Your strengths are as follows:
Colleagues appreciate your energy and enthusiasm. You would qualify as the ultimate royalty who reaches out to his/her subjects because you truly enjoy reaching out to others. If someone were to put you down on canvas, you would sell a million copies like the Mona Lisa due to your popularity. You are an optimistic person, looking at the brighter side of life. You are the centre of attraction in social settings. Most parties would be incomplete without your presence.
Those around you like you a lot. While others make a drudgery out of work, you find joy in it due to your playful attitude. Only when the whole world learns to be like you, will loneliness be a forgotten word. If everyone knew how to make friends the way you do, then there would be lasting peace on this planet. Spontaneity comes easily to you.
If all that was needed to raise the dead were some laughter and fun, you would have emptied entire graveyards. If governments talk at tables to avert war, then they had better choose you to come along. Your convincing style would win over anyone’s heart. Life is in your bones making you an enjoyable person to be with. Others around you find that you inspire them. In the most wretched of conditions, you may well be the lone fellow who bears a smile of cheer.
You are full of energy and enthusiasm. If words could make money, you would be a millionaire! Indeed, you are rich - in friendships since you delight in communicating with them. Many view metals as their treasure, but you are different - people are your gold. As such, you regard them with utmost interest and affection.
You always do things very differently from others. You find seeking new ideas very stimulating. You are a curious person.At any given opportunity, you will grab one that offers you a whole new range of activities to indulge in. You have the tenacity to keep swimming where others are likely to drown. This can be attributed to your versatility and ability to adapt.Dreamer may be what you are to other people, but what makes your dreams special is that they are a manifestation of your powerful imagination.
Organisational transformation requires the input of fresh ideas. Your inventiveness is an asset to your organisation. Most people find organisational turmoil very stressful but not you. For you, such conditions are ideal moments to show your resourcefulness.You prefer new approaches to traditional ways of doing things. Thus, you likely to be seen as a reformer. Openness is your name, invention your gain. You have an innate drive to be creative in any environment. While others are scared stiff of confronting trouble, you would rather face them head on. You are flexible in solving problems.
You are full of new ideas, which you would like other to know. You may best do this by engaging in artistic endeavours. You probably will never be bored with yourself. This is because you are always working on various new approaches. You are a non-conformist who prefers to look at things from a different perspective.Your knack of conceiving new ideas may give rise to novel operational systems and totally new products.
Those around you appreciates your willingness to be helpful. If every neighbour were like you, then your neighbourhood would be full of goodwill - thanks to your emphasis on maintaining harmony. Your energies are channeled to the welfare of the team and its objectives. There would be fewer wars and strife around, if everyone learnt from your love of peace and your belief in its preservation. You have a strong sense of loyalty to those you associate with.
You can be a vital source of support for anyone from subordinates to superiors. When colleagues are down with social problems, they can easily count on your support in times of trouble.You are not the type that easily offends people. Moderation in approaching life is important to you. Those placed under your care and supervision values your genuine care and concern for them. Colleagues generally find you approachable, pleasant and unsophisticated.
Your acceptance of others and their views will prove beneficial in the long run.
You may have these weaknesses:
Things would be a lot better if you’d talk less and spend time listening more to others. While your talkativeness is enriching in social contexts, yet remember to give time to others to express themselves too. You view life with much optimism. Just be careful that you are also realistic as well.
In the midst of the crowd, maintain your identity as a unique individual with your own thoughts and opinions. Did you know that a group of caterpillars going round and round in circles eventually die out due to starvation? Hence, break the cycle and accept the authority to lead from time to time.
Generally, your personality can be summarized as that of ‘Creative Encourager’
A summary of your strengths are as follows:
You
Try to think well of others
Reach out to others
Are known for coming up with new ideas
Are supportive of others
Do not like traditional way of doing things
Like to be different from others
Like novelty in approaching situations
Are creative
Have a strong imagination
Are an approachable person
Are liked by others
Have warm personality
Try hard not to hurt people’s feeling
Share feelings easily
Are helpful to others
Easily accept others’ suggestions and ideas
A summary of your weaknesses are as follows:
You
Tend to be too trusting and hence may become gullible
Are easily bored, constantly desiring to do new things
Tend to be soft with people
Need acceptance from others
Are sentimental
Are inclined to be too inquisitive
Tend to compromise with others so as to avoid conflicts
In order to nurture your Emotional Intelligence (EQ), you should develop:
ability to ‘include’ and not ‘alienate’ others when you try to introduce new ideas
greater appreaciation of the value of rules and regulations
ability to work in a team with others
better skills in introducing changes which are seen to break traditions
more patience with people who cannot understand your new ideas and suggestions
more self-confidence in yourself
avoid complacency
ability to say ‘no’ when necessary
boldness not to compromise
clear goals for your life
ability to work alone at a task
better punctuality at meetings and appointments
control over your tendency to be restless
willingness to listen rather than talk
better control of your emotions
You tend to express your creativity in the following ways:
Your creative inspiration often comes from talking to wide network of people.
Collaborates with others to emerge with creative outcomes - this openness is a good and fresh source of input of ideas.
Expressions may be wacky and fun, much to the displeasure of some.
Your creative ideas may actually be a synthesis of current opinions but given the gloss of glamorous presentation by you.
Limited by level of approval and acceptability by others.
You have the capacity to absorb a vast amount of ideas and opinions with great openness. These would then be analysed according to criteria such as personal freedom, or aesthetic qualities.
You have no difficulty to originate something contrary to the status quo if you think that the prevalent ideas are outdated and rigid.
Expressions of creativity may have shocking elements that are anti-establishment or contrary to tradition.
Your creative expressions are characterized by total freedom in speaking up, no holds barred.
Your creative ideas may be viewed as weird and unusual.
How you might improve on your creativity:
Learn to be less dependent on social acceptability so that your creativity can flourish.
More intense thought is needed to refine imaginative outcomes.
You should ensure that your presentation of your creative ideas, though flamboyant and stylish, will not lack substance, miss the essentials and appear shoddy.
Be prepared to meet with disappointment and disapproval since not everyone appreciates your new ideas.
Develop better listening skills and more attention to details so that your creativity is not impeded.
Beware of personal arrogance and bigotry towards conventional thought and expression.
Admit that criticism of your ideas and works are inevitable and not necessarily bad.
Toe the line if your creative expressions border on moral issues and political acceptability.
Seek an honest unbiased second opinion on works and ideas.
You can help your organization by:
Creating a cheerful working environment.
Inspiring members through your charisma.
Organizing social events among the workers.
Mediating and diffusing tension between different levels of management.
Communicating well with people outside the organization.
Generating breakthrough ideas and hence, fostering innovation and creativity.
Offering totally different problem-solving approaches. Thinking outside the box and employing fresh methods in corporate strategy.
Enriching current opinions, source of novelty, aestheticism, beauty and art.
Inspiring through thought and action.
Adding value to existing projects.
In leadership and supervisory roles, it is important that you try to the following steps:
Be more objective when dealing with subordinates instead of being emotional.
Let others have a chance to talk and voice ideas.
Listen more, talk only when necessary.
Be more thorough in planning projects.
Learn to be serious at the appropriate times.
Translate your creative ideas into something that others can understand.
Allow others adequate time to grasp your new ideas.
Follow through on initial ideas before moving to newer ones.
Learn to accept criticism of your suggestions.
Be realistic enough and not too dreamy.
To enrich your interpersonal relationships with others, try to do the following:
Try talking less and listen to others more and concentrate.
Give others a chance to speak, don’t interrupt.
Keep a diary of daily appointments - no one appreciates your forgetfulness.
Stand your ground and do what is right regardless of others’ opinions of you.
Realize you can’t please nor get along with everyone.
Be open to other’s criticisms of your ideas and suggestions.
Be more realistic when sharing your opinions.
Give others a chance to announce and implement their plans.
Introduce your views and opinions patiently and clearly.
Appreciate and humbly bear with others’ activities and interests.
In facing conflicts, you tend to do this:
Joke to alleviate matters.
Please the other party.
Overreact.
Talk much but listen little.
May become defensive and overly emotional.
Withdraw to a safe environment.
Feel that others around you just don’t understand.
Wonder why others cannot figure out a simple solution to the problem.
How to better manage yourself when facing conflict:
Listen more to understand the cause of the conflict.
Don’t jump to conclusions; analyse the situation more carefully.
Restrain yourself from being too emotional.
Use humour to diffuse tension at the right moment and on the right issue.
Accept that not all will think or agree with the way you do.
Use your creativity to resolve the conflict.
Communicate your proposed solution for the conflict in a way that
others can understand .
The following actions may cause stress:
Lack of fun, hope and optimism in life.
Disapproval from others for unknown reasons.
Constant supervision.
Inhibition of expression.
Personal attacks.
Fetters, restrictions, restraints and any form of inhibition and restrictions on forms of expression.
Rejection of views and ideas.
Being misunderstood.
Stress - Why you react the way you do:
Perceive that others do not approve your actions.
You feel that the other party is hostile towards you.
The situation is too serious and dry.
Withdraw into fantasy world.
Rebellion.
Disillusioned.
Discouraged.
Stress - How to overcome your unfavourable reactions:
Stay calm and think over the root cause of stress.
Think of ways to overcome problem.
Let your mind rule over your feelings.
Voice your opinions in a less argumentative and provocative way.
Accept the reality of the present situation.
Accept some limitations and work within them.
Your approach/strategy and attitude towards learning:
Subject matter must be good enough to generate interest and provide enjoyment.
People-related subjects are greatly favoured.
Learns best in group/team setting.
Enthusiastic towards new material but may not last too long at it.
Prefers interactive mode of learning.
Broad minded and receptive to recent developments and almost any theory.
Flexible-minded: adaptable towards new subjects.
Open to new things.
Innovative: new ideas are fused with existing concepts.
Creative approaches by investigating, from different perspectives, a particular interest.
To be a more effective learner:
Pay more attention to details so as not to miss relevant points.
Be more organised and orderly - this will save you time and energy later on.
Note that many times studying can be dry and that’s something you can’t change, but need to accept to make progress.
Aim to be all-rounded by covering areas not related to people, because in life, the two are hardly separate in most areas.
Don’t let the absence of a team or group halt your pace - i.e. don’t be over-reliant on others.
Adoption of new ideas and unsubstantiated theories may run the risk of deception at personal or others’ expense - hence, be cautious.
While applying new perspectives of studying, don’t throw away conventional views, the bases of subsequent developments.
Be prepared to sit through dry spells of boring material if you are to get anywhere eventually.
In group settings that require interactive exchanges, be careful not to ‘blast away’ any stand that seems conventional lest it discourage healthy dialogue from your study partners.
Be more aware of implications of adopting new ideas.
Why were Koung Koung and Popoh YIPTONG reluctant to the marriage of my father Pak Lin to my mother Cecette? To be able to answer the question, it would be necessary to get to the background story to situate the scene and place us in the context of the time and place.
We were just passed the 40’s war, time were tough for all the inhabitants of the island. Employment was scare, even food was rationed. Came the end of the war, in 1945 the troops were demobilized and the normal activities of the country restarted.
Koung Koung YIPTONG was amongst the notable of the Chinese community and had done economically well for himself and his lot. He was a merchant, owning a high street wholesale business. In those days the wholesalers were not only the suppliers of goods of the retailers, they were also the fund provider (almost the banker) of the retailers. He himself started off in 1907 as a countryside retailer attached to a wholesaler until he had enough capital to open shop as a wholesale trader. Having saved enough wealth, he was about to fulfill his mission: a return back to China to resettle with his family.
Koung Koung YIPTONG was owner of several properties which were rented; was a prominent member of the community and was part of the Chinese unofficial leaders’ club: he commanded respect and was in the lime light of the community as an example of success and wisdom to follow. He was often called to arbitrate on litigious issues between members of the community, which in a way was a sort of arbitration court of the community.
To grow his business, on the recommendation of another wealthy merchant Chong Kwan, Koung Koung employed as correspondence clerk the latter’s relative: Ignace AHLIM an ex army sergeant who was recently demobilized. Ignace, though educated, came from a poor family background. Of Chinese Cantonese father and half Chinese mother, Ignace was orphan at age 16 and had to work to look after his mother, brother and sisters. Koung Koung liked the industrious qualities and the honesty of Ignace and later recruited his younger brother Laval to work in the business and her younger sister Cecette to help on a part time basis his growing children in their schooling. The duties of Cecette demanded that she spent long hours at the YIPTONG’s house.
With time and frequent meetings love between Cecette the learning tutor of the family and the eldest son, Pak Lin of the family developed.
How could the model Hakka family allow his eldest son marry a non Hakka?
It was traditional in those days that Chinese parents would select their daughter in law for acceptance by their son. Could the family accept a departure from the tradition?
Besides there were practical aspects to the issue: Popoh did not speak any other language than Hakka, Cecette could not communicate with her; how would her future daughter in law survive when they will be settled back in China and further more Cecette did not have the Chineseness expected from the traditional Hakka family.
Soon as the news of the love affair of the tutor of the house with the eldest son broke, Cecette lost her employ. Pak Lin was told to severe the relationship. The lovers continued to meet in spite of the restrictions. Koung Koung even threatened to disinherit him if he would dare marry his love one. Pak Lin would not change his mind: he even left his job in the family business to become a taxi driver to the horror of his father.
Seeing that Pak Lin will not change his mind, Koung Koung in his wisdom finally gave in: he accepted the marriage under the condition that the married couple would settle in China soon after. Meanwhile, the 3rd son Yook started dating another Chinese girl which did not receive the consent of Popoh as the tradition would dictate.
« Nous avons l’honneur - et le plaisir! - d’être invités encore une fois par Foi et Vie pour une rencontre le jeudi 8 novembre 2007 au Thabor à Beau Bassin à 18h00.
Foi & Vie nous informe que les Mouvements d’Action Catholique auront une rencontre internationale à Malte en octobre 2008 avec comme thème “Les migrations, une chance pour construire des ponts”. En lien avec ce thème, et avec la situation actuelle du pays,, Foi & Vie avait organisé une soirée fin juillet dernier avec Lindsay Rivière suite à son article “Risques et Périls“.
Pour faire suite à celà, le mouvement Foi & Vie organise la soirée de jeudi prochain avec Maurice Lam, haut cadre du Board of Investment, qui avait pris part au Symposium “Pas blyé nou rasin” le 19 juillet 2006 en prononcant un discours sur “Mauritius - the Global Nation“.
[Afin de vous familiariser avec ce sujet, il serait opportun de prendre connaissance de ce discours mais regrette de ne pouvoir vous le communiquer avec ce message. Peut-être pourriez-vous consulter le site de ce Symposium?]
Foi & Vie compte sur la présence d’un bon nombre de Cadres afin que les partages durant la soirée soient riches et animés! Egalement, pour favoriser une ambiance conviviale, Foi & Vie a la bonne idée de suggérer à chacun de porter son apéritif et ses sandwiches ou autre collation.
Nous espérons vous voir nombreux à cette rencontre et vous disons merci d’avance pour votre présence! »
J’étais présent à cette rencontre, d’ailleurs ma première, avec Foi & Vie. Je livre ici mes notes de la rencontre que je conserve pour ma mémoire.
Grande était ma surprise d’avoir eu à adresser la parole à l’assemblée présente, et ce, à la demande du père Gérard Sullivan, pour présenter Maurice Lam. En boutade, je disais que je me voyais comme Jean Baptiste qui annonçait la venue de Jésus. C’était pour mieux situer Maurice Lam qui se dit par la suite, dans son exposé, citoyen du monde, résident à Singapour et qui fait la navette entre sa ville résidentielle, île Maurice, son pays d’origine, New York où vivent & travaillent ses enfants. Consultant international en finance et stratégie, il a quitté île dans les années 75 pour le Canada et les Etats-Unis où il poursuivit ses études à l’université de Columbia. Dans le cadre de son travail, il a résidé et travaillé à Tokyo, Londres et Singapour. Maurice Lam se situe lui-même dans son cadre familial d’un père de foi bouddhiste et d’une mère catholique. Il est fier de l’éducation obtenue dans son enfance et adolescence dans l’île et mit en exergue la contribution des prêtres Avrillon, D’Arifat, Bathfield, et Brown qui lui ont donné un fondement chrétien solide. D’avoir pu se baigner dans ce bouillon de culture et de religions dans l’île lui a donné un esprit d’ouverture et de paix intérieure qui habite toujours en lui, n’ importe où il pourrait se trouver.
Maurice se dit un optimiste par nature et nous livre ses convictions :
Pourquoi avoir accepté la présidence de la BOI ?
- Motivé par la gratitude qu’il a pour son pays natal, il choisit de servir son pays. Il voudrait également démontrer qu’il est possible de travailler au gouvernement en témoignant d’une façon de faire chrétienne.
- Il a été choisi pour ses qualités professionnelles, non pas par le jeu d’influence.
- Il souhaite aider son pays à changer pour une meilleure justice sociale, et pour prendre les orientations qui répondent à l’ère de la mondialisation comme il avait évoqué dans son discours fait précédemment à l’ouverture du symposium.
- Il souhaiterait voir plus de chrétiens qui oeuvrent aux responsabilités de l’état.
- Attendons peu du gouverment, changeons notre facon de penser et de faire.
- Je suis pour une prise en charge de soi, l’assistanat étant un modele révolu.
- De mendier des aides et subsides aux pays riches et amis pour subsister est dépassé. Il n’y a plus d’acquis.
- Maurice aura à se réinventer continuellement pour être compétitif dans le marché global.
- De même que nous avons souffert de la concurrence mondiale sur notre main- d’œuvre dans le secteur textile, il y a nul doute que nous subirons le même phénomène dans les industries de services. L’arbitration se fait à l’echelle mondiale.
- Notre insularité et notre éloignement avec les marchés ne sont plus des handicaps dans les services.
- Notre système d’éducation est à revoir et à être reformé de toute urgences. Nous héritons d’un passé lourd qui s’exploserait en une fracture sociale.
- Maurice Lam semble prôner le libéralisme et crois dans l’arbitrage par la libre concurrence interne et étrangère. Par conséquent, il recommande que l’intervention de l’état soit minimisé pour laisser aisance et actions aux innovateurs entrepreneurs non distincts de leur nationalité. En contrepartie, les entrepreneurs ont la responsabilité et des devoirs envers les démunis de la societe. Ils devront créer le climat social propice au développement de tous.
Notes
Dans ma lecture de ce jour dans mon livret ‘Magnificat’ :j’ai été agréablement surpris de lire un texte de Mgr Marc Ouellet qui parle de la manière d’agir et de pâtir du citoyen chrétien :
Le disciple qui pratique la justice est transformé par le Christ, sanctifié par l’esprit Saint et mû par la charité. Cela se révèle à la manière d’agir et de pâtir du citoyen chrétien qui par l’éthique des Béatitudes, révèle la dignité christique de tout homme et de toute femme. Sa manière de traiter chaque personne laisse en effet transparaître le christ présent dans son corps en venant à la rencontre de tout homme. Le chrétien qui vit « dans le christ » ne peut donc pas se laver les mains de l’injustice du monde et se réfugier dans le domaine du pur religieux.
Farewell Susan
I got to know Philip first, in the early 70’s, when I was attending University; he was a fresh graduate from England and was lecturing to open up our minds on the usefulness of computing. Whereas Susan, wife of Philip, was then better known to me, to start off, as the austere secretary of Tim Taylor, sister of my colleague Jean Pierre. As the years went, fate or (I prefer) God arranged for me to get closer to Susan & Philip. Together with Philip and a bunch of fore sighted individuals, we set up the Toastmasters organization in Mauritius. During the teething period of Toastmasters, I got to work closely with Philip and learnt to appreciate his uprightness and honesty: ‘un homme de principe’. No fooling around and straight to the point seems to be Philip’s motto. Philip, a left brainer, is methodical in his approaches, always punctual and he hates wasting time, energy and any resources for that matter. When I got to meet Susan more often at work, I could sense that the couple shared the same values and were driven by the quest for continuous improvement in life. Both of them are persons of few words, I would even dare to say persons of one word, with a high sense of respect for others whilst being kind and generous. Later, we met more often and worked together on projects as we were members of the Rotary club of Port Louis. I enjoyed their fellowship. What I admired most in them is their sense of duty towards their loved ones; parents, children; towards their work and the society at large. Because of their humility, it was only when Philip became president of the Rotary club that their human goodness became prominent and shone as the couple was in the limelight.
This afternoon, I came back from Susan’s funeral! Or farewell function! She left us too soon at 54, too soon for her children and Philip, and too soon for the crowd that came to bid farewell to her. Tim, her boss for whom she had worked for 34 years, made a speech on her life story; her continuous drive to reach loftier heights; her sense of duty; her hard work; her dedication to her family; and the joy and fun she carried. Farewell to the Queen Bee of the 3rd floor! Later, Jonathan, their son, paid hommage to his mother, thanking her for the love, care and laughter she bestowed upon him, his sisters and his dad.
How would I have felt if it were the case of bidding farewell to a close friend who had decided to migrate to some distant country, leaving her children to fend for themselves? I would cherish the lovely moments we shared together; taken stock of the good things we have achieved together; thank God for having made it possible; wish my friend success in her new abode and pray that God looks after her. What is then the difference with the present situation? Susan is gone forever. I shall not see her ever in the same form on earth.
To think about it, is it not the way you and I shall go? It would be sad and even somewhat wasteful or meaningless if there is no life after life. I wish, hope and believe that there would be life after. At least, there would be something to look forward to! Is it reasonable to say that the more people have this wish; the more it may turn out to be true? No one has ever come back from death to prove life after life to mankind, except if we believe in Jesus Christ and His and our resurrection. He did come back. Is death only a passage way to a rebirth in another world or dimension? This is the way we are heading: the essence of our life is thus found.Farewell.
For the last fortnight, it would seem that PKK and Kurdistan have been topping the world news. The statement of President Bush declaring the PKK today as a terrorist organization aroused my curiosity and moved me to dig into the calamities of the Kurds. I recalled that the Kurds were people victims of geography for being divided and recently expelled from Iraq whilst being a minority in Turkey and in neighboring countries Iran and Syria.
The Kurdistan Region’s demography has changed considerably in the last few decades mainly because of forced migration by the previous Iraqi government, which is one of the main reasons for the movement from the countryside to towns and cities. By 2001, at least 600,000 people were internally displaced mainly because of the previous Iraqi regime’s policies since the 1970s. This included more than 100,000 people expelled in November 1991 alone from Kirkuk by the Iraqi government. According to a UNDP survey, 66% of people living in Duhok province have been forced to change their residence due to war at any point in their lives, while the figures in Suleimaniah and Erbil are 31% and 7%, respectively.
Traditionally, the majority of people in the Kurdistan Region lived in villages and survived on farming and animal husbandry of mainly sheep and goats thanks to the land’s fertile soil. The Region was known as the breadbasket of Iraq. Today this has reversed, with the majority living and working in the three cities of Erbil, Duhok and Suleimaniah and working in the government, construction, and trade.
In the 1980s Saddam Hussein’s regime destroyed over 4,000 villages and forcibly moved their residents to collective towns. Many of these villages have now been rebuilt. The Kurdistan Regional Government, with the support of UN agencies and NGOs, after 1991 rebuilt 2,620 of some 4,000 destroyed villages.
I have spent the last few hours reading on Kurds, I feel sorry for them. Admittedly they were a conquered nation under the Ottoman Empire, Since World War I, Kurdistan has been divided between several states, in each of which Kurds are minorities. No wonder the oppressed Kurds have become revolutionaries.
What would one expect of a nation ousted from its fertile land? “Kurds have no friends but the mountains”. Their curse was to own the snow mountains that are the sources of the famous Tigris and Euphrates Rivers as well as numerous other smaller rivers like the Khabur, Tharthar, Ceyhan, Araxes, Kura, Sefidrud, Karkha, and Hezil. With their water, the Tigris and the Euphrates give life not only to the Mesopotamian plain and the whole of Kurdistan but also to Iraq and Syria. These rivers, which flow down from heights of three to four thousand meters above sea level, are also very significant for the production of energy.
Do you know Chin -Ning Chu? I was very glad to listen to her on video streaming from her website today. Couple of years ago, I had read her first book Thick Face, Black Heart which was offered to me by one of my good friends.
The Art of War by Sun Tzu is a known theme and many authors have written thereon. Chin-Ning Chu now proposes The Art of War for Women. In her address to a women assembly in San Francisco, she confirms, like many other scholars who have studied Sun Tzu that the art of war is to win without ever going to war.
Some points that I have retained from her speech:
The weak can overcome the strong just like water can crack the hard rock.
Sun Tzu is a self taught philosopher who used his mind to devise strategies to win wars.
The Elements of Strategy
Before waging a war, the five elements that govern success must be examined. Only then can a proper assessment be done.
Those five elements are: 1. Tao (moral standing or ethics); 2. Tien (timing); 3. Di (terrain or
resources); 4. Jiang (leadership); 5. Fa (managing).
According to Sun Tzu, five elements govern success and must be understood in the planning stages of any action.
TAO: Your moral standing and the motivation that drives your actions. If your moral position is pure, colleagues will be willing to go to the mat for your cause.
TIEN: Timing. There are certain times when you should take action, other times when it is far better to wait. Tien lets you know which way to decide.
DI: “Earth,” “terrain,” or “resources.” Di refers to the obstacles that you face on your journey to success. Are you traveling over level ground? In other words, is everything going smoothly at work—or is each task akin to scaling a great mountain? Di also includes the distances you need to travel to accomplish your goal.
JIANG: “Leadership.” Sun Tzu believed that a leader must be wise, trustful, benevolent, courageous, and strict.
FA: “Method” or “how to”—what we today would call managing. Your “army” must be well organized, disciplined, and responsible, and as a leader you must be strong, and merciless in your attempts to maintain order.