Getting ahead of the competition isn’t exactly new thinking — Sun Tzu’s 5th century BC book, ‘The Art of War,’ provides more than a few adages that continue to feel fresh — or threatening, depending on which side of the deal you’re on. Consider this from Sun Tzu: “the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.”
Imposing one’s corporate will, whether that means eliminating competition, being first, controlling market share, or outselling the competition, is a rough game. And like most games, having a competitive advantage is critical to winning while losing a competitive advantage can be fatal.
Look at what’s happened to Kohl’s department store, once seen as the strongest national department store chain but is now expected to face closing stores in 2023 as retail sales continue to migrate to Amazon and consumer spending wanes. Even Walmart can struggle and the list of big business dinosaurs, like Blockbuster, Dell, and Sears, gets longer and longer as the pace of change accelerates.
“When in difficult country, do not encamp,” Sun Tzu wrote. Maybe now, in our rapidly changing economic and business environment, it’s time to use the strategy Airforce fighter pilots are trained to use: Observe. Orient. Decide. Act.
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