interrelations between the factors are given as much importance as the factors themselves. 5 Basic Factors of Sun Tzu's Strategy

Prior to waging war, there are a total of 5 elements which need to be examined in order to make a proper evaluation, or planning, to achieve success. Each of these is discussed below. 1. Moral Ethics (Tao) Tao, which stands for "philosophy" or "way", is the core of factor of Sun Tzu's principles. In our day-to-day lives tao can be our central mission. It can form the uniting force in a competitive organization. If applied in business, for instance, tao helps to serve the real requirements of people, since the mission of the business becomes centered on them. It helps to attract customers, employees, supporters, and other associating allies. Basically, tao inculcates introspection which points towards the outcome of whatever action you may be contemplating on making before you actually commit to it. When thinking strategically,

this

is

the

key

factor.

2. Climate or Timing (Tien) The climate, or timing, in Sun Tzu's philosophy implied changes in the weather, seasons, temperature, etc. Although in warfare conditions the climate can be one of the most uncontrollable factors, a good leader, or general, will know how to utilize them most advantageously. He will pick the most opportune moment to fight, using the bad weather in such a way that it causes the most harm to the enemy. Likewise, this can be applied in our personal lives too. In order to succeed, we must capitalize on whatever the situation may be. Seize opportunities despite the conditions being in a state of fluctuation, beyond our control, and turn them into advantages. The CEO of a business organization, for instance, must be able to modify his strategies according to the fluctuations in the business or economic environment or climate. 3. Terrain or Ground (Di) The terrain or ground is the area in which military operations take place. Although the battlefield can also be an uncontrollable factor, a good leader will know how to use it in such a way that it is most advantageous to his own men, while being the least advantageous for the enemy. Thus, just like the climate, one can make choices which can bring uncontrollable factors under our control. The same principle can be applied to our daily lives. The ground, or the situation we are in, is what we usually have to cope with. It is often where we conduct our daily battles, and what we battle over. In order to deal with situations that are not under our control we must be flexible and adaptable, and be able to turn them into advantages. 4. Leadership or Command (Jiang) By 'leadership' or 'command', Sun Tzu meant the abilities and qualities a general possessed. The commander is a representative of virtues like courage, wisdom, benevolence, sincerity, and strictness. A courageous leader wins by grabbing the opportunities that come his way without hesitating. A wise leader has the ability of recognizing changing situations and act accordingly. If benevolent, he empathizes with his men, and appreciates their toil and diligence. When he displays sincerity, his troops are assured of their just rewards as well as punishments. With strictness, he inculcates discipline in his men. The leader in any situation defines and creates his organizational unit by his skills of making correct decisions and his character. 5. Methods (Fa) All the organizations we belong to, our systems, procedures and processes, are all elements of the methods we adopt, to survive and win. The methods we use must be effective and efficient, along with being consistent with the central purpose of our lives or tao. Philosophy of The Art of War

The Art of War is a combination of deep philosophy as well as detailed prescriptions for winning by using correct tactics. The treatise begins with the direction that: "War is a matter of vital importance to the state; the province of life and death; the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied." Further on, Sun Tzu goes on to explain that deception forms the basis of all warfare. Hence, in order to triumph, one must pretend to be incapable, although capable, pretend to be inactive, although active. If you are near your enemy, make him believe you are nowhere close, if you are far from him, give him to understand that you are close by. Sun Tzu was the pioneer of the "indirect approach" to winning in wars. Anyone who can master both the indirect and direct approach will be able to triumph over all odds.

Although the topic of the treatise is war, but it can be applied broadly to any kind of competitive system in life. According to Sun Tzu, triumphing over any competition was a matter of surviving odds, and that survival was dependent on having particular skills, which can be acquired. Success in life, like in war, is largely based on the kind of relationship we have with the environment we find ourselves in, which are often beyond our control. Sun Tzu instructed that in order to be successful, one must be able to master all the elements that are not under our control, turning them into advantages. As Sun Tzu said: "For just as flowing water avoids the heights and hastens to the lowlands, so an army avoids strength and strikes weakness." There are in all 13 chapters of The Art of War; each of them provides us with powerful tools that can be applied to deal with business or personal obstacles, confrontation, and also human relationships. The book can be a useful aid for achieving success in business, career, and in life.

The Ten Things Managers Need to Know from The Art of War 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Developing and executing strategy is the key to achieving success in anything. One should aim to conquer the entire industry, not just a small portion. Espionage can prove to be advantageous when employed correctly. Avoid engaging in head to head battles. Always analyze your strengths and weaknesses and your competitors or rivals. Pick your battles. Determine whether it is viable to engage in war with someone

before attacking. 7. Assess the environmental conditions and trends before attempting to enter into

an industry. 8. Give clear cut definition to your organizational structure, but avoid allowing its

true formation to be discovered by competitors. 9. Make sure all plans for action and maneuvering are well thought out before

employing them. 10. defeated. Always give your opponent a chance to join forces with you after they have been

Read more: http://bookstove.com/book-talk/summary-and-review-of-the-art-of-war-bysun-tzu-translated-by-thomas-cleary/#ixzz1tgvJvSYV Full Summary of The Art of War Ch 1: Strategic Assessments In this chapter Master Sun and his commentators discuss the importance of assessing ones environment. When engaging in war it is dire to each side to examine the external conditions, such as the environment, and ones internal strengths and weaknesses. I related this to the business world because those same assessments need to be made before developing a strategy. They basically comprise a SWOT analysis, which sizes up a firms internal strengths and weaknesses and its external opportunities and threats against each other. Master Sun states the five most important aspects to assess are the way, the weather, the terrain, the leadership, and discipline.(pg. 41) From a business perspective, these five elements can be viewed as the gap or niche in which the business is attempting to enter, the external conditions of the industry, what the possible market share is, what the managerial processes that should be employed to effectively run the business are, and what the guidelines to operation of it are. Once these assessments have been made, Master Sun directs you to, structure your forces accordingly, to supplement extraordinary tactics. Forces are to be structured strategically based on what is advantageous. (pg.48) Ch. 2: Doing Battle This chapter actually details the necessary tactics and moves to employ once involved in battle. I related this to a start up finally entering into a market. The most important point Master Sun attempts to get across here is that battle should not be a long and exhausting process. If all assessments were made correctly, by either or both parties, the actual fighting period should determine a victor within a relatively short time frame. From a business perspective, once you have concluded your SWOT analysis, have determined that the venture is actually viable, and have developed a strategy, it should not take forever and a day for your market presence to begin to be acknowledged by your competitors. True, it is not reasonable to think that as soon as one enters the market ones company will be an immediate success. But, a predefined timeline should exist that detail how long it will take the company to begin to realize profits. This timeline should be executed to the T. Master Sun states that when you do battle for a long time it will dull your forces and exhaust your resources. This also applies to the business world.

Ch. 3: Planning a Siege This chapter entails the necessary steps to not only compete, but to takeover. Master Sun writes, Therefore those who win every battle are not really skillful those who render others armies helpless without fighting are the best of all. What this says is that your aim shouldnt be to just win every head to head battles or competitions with other small or similar sized businesses. Your aim should be to render the entire industry helpless and to become recognized as the dominator. You should not focus on battling frivolously with those who are in the same market position as you. Go after the industry leaders tactfully by developing plans to foil their strategies and eventually conquer their market share. Word to the wise though: This must be done skillfully and impeccably or it could lead to your destruction. One of Master Suns commentators, Zhang Yu, states, A skillful martialist ruins plans, spoils relations, cuts of supplies, or blocks the way, and hence can overcome people without fighting. (pg. 75) Ch. 4: Formation This chapter concerns the formation of an army, or in an entrepreneurs case, the organization. Ones structure should never be totally visible to those outside of it. There should never be a point where organizational structure can be analyzed correctly. Hiding formation should be considered just as important as developing the strategy itself. Master Sun states, In ancient times skillful warriors first made themselves invincible and then watched for vulnerability in their opponents. The business structure should be viewed as a predator stalking and evaluating its prey until it is time to attack. It camouflages and wants to remain unseen until that perfect moment arrives in which it reveals itself. In order to successfully achieve this, one must know his/her business structure in and out, thereby not allowing any chance of the misleading perception to become a reality. Also, you must not allow yourself to get too drawn into your evaluations of competitors because they may be incorporating the same methods of deception.

Read more: http://bookstove.com/book-talk/summary-and-review-of-the-art-of-war-bysun-tzu-translated-by-thomas-cleary/#ixzz1tgvOencb Ch. 5: Force This chapter describes one aspect that can lead to domination, force. One commentator defines force as a shift in accumulated energy or momentum. This is a goal that should be top priority in executing your business plan and strategy. Capitalize of hat other companies

have done in the market in regards to advertising and building customer loyalty. When the right moment approaches, forcefully put them out of business and establish yourself as the new industry leader. Consumers will flock to your business once you are recognized as the industry superior. There are many methods to forcefully takeover a market. You must find the one that is tailored specifically to your organization and its competencies. As Master Sun states, Making the armies able to take on opponents without being defeated is a matter of unorthodox and orthodox methods. Ch. 6: Emptiness and Fullness This chapter identifies recognizing who are the powerful and who are the weak as another important aspect in warfare. Du Mu writes, Militarists avoid the full and strike the empty, so they first have to recognize emptiness and fullness in others and themselves. The content of this chapter can be considered common sense and natural instincts. You must know hat your strengths and weaknesses are. You must know what your competitors strengths and weaknesses are. You must only pursue those situations in which you feel you have a feasible chance of succeeding in. For example, it would not be wise for a mom and pop grocery store to go head to head with a retail giant like Wal-Mart. In order to find out who are those within your competitive reach and those that arent Master Sun instructs, Assess them to find out their plans, both the successful ones and the failures. Incite them to action in order to find out the patterns of their movement and rest. (pg. 115) Ch. 7: Armed Struggle In this chapter Master Sun conceptualizes armed struggle as a situation to steer clear from. He defines struggle as the pursuit of an advantage and states that fighting with people face to face over advantages is the hardest thing in the world. This reference back to Ch. 2, Doing Battle, in which the main point is not to engage in frivolous head to head battles. In competing with a local business, do not take it head on. To gain a complete advantage over it, think outside of the box and use resource strengths and distinctive capabilities to outgain it in every aspect. Assess whether to use direct or indirect approaches and heavy or light tactics and then proceed to attack. This will lead to your best chance of victory. Master Sun states, Act after having made assessments. The one who first knows the measures of far and near wins this is the rule of armed struggle. Ch. 8: Adaptations This chapters content can be considered the most important content within the entire book. It elaborates on a topic we all should not only be familiar with, but should have had to apply

at some point in our lifetimes, adaption. Zhang Yu, yet another one of Master Suns commentators, defines adaption as .not clinging to fixed methods, but changing appropriately according to events, acting as it is suitable. (pg. 131) In a business climate, adaption is another key success factory. You must be able to change with the industry conditions in order to survive as an organization. Plans for these changes should already be established as they should be included in the initial strategy. Business owners and executives should have full knowledge of the industry they are operating in and how fickle it is. As Master Sun writes, Therefore generals who know all possible adaptations to take advantage of the ground know how to use military forces. If generals do not know how to adapt advantageously, even if they know the lay of the land, they cannot take advantage of it.

Read more: http://bookstove.com/book-talk/summary-and-review-of-the-art-of-war-bysun-tzu-translated-by-thomas-cleary/#ixzz1tgvSDJyY Ch. 9: Maneuvering Armies This chapter fixates on the concept that setting objectives is only half the battle. You must have detailed plans of action in place in order to execute those objectives. It describes different tactics and procedures to put an opponent at a disadvantage and how to elude situations that puts you and your troops at a disadvantage. From a business perspective, you can view this chapter as tips on how to run your organization. According to the chapter, your employees must be disciplined, aware of the environment, and always willing to make adaptations in order to be effective. You as a business owner or leader must analyze every possible route that can be taken with each decision and determine the most advantageous one to send your workers in the direction of. You must set guidelines on how to overcome deficits and establish manuals on what behaviors to exhibit. If the army is unsettled, it means the general is not taken seriously. (pg. 145) Ch. 10: Terrain This is a relatively short chapter. It uses terrain to describe routes that can easily be taken and ones that may require some expertise to get through. Either way, you should be fully prepared for whatever a particular route may bring because assessments of it should have already been made. In making corporate decisions, attempt to foresee every possible consequence and determine which would produce the most beneficial outcome. You can also relate this chapter to how easy it is to enter a market. Some markets are wide open for any potential business to enter; some are already saturated and require an efficient and

effective business plan to succeed in. Master Sun states, Some terrain is easily passable, in some you get hung up, some makes for a standoff, some is narrow, some is steep, some is wide open. (pg. 151) Ch. 11: Nine Grounds This chapter describes nine types of competitive or battlefield grounds. These include: grounds of dissolution(where local interests fight among themselves on their own territory), light ground(when you enter others land but not deeply), grounds of contention(land that would be advantageous to you if you got it and to opponents if they got it), trafficked grounds(land where you and others can come and go), intersecting grounds(land that is surrounded on three sides by competitors and would give the first to get it access to all the people on it), heavy grounds(when you enter deeply into others land), bad grounds(when you have to travel through mountain forests, steep marshes, or any route difficult to travel), and surrounded ground(narrow and circuitous land). Most of these different types of lands can be transitioned into market conditions and how easy it is for a potential new entrance. They also deal with being first movers and hard-to-match resource holders. Ch. 12: Fire Attack This chapter basically gives you five ways to attack using fire. These include: burning people, burning supplies, burning equipment, burning storehouses, and burning weapons. I could not see a correlation between this chapter and the corporate world unless one wants to go to jail for murder or vandalism.

Read more: http://bookstove.com/book-talk/summary-and-review-of-the-art-of-war-bysun-tzu-translated-by-thomas-cleary/#ixzz1tgvUzRy6 Ch. 13: Espionage This chapter entails the benefits of having information from within your competitors infrastructure. It describes five kinds of spies: local spies, inside spies, reverse spies, dead spies, and living spies. The most important message to grasp from this chapter though, is the usefulness of specific information about your competitor in molding your own strategy and business model. Inside intelligence allows you to anticipate your competitors next move and attempt to stay steps ahead of them. Of course the use of espionage is based on to what degree you feel it is unethical. But, if employed it can definitely lead to a significant competitive advantage.

Read more: http://bookstove.com/book-talk/summary-and-review-of-the-art-of-war-bysun-tzu-translated-by-thomas-cleary/#ixzz1tgvWrcnn Personal Insights Why I think: With business conditions today, what the author wrote is or is no longer true

because: Even though this book is based on war, its message can definitely be transitioned into a business perspective as I have done with my summary. There are many ways to interpret Master Suns teaching. It all depends on who is reading the book. But no matter how you interpret it, the fact still remains that the tactics described within the book can be used in developing and executing an effective business strategy and plan. No matter how business conditions change, Tzus advice and tips remain concrete and hold some degree of truth to them and will always be practical. 1. 2. If I were the author of the book, I would have done these three things differently: Restructured the order of the chapters as to present them in steps. Eliminated some of the commentators due to their interpretations being

completely out of the box. 3. 1. Combined some of the chapters so that the book doesnt read with redundancy. Reading this book made me think differently about the topic in these ways: It gave me a band new light on the importance of developing a strategy specific to

every objective I have. 2. them. 3. It also enlightened me on how important it is to evaluated and assess each aspect of It made me think differently on how to treat my opponents once I have defeated

a situation. Ill apply what Ive learned in this book in my career by:

1. 2. 3.

Developing a strategy for EVERYTHING I am trying to achieve. Assessing the business market thoroughly before attempting to enter it. Applying some of the leadership tactics I have learned towards the operation of my

organization. Here is a sampling of what others have said about the book and its author:

What others (scholarly and magazine reviews along with on-line reviews not simply reviews off the back of the book) have said about the book and its author? The many reviews I have discovered and read all give The Art of War the right to be a bestseller. Scholars, authors, literary experts, editors, etc. give their stamp of approval to the book describing it as, an exhilarating experience and calling its concepts some of the most profound in relation to strategy. They especially allude to the translated and commentated version stating that it is a luminous translations and provides a much clearer understanding of Sun Tzus deeper purpose for the book.

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