| Lesson On The Use Of Deception In Business | | | | handouts" and offers of charity from those who try to |
| Strategy(From A Movie - And An Ancient Book) | | | | feel sorry for you. Don't let them - you don't need that. |
| If you don't mind I'd like to start this piece with a | | | | Instead borrow money/accept help, in exchange for a |
| narrative of the closing stages of an interesting movie I | | | | part of something you own e.g a stake in your |
| once watched titled TROY. If you do mind, then skip to | | | | business etc. If you took the right decision about |
| the next section, as I believe I've put in enough from | | | | starting your business in the first place, you are not |
| there to still convey most of my intended message :-). | | | | likely to regret it subsequently. If you won't regret it, |
| It was intriguing to watch a scene in the movie, where | | | | why should you let someone feel bad on your behalf? |
| the Greek warriors, led by their famous fighting | | | | It can get quite difficult to keep this up however, |
| machine character "Achilles", exploited the somewhat | | | | especially with the lack of money biting away at your |
| fatalistic and excessively religious mentality of the | | | | subconscious. But, if you are a student of success, you |
| Trojans. They did this by placing a gigantic wooden gift | | | | should by now know that it is challenges of this nature |
| horse surrounded by corpses of Greek soldiers who | | | | that WILL make you strong. |
| looked like they had been afflicted by a strange illness | | | | Adversity Can Help You Discover Who Your REAL |
| on an open field where it would be easily found by the | | | | Friends Are(NOT)! |
| Trojans. When the Trojan King and his priests saw it, | | | | Let me tell you one good reason why you should be |
| they readily interpreted it(as the Greeks had hoped | | | | grateful for adversity of this kind e.g. lack of money. It |
| they would) to mean their gods were at last fighting | | | | helps you find out who your real friends are(and/or |
| for them by visiting the strange illness on the Greeks. | | | | ARE NOT). Adversity for a business startup/owner |
| They believed that was why the Greeks had sent in | | | | can often come in the form of LACK - be it of money |
| the gift horse as an offering to appease the gods of | | | | or access to other need resources. Money issues in |
| the Trojans. | | | | particular have always caused problems between |
| Ignoring the protests of a few - including their king's | | | | people who had otherwise excellent relationships. |
| son, who proposed that the gift be burned(Achilles and | | | | That's why I always say this: For any two |
| his guys who were hiding inside the giant horse-gift | | | | people(including husband and wife) to really prove they |
| must have been terrified to hear that!) - the Trojans | | | | understand themselves thoroughly, let them |
| had the gift horse dragged through their hitherto | | | | demonstrate THAT understanding repeatedly and |
| impregnable city gates(which had kept attackers like | | | | consistently in relation to money issues. |
| the Greeks out for years), right into the city center. | | | | When your "friend" suddenly sees that you no longer |
| The people then danced late into the night celebrating | | | | seem to (note that I said "seem to") have that spark in |
| the "apparent" surrender" of the Trojans. | | | | your eyes, that confidence with which you spoke six |
| Hmm, how ironic. What they did not know was that | | | | months earlier about your business, how does s/he |
| the Trojans knew them so well, that they had | | | | behave? Does s/he still keep extending support to you |
| expected this kind of reaction, and had played on it | | | | - financially or otherwise? Or does s/he suddenly start |
| deliberately, to get behind the famed walls. Late in the | | | | telling you s/he is busy; hardly returns your phone calls, |
| night, long after the celebrations had ended and all the | | | | "talks down" to you before others etc? |
| people had gone back to their homes to sleep, the | | | | What Do You Do With The "REAL" Friend(s) That |
| Greek soldiers hidden in the giant wooden horse gift | | | | You Discover? |
| began to emerge. Within minutes, they began taking | | | | But what if the person DOES keep on giving you the |
| out the guards, and killing any other Trojans they met | | | | support or assistance as and when the need arises? |
| along the way. In no time, they had opened the city | | | | Do you just keep accepting it as it comes? My |
| gates, and let their waiting compatriots in. The great | | | | experiences have taught me the answer to that |
| city of Troy fell - VERY badly. | | | | question is a VERY BIG "NO"! You cannot afford to |
| So, what really happened to cause this tragedy? The | | | | simply assume that anyone would do that much for |
| Trojans acted naively. They too readily assumed that | | | | nothing. It would be unwise to even accept such. The |
| their "pagan" enemies who had traveled a great | | | | truth is that not everyone can be that selfless! There is |
| distance to fight them had succumbed to the power | | | | VERY likely to be something that person is looking to |
| of the gods of Troy. They let what they felt - and | | | | get, for helping out so much - and it may not |
| wanted badly to see/hear - cloud their judgment of | | | | necessarily be money. So you'd better find out quickly, |
| what was BEFORE them. At the point when they | | | | and ensure you're willing to give whatever it turns out |
| contemplated what to do with the gift horse, even the | | | | to be. If you find you cannot give it, then you can |
| most competent among them lost hold of his critical | | | | quickly stop him/her before letting things go too far. |
| thinking skills, and succumbed instead to wishful thinking | | | | Let me repeat myself. It is in your best interest to |
| encouraged by overzealous priests. | | | | quickly ascertain a person's motives for helping you if |
| The Greeks had done the opposite. They had studied | | | | they ever come your way - else you might regret not |
| their enemies well. They knew their strengths(from | | | | doing so, much later. No matter how well you think you |
| many unsuccessful attempts at trying to force their | | | | know people, you can never know them well enough. I |
| way into the city), and took pains to discover their | | | | have found that human beings are always able to |
| weaknesses. They then put together a plan to exploit | | | | surprise themselves again and again. This can be |
| the latter, in order to achieve their aims. In my opinion, | | | | especially true where money issues are concerned! |
| the foregoing is an excellent example of the | | | | There was a Power Point slide show presentation |
| application, by the Greeks, of the principles described in | | | | circulated on the Internet some years ago that found |
| a book titled "The Art of War" (regarded as a classic | | | | its way into my outlook e-mail box in my last |
| work on strategy in warfare) written by Sun Tzu, an | | | | workplace. It was a kind of parable about life. There is |
| ancient Chinese General reputed to have been | | | | one particular phrase I took away from it which goes |
| extremely successful in war. | | | | something like this: "Not everyone that puts dirt on your |
| Consider the quote below, from that book: | | | | head is your enemy, and not everyone that takes the |
| "Therefore, when capable, feign incapacity: when | | | | dirt off your head, is your friend". |
| active, inactivity. When near, make it appear you are | | | | With reference to that parable, I will say that you may |
| far away when far away, that you are near....I make | | | | want to always watch out for the tell tale signs of |
| my enemy see my strengths as weaknesses and my | | | | people who try to use you. Some come close to you, |
| weaknesses as strengths while I cause his strengths | | | | if they think you look like you might soon get a |
| to become weaknesses and discover where he is not | | | | breakthrough - they want to be around at that time, so |
| strong...I conceal my tracks so that none can discern | | | | they can claim to have been there for you(and |
| them; I keep silence so that none can hear me" | | | | therefore share the spotlight/moment of glory). Others |
| - Sun Tzu, in "The Art Of War" | | | | are hoping that by helping you, you will remember them |
| Incidentally Mark R. McNeilly in his book "Sun Tzu and | | | | when you get to the "top", and open doors for them in |
| the Art Of Business - Six strategic principles for | | | | return. Again, that is if they feel you could do very well. |
| managers" translated the strategic concepts from the | | | | In such instances, they "stick around". But soon as they |
| original book by Sun Tzu - into successful business | | | | get what they consider strong signals that things might |
| strategies. In his book, McNeilly describes the principle | | | | not turn out the way they expected, for you, their |
| of Deception and Foreknowledge (along with five | | | | dispositions change. Always be ready for such, and |
| others) as crucially important for achieving success in | | | | take it in your stride. |
| business. | | | | Summary |
| Among other things, he explained that if you wish to | | | | The foregoing points should be in your mind when you |
| get ahead of your business competition, you must do | | | | want to take that decision to accept the offer your |
| a very deep level of research and analysis. Something | | | | "friend" or "relative" has made that you save your |
| like that done by the Greeks in the movie I just | | | | money by moving into his/her house for instance. At |
| described. I would add that this means you have to | | | | the initial stages, it might seem like a good idea, and |
| study them well enough to understand HOW THEY | | | | could even be fun. But, you cannot often be sure of |
| THINK, and WHAT makes them do the things they do, | | | | what an individual's temperament will be when faced |
| the way they do them. By so doing, you will not only | | | | with the reality of the fact that you have at a point |
| be equipped to anticipate their next moves, BUT you | | | | become something of a liability(I refer here to the |
| will also know what moves YOU can make that they | | | | possibility of tough times in your business startup lasting |
| will be UN-prepared for, and will therefore be unable to | | | | longer that you anticipated). |
| respond to. | | | | Things can get a bit nasty when the rough patches |
| In effect you would know how to get - and stay - | | | | come. If the person you accepted to stay with, is not |
| ahead of them. | | | | one who really believed in what you were doing from |
| Sometimes A "Good Thing"(E.g A FREE Gift) May Not | | | | the beginning, then you will notice a change from his |
| Be Good For You | | | | her "body language". If unfortunately you are not in a |
| If you are in the habit of accepting unsolicited offers of | | | | position to - for instance - move elsewhere, you will |
| help or support from just about anyone who makes | | | | then have to accept some not-too-friendly treatment |
| them, you can set yourself up to be ripped-off or | | | | from your "friend" till you can! That's not likely to help |
| exploited causing needless suffering/setbacks. When | | | | you maintain the preferred positive mental attitude |
| you first begin your business, you will likely be often | | | | needed to get you through the difficult periods. So, be |
| short on cash. Those periods might force you to have | | | | careful how you accept seemingly harmless offers of |
| to depend on others. | | | | assistance, or you might end up getting into BIGGER |
| Sometimes, people will offer to help by giving you | | | | trouble, than the one you needed help to GET OUT |
| money, but James Cook and others advice that to | | | | OF in the first place! |
| succeed, you will eventually have to "turn your back on | | | | |