Long Victories
A long battle will dull the blades and fighting tools. The money from the state will never be enough to replace all that was lost. The men will become weak and weary from fighting. When men are weak and the treasury insufficient, the army is vulnerable to attack. When an opponent comes, even the best military leader will succumb due to the weak nature of the army.
The bottom line is to keep your troops strong and fresh. Military battles should be short and to the point. Prolonged fighting is bad for everyone and should be avoided.
In business, it is similar. A long battle with a competitor should be avoided. You should go in and compete with the competitor on something that you know you can beat them on and do it well. You shouldn't fight them in a way that will batter you both down and make both of your vulnerable. For example, two companies may have a price war and make it so neither company makes any money. After a prolonged price war, both companies may feel weary, close to quitting, and near bankruptcy. Then, a new company might come in and buy both companies and then raise prices to profitable levels. Anything that makes a company unnecessarily weary should be avoided. There are lots of things managers continue to do that take energy from the main focus of the company. The great manager will learn to eliminate what takes away mental energy from the real focus.
Sun Tzu said, “Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been associated with long delays.”
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