Book Two

This is Book Two of Sun Tzu's Art of War Playbook explaining the principles of Sun Tzu's strategy. It contains the last five volumes of the work (130 articles) explains 1) minimizing strategic mistakes, 2) recognizing and responding to common strategic situations, 3) creating momentum, 4) wining rewards, and 5) identifying, attacking, and defending vulnerabilities. The Playbook itself is the culmination of over a decade of work breaking down Sun Tzu's principles into a series of step-by-step practical articles by the Institute's multiple award-winning author and internationally recognized Art of War expert, Gary Gagliardi. The work explains the concepts in the verses of Sun Tzu's classic on strategy in detail, explaining the situations to which they apply the steps in Sun Tzu's system for using them with examples from modern competition. While the original Art of War was originally written for military generals who understood the philosophical concepts of ancient China, our Art of War Playbook is written for today's readers and provide enough descriptive material so that Sun Tzu's ideas can actually be used in everyday life. The Art of War Playbook puts Sun Tzu's ideas into everyday, practical language as a book of instruction. Because of its size and detail, the Playbook is published in nine volumes. The specific topics examined in these last five volumes (in this one book) are listed below: Playbook Overview About Minimizing MistakesMinimizing MistakesMission PrioritiesEvent PressureUnproductive ResponsibilityOpportunity ExplorationChoosing AdaptabilityCampaign MethodsUnplanned StepsReaction TimeSpeed and QuicknessOpportunity WindowsInformation FreshnessMinimizing ActionTesting ValueSuccessful MistakesFocused PowerForce SizeDistance LimitationsEvaluation DeadlinesDefensive AdvancesDefense PriorityActing NowAbout Responding to SituationsSituation ResponseSituation RecognitionConditioned ReflexesPrioritizing ConditionsCampaign EvaluationCampaign FlowCampaign GoalsCampaign PatternsEarly-Stage SituationsMiddle-Stage SituationsLate-Stage SituationsNine Situations Dissipating SituationsEasy SituationsContentious SituationsOpen SituationsIntersecting SituationsSerious SituationsDifficult SituationsLimited SituationsDesperate SituationsNine ResponsesDissipating ResponseEasy ResponseContentious ResponseOpen ResponseIntersecting ResponseSerious ResponseDifficult ResponseLimited ResponseDesperate ResponseCampaign PauseTailoring to ConditionsForm AdjustmentsSize AdjustmentsStrength AdjustmentsCompetitive PsychologyAdversity and CreativityStrength in AdversityIndividual ToughnessAbout Creating MomentumcCreating MomentumOrder from ChaosCreating SurpriseMomentum PsychologyStandards and InnovationStandards FirstProven MethodsPreparing ExpectationsStrategic Innovation Expected ElementsElemental RearrangementCreative InnovationCompetitive TimingTiming MethodsMomentum TimingInterrupting PatternsMomentum LimitationsMomentum ConversionThe Spread of InnovationProductive CompetitionResource DiscoveryGround CreationAbout Winning RewardsWinning RewardsSuccessful PositionsTransforming ResourcesReward BoundariesReward TimingMaking ClaimsSecuring RewardsGauging ValueDistinctive Packaging Rules of EngagementPosition ProductionIndividual SupportLeveraging EmotionsWinning AttentionProductivity ImprovementPosition ErosionAbandoning PositionsAbout VulnerabilitiesUnderstanding VulnerabilityFire Storm VulnerabilityClimate RivalsThreat DevelopmentPoints of VulnerabilityPersonnel RiskImmediate Resource RiskLogistics RiskAsset RiskOrganizational RiskCrisis LeadershipMutual DangerMessage ControlCrisis DefenseDivision Defense Panic DefenseDefending OpeningsDefending AlliancesDefensive BalanceCrisis ExploitationAdversarial OpportunitiesAvoiding EmotionConstant VigilanceGlossary of Key Concepts