Sun Tzu’s famous treatise on the art of war has become a bible for business people, and in particular sales people. In recent weeks I have heard many people quote Sun Tzu in meetings in a combative way as they beat their metaphorical breastplates, and this worries me.

How does the statement “all warfare is based on deception” square with the salesperson’s oft stated goal of creating a “win-win situation” on any deal? In my book, being deceitful is no foundation for a win. Think how angry you feel when you have been deceived. Do you consider that a “win?” No, neither do I.

So how can we reframe this? One way is to remember that Sun Tzu emphasised how important positioning is in any military campaign. In a business scenario, are we talking about the “positions” both sides take in a negotiation? I don’t think so. For me, positioning means how we get ready for the negotiation. Why do we check and re-check our own offering before we begin? How do we research our prospective client/supplier? More importantly why do we do so? Is it to gain a “competitive advantage?” The obvious answer, of course, is “yes” but, I submit, it goes much deeper than this in that what we are actually doing is trying to understand both ourselves and our “opponent”, and because we understand we can plan.

Many who view their world framed by The Art of War see business as being adversarial. But ask them and they will tell you that business is about relationships. Ironically they may not realise that The Art of War enhances this view rather than negates it. Because both the book and relationships are about understanding, hence my feeling that we need to reframe this. As Sun Tzu says: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

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In a world that encourages MORE of everything, it is difficult to focus on LESS. However, if you observe very successful and happy leaders, they focus on less…but really it is about MORE of LESS.

What these leaders understand is that the better they invest their time working in their “Sweet Spot”, the less they really need to work. They focus on what they do well, and then surround themselves who are good at the rest.

This means that the starting point for achieving more with less is finding your “Sweet Spot”…which is the intersection of your passion, your strengths, and then applying them to where you make the biggest difference.

Do you understand your “Sweet Spot”?

Your success becomes faster, larger and more enjoyable when you focus yourself on your “Sweet Spot”…where LESS is MORE.

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“My friends, family and acquaintances are all on Facebook, where they add up to a bustling community I enjoy being part of. More than any particular feature that Mark Zuckerberg and company have cooked up, it’s the people in my life that make Facebook, well, Facebook.

Over on Google+, I find some worthwhile material to peruse, but in far smaller quantities. The smattering of people I encounter hardly replicates my real-world social connections. The conversations are less warm, personal and interesting. As a social experience, it often feels perfunctory.”

This post by Harry McCracken about the differences between Facebook and Google+ made me realise once again that the Internet is all about energy. Finding energy and sharing energy. Finding smart people whose conversations increase your energy and hopefully sharing your energy with others to help them do more, understand more, appreciate more, love more.

Life is too short for perfunctory exchanges. It is too short to spend time, and energy, where you think you should be spending it. Spend it where it makes you feel more alive.

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I love the ability the Internet has given us to share what we think with others around the world or around our organisation. Yet you would be amazed how often I get the reaction “Most people don’t want to have to think too much, especially at work”.

While walking the streets of Warsaw last week, learning of the four years of suffering it took before the Jews rose up against the Nazis, I realised that most people would have convinced themselves that things couldn’t be as bad as they seemed; that if they just did what they were told and kept their heads down then they and their families would be safe. 

In Saudi Arabia earlier that same week, looking out on an audience in which the women were separated by the men with a screen, and for which the organisers had to have a special mixed audience licence, most people went along with the rules, covered their heads, sat separately from each other – despite many of them not sharing the fundamental beliefs of their rulers. 

Most people want to be safe, most people want to care for their loved ones, most people don’t want to think too hard if it gets them into trouble. 

What would I have done in Nazi occupied Poland? What would I do if I had been born in Saudi Arabia?

Am I like most people?

Are you?

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ONE: 24-7-30

After meeting someone for the first time you need to follow up quickly and consistently to embed yourself in their memory.

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I recently asked people on various social networks what topics they would like me to cover in this series. One of the most popular areas was who to approach at events, how to do so and how to get into groups. 

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I bought the first generation iPad as soon as it came out. Couldn’t wait to own one. But three years later I still don’t get it! 

My problem is not so much the old argument about the iPad being a consumption rather than a production device. There are so many really effective tools that you can use on an iPad these days to do really useful work. In fact it was various podcasters’ enthusiasm for those tools that made me go back and have a second try at using the iPad seriously. That and the fact that we are in need of moving tools around in the family again and I was interested to see if I could survive without my laptop. I can’t.

My MacBook air is just too useful. I have it tricked out with all sorts of app launchers, text expanders, macros, productivity apps, and other apps that make it much easier for me to get more done faster and better. The combination of the best computer I have ever owned and my iPhone 5 is still impossible to beat. In contrast using the iPad was, for me, like wading through treacle.

To say I don’t get it is perhaps unfair. I do get it, in the sense that it is an amazing device that is clearly useful to a lot of people. One day when I am feeling particularly flush I may get an iPad mini, but otherwise the iPad is not for me. 

Maybe if my only other experience of computing was a work PC…

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Your communications skills are what power your success, especially as you climb the ladder in your career. At every level, you will encounter two types of people. One type is people who take information in quickly, have the ability to process it, and take a decision quickly too. However, there is a second type who may take in information slow (or sometimes even fast too), but always think they need time to “sleep on it” until they feel comfortable making a decision.

It is very difficult to force the two step people to skip a step and take informaton in, process it, and decide in just one meeting. For the two step people, it is important to allow a little extra time for them to go through their comfortable two step process. It takes a little more upfront thinking on your part, and a little extra time; but isn´t your goal to get a decision!…and isn´t a little extra time then worth it?

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One of the most important skills in trying to generate new referrals for your business or introductions for new jobs is to be able to equip your champions with the ability to get potential customers or employers  to want to talk to you. 

Many people focus on why they want to connect with their prospects. “Can you introduce me to xxx because I want to work for them?” The problem is that your prospects don’t care what you want, they care about their own needs, their own desires. 

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There are so many times when you don’t get the right help of others, and it is simply because you haven’t prepared them to help you. A great example of this is how you invite others to attend your meetings.

You know it for yourself, as you are invited to so many meetings with only the title for the meeting or an email saying “We need to discuss….”. When you get invited to meetings in this way, have others prepared you to provide you best contribution in the meeting? Probably not.

If they wanted you to be prepared to make the best contribution possible, then they would have provided you with more information or specifically commented on how your contribution is important to achieve the outcome of the meeting. Now, if they did either of those two things, you would be more prepared to provide your contribution to the meeting.

How well do you prepare others to help you?

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