Abstract

If those who have learned Sun Tzu’s The Art of War fight each other, what would be the key to determine wins or loses?
What are the thoughts and actions common to “risk takers” who always achieve distinguished results, from management executives and specialists to athletes and artists?
Long-selling book of 200,000 copies, long-awaited sequel of “The Best Strategy Textbook: Sun Tzu”!

◆ “Sun Tzu” is, in a word, a book on strategy. Assuming you are a military general, if only you can learn from Sun Tzu strategies and tricks in which your rivals don’t know, your chances of winning would become higher. However, if you and your rivals have equally learned Sun Tzu, there would be no difference in terms of knowledge in particular. And then, if you and his military power is more or less the same, what would determine winning or losing? If focusing on the capability of a commander, the question will be whether you can demonstrate outstanding insight and judgement, and ability to apply strategies you learned, under extremely high-pressure environment.

◆ In a competition between large companies, there is a flood of products, services, ads, and sales strategies that are difficult to distinguish if the company name is hidden. Even in such circumstances where information is saturated and products are compelled to be similar, some people produce exceptional results. They are “risk takers” introduced in this book. Why they are able to do such a thing? In order to draw knowledge that can be used in the real world, this book explores “who can make better judgements than others in an extremely complicated situation where anyone could make mistakes”.

◆ The author has conducted workshops on Chinese classics with management executives, entrepreneurs, consultants, fund managers, lawyers, accountants, member of the Self-Defense Forces, government officials, academics, fighters, and artists for over 20 years. In addition, he has conducted interviews with many management executives for running story in magazines and writing books. Through repeated dialogues with them, he has come to understand there are some common grounds among people who should be called a “risk taker”. People who have broad knowledge and culture, go above and beyond expectations in a good way, and create ideas that other people never think of ---. This book brings out common thoughts and actions of such “risk takers”, while interpreting Chinese classics and great business books.

Table of Contents
Introduction
　　What would happen if people who have read Sun Tzu
　　In a situation where AI cannot make decisions
　　Risk takers

Part I Basis of Risk takers – Nothing special, but things you cannot do easily

Chapter 1 Long and deep experience in certain field ① Insight and intuition
Chapter 2 Long and deep experience in certain field ② Fine way of accumulating experiences
Chapter 3 Broad knowledge and culture ① In order to “know yourself”
Chapter 4 Broad knowledge and culture ② As a tool to create “your own answer”
Chapter 5 Broad knowledge and culture ③ For “unconscious fluctuation”

Part II Do enemies and rivals really exist?

Chapter 6 The world woven by “competition” and “fight"
Chapter 7 In order to know enemies and rivals
Chapter 8 Risk takers who understand people’s feelings

Part III No one knows about the future, but---

Chapter 9 Environment, and what remains unchanged
Chapter 10 How to see through the nature of change
Chapter 11 Breadth of possible future and crisis management

Part IV Difficult challenge of “knowing yourself” ① Have an admonisher

Chapter 12 How to make use of “an admonisher”
Chapter 13 Use knowledges of “an admonisher” piece by piece

Part V Difficult challenge of “knowing yourself” ② Another you

Chapter 14 Do Risk takers dream of “another you”
Chapter 15 Eyes from the outside
Chapter 16 People are intrinsically divided
Chapter 17 Where does “you beyond yourself” come from?
Chapter 18 Metacognitive techniques
Final Chapter What’s the meaning of keeping on being preeminent – shape of a risk taker

* Risk takers featured in this book

Sun Tzu, Yoshiharu Habu, Lewis Gerstner, Yoshio Omori (former Head of Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office), Yoichi Wada (former President and Representative Director of Square Enix), Hisashi Sakamaki, (Chairman of Canon Electronics), Atsuto Sawakami (Chairman of Sawakami Holdings), Takashi Kawamura (former Chairman, Representative Corporate Executive Officer of Hitachi), Shujiro Kusumoto (Representative President of Café Company), Toshihiko Aizawa (Representative Director of TSUNAGU Partners), Yoshinobu Fujimoto (Lawyer), Gary Klein (Psychologist), Ichiro, Toshiyuki Moriuchi, Hiromitsu Ochiai, Masahiro Kuramoto, Katsuya Nomura, Kasparov (World Chess Champion), Hideki Matsuyama, Seiichiro Nakagawa (Nakagawa Wine), Peter Drucker, Tiger Woods, Michael E. Porter, Kazuhiko Toyama, Daigo Umehara (Professional Gamer), Alain Prost (F1), Chiyonofuji, Takanosato, Masami Ihara, Ayrton Senna, Yasuharu Oyama, Warren Buffet, Shigenobu Nagamori, Gordon Moore, Alan Kay, Takanori Nakajo (Chairman of Asahi Soft Drinks), Lei Jun (Founder of Xiaomi), Eiichi Shibusawa, Yasuyuki Matsuoka (Scenario Planning), Steve Jobs, Cao Cao, Li Shimin, Wei Zheng, etc.

Author’s Information

Chinese classical scholar, writer
Born in 1965 in Tokyo. Graduated from Waseda University, Faculty of Letters. Writes books on Chinese classics such as Sun Tzu, Analects, Han Feizi, Lao Tzu, and Zhuang Zi, and on modern businesspeople such as Eiichi Shibusawa and others. Also teaches at Graduate School of Management Globis University Alumni School. His compilation and translation books include “Modern Translation: Analects and Abacus” sold 600,000 copies and “Modern Translation: Eiichi Shibusawa Autobiography”. He wrote “The Best Strategy Textbook: Sun Tzu” series sold 200,000 copies, “Manga The Best Strategy Textbook: Sun Tzu”, “Organizational Survival Textbook: Han Feizi”, and “Orient, Strategic History of East and West, and Modern Management Theory” (co-authored with Koji Mitani), and others.