Examples In Leadership

THE HUMBLE WARRIOR

The warrior's path, is one littered with many trials and tribulations. As the warrior journeys onwards through a life fulfilled by an attainment of spiritual integrity, his greatest risks will be reflected more in the actions of retreat than in battle. The formidable warrior is one that accepts their vulnerability with grace and bravely struggles on with this knowledge.

Men and the male archetype, are predominantly seen as the aggressor, dominator and driving force behind many violent manifestations in the world past and present. This warrior spirit will be the result of misspent energies arising from those who have not learned to direct a warrior's spirit towards the good, positive change and champion the right action in themselves and others. Female warriors are as much to blame for adopting this hardened, cold and emotionless approach to leadership, resulting in corruption, trauma, misery and suffering in the world.

The warrior is defined by the actions he/she takes and a delicate balance is played between masculine/feminine, light/shadow, creation/destruction and resolution for the attainment of the highest purpose, where service to others comes before service to self. Warriors are driven by an inert desire to uphold integrity in their pursuits for truths and in today's environment, the world needs more warriors to come forward on this quest..

Boardroom Battlefields
Many of the major battles fought today, are those played out in the office environment. The sword has long been replaced and physical might has no advantages in fierce negotiations where quick wits and a steadfast resolve to stand up for what you believe, are the weapons of victory. Female warriors now play a much greater role in business and the outdated posturing of an alpha male (or woman), is quickly being won out by those who have attained wisdom, balance and the channelling of blinded will through to focussed intent.

Each time a battle is won over an adversary – either real or realised from within – a sensitive warrior edges towards hero status. A hero is the recognition by others of the individual's quest towards a goal defined by principles, measured in scars by the failures, temptations and ordeals overcome and strength gained post recovery towards a deeper meaning of life's successes, defining spiritual, physical, mental health and the vibrational presence of love.

The Hero's Journey
Joseph Campbell's book, 'The Hero With A Thousand Faces', combines the insights of modern psychology, with mythic traditions found throughout all ages and embodied in many classic stories and modern films of adventure, where the transformative nature influences the hero's struggle for meaningful resolutions and sense of purpose.

Negotiating Without Fighting
The three greatest assets for a warrior are 1. Ensuring integrity is retained at all times, 2. Wilful determination fulled via self-belief and 3. Acknowledgement of one's humility, vulnerability and the susceptibility of self-assured hubris. Having these qualities, allows the warrior to better know when is the right time to fight or retreat and ultimately, understand which path awards the greatest chances of success.

The Art of Negotiation
The art of negotiation is essential for winning in life's battle arena. Be it aiming for a higher salary, obtaining a better price when buying a car, or getting the best table in a restaurant – every interaction will have tactical opportunities for achieving success. Often, it's better to avoid any confrontation and allow an opportunity for the adversary to back out. Performed correctly, both parties will exit the negotiations feeling satisfied with the result..

Sun Tzu's leadership through suggestion, not dictation
The following list should be learned and their meaning fully understood before one is to engage in any battle.

1. A leader leads by example, not by force.
2. You have to believe in yourself.
3. Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.
4. If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. If sovereign and subject are in accord, put a division between them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
5. The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
6. Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
7. If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things.
8. Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
9. To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.
10. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
11. Can you imagine what I would do if I could do all I could?
12. Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.
13. Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirm their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while they wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate.
14. 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.
15. Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory: 
1. Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.
2. Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy are the noise before defeat.
3. There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard. There are not more than five primary colours, yet in combination, they produce more hues than can ever be seen. There are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet combinations of them yield more flavours than can ever be tasted.
4. Opportunities multiply as they are seized.
5. When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.
16. Know yourself and you will win all battles.
17. Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.
18. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
19. When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them. Seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them. If united, separate them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.
20. All warfare is based on deception. 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 believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.
21. There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.
22. The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.
23. Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.
24. Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.
25. All warfare is based on deception.
26. When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
27.  He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
28. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.
29. He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.
30. He will win who prepared himself, and waits to take the enemy unprepared.
31. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

Ultimately, the true, virtuous and noble leader has the courage to admit weakness and takes the necessary steps to protect themselves from ever having that weakness exposed where it can increase the enemy's advantage in battle.