The Art of War and the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Introduction

This paper will present summary and comparison of two books. First one is The Art of War, and the second one is The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

The Art of War written by Sun Tzu is one of the oldest and most successful books on military strategy. It influenced eastern military thinking and emphasized the most efficient way of gaining victory with the least amount of conflict. The original text is purposely made obscure and difficult to understand, so that Sun Tzu remained employed, as the king would need him for interpretation. Although it has a mixture of profound philosophy and detailed tactical prescriptions that are great for battles about 2500 years ago. The teaching of Sun Tzu is powerful: it will not only instruct us, but also reveal where we stand and how to approach a problem, how to deal with adversity, and how to handle the whims of fate.

This book is the first known study of the planning and conduct of military opertions. In addition, it is unsurpassed in depth of understanding not only battlefield maneuvers, but also eoconomic, psychological factors. In fact, the principles outline are regularly applied outside the realm of military theory and it is read by businessmen all over the world.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People written by Dr. Stephen R. Covey is very popular not only in the USA, but also worldwide. It sold over 20 million books in the world. Dr. Covey had researched many highly effective people in various areas and he has found common habits of highly effective people and has organized the habits in seven main habits. In this book, highly effective people are not merely successful people in the short-term. Dr. Covey defined that highly effective people have good habits to remain successful for the long term, and can achieve high performance, excellent results in various situations and improve their performance capabilities at the same time.

This book offers to readers an opportunity which is to explore ourselves, and how to take control of our life, not just a how-to guide. Moreover, Dr. Covey is not only a famous author, but also a charismatic speaker. In fact, his firm have provided personal and organizational leadership, on many subjects in addition to the Seven Habits. (Smith & Hadjian, 1994).This is one big reason why this book is widely supported by attract a wide range of readers.

Book Summary of The Art of War

The first chapter is titled "Planning". The Planning explores the five key elements (mission, climate, ground, leadership, and methods) and seven elements that valuate your competitive strengths against your competition. Generals who act on the elements can be victorious. In addition, they must create situations which will contoribute to their accomplishment. All warfare is based on deception. Many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat.

The second chapter is titled "Waging War". In the operations of warfare, the cost must be very expensive. And if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain. Cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays. Thus it may be known that the general is arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.

The third chapter is titled "Planning the Attack". The source of strength is unity, not size. Moreover, there are five ingredients that you need to succeed in any competitive situation. The ingredients are Attack, Strategy, Alliances, Army, and Cities.

The fourth chapter is titled "Tactical Dispositions". Good fighters first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. Thus, in warfare the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas a general who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory. In respect of military method, firstly, measurement; secondly, estimation of quantity; thirdly, calculation; fourthly, balancing of chances; fifthly, victory.

The fifth chapter is titled" Force". The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few. However it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. Creativity and timing is important to build an army's momentum.

The sixth chapter is titled" Weakness and Strength". It is important to capture the initiative in all fighting. One of this principle is that he who occupies the field of battele first and awaits his anemy is at ease. On the contrary, he who comes later to the scene and rushes into the fight is weary.

The seventh chapter is titled" Maneuvering". There are the several arts of employing troops. (When the enemy occupies high ground, do not confront him. Do no attack his elite troops. Do not gobble proferred baits. Do not thwart an enemy returning homewards. To asurrounded enemy you must leave a way of escape. Do not press an enemy at bay.)

The eithth chapter is titled" Adapting to the Situation". The system of employing troops is that the commander receiveshis mandate from the sovereign to mobilize the people and assemble the army. You should not encamp in low-lying ground. In communicatingground, unite with your allies. You should not linger in desolate ground. In enclosed ground, resourcefulness is required. In death ground, fight.

The ninth chapter is titled" Marches". There are various situations when troops move through new enemy territories, and it is important how to respond to these situations by evaluating the intentions of enemies.

The tenth chapter is titled" Field Position". Situational Positioning looks at the three general areas of resistance (distance, dangers, and barriers) and the six types of ground positions that arise from them. Each of these six field positions offers certain advantages and disadvantages.

The eleventh chapter is titled" Nine Terrain". In respect to the employment of troops, ground may be classified as dispersive, frontier, key communicating, focal, serious, difficult, encircled, and death.