“In difficult ground, press on; In encircled ground, devise stratagems; In death ground, fight.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
The Battle of Thermopylae
And fight they did, King Leonidas and his bodyguard of 300 Spartans fought at the “Hot Gates” against the might of the invading Persian Empire. Fighting shield to shield, the 300 brave Spartans who were bred and trained for war, stopped the invading forces for long enough to rally all of Greece.
Or so the story Frank Miller wrote goes.
This battle did take place but Miller’s story did take a little bit of artistic license with the events. The Spartans did number 300 but they also had allies that numbered in the thousands.
The basic premise was the same in history and in the story, the Spartans knew that they were vastly outnumbered. They had to outthink the Persian Army because they would never beat them in a straight-up battle. The Spartans used the geography to their advantage and made a large force fight in smaller numbers because of the narrowness of the pass.
There was one problem, the Hot Gates had a path that could lead behind them so they left 1000 Phocians to guard it and their back.
Surrounded
Even with their cunning strategy, they were betrayed and surrounded by the Persians. This meant they had no choice but to fight or die. Not really much of a choice if you ask me.
Difficult Ground
If things are hard, you need to keep working. Working on that business idea, the script, getting up early to go to the gym, that challenge in your relationship, these are all difficult, but not fatal. Keep working on it.
Encircled Ground
Don’t get into a fight you don’t think you can win. If it is not an advantageous place to fight, then think of ways to turn the obstacle into an opportunity.
You are small and they are big, then you have to be nimble, adjust your business model, try more things more quickly, and change a problem into a strength.
Also, if you don’t have to fight on that ground then don’t, control the terms of engagement.
Death Ground
If it is something you absolutely must win, then make sure you are fighting on death ground. Commit everything you have to it. Put that money into your idea. Tell that person you love them. Fight, fight, and fight some more.
Charlie Munger talks about inverting ideas to see what you shouldn’t do. To see all the ways you might fail. Applying Sun Tzu’s teaching needs to go for you and for your opponent.
On the flip side, if your opponent is tough then don’t put them on death ground. If you push them into a corner with no escape you might not like the outcome of the interaction.
Your Take Away
Make sure you are thinking of what ground you are on. Not everything needs to be a fight, sometimes discretion is better than conflict. If there is no avoiding conflict then position yourself so that you have no option but to win.
Luke McMeeken-Ruscoe 