Three Ways for a Leader to Bring Misfortune
Sun Tzu said, “(1) By commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called hobbling the army.
(2) By attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant
of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier's minds.
(3) By employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.”
Business leaders can learn from these principles. In principle (1) you can see how some managers constantly call out orders that can't be accomplished by anyone because they are so unreasonable. This frustrates their employees. In (2), a leader that simply fills out paperwork and makes speeches can frustrate employees. A good leader will understand what it is like to be on the front lines and know how people are feeling. When the leader is in touch with people they will feel like the leader can be on their side. Understanding employees will improve moral and productivity. In (3), a good leader should be chosen for their leadership merits and not because of other factors like being at the company a long time. People that are automatically promoted are sometimes a poor choice. When a poor leader takes control, the employees are less confident and less likely to follow.
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