Why is The Art of War so Important to Businessmen?

Sun Tzu's classic text, The Art of War, has become something of a pop culture icon within the business community-numerous spin-off motivational books based on Sun Tzu's ancient wisdom have emerged in recent years.

But how relevant is ancient Chinese wisdom on the art of waging battle when it comes to the twenty-first century business community? I think it is not that relevant; business today is about connecting people and growing markets. It is about collaboration and partnership, rather than winner-take-all battles and vicious conflicts between dynasties.

I think, in other words, that such thinking is outmoded. If anything, today's business leaders would be better served by the tenets of Zen Buddhism-realizing that all things are impermanent, for example, would lead CEOs to diversify their companies and plan for the worst, while also taking big risks and investing in promising new markets.

It could be argued that a winner-take-all attitude is responsible for the current economic crisis sending waves of pain around the world. Companies irresponsibly handed out mortgages and consumer loans. They acted as if finances were a "war" to be won rather than a collaborative project to be carefully looked after and meticulously grown over time.

Graduates of business schools are instilled with a level of ambition and self-centeredness that seems somewhat outmoded given the current realities. Great wealth is created by offering significant value to others. Look at FedEx or Apple or eBay. These are all companies that made a lot of people rich, and they don't take a winner-take-all attitude. eBay has created many millionaires and has, in addition, launched many home businesses successfully. Apple has revolutionized the way we consume music and video on-the-go, not to mention the way we do our everyday computing. FedEx has become a significant global company not by mastering The Art of War, but by providing businesses with an invaluable service-reliable, trackable, and overnight delivery. Up until the founding of FedEx, such a service was virtually unthinkable: now it's commonplace, with competitors like UPS, the U.S. Postal Service, and DHL trying their hand at the same level of service.

So, in closing, I think that young business leaders would do well to put down The Art of War. Instead of focusing on how much you will make this year or how big your stock options package will be, think of novel ways to connect, enrich, and satisfy others. This is how billion dollar enterprises are created.

Small minds can only create so much wealth. If you want to turn your enterprise into a Fortune 500 organization, it will take something more-the vision to figure out a new way to help people (at a profit, of course), and then the steadfast execution of this vision.