Synopses & Reviews
The Art of War by Sun Tzu is one of the world's most profound treatises on strategy and leadership, and it has been a best seller in numerous editions around the world. Perhaps best known for the dictum win without fighting, it has attracted millions of readers seeking to understand the underlying dynamics of conflict and victory.
However, for all the popularity of the various editions, The Art of War remains one of the most difficult texts to understand and apply successfully in daily life. This book is one of the first to make Sun Tzu's lessons accessible and relevant in today's world.
Though The Art of War comes from an ancient lineage of Chinese military commanders, The Rules of Victory shows that the text is just as valuable and compelling for the ordinary person as it is for the soldier or the business leader. James Gimian and Barry Boyce, who collaborated on the best-selling Denma translation of the text, reveal that The Art of War is not in fact about making war, but is a manual on how to work effectively and artfully with chaotic situations and thorny conflicts.
The Rules of Victory includes a complete translation of the classical text. With engaging case studies and examples drawn from a variety of contexts, readers learn that:
Conflict in life is inevitable, yet we can achieve our objectives without resorting to aggression.
War is any situation that demands hard choices about creation and destruction, life or death.
Victory lies in bringing others around to embracing a larger view--one that includes their own--without ever going to battle.
Dealing effectively with conflict involves becoming comfortable with uncertainty, ambiguity, imperfection, and gestation.
Synopsis
Millions have read Sun Tzus Art of War, the classic text on leadership and strategy, but how many understand its profound teachings or know how to apply them in modern life? The Rules of Victory presents the core insights of The Art of War, making them relevant and valuable to anyone who seeks more successful and creative approaches to dealing with chaos and conflict, whether at home, in the workplace, or in the midst of any challenging campaign or project.
According to Gimian and Boyce—who collaborated on a best-selling translation of Sun Tzus classic—one of the essential teachings of The Art of War is that when we seek to effect change, conflict is inevitable. However, we can learn to perceive the underlying dynamics of situations and we can learn how to work with them to transform potential conflict into victory. Whats more, when we master the skills of The Art of War, we attain our goals without engendering further conflict and destruction.
The Rules of Victory features:
• In-depth explanations of the essential principles, strategies, and skills of The Art of War
• First-person success stories illustrating how these teachings can be applied to a wide variety of professional and personal challenges
• Guidance on how to recognize, and even create, a critical turning point in any campaign or project you undertake
• A complete translation of The Art of War
About the Author
Barry Boyce is a member of the Denma Translation Group and has taught seminars on The Art of War. He is a senior editor and staff writer for the Shambhala Sun magazine.