The Clever Fighter

IV. Tactical Dispositions


8. To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.
9. Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight and conquer and the whole Empire says, "Well done!"
10. To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength; to see sun and moon is no sigh of sharp sight; to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.
11. What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
12. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom nor credit for courage.
13. He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.
14. Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.


Those of you playing at home might have noticed that I have skipped quite a portion of the text. My purpose is not necessarily to perform a linear exposition but rather to illuminate a particularly useful point. I will be skipping around somewhat, sometimes within the same post, to bring together points that are logically consistent.

The beginning of this passage distinguishes between the skilled warrior/commander and the average person. It is not victory that makes one great; even the weak and impotent can succeed at the easy tasks. When there is almost no potential for failure, there is no glory in victory; there is no real pride in an action achieved without effort and skill.

Rather, the one who is truly marvelous, the one who will truly prove excellent in his field, is the one who puts great effort into the task before him. He does not choose a path because it is hard or because it will bring him glory, but he takes on the task that must be done. There is no great conflict, and there is no celebration, because he  accomplishes his task with ease. He does not succeed through sheer force of numbers but through perfection in his execution. He makes no mistakes in his planning or his action, and so he wins his battles before the confrontation begins.

This translates directly into a group-management setting. Anyone can roll the wagon wheels through the ruts in the path, for it is already accomplished. This is not excellent management, because there is no management to be done. In the same way, one who proves his ability by correcting a glaring fault that went unnoticed until it became a grave issue may be praised, but it shows a lack of foresight and skill.

The truly skilled leader will almost appear inactive to the casual observer. His plans will be well designed and laid out; his task forces and committees will complete their tasks excellently and in good time, without great oversight; his internal management details will be accomplished in a timely fashion, without impeding other operations. Because he takes the time to prepare his plans to the finest reasonable detail, there is no great oversight in its stages; because he prepares his people well for both management and labor, there is no chaos in their actions; because he has instilled discipline and order in the lower ranks, there is no one disorderly or inefficient.

"A stitch in time saves nine," as the saying goes. He who prepares for everything is unmoved when troubles arise. He who plans everything out is never uncertain as to what is necessary. He who maintains order and discipline through consistency in rewards and punishments is never blindsided by anarchy.