When translated into English, Sun Tzu's powerful formulas
seem like vague aphorisms. His text is
difficult to translate, and his ideas become even more difficult for readers to understand. It is
like putting E=mc2 into an English sentence and expecting everyone to know
how to use it. It just doesn't work. Sun Tzu's work is the original
explanation of classical front-line strategy, but it is like sophisticated
software that doesn't come with a user interface or on-line help.
A major part of Sun Tzu's work is specific to the situation you are in. We call this the study of
situation response. As you read his work, you may
be able to see how a few of his lessons apply directly to your
immediate situation. You will not, however, remember its hundreds of lessons when you need them
in the future. People
remember
only 5 percent of what they read. While our books provide
a fast entry point into Sun Tzu's system, simply reading a book doesn't train you.
This is not just ideas and information but a skill
set of reflexes and responses. Skills require training and practice. Think of
it as a martial art. Do you think you can master any martial art by simply
reading a book? The only place you can get this training is through the
Science of Strategy Institute.
The proof that our products work is in what our thousands and thousands of
customers say. Both large organizations
whose people we've trained and the private individuals
who read our books and take our classes have a lot to say about what we teach.
Many of these people
have read and studied The Art of War on their own, but they readily
admit that they discovered its power to change their lives only when they
discovered our work explaining it. Most of our customers come back again
and again. They might start with one book, but after they start using this
system and see how well it works, they naturally want to know more.
The breadth of our program is a testimony
to our customers' success in using this system. We offer so many books, CDs, and
DVDs; live training; and on-line
training because our customers keep asking for more. They are the ones
who tell us how valuable it has been in their lives.
We have to thank our dedicated
customers for the fact that we are the only place in the world where you
can get this information.
If you need more proof, you might want to look at
the awards our books have earned from a
variety of independent groups in a wide variety of categories. For us,
however, it is not about how great our products are, but how they make our
customers great.
There is a huge difference between reading Sun Tzu and
understanding him. There is also a huge gap between understanding
his ideas and being able to apply them. We close both of these gaps.