Human beings are wired to find patters, but unfortunately, we can see patterns even where they do not exist. A recent study in Science magazine demonstrates the people imagine patterns even where there are none, especially in times of stress. Like all of science, Sun Tzu's strategy uses patterns, models, for making decisions about the chaotic information in the environment, but these models have been proven over 2,500 years in the most unforgiving environment of all: the life and death struggles of war.

I personally try to contact all the people who download our free copy of Sun Tzu's work, but one of my frustrations in that most readers don't seem to realize that learning strategy isn't about simply reading a book but relearning how they think about success. Thanks to our recent trainers meeting, I realize what people studying Sun Tzu have been looking for home, a place where they can get together with other people who want to master those concepts. I was recently invited to be part of a group setting up a local Seattle chapter of the Association for Strategic Planners.

As with all sciences, the study of strategy studies the operation of natural systems. All such systems exist as a balance of forces. Sun Tzu abstracted this balance as emptiness and fullness, basing his vision on the concept of complementary opposites that is known as the Chinese concept of yinyang. The dynamics of nature continually shift the balance of forces, but the universe doesn't fly off in chaos or freezing into stasis because of this mainspring built into nature. While we humans can leverage the forces of nature, we cannot control them.

Sun Tzu teaches two key ways to win a battle, that is, a meeting of opponents, of two evenly matched opponents. The first is preparing a surprise beforehand. There is always a risk in this because battle is unpredictable, but the idea is that you will be better prepared than your opponent. If it works, the confusion of surprise creates an opening that you can use. If you aren't prepared to risk a surprise, you have to wait for your opponent to make a mistake and take advantage of it.

In Sun Tzu's adaptive response strategy, the one big no-no in the face of adversity is to over-react. The system is about knowing exactly how to respond. If you don't know how to respond, it is better to do as little as necessary. If you panic, you do the wrong things and leave more openings for your opponents. We can see how this works now in the Obama campaign where they are still reeling for the convention/Palin setbacks. Frantically looking for traction, their latest commercial attacks McCain for not using a computer for email.