Some More Ways How the Art of War can help you

Rallying your Team for a Common Cause
"Asked if an army can be made to imitate the shuai-jan, I should answer, Yes. For the men of Wu and the men of Yueh are enemies; yet if they are crossing a river in the same boat and are caught by a storm, they will come to each other's assistance just as the left hand helps the right." Chapter 11. THE NINE SITUATIONS Verse 30
 I use this normally to rally my staff together. There was a few new hotels coming up in our area. I constantly brief my team, saying that while it looks like they are a threat to our business. It is also a blessing in disguise. That if we provide good service and good food now, we will build a good reputation. They might try to stay there cause its new but they will come to our restaurants cause our service and food is good. This will then rally my team to work hard to build our reputation, therefore improve our business. There their incentives will also increase.

No Turning Back, Never Give Up
" At the critical moment, the leader of an army acts like one who has climbed up a height and then kicks away the ladde behind him. He carries his men deep into hostile territory before he shows his hand" Chapter 11: THE NINE SITUATIONS Verse 38 Another Quote for this is "Burn your bridge behind you" I use this normally when I move to a new job or take on a new position. I always say to myself that there's no turning back. I have go on no matter what. Recently i assumed a higher position in my workplace. The job was going to be very challenging as the company was not making much money in the past. The person before me (my former boss) didn't do enough to bring in any business. My challenge if I accepted this position was to bring in business. Well I wrote my goals for one year and didn't look back. This time the soldiers was not my employee but my mind. I set my mind that there was no turning back. What follows this verse is " He burns his boats and breaks his cooking pots, like a shepherd drving a flock of sheep, he drives his man this way and that, and nothing knows whither he is going." Chapter 11. THE NINE SITUATIONS. Verse 39

The Use of Art of War in your Daily Works

Alt of people might think, what has a book with only 13 chapters and was written thousands of years before be helpful in our daily works. Well like all motivational and self help books, you need to see the big picture. Below are some examples of how the Art of War have helped me in my daily life.

Controllling Anger
Verse 12."There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general. One of it is a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults. This means holding your anger." Chapter 8: VARIATION IN TACTICS. I always had a quick tongue and an even quicker anger. I used to say what I feel and do things without much thought. That is the why I was most of the time passed over for promotions. Even though I knew the job very well. Now I'm more controlled now.
Another quote from Sun Tzu goes like this. 5. The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain, while the town still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege. Chapter 3. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM

Never Underestimate your competition
Verse 11. The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. Chapter 8: VARIATION IN TACTICS
This means never underestimate, always be prepared. We used to be the biggest hotel with the biggest convention room. So naturally we got the bulk of the business in our area. Now there's a new building coming up near us, same amount of rooms and an even larger convention hall. Luckily I followed this Sun Tzu's strategy. Before any news of this hotel coming up, we built our business with the local community. So we might lose some business to them, we will win back our guest if we continue to be friendly and give them an even better product than the new hotel.

Leading by Example
Verse 8  "At the critical moment, the leader of an army acts like one who has climbed up a height and then kicks away the ladder behind him. He carries his men deep into hostile territory before he shows his hand. "  Chapter 11. THE NINE SITUATIONS.
Few days ago, I was watching Battles BC on the History Channel. This time they were showing Caesar's battle with the Gauls. Towards the end of the battle, it looked like Rome was going to lose the campaign. They were attacked from both sides. Then Caesar put on his red cloak and when into battle with reinforcements. Seeing their comander fighting alongside with them with his distinguished red cloak, the Roman army had renewed strength and fought hard. They managed to win the battle. This concept can be used in today's management system. When your area is busy or staff have difficult situation, the staff will be happy to see their manager working alongside them. Not standing around giving orders. I have found that this motivates them to give their best. It also helps when you need to reprimand them for a mistake they have done. The employee will know that you want only for them to improve their performance.
Verse 25 "Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death." Chapter 10. TERRAIN

Some of the ways I adept the Art of War in my life

Since upgrading myself to Managerial positions, I'm always on the lookout for books that help me improve myself. Books that guide me on how to manage people, work and even life. One great book which I still read and use its methods is The One Minute Manager. Its one of the reading material that I recommend to any of my employee that is going to be a manager. When I was working for a hotel chain, they used the Sun Tzu's Art of War in their managerial skills. Did some research on the Art of War to improve my leadership skills. And I have been using it in my life and work till now. Here are some ways in which I use the art of war. I will add some as I go along. Hope my interpretation of this ancient methods will help others in managing life and work.

The Legend of the Art of War

Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War

The legend goes that Sun Tzu was born into minor nobility in what is now Shandong, a part of China north of Shanghai. He wrote a military treatise in order to get noticed and hired by royalty. He wrote a 13 chapter called The Art of War. The Art of War is a philosophy of war for managing conflicts and winning battles. The book is not only popular among military theorists, but it has also become increasingly popular among political leaders and those in business management. Despite its title, The Art of War, The Art of War teaches you to win without fighting.

The use of Art of War in Planning
Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat  (Chapter 1 : Verse 26 LAYING PLANS) This means planning. Every morning when the sun is rising I will stand facing the sun, just feeling its warmth. While doing this I will plan out the day. Visualize how its going to be. I also allow my junior managers some time in the office before they go into operations, to plan and get themselves ready. I also ask them what's their plan for the day.

A Helpful App - Pocket Budget App

Some of the self help books that I like to read are books on achieving financial freedom. I like to read and reread books like Richard Clason's " Richest Man in Babylon" and books by Robert Kiyosaki. These are not get rich quick books, but books that teach us how to comtrol expenditure thus obtaining financial freedom. Most of the books teaches that in order to be financial free we need to track our expenses daily. I have been doing that for the past few years. I was shocked when I found out that I was spending unnessarily on things that I could have gotten. You can read one such example here Book Review- Richest Man in Babylon. I normaly use an excel worksheet which I put into my smartphone and keyin my expenditures. But using excel has some limitations. You need to export at the end of each month which can be some work. I came across Pocket Budget from an article in the Star newspaper. Downloaded this app and love it. Pocket Budget is an easy way to manage your finances by tracking of your expenses and incomes. After installing Pocket Budget, you need to put your income either in salary or gift categories. When you have an expense just click on the expense button. Put it in what category. If you want to add some pre set categories, just click add category. Add a description if you want and save. The app automatically calculate your balance. By doing this you know what you have to use until your next salary. This app even generates reports that you can easily view at the end of the month to see where your money went. You can download this app at Google Store just type Pocket Budget.

What Lies in your Debt? It pays to know

Website http://www.whatliesinyourdebt.com
Guarantee: 8 weeks 100% Money Back Guarantee

Get Rid Of Your Credit Card Debt, Clean Up Your Credit, And Make Debt Collectors Go Away? And Make Money Doing It! Our members actually make money using our process while not paying big bucks for a process that just doesn’t work! Rip off artists are abundant in these economic times. Just check Google and states’ attorneys' offices, con artists without a conscience are plaguing struggling home owners or people who are having hard times. Take control yourself and don't count on anyone to get you through the tough times. Our proven system will show you how to keep the banks and debt collectors at bay while making them pay you every time they break the law!

Only $99 for first month and $49 per month after....

Learning from Tony Fernandez by Apprentice Asia

Well this post is not a single inspirational person but an example on the importance of palnning in everything we do. I feel everyone has heard this mantra at a point of their life. The mantra goes like this "If you want to succeed in life, you need to do something you are passionate about". Mine is the Food and Beverage. So much so that my other half says that she is the second wife, my job is my first wife. Thats true. I can't stop working. When I am eating out, I always observe what the wait staff do, how food is presented and so on. Even when we stay in hotels, I like to wake up early and walk around the hotel. My wife always say when we are on holiday why can't I leave my work at home. Even the shows I like to watch are related to the Food and Beverage field. Nowadays after assuming a management position my playlist have increased. I like shows that are related to the management and also marketing field. One such show is the Apprentice reality show with Donald Trump. I not only like to see how they market or complete their projects. You can also get some management and leadership lesson from these type of shows especially from the boss Donald Trump.
Recently AXN started a new Apprentice Series based in Asia. Its on every wednesday and is called of course "Apprentice Asia". The boss here will be Tony Fernandez. Tony Fernandez is really an inspirational guy. From being in the music industry he bought a failing airline for only RM1 (with a heavy debt attached to it and turn it into one of the best low cost airlines. You can read something about him here My Heroes- People who have inspired me. Well lets go back with the opening episode of Apprentice Asia. The teams were divided by gender, each team was given the task of selling fish at a market. The team with the highest profit margin wins the challenge. Should be a simple task for a bunch of professionals but they failed misserable. The ladies team lost about RM100 and the men's team lost RM600.
We will review why the men lost. The main word was STRATEGY. They didn't sit down and plan their strategy. When they arrive at the market they quickly set up stall. They didn't do a market survey, therefore they didn't know whether they were selling higher or lower. They let the buyers who is very savvy with fish prices dictate the price. They didn't do a price list based on a profit margin, therefore they sold at a lower price. One of the participants started calling customers eventhough they were not ready. Even Sun Tzu has something to say about planning, its from the first chapter called "Laying Plans".26. Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.
From this show, you will see the importance of planning especially when doing a menu. Even the simplest task like selling fish needs to carefully planned. In a previous post I have elaborated the steps in creating your menu.



Tony DiCorpo is a coffee roaster, barista trainer and coffee business consultant. He has authored many articles on coffee and the coffee business. Tony has extensive experience in business and collectively more than 20 years experience in sales, business management, entrepreneurship and the coffee business. The website to go to get his business plan is www.tonys-coffee-shop-business-plan.com

Personal Financing with Robert Kiyosaki

Cashflow Quadrant
This book is a continuation of the Rich Dad Poor Dad book. In this book Robert Kiyosaki explains that there are four quadrants. It shows which quadrant we are in and which one we ought to be in.

The four quadrants are

E QUADRANT is for employee
These are people who are mainly afraid to take risk. They look for job security and benefits. Thus looking for jobs that offer job security and benefit. They may be highly paid but their financial status is only defined by the employers.

S QUADRANT for self-employed
The people in the S quadrant are self employed. They are specialist in their area. They want to do their own thing. They believe that if they work hard, they will be paid better. They are normally perfectionist and is hesitant on hiring staff. So they will work very hard cause if they don't work , they won't get paid. They are also not able to take leave for long as they are not able to lose any customers.

This is followed by the two Quadrant that we are advised to be in, in order to be financially free. That is

B QUADRANT for business owner
A business owner owns a business that generates money.

I QUADRANT for investor
Investors earn money from their various investments-in other words, money generating more money.

The CASHFLOW QUADRANT is also not a get rich quick book, its only a guide to financial freedom.

Rich Dad's CASHFLOW Quadrant is perfect for employees or self-employed individuals interested in finding new ways to generate cash flow. One of thing that is good about this book is the author tells us to start slow and small, gaining experience first. If you're already a business owner or real estate investor, this book delivers tools for even greater success.


Rich Dad's Guide to Investing.
This is the third book in the Rich Dad Poor Dad Series. One of the things that I have found useful in this book is that in come in short chapters of 3-4 pages each, so I usually read a chapter a night before I sleep to digest and ponder each chapter. In this book, Robert shows how to get started and how it does not take money to make money. As with the first two books, this is not a book for those who want hot tips and quick fixes.

What I like about this book, is that Kiyosaki says that if we look properly we can create our wealth out of nothing. Before finding out about Internet Marketing, I thought that this was a lot of bull. I always thought you need money to make money. But with the internet, it has never been easier to create wealth out of nothing. Take Squidoo for instance, you can write about your favourite topic and make money from it. He also says you should make a plan to be financially secure, a plan to be financially comfortable, and a plan to be rich.
As in all his other books, Kiyosaki's book is worth reading again and again.
This book is a must for those who want to be Financially Independent
One final recommendation I have is to buy his Cashflow Games. Cashflow 101 is a board game that will teach you how to get out of the rat race whatever your status is.
I have a computer version of the game and found it really interesting. It really depicts real life, once you start playing.

What Lies in your Debt? It pays to know

Website http://www.whatliesinyourdebt.com
Guarantee: 8 weeks 100% Money Back Guarantee

Get Rid Of Your Credit Card Debt, Clean Up Your Credit, And Make Debt Collectors Go Away? And Make Money Doing It! Our members actually make money using our process while not paying big bucks for a process that just doesn’t work! Rip off artists are abundant in these economic times. Just check Google and states’ attorneys' offices, con artists without a conscience are plaguing struggling home owners or people who are having hard times. Take control yourself and don't count on anyone to get you through the tough times. Our proven system will show you how to keep the banks and debt collectors at bay while making them pay you every time they break the law!

Only $99 for first month and $49 per month after....

Personal Financing with Rich Dad Poor Dad

Who is Robert Kiyosaki?
Robert Kiyosaki is a motivational author in areas of personal finance, investing and business. A fourth generation Japanese American, born and raised in Hawaii. His biological dad was the head of education for the state of Hawaii. He studied in America, joined the Marine Corps, and rose to the position of an officer and also a helicopter pilot. After his tour in the Vietnam War, he joins the Xerox Corporation as a salesman to learn the art of selling. In 1977 he started his first company which was importing nylon and Velcro wallets that became associated with surfers. In the mid eighties he set up an educational company where people could learn his financial philosophies.
He published his No 1 New York Times Best Seller, Rich Dad Poor Dad in 1997. The characters in the book are off fictional people, loosely based on the people in his life. His poor dad is like most people who work hard for money, taking courses to improve their skills which they think will improve their salary and job security. Like most people that are in the rat race, poor dad is stuck paying bills and feeding his family, just getting by monthly. Eventually poor dad falls out of grace with the government and leave, retiring poor and unhappy.
Rich dad is more of a risk taker. Starting slow using his money to invest in real estate and businesses building up his assets leading to abundance of financial wealth.
He later went to write Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant, Rich Dad's Guide to Investing and Rich Kid Smart Kid. All the books have been on the best sellers list worldwide.
Robert later develops a board game to teach individuals about personal financing. The game is called Cashflow 101. As with reading all Robert Kiyosaki's Books, play it with an open mind so as you can learn from this game. This game is also entertaining.
Robert Kiyosaki briefly retired at the age of 47.He is still involved in his Rich Dad Educational Company. His goals are to give people information that will help them make their money work hard for them.

Personal Financing with Rich Dad Poor Dad

Well, I've just finished reading Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki for the 6th time (I like reading good books over again). This is a wonderful book that gives you simple insights on ways of handling your personal finances. It has helped me a lot. I'm not a millionaire yet but luckily someone gave me this book before the current economic downturn. I'm able to weather through.
The insight into the difference between your assets and liabilities is really good and simple to understand, which I found it to be true with purchase of gold jewelry (I have always thought that buying gold was a good investment as gold prices increase but found out otherwise).
It also got me thinking of the purchase of a house too.
You will also find out that specializing in your job is not as good you think, as it makes you more dependent on your job. This I have also found to be true with my job. I've always thought that by specializing in only things related to my work, will give me job security but as what Robert Kiyosaki states that it is not always the case. It's true, believe me.
Read the book and judge it for yourself. Just remember that this is not a GET RICH QUICK book but it gives you ideas that will open your mind to different ways of becoming financially successful. It might not make me a millionaire but I'm sure it will make me financially free and out of the rat race.




Product One Week Marketing Plan
Website www.oneweekmarketing.com
The Entire One Week Marketing Plan Cost only $47.00 USD
Guarantee: 60 days 100% Money Back Guarantee

Robert Kiyosaki in all his books says you need to create passive income. One the ways he says is though royalty. Well Squidoo is a website that give you money for the amount of visits you get on your page.

Here's a stay home mom that has create passive income for herself using mainly Squidoo. I have her website in my favourite list and found out she knows what she's talking. Have used some of her tips and really works. I'm not earning as much as her but I'm getting there. In the package there is step-by-step information you need to create multiple streams of passive income, and without paying a dime out of pocket.

Here's how it works: Every element of One Week Marketing is broken down into daily items that last . . . yes, you guessed it, a total of one week. :) With my system, there's no worrying about becoming overwhelmed. Just pull up that day's action plan and follow the simple steps and you'll be well on your way to making money.

What Lies in your Debt? It pays to know

Website http://www.whatliesinyourdebt.com
Guarantee: 8 weeks 100% Money Back Guarantee

Get Rid Of Your Credit Card Debt, Clean Up Your Credit, And Make Debt Collectors Go Away? And Make Money Doing It! Our members actually make money using our process while not paying big bucks for a process that just doesn’t work! Rip off artists are abundant in these economic times. Just check Google and states’ attorneys' offices, con artists without a conscience are plaguing struggling home owners or people who are having hard times. Take control yourself and don't count on anyone to get you through the tough times. Our proven system will show you how to keep the banks and debt collectors at bay while making them pay you every time they break the law!

Only $99 for first month and $49 per month after....