03.007 If the general cannot control his temper...

[Hephaestus]

Originally posted by sonshi
If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken. This is the kind of calamity when laying siege to a walled city.

This stresses the need to control your temper and be patient when preparing your forces for laying siege to a walled city (if you have to steep so low as to attack a city)

[Bubishi]

Originally posted by sonshi
If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken. This is the kind of calamity when laying siege to a walled city.

You are attacking your enemies strongest advantage. Therefore you must have the patience to wait untill your enemy is too weak to effectively defend them selves.

If you attack too soon, you will suffer massive losses.

Sun Tzu want you to know the dangers of attacking a city.

[Duncan]

Originally posted by sonshi
If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken. This is the kind of calamity when laying siege to a walled city.

Patience!
Don't do anything until you have planned and prepared. As Patton said, "A pint of sweat saves a gallon of blood."

[a_ponderer]

Originally posted by sonshi
If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken. This is the kind of calamity when laying siege to a walled city.

A great thought could be to throw lots of bird seeds (if birds are nearby) into the city (instead of getting angry), many birds can eat there, sleep there and crap there. The smell can be disturbing, the noise can be distrurbing and everyone in the city would be (very frequently) on alert. Eventually the city would be surrendered.

[The Sheepdog]

In my personal experience, some of the greatest leaders that I have ever been involved with were first and foremost those that were able to maintain "command bearing" when in stressful situations. They always maintained a calmness that seemed to permeate the environment. They turned a stressful environment to one that was peaceful. I have always gravitated toward people with that characteristic - or leadership trait. A calm leader is in control of his thoughts - which is in turn - in control of their actions. They are not controlled by their emotions per se, but by their principles and tend to make sound decisions.

[The Sheepdog]

Originally Posted by markb287

This principle teaches about what the general should avoid. If the general is angry and loses his temper, then its possible that this angriness can cloud his judgement. He can therefore risk the lives of his men by doing something very foolish.

Again, well said markb. When someone loses control of their temper, they are essentially - out of control. That means not only of their physical actions, but also of those that he is in control of. Like you said, his men could pay the ultimate penalty for his foolish, out-of-control thoughts and actions.

[educatorart]

Originally Posted by The Sheepdog

Again, well said markb. When someone loses control of their temper, they are essentially - out of control. That means not only of their physical actions, but also of those that he is in control of. Like you said, his men could pay the ultimate penalty for his foolish, out-of-control thoughts and actions.

Exactly Mark and Sheepdog! What excellent insights you both have!

I remember my first day in High School. I, and my fellow students, were so proud to finally be going off to High School. I couldn't sleep a wink the night before because I was so excited. As we sat down in the assembly hall at 8 o'clock in the morning, we were all happily exchanging little pleasantries with each other, while the head master (dressed in academic robes) strutted up to the stage and stood before us.

Then, all of a sudden, the head master started screaming at the top of his voice: "THE FIRST LESSON YOU WILL LEARN IN MY SCHOOL IS THAT WHEN THE HEAD MASTER STANDS BEFORE YOU, YOU WILL SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!!" He went absolutely berserk!

What a shock we all got, and from that day on I, and my friends, became the greatest rebels in the history of that school. It was, from an academic perspective, five years wasted in our lives, but we learned to be tough and to stand up for ourselves, which was perhaps the most valuable lesson of all.

The head master merely proved to us, at the very outset - at the very first hour of the very first day - the double-edged sword of lasting first impressions. In trying to present himself as the epitome of strength and supreme authority, his shouting merely translated to his audience the fact that he had not only lost control of himself but that he had lost control of the entire situation.

[The Sheepdog]

Originally Posted by educatorart

The head master merely proved to us, at the very outset - at the very first hour of the very first day - the double-edged sword of lasting first impressions. In trying to present himself as the epitome of strength and supreme authority, his shouting merely translated to his audience the fact that he had not only lost control of himself but that he had lost control of the entire situation.

That is the truth Art. He who screams the loudest is usually the weakest. Much as the modern-day bully, those with the lowest self-esteem and self-worth usually have to make up for it by being the loudest. They feel they can compensate for the areas in which they are their weakest or just plain lacking in by being loud and in their opinion -- authoritative -- when in fact, most people shut them out because of their folly. It's a sad thing that people feel that way and react accordingly. If only everyone realized that they had a purpose and would embrace it and realize that if nothing else stands out -- they are the best THEY that anyone could be.

[thinker96]

Ain't that the truth!!!!!

[JackStrat]

Committing resources should be a sacred act of leadership in an organization.

Allowing anger, ego, or impulsiveness to bias actions can lead to all of the unpleasantness Sun Tzu associates with attacking positions of strength, and therefore cannot be tolerated in generals.

This is a principle that seems obvious in hindsight, but in practice is extremely common among leaders of many types of organizations.

[Yin]

Originally Posted by sonshi

If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken. This is the kind of calamity when laying siege to a walled city.

forcing your way into a wall at the same time allowing your temple of darkness to be disrupted by anger..

You're mad

Temple of darkness is a more potent form of presence of mind because it is imbued with the art of war..