For centuries, the leaders of the business world, politicians, and -- of course -- military minds have turned to the wisdom of ancient Chinese military strategist Sun-Tzu’s The Art of War.
This 13-chapter treatise covers topics from “Detail Assessment and Planning” to “Attacking with Fire,” mostly focusing on how to win a war without ever needing to fight. Sun-Tzu stresses through much of the text that deception and intelligence -- far more than bluntness and brute force -- were capable of creating victory. Strong leaders, according to Sun-Tzu, knew how to manipulate others' perceptions in order to surprise the enemy.