Who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits.
Sun TzuRead
If a general shows confidence in his men but always insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Trusting your team while maintaining authority leads to mutual respect and success.
This quote by Sun Tzu highlights the importance of a leader's confidence in their team and the necessity of authority in decision-making. When a leader instills confidence in their subordinates while simultaneously ensuring that their directives are respected, it fosters a cooperative environment where both the leader and the team can flourish together, ultimately achieving collective goals.
Themes
LeadershipConfidenceTeamworkAuthorityMutual Respect
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote during a leadership workshop to emphasize the importance of trust and authority.
More from Sun Tzu
All quotes βGreat results, can be achieved with small forces.
Sun TzuRead
To capture an enemies army is better than to destroy it.
Sun TzuRead
The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand.
Sun TzuRead
You can ensure the success of your attacks if you only attack places that are undefended. You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked. Therefore, that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.
Sun TzuRead
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
Sun TzuRead
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I love opposition that has convictions.
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