Take Action

• Step Back & Assess: Before reacting, take a moment to evaluate your position. Where are you? What patterns are emerging?
• Strengthen Relationships: Influence comes from alliances. Who in your network can offer insight, support, or a strategic advantage?
• Recognize the Right Moment: Timing is everything. Stay patient, prepare, and act when the opportunity is right.
• Move with Precision: Instead of fighting every battle, focus your energy on actions that drive real impact.

The Story

I recently started reading The Art of War, and I’ll be honest—I used to think it was a book about winning at all costs. A guide for people who want to outmaneuver and dominate with no regard.

But as I read deeper, I realized something important: this book isn’t just about fighting—it’s about winning strategically. And true strategy isn’t about destruction. It’s about positioning yourself in a way that allows you to win without unnecessary conflict.

That lesson is critical right now, especially for those of us who feel like the work we care about is under attack.

What Do You Do?

When policies shift and movements face resistance, the instinct is to fight back harder. To push against the opposition with everything we have.

But Sun Tzu teaches that force isn’t always the best tool. Sometimes, the best move isn’t to meet conflict head-on, but to reposition. To find a way forward that minimizes resistance while still achieving the goal.

Because if you destroy everything in the fight, what’s left to build on?

Positioning Over Resistance

Sun Tzu introduces the idea of Shih—the power that comes from influence, relationships, and strategic positioning. I thought it was a fascinating concept to focus on relationships.

This is a critical lesson for anyone feeling like they’re in a battle right now. The key isn’t just to push harder—it’s to move smarter.

Ask yourself:

• Where is my influence strongest?
• Am I fighting battles that don’t need to be fought?
• What strategic relationships can I strengthen to move forward?
• How can I advance my mission in ways that reduce opposition rather than increase it?

I think about a lot of types of work which is under fire right now. The mission hasn’t changed but the battlefield has. So instead of pushing where there’s the most resistance, the smarter approach is to find the openings, reposition, and continue the work in a way that ensures it lasts.

This is helpful, however, no matter the situation.

Pausing, reflecting, and strategizing before acting are superpowers.

Recognizing Patterns & Timing the Moment

Sun Tzu teaches that the world is always in motion, constantly shifting. The key to strategy isn’t just reacting—it’s recognizing patterns and anticipating change before it happens.

I’ve seen this play out before. When things swing too far in one direction, people push back. Balance always matters. The question is: how do we position ourselves so that when the tides turn, we’re already prepared to move?

Because timing is everything. Sun Tzu calls this the node—the perfect moment when all the elements align for the right move.

We see this happening now with AI, with shifts in corporate priorities, with economic changes. There are moments opening up. Are we recognizing them? Are we ready?

Final Thought: Prepare for the Moment

Sun Tzu describes Shih as a crossbow. You don’t fire wildly. You store power. You position yourself. And when the time is right, you release with precision.

Right now, we are in a time of change.

But change brings opportunity.

The question isn’t just, What is happening to us?

The question is, How are we positioning ourselves for what comes next?

You are not powerless. You are not alone. And this moment is not the end of the story.