Compass360 Consulting Recommendation

To understand the configuration of the Big Tangible Picture, we recommended the reading of Jiang Tai Gong  (JTG)and his Six Secret Teachings book.   

In the Chinese strategy game, he is considered to be "The Father of Strategic Studies."  Military generals and professional strategic implementers usually read his essay for a grandier view of strategy while the solders, the amateur thinkers and field specialists studied the Art of War.

Six Secret Teachings
This book is a great book for "newbies" who are interested in strategic consulting and advising. It consists of six chapters that guide the readers in the art and science of effective strategy and leadership from a top-down mode.

Here is a brief description of Jiang's concepts in a contemporary sense.

The first two "chapters" deal with the duties of the organization and the natural transition of power to the principal rival if the organization fails. This scenario can be described as a "respective" interplay of "yin and yang."

The Civil Strategic Secret
The first chapter stresses the importance of recruiting talent, managing the organization, and valuing developing a proper relationship with your client and your own organization. Once the bond of absolute trust is established, they will intensively listen to you.

The Military Strategic Secret 
The second chapter accentuates the importance of how to prevail over the competition and how to build a territorial domain by the following actions: Cultivating yourself and organizing your own group in order to govern your external settings and pacify the world. The concept of "conquering without a single tactical battle" is also greatly emphasized. (It is similar to Sunzi's concept of "winning a war without a battle.")

The Dragon Strategic Secret 
The emphasis is on how to lead wisely through various situations by understanding and development operational command, order, and liaison.

The Tiger Strategic Secret 
The emphasis is on the tactical essentials, that include matters related to logistics and operations for certain scenarios.

The Leopard Strategic Secret 
This chapter focuses on the tactical specifics for finding the critical path toward completing the objective

The Dog Strategic Secret 
This final chapter focuses on the tactical specifics of trapping the target (i.e., chasing, encircling and intercepting). There are also good points on selecting and training the desired professionals and coordinating the personnel's and resources toward the target.

Other Notes
Understanding and mastering the content from Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 (civil secret teachings and martial secret teachings) is the key to being a good consulting adviser.
These two chapters  indirectly outline the various ways of "suggesting" ideas and perspectives to the principal client for the purpose of gaining the client's trust. .

Our "Cardinal" associate has described the comparison of the concepts behind Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 to  that of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, but with a Daoist perspective.  Those who comprehend the essence of Daoism,  understand what is his point.

From our understanding of chapter three to chapter six,  the ultra class professionals  are usually focused on increasing their strategic effectiveness while the amateurs are centered on implementing operational procedures.

To start an uprising in your competitive arena, you should carefully study those two chapters first.

Trivia
Beside the current batch of PRC military thinkers, the famous Zhang Liang and Zhuge Liang were also readers of the Six Secret Teachings.