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Sun Tzu's Leadership and Strategic Principles

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Sun Tzu's Leadership and Strategic Principles
Leadership Essay
Sun Tzu’s Leadership and Strategic Principles

1/11/2010
PI – Leadership Course
Yasribur Rahman - ID#: 920013449

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Over the years, there have been many theories on leadership. But it was not until the 20th century that its importance was realized by people. The concept of leadership have been studied and published countless times. Most of us know what leadership is but not everyone knows what it takes to become an effective leader. One such leader, philosopher, warrior and creator of The Art of War is Sun Tzu.

Sun Wu was the military general of the Wu army who lived in around 500 BC, which later became to be known as China. During this period of rivalry and conflict, China was divided among city-states which were in constant war [1]. King of Wu, who hired Sun Wu to be his consultant, wanted to transform his region from an unsuccessful province to a booming economical state. Sun Wu submitted his will to his master and fulfilled his master’s ambition by uniting the provinces and the Yang Tze river valley under his King’s leadership. For his loyalty and contribution towards his King, he was given honor the title of Master, translated as Tzu, becoming Sun Tzu (Master Sun) [1]. According to [1], his book, The Art of War, has become one of the most advanced guides for highly competitive situations and environments. Sun Ping, one of the descendants of Sun Tzu, used the tactics from the Art of War to unify all the states into an empire which is currently known as Chine.

The Art of War is an ancient text which holds the keys to life and death in the situation of war. It is a philosophy on how conflicts are handled and the method to victory. Even though it contains text about militaristic operations and strategies, it still used today by political leaders and business



References: [1]Shawn Frost. (2006). Sun Tzu on Leadership. Article. Available: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/2044/Sun-Tzu-on-Leadership.html [2]Steven Fox. (2010 April 22). The Anatomy of Leadership - A Sun Tzu perspective. , Security Paradigms. Article. Available: http://blogs.csoonline.com/1196/the_anatomy_of_leadership_a_sun_tzu_perspective [3]Fred. (2006 January 11). Sun Tzu Series Part 4: The Commander...Leadership in an Uncertain World!. Article. Available: http://www.lesc.net/blog/sun-tzu-series-part-4-commanderleadership-uncertain-world [4]Rarick, Charles A. (1996 December 22). Ancient Chinese advice for modern business strategists. SAM Advanced Management Journal. Available: http://www.allbusiness.com/management/560119-1.html

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