"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."
– The Art of War, Sun Tzu
Many people mistake The Art of War for a book teaching strategies on how to fight wars and critical battles. To the contrary, The Art of War is about how to avoid the fight. Long, drawn-out battles are expensive, slow, and very hard to control. In the first part of the opening quote, Victorious warriors win first, Sun Tzu focuses the student on preparation, situational awareness, a controllable environment, attention to relevant details, and determining the outcome before starting. The lessons in the book are about knowing the environment and having situational awareness. Do you have the latest, most accurate information? Do you have reliable sources? Are you thinking clearly? Are you controlling...