Sun-Tzu and the GRT in Illinois: Part II

A commenter asked an interesting question in my earlier post:

"I'd be curious what Sun Tsu has to say about disloyal lieutenents.[sic]"

Sun-Tzu has some very interesting things to say about loyalty. First, he makes it clear that loyalty is something that is continually earned by leaders, not foisted upon them.

There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army:--

(1) By commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called hobbling the army.

(2) By attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier's minds.

(3) By employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.

But when the army is restless and distrustful, trouble is sure to come from the other feudal princes. This is simply bringing anarchy into the army, and flinging victory away.

To put this in political context in Illinois:

(1) Adopt an unwinnable political strategy, and your political troops cannot deliver for you, no matter how good they are.

(2) Ignore the fact that a political operation can't be run like a state bureaucracy (and visa versa), and your political troops will lose morale.

(3) Try to run the next political battle like you ran the last one, ignoring reality, and the folks on the ground -- who can see it isn't working -- will lose faith in your leadership.

Lose enough unwinnable wars, crush the morale of your supporters, and squander their faith, and you have created a political vacuum; politics, like all of nature, abhors a vacuum, and those most likely to step into that vacuum are those who have stood close to you and watched you do 1, 2 and 3.

And what advice does Sun-Tzu give to field commanders who's rulers insist on doing 1, 2 or 3?

VIII. VARIATION IN TACTICS

Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign, collects his army and concentrates his forces.

When in difficult country, do not encamp. In country where high roads intersect, join hands with your allies. Do not linger in dangerously isolated positions. In hemmed-in situations, you must resort to stratagem. In desperate position, you must fight.

There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must be not attacked, towns which must be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed. (emphasis added)

There is a time and place for discipline and obedience, but show me a campaign manager who follows the direction of her/his candidates -- or even supervisors -- without question, and I'll show you a campaign manager who loses alot of campaigns.

I've found that the best political leaders (or leaders of all sorts) are the ones who create an atmosphere for decision-making that encompasses the input of their lieutenants on the ground; once the best course of action is reached through consensus, then, and only then, does the campaign move forward with monolithic and awe-inspiring certainty of victory. But that is a future discussion from another book.