Sun Tzu Deception
Sun Tzu said, “Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy think we are far away; when far away, we must make the enemy believe we are near.”
One of the greatest parts of winning a battle, is to know your enemy and to know yourself. The purpose of deceiving the enemy is that they will not be able to know you well.
In business, it is important to know these principles. For example, assume that you are in a race with a competitor to develop an innovative mp3 player. Both companies keep on eye on the other in an effort to win the battle. A wise company may come up with a way to get their competitor to think they are far away from finishing their design. Then, the competitor may slack off thinking they have plenty of time. When the competitor slacks off, that would be a great time to go full steam ahead and then to launch the new product.
Sun Tzu has said to appear unable to attack when you are able. In the example above, appearing weak to your competitor makes them slack off because they think the competition isn't very strong. If you are close to an intellectual advantage, let competitors know how far away your are. There are many ways to apply these principles to your own life or business.
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