Sun Tzu’s Art of War: Securing Loyalty Before Punishment

When men are punished before their loyalty is secured, they will be rebellious and disobedient. If they are disobedient and rebellious, it is difficult to deploy them. When the loyalty of men is assured, but no punishments are meted out, such troops cannot be used either. Thus, the general must be able to instruct his troops with civility and humanity and unite them with rigorous training and discipline to ensure victories in battles. When orders are regularly enforced and used to train soldiers, they will be obedient. When orders are not followed regularly or used to train soldiers, they will not be obedient. When orders are regularly enforced, it is due to mutual trust between the commander and his men. – Sun Tzu The Art of War Chapter 9

Sun Tzu mentioned that loyalty must first be secured and then punishment can be applied so that these troops can be used in battle. And to do this, you must instruct your troops in civility and humanity and bind them together with rigorous training and discipline. Only then can these troops be used for battle.

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Ensure loyalty before implementing punishment

We can apply this directly to the company by treating its employees in the way that Sun Tzu recommends. Most people would think that salary is the way to attract top talent, but that is not the case, as many surveys conducted by HR management companies have shown. A good physical and human environment in the company can ‘pay’ talent more and this ‘remuneration’ package is not easily duplicated by rival companies.

How to retain your employees? One sentence would be enough to explain all the methods that can be used. Treat your employees the way you want others to treat you if you are the employee. If you want people to forgive your minor mistakes, do the same for your employees. You want your employer to give you less overtime so you can spend time with your family, the same applies. Put yourself in the shoes of your employees. Treat them well and you can reap intangible benefits. Know that you care about their needs and your family as well. In this way, I am sure that you will be able to ensure the loyalty of your employees.

Fulfillment of orders regularly

You need to make sure that your orders are regularly fulfilled in your company, so that it works well. And to ensure that it is followed, you need to instill mutual trust in your employees that they will benefit greatly if they follow your orders. As mentioned in Chapter 1 of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, you need to administer your rewards and punishments strictly and fairly, increasing the confidence of employees that they will be rewarded if they do well. Let your employees know that you have the skills to lead. As John C. Maxwell, author of 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, mentions, the Law of Acceptance, you must allow your employees to believe in their abilities, only then can you begin to present your vision for the company.

So, as you can see, it is very important that you can secure the loyalty of your employees and from there build mutual trust and only then can they be effectively ‘used’ in your company.