How to be a Sun Tzu: How To Be Prepared for Life

In 512 BC, the King of Wu summoned Sun Tzu.

The king had read Sun Tzu’s Art of War and was intrigued. But he was also wary. What if Sun Tzu was just a writer of books? What if Sun Tzu could tell fine stories about strategy but lacked the capacity to act strategically in a real war? So, the king decided to test Sun Tzu.

To test him, the king asked if Sun Tzu could command women, then presented him with a harem led by two concubines. Sun Tzu divided them into units, armed them, and gave commands to march, but the women laughed and refused to follow orders.

Sun Tzu paused the drums and asked the concubines whether the women had heard and understood his command. Once they said yes, he ordered the beheading of the concubines as punishment for their failure.

The king, horrified, pleaded to spare them, but Sun Tzu insisted on discipline. After the beheadings, he appointed new leaders for the units, which then marched perfectly.

Disgusted, the king dismissed Sun Tzu, but Sun Tzu remarked that the king was merely a reader of strategy, not a practitioner. The king acknowledged Sun Tzu's capabilities and entrusted him with the armies of Wu.

Angus Fletcher, a professor of literature who calls himself a ‘story scientist,’ says that contrary to popular belief that this story is about Sun Tzu’s ruthless commitment to discipline, it’s proof of his creativity.

Sun Tzu had never commanded an army of concubines before. He did not know how they would react, and he did not even know how the king would react since he was meeting him for the first time. Sun Tzu was walking into an unprecedented situation, one that demanded creative thinking. And he responded with stunning originality, behaving in ways that violated social norms and shocked the king.

Sun Zu, in short, took a creative risk. He embraced uncertainty and responded creatively. What if the king had been angered and ordered to kill him? What if the harem women had responded to the killing of their leaders by running away? What if the guards who were ordered by Sun Tzu to behead the concubines did not listen to him?

According to Fletcher, it would not have mattered. Sun Tzu could have adapted to those plot twists——or to any others. He could have adapted because he was prepared to plunge into the unknown.

By doing so, he forced the king and the royal court to face uncertainty, shattering the palace’s normal rules of operation, which then demanded a creative response. He was confident that whatever the response of others, he could deliver a response faster than them.

He had practiced for this by plunging himself into uncertain situations before, struggling initially but getting better with more practice. He was sure that the king and the harem women would struggle in a similar way since they were facing uncertainty for the first time.

He knew they would be disoriented and scared.

Here is Fletcher’s advice to you: You can be Sun Tzu too. All that you have to do is to push yourself into uncertain situations by changing routines. Push yourself into new spaces, new people, and novel challenges. When a life’s uncertainty beckons you, welcome it. This will prepare you for spontaneous creativity when the situation demands.

You may struggle like the king and the concubines. But with practice, you will become Sun Tzu.