At its core, The Art of War is a book of principles to be adapted to one's specific situation. It serves as an operating system for making strategic decisions. Utilizing this operating system involves asking the right questions.    

In applying The Art of War to my own life, there is a simple four-step process I rely on when encountering a challenge or stressful situation. I call it the SPAR approach, which stands for Situation, Principle, Action, and Results. To be more specific you must:

1. Clarify your situation.
2. Determine which principle(s) of the Sun Tzu Way you need to focus on.
3. Determine a plan of action for following the principle(s) needed.
4. Review the results of your action(s).

Just as in martial arts, where you develop your skills through continually sparring, the SPAR approach represents a continuous loop. The more often you go through the steps, the deeper your understanding of your situation, how the principles apply, and which actions to take, and gradually your situation will improve.

Let's look at each step in greater depth.

SITUATION
Sun Tzu painstakingly describes many types of situations one can face, but generally, there are three kinds of difficult or challenging situations you will face in life, all of which start with the letter "C": conflicts, competitions, and confrontations.

Conflicts are situations where there is a lack of agreement, consensus, or alignment between you and some other party. In general, there are external conflicts (either with one person or multiple people) and internal conflicts (a conflict within yourself).

An example of an external conflict would be a disagreement with your significant other, or a difference in vision between you and your business team. An example of an internal conflict would be your desire to eat that second piece of chocolate cake after dinner when you know you shouldn't.

Competitions are situations where you must contend with one or more parties for some sort of advantage or reward. A sports competition is an easy example, but other forms of competition could be over a client or a job position. You could also compete with yourself, trying to do a better performance than you did before.

Confrontations are situations where you must invest or risk resources (time, energy, effort, goodwill, money, etc.) in trying to resolve a critical issue, or else things won't get better (and most likely will get worse). Confrontations can be with people (an employee you have to fire, a family member who has a drug problem), but not necessarily. A burst pipe in your basement is an example of a confrontation.

You can also have a confrontation with yourself - for example, if you have a drinking or gambling problem.

These three situations are not mutually exclusive; often, you'll have a combo of two or three. For example, a disagreement with your spouse can lead to a confrontation. Or a confrontation with a coworker can develop into a competition.

Interestingly enough, when it comes to the Sun Tzu Way, each of these situation relate directly to the core phase you are in. So conflict situations, for example, deal with issues in the purpose phase. They deal with a lack of shared purpose between you and the other party.

Competitions, on the other hand, signal a potential issue with the preparation phase. If you are properly prepared (that is, protected and ready), then you will not need to worry about any competition. However, if you are not properly prepared - if you don't have a clear understanding of the risks and are protected against them - then the competition can be very real and can threaten your ability to achieve your goals.   

Lastly, confrontations are typically a sign of an issue in the progress phase. The reason why you have to confront someone or something is because it is impeding your ability to move forward, and may even be threatening or hurting your current status. The employee whom you have to confront for their poor performance might be keeping operations from running smoothly. The family member with the drug problem is continually adding strain and worry to your and your loved ones' lives, not to mention their own.

Once you've determined what kind of situation(s) you're in, you can determine the guiding principle or principles to pay attention to.

PRINCIPLE
As I've talked about elsewhere, there are three core principles of the Sun Tzu Way: cohesion, concealment, and control. Like the three types of challenges, these principles also start with the letter "C."

Cohesion relates to understanding and articulating your key aspirations, values, and priorities. Concealment relates to keeping one's intentions and capabilities hidden from other people in order to protect one's goals. Control relates to focusing on increasing your sense of control over your situation through adding advantages or resources and eliminating barriers that may be keeping you from advancing.

Coincidentally, the three situations we described before relate directly to these three principles. So, for example, resolving conflict situations typically requires using the principle of cohesion. This is because these situations tend to be the result of a lack of a shared sense of purpose - of vision, values, or priorities. A disagreement with your spouse on finances, for example, betrays a lack of shared alignment and commitment on how money should be dealt with - saved, spent, earned, etc. 

Resolving competitive situations usually requires using the principle of concealment, that is, with controlling people's perceptions so as to hide one's intentions and capabilities. This allows one to protect one's interests and maximize the element of surprise.

And resolving confrontations typically requires applying the principle of control. Confrontations are, essentially, battles for control. One party is trying to exert dominance in a specific area that intersects with the other party's path forward. 

Thus, the situation tells you which principle to focus on. If you are in a conflict situation, then you need to focus your efforts on understanding and articulating a shared sense of purpose. If you are in a competition, then you need to focus on concealment. And if you are in a confrontation, then you need to focus on gradually taking control of the situation.

ACTION
Knowing the primary principle we should focus on allows us to determine the best plan of action for addressing the situation at hand, whether it be a conflict, a competition, or a confrontation.

Focusing on purpose in a conflict situation, for example, means striving to develop and articulate a shared understanding of the purpose of the task or area that all parties are participating in. Doing this requires asking others about their feelings, opinions, or perspective and trying to reach a consensus that all parties are clear on and satisfied with.

Focusing on concealment in a competition includes identifying the key critical points where you can dominate and making yourself appear as a natural fit for dominating in those areas.

For example, let's say you are applying for an open job position for a well-known company. Being hired for this company will likely be a very competitive process. One strategy would be to do as much research as possible on where that company may be weak with regards to that position. Ask yourself: What pain points may the company have? Why is this position needed? How may contributing in this position give the company a competitive advantage?

In fleshing this out in the cover letter, resume, and interview, you are making yourself look like a natural (and positive) fit for the position, which is how your interviewers want to feel in hiring a candidate.

Focusing on progress in confrontation situations involves identifying and accumulating advantages in your situation (e.g. allies, key information, money, etc.) that you can use to help you as well as identifying and addressing key barriers that may hinder your attempt to move forward.

For example, confronting your employee about poor performance might involve:

• talking to other coworkers who can verify poor performance
• keeping a written record of employee appraisals and performance metrics

It may also involve using effective tactics for addressing barriers that may occur in the conversation with the employee. For example, telling the employee directly that he or she has performance issues may put them on the defensive, not getting you anywhere. Instead, you may want to try the following:

1. Showing appreciation for what the employee might be doing well.
2. Addressing performance issues the employee has 
3. Asking questions about how the employee feels about the job and difficulties they might be facing, showing empathy regarding these challenges
4. Developing a plan of action for how the employee could improve performance

This is just an example, but you can see how the process at least addresses the barrier of defensiveness the employee might have.

RESULTS
The last and probably most crucial step is reviewing the results of your actions. You need to know what works and what doesn't in your situation. The best way to evaluate the results is by looking at your current situation (after you've taken action) and comparing it to the ideal outcome for each kind of situation mentioned above. (Ironically, the ideal outcome for each situation also starts with the letter "C.")

So for conflict situations, for example, what you are aiming for is consensus. You should feel like all parties are on the same page and have a shared understanding of how to move forward. Ask yourself: are you closer or further from reaching consensus?

For competitive situations, what you are aiming for is confidence. You should feel prepared, like you have a strong chance of gaining the advantage you're looking for. Ask: are you closer or further from feeling confident?

For confrontation situations, what you are aiming for is cooperation. All parties should feel that they are working together, not resisting each other or trying to undermine each other. Ask yourself: are you closer or further from a cooperative relationship? 

If the answer is closer, then you know to keep doing what you're doing. If the answer is further, then you have to change your plan of action.
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As I said earlier, the idea is to use the SPAR approach as an iterative loop. The more you use it, the better things will gradually become for you.

In military strategy (and martial arts in general), there is a powerful approach for engaging and subduing your enemy. In fact it is so important, it pretty much forms the basis of Sun Tzu's approach for winning battles. I call it the PrESS technique, which stands for:  Protect, Entice, Seize, and Strike. 

Protect means to ensure your defense is up and that you are prepared against any attack against you. This means getting in a defensive stance, making sure you have an exit, guarding your vulnerable points. Entice means to open up a vulnerability or opportunity that draws your enemy to attack you in a specific way.

Seize means to trap your enemy, either by grabbing him, ambushing him, or putting him in a vulnerable position where he is left unguarded. And strike means to hit your enemy at a vulnerable spot that injures him or takes him out.

Although this technique has its root in military strategy and fighting, its application can be used in many different areas of life where you are facing competition, conflict, or struggle. Let’s take a look at a simple example.

Let’s say you are trying to raise money from donors for your charity. Here’s one way to use the PrESS technique:

First, protect yourself against “no” by avoiding making a direct request for donation.
Next, entice your prospective donor by asking her simple requests that she can easily say “yes” to (e.g. writing her name down in support, coming to an event for free, subscribing to emails).

Next, seize the opportunity to connect, interest, and delight your prospect. Bring your prospect into a community, connect her to potential friends. Share your story.

Lastly, strike by asking for a donation, making the payment process as painless as possible. Once your prospective donor feels a part of a larger community and feels aligned with your objectives, she will be much more likely to donate.

I could go on and on about how to use this technique. The important thing to keep in mind is that engaging with someone else, especially where you think there is conflict, is a process.

It’s not simply a matter of directly arguing or asking them something. It’s a matter of opening them up to your ideas. The PrESS technique is one such method for doing this.

"Therefore, the winning army first wins, and later seeks to do battle. The defeated army first battles, and later seeks to win."
– Sun Tzu
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In any venture you take on, failure is always a possibility.  It is an inescapable fact. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try your best to prevent it.

If you want to achieve something long-lasting – an executive position in a company, a profitable business, a loving relationship – then don’t simply embrace the fact that it might not work out.  Don’t accept “trying” as a valid excuse for taking a shot at something.

If it means something to you, if something is at stake, then do your due diligence. Analyze and eliminate the risks, as much as possible.  Don’t leave anything to chance. The more you pay attention to and actively reduce the possibility of failure, the greater your chances of success.

There are two steps to doing this:

1. Examine all the risk factors.  Take a realistic look at all the risk factors you face in what you’re trying to do – all the things that can go wrong.  For example, if you’re trying to win that promotion at work, create a list of all the factors that could stop you: competitive or envious co-workers, you aren’t close with your boss, you are too good at your job for your company to promote you, etc.  Knowing all these factors, you have a much clearer picture of the risks you face in your endeavor.
2. Work on eliminating each factor, one by one.    After you’ve made your list, plot out ways to you can eliminate or reduce the risk of each factor getting in your way.  For example, with the promotion example, some solutions might be: make friends with your co-workers, include your boss more in the work you do, etc.  With each risk factor you deal with, your chances of success go up and your power grows stronger.

​Doing this consistently will set you up for success – and not simply embracing the possibility of failure.