Sun Tzu Ancient Strategies and Wisdom for Winning at Work

Chin-nigh chu

“The first and most important bit of terrain to take into account exists inside your head. If you do not take time to truly think about your strengths and weaknesses, you cannot begin to deal effectively with the external terrain you face. 

How well you deal with your colleagues, bosses, employees, and clients- and your career in general- depends on how well you utilize your resources: both your positive and negative attributes….

It is the same with your personal characteristics. No attribute is purely positive or negative. It all depends on what you do with the hand you have been dealt.

Everyone’s life is filled with a certain number of liabilities. Yet these so-called disadvantages can be turned into secret weapons for winning. 

1.     Know who you are. It is possible to compete in a man’s world and still enjoy being a woman. You can enjoy having a male coworker open your doors without feeling that your power has been diminished. Or perhaps you feel more comfortable opening it for him. It’s our choice, and you should not feel you need to act one way or another because of what you believe is expected- or not expected- of you. By being competitive yet elegant, effective yet gentle, you will confuse, fascinate, and surprise your male coworkers and bosses. 

Whatever your personal qualities are- aggressive or genteel; elegant or sporty; collaborative or competitive – don’t be afraid to use them.”

I read this book two years ago and it empowered me in work and my daily life. I chose this passage to share because as I was looking through the book it caught my eye. Highlighting the good and bad attributes about your personality can make you a stronger player in everything you do. This was a good reminder for me as I head into this week, full steam ahead, to make new exciting things happen for my business. For myself my age is a bad thing because many older clients think that I am not knowledgeable enough in my field, but on the other had I get more work for social media because I am younger and have grown up communicating online and through new social mediums.  

How does this passage of the book inspire you? What liability’s do you have that you would like to turn into assets.