The thirty-six stratagems: A modern-day interpretation of a strategy classic(Infinite Success)

Approximately three-hundred years ago an unknown scholar compiled The Thirty-Six Stratagems, a strangely seductive meditation on deception. The stratagems to be used depend on whether you are currently winning or losing your particular battle. However, the stratagems can be combined in various ways as they are not intended to be used alone, nor are they only applicable in purely a winning or purely a losing situation! So how can the complex three-hundred-year-old ideas of an unknown Chinese scholar provide help with the strategic challenges we face today? In this brilliant interpretation Peter Taylor transforms this ancient text into a practical guide for the twenty-first century business executive or politician. Here the timeless wisdom in The Thirty-Six Stratagems is brought to life through modern business case studies. In this interpretation readers discover how to: • Kill with a borrowed knife; • Defeat the enemy by capturing its chief; • Feign madness but keep their balance; • Let the enemy’s own spy sow discord in the enemy camp; • Inflict injury on themselves to win the enemy’s trust. Taylor’s handy, authentic, realistic approach shows how we can defeat the opponents we face in our business and personal lives. But beware, there is no ‘win win’ scenario: in The Thirty-Six Stratagems winner takes all!

Table of Contents:
Introduction Stratagems for when you are winning Stratagems for advantageous situations 1. Sneak across the ocean in broad daylight 2. Besiege wèi to rescue zhào 3. Kill with a borrowed knife 4. Wait at leisure while the enemy labours 5. Loot a burning house 6. Make a sound in the east, then strike in the west Stratagems for opportunistic situations 7. Create something from nothing 8. Openly repair the gallery roads, but sneak through the passage of chencang 9. Watch the fires burning across the river 10. Hide a knife behind a smile 11. Sacrifice the plum tree to preserve the peach tree 12. Take the opportunity to pilfer a goat Stratagems for attacking situations 13. Stomp the grass to scare the snake 14. Borrow a corpse to resurrect the soul 15. Entice the tiger to leave its mountain lair 16. In order to capture, one must let loose 17. Tossing out a brick to get a jade gem 18. Defeat the enemy by capturing their chief Stratagems for when you are losing Stratagems for confused situations 19. Remove the firewood from under the pot 20. Disturb the water and catch a fish 21. Slough off the cicada’s golden shell 22. Shut the door to catch the thief 23. Befriend a distant state while attacking a neighbour 24. Obtain safe passage to conquer the state of guo Stratagems for deception situations 25. Replace the beams with rotten timbers 26. Point at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree 27. Feign madness but keep your balance 28. Remove the ladder when the enemy has ascended to the roof 29. Deck the tree with false blossoms 30. Make the host and the guest exchange roles Stratagems for desperate situations 31. The beauty trap 32. The empty fort strategy 33. Let the enemy’s own spy sow discord in the enemy camp 34. Inflict injury on oneself to win the enemy’s trust 35. Chain stratagems 36. If all else fails, retreat Appendices i. Countering the thirty-six stratagems ii. Further reading

About the Author :
Peter Taylor is the Head of PMO at Kronos. He is dynamic and commercially astute and is an accomplished communicator, leader and professional speaker, popular around the world for keynotes and as an event host. He has focused on writing and lecturing with over 200 presentations around the world in over 25 countries and has been described as ‘perhaps the most entertaining and inspiring speaker in the project management world today’.