The Qualities of a Caring Leader According to Sun Tzu

Recommending The Art of War, Sun Tzu’s celebrated work, often triggers negative reactions, sometimes accompanied by a diatribe demonising ruthless capitalism. That is a shame, because applying some of Sun Tzu’s maxims could radically improve the quality of life of many employees.

There is one maxim in particular that I place at the heart of all my courses on benevolent leadership: “By authority, I mean the qualities of wisdom, fairness, humanity, courage and severity in the general.” In business, of course, the word “authority” should be replaced by leadership and “general” by leader, boss or manager.

Some of these qualities are obvious, but others require explanation. Tu Mu, a learned commentator of the ninth century, explains that “if the chief is endowed with wisdom, he is able to recognise changing circumstances and act swiftly.” No comment needed. He adds: “If he is fair, his men will be assured of reward and punishment.” Reward should here be understood as the predictable recognition of work done, while punishment corresponds to sanctioning the idle, the incompetent, the mediocre, the petty, the “assholes”, to use Robert Sutton’s bestselling terminology. Failing to sanction such people or, worse still, promoting them is one of the best ways of losing credibility in the eyes of one’s staff. How can anyone respect a manager who does not see reality as it is when it is obvious to everyone else in the hierarchy?

The management of recognition, as well as the way in which people are rewarded, promoted or sanctioned, are in practice indicators of a manager’s lucidity and fairness. Managers never escape the scrutinising gaze of their staff, who are watching them closely. Why is this so important? Quite simply because employees aspire to their own security: if the manager is fair and predictable, they will feel safe. If he appears unfair towards anyone at all, even occasionally, then no one is safe. Given that a single lapse is enough to destroy credibility, showing fairness is a constant struggle for leaders.

But to do that, as Sun Tzu points out, courage is needed. The courage to decide even when it is painful in the short term. For example, getting rid of an “asshole” is costly, because such people are generally high performers, but failing to get rid of them is interpreted as a lack of courage. Another commentator, Shen Pao Hsu, confirms this: “If a general is not courageous, he will be incapable of overcoming hesitation and forming great plans.” The message is clear! Courage is also needed to sanction those who transgress the rules or values. Unfortunately, many organisations seem to tolerate transgression.

The third quality invoked by Sun Tzu is humanity. Tu Mu specifies, speaking of the chief: “If he is humane, he loves others, shares their feelings, and appreciates their labour and hardship.” Nothing less! Without lapsing into naïveté, it has to be recognised that humanity is what organisations lack most.

Indeed, the two greatest frustrations mentioned by adults attending leadership courses are the lack of recognition and the feeling of being badly treated by their leaders. It is attitudes and behaviours that do the damage and cause real stress, far more than workload. Showing humanity means sincerely having employees’ interests at heart rather than focusing on the best way to exploit them. Yet the vast majority of leaders persist in treating employees as interchangeable resources.

Humanising working relationships in practice, and not just in words, would lead to a genuine improvement in quality of life within organisations. ■

Adapted from an article published in L’Agefi on 20 May 2011.