Catherine Huang - Sun Tzus Art of War for Women: Sun Tzus Strategies for Winning Without Confrontation

Strategies for Winning Without Conflict

SUN TZUS

ART of WAR
for
WOMEN

Revised with a New Introduction

Catherine Huang & A.D. Rosenberg

ABOUT TUTTLE
Books to Span the East and West

Our core mission at Tuttle Publishing is to create books which bring people together one page at a time. Tuttle was founded in 1832 in the small New England town of Rutland, Vermont (USA). Our fundamental values remain as strong today as they were thento publish best-in-class books informing the English-speaking world about the countries and peoples of Asia. The world has become a smaller place today and Asias economic, cultural and political influence has expanded, yet the need for meaningful dialogue and information about this diverse region has never been greater. Since 1948, Tuttle has been a leader in publishing books on the cultures, arts, cuisines, languages and literatures of Asia. Our authors and photographers have won numerous awards and Tuttle has published thousands of books on subjects ranging from martial arts to paper crafts. We welcome you to explore the wealth of information available on Asia at www.tuttlepublishing.com.

Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

www.tuttlepublishing.com

Copyright 2019 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written per-mission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019935681

ISBN 978-1-4629-0578-2

Distributed by

North America, Latin America & Europe

Tuttle Publishing

364 Innovation Drive

North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436 U.S.A.

Tel: 1 (802) 773-8930; Fax: 1 (802) 773-6993

www.tuttlepublishing.com

Japan

Tuttle Publishing

Yaekari Building, 3rd Floor

5-4-12 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141 0032

Tel: (81) 3 5437-0171; Fax: (81) 3 5437-0755

www.tuttle.co.jp

Asia Pacific

Berkeley Books Pte Ltd

3 Kallang Sector #04-01

Singapore 349278

Tel: (65) 6741 2178

Fax: (65) 6741 2179

www.periplus.com

23 22 21 20 196 5 4 3 2 11904CMPrinted in China

TUTTLE PUBLISHING is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

INTRODUCTION

Win-Win:
The War Unfought

The gender gap is shrinking around the globe, yet the breach remains wide enough to frustrate and stifle far too many women seeking an equal opportunity to improve their lives and realize their ambitions.

Countless empowerment groups offer women opportunities to share their experiences with others who offer support and guidance. Lisa Borders (past president of the Womens National Basketball Association) became the first president and CEO of Times Up, a group founded to fight workplace sexual harassment, assault and abuse. And who hasnt heard of the international movement spawned by #MeToo, the formidable and growing anti-sexual-assault and womens empowerment movement? No longer do women need to fight back alone.

What do women want? Many seek an even playing field in and outside the workplace. Many men may share this imperative, but reality suggests that a majority do not. The reason, we believe, is that men and women view themselves, their environments and the world differently.

It is no secret that male dominance has been the norm since times long past, though history is a crippled justification for clinging to inequities rooted in caveman images and mean-minded discrimination. Change is slow. Sure, women occupy the higher ranks in politics and business, but their numbers represent a pitiable minority.

American women today may be challenged and compromised to a slightly lesser degree than when their moms grew up, but why should men continue to enjoy a reduced rate to paradise for similar or shoddier performances? Anybody ever heard of a good ol girls network? Sun Tzus Art of War for Women doesnt advocate creating one, but suggests how your personal goals and desired changes might be achieved in an unbalanced environment where males dominate disproportionately.

The good news: There is no need to set the world on fire, only to light a flame beneath the stubborn posteriors that may be cluttering your path. The better news is that the principles of Sun Tzus The Art of War can transliterate into tactics for success. Your success. Like one of our grandmas used to say, Vy not?

The Art of War for Women

All warfare is based on deception. Sun Tzu

Sun Tzus work The Art of War dates to the 6th century BCE. It is widely considered to be the earliest treatise written on the basic principles of warfare. Its central theme is conducting and winning war with minimum confrontation, risk and loss. Along with other military classics, it has been widely studied and embraced as a primer for devising military and business strategies. Given the times Sun Tzu lived in, his motives in writing The Art of War were not focused on the problems confronting women. Nor does our book, Sun Tzus Art of War for Women, address the full range of womens issues, but primarily the environments in which they work.

Despite this emphasis, the tactics you will find in Sun Tzus Art of War for Women are readily transferrable to family and social issues wherever men and women come together. Its principle is to win, when possible, before a war breaks out: subtly, peacefully and with limited rancor. The essence of win-win.

Sun Tzus contention that All warfare is based upon deception (as in allowing your enemy to perceive you as weaker or stronger than you really are) might imply that seeking peace instead of war can be founded on honesty and openness (e.g., the absence of artifice). Interestingly, the word Westerners traditionally translate as art in Chinese more precisely translates into English as as water goes. The idea of a natural path (as opposed to art) relates to the precepts and methodologies found in the Tao Te Ching, and its influence is referenced here and there in the pages of our book.

Fear not if the concept of deception perturbs your principles, were not talking about becoming a liar, cheat or master of deception. Among honest equals none of this would normally be needed. But playing in rough or unscrupulous company renders Boy and Girl Scouts vulnerable and at an unfair disadvantage. Circumstances define necessity; successfully competing requires the right tools, attitude and preparation.

Given the origins and purpose of his work, Sun Tzus arrangement of chapters and topics does not necessarily offer a one-to-one correlation with more peaceful pursuits. Nevertheless, his strategies and tactics for accomplishing ones goals with maximum efficiency and minimum cost remain applicable to any number of modern activities that involve competing and coming out on top. Especially competing in a predominately male-dominated environment, i.e., the workplace. Many of his suggestions are intended to be used in concert with others rather than as individual actions. A small change or addition can alter an entire strategy. Thus the reason for Sun Tzus Art of War for Women.

Consistent with the teachings of the Tao, which clearly influenced Sun Tzu, there are no hard-set rules to memorize. In this school of thought, extremes like good and evil are closely related, as each exists only in contrast to the other. Similarly, the way a plan worked for you yesterday can fall short tomorrow. This is why we focus on an understanding of Sun Tzus principles rather than a list of dos and donts to memorize. References to the enemy may correspond to your competition for a promotion at work. In situations where men enjoy a gender-based advantage, these often represent challenges a woman needs to overcome in order to stand on a favorable playing field. Look at them as challenges a resourceful woman can employ without making many enemies.