The 5 Virtues of A General [Sun Tzu] Art by Kaijie Huang:《将者》: 《孙子兵法》系列 : 智信仁勇严
Kaijie Huang: 5 Virtues of a general (and leadership) from Sun Tzu's "Art of War."
智 Wisdom, 信 Integrity , 仁 Benevolence, 勇 Courage and 严 Strictness
智 Zhì "Wisdom"- For Sun Tzu- leadership is primarily defined by decision making, and those in the position of leadership are responsible for the lives of hundreds and thousands under their charge. For Sun Tzu, those leaders who are judicious in decision will safeguard the livelihood of their followers and employees, and those without a discerning senses will lead their followers to ruin and death. Wisdom is the overriding legitimacy for a leader and a leader with keen judgement can quickly respond to emerging situations and come up with solutions, what's more they are able to contend with foes and anticipate the other side's actions, prepare long term and across vast spaces, and readily come up with countermeasures.
信 Xìn "Integrity"- A man of his word, a man of honor. Aside from Wisdom, Integrity is one of great importance to leadership and management. Military operations (what's more operations in general) is a coordinate effort with many moving parts and vast amount of human labor- often divided in many subdivided hierarchies. This is why in order to ensure everything work smoothly- and that everyone works for the benefit that would allow them to finish their task or ensure the most survive. It is vital that everyone knows their place in relation to the operation and are responsible for the part they play. This is why Integrity is of vital significance. What kind of patron would trust a dishonorable and unreliable candidate to serve as his general? What kind of underlings would sell their lives short and give their all to an unreliable commander who won't have their backs? Furthermore, 信 Xìn could also be translated as trustworthiness and credibility. Only a leader who is wise- and then backs up such a mind with his actions can his leadership be respected.
仁 Rén "Benevolence"- alternatively "Human Heartedness" (especially in Confucian tradition) Ren's interpreted to mean several ways. A leader must care for those who serve under him, he must ensure they must protect and provide for those he is responsible for, thereby in reciprocity winning the respect and gratitude of those who fights for him. What's more, it also means magnanimity to surrendered populace and consideration for prisoners and newly conquered territories without undue cruelty. The other side are humans too after all.
勇 Yǒng "Courage"- Wars are (and most competitions)- supreme test of will and often extreme back- breaking exertions. Often, even if caught flat footed or vastly outnumbered, through courageous determination and discipline, the smaller but more courageous force could perform miracles despite the seemingly dire circumstances. To inspire such fanatical bravery from the soldiers and followers, a leader must, when situation required, show personal courage under extreme duress. This does not necessarily mean that he must race to the frontlines or to seek battle himself, but he must rise to the occasion even under extreme duress, what's more, be brave for everyone. Fear often has a rippling effect and to tough out the worst, the leader must keep his nerves.
严 Yán "Strictness"- the idea could be best understood in terms of reinforcing rules and apply discipline. As previously mentioned, wars are massive operations with some times thousands and tens of thousands all under a rigid chain of command. This means that even without knowing the names and faces of the followers directly, there must be systemized rules for behaviors (expectations, promised rewards) and outlines for punishments etc. What's more, both rewards and punishments, and ensuring orders are faithfully carried out, are of paramount importance to the smoothness of the operation. A system that is clear and where rewards and punishments are implemented with the most impartiality will inspire the followers and soldiers to do their utmost toward the desired goal while have internalized the rules within themselves to avoid punishment.
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Comments
I would say Grand Admiral Thrawn from the Star Wars universe embodies these qualities perfectly don't you think?
What's more I really don't believe just bc a general is good that's the be all end all of it. In the grand scheme of things generals are limited where as statesmen (good statesmen) are far for important. For instance, I personally think Timur and Alexanders are fantastic generals- but they are very terrible statemen in my eyes. Where as some other statesmen like Augustus and Liu Bang are sub par personal generals (with great generals serving them such as Agrippa and Han Xin) did far better for their state and people despite being lesser generals. For these same reasons I believe modern junta or military cabal- led states have a much weaker state than say~ US and China bc that military elite are often not very good at anything outside their purview of responsibilities (like economy etc.) Life isn't all wars after all, like~ 90% of it isn't.
But if I really have to crack at this, I think Quintus Fabius, Maruice, and Võ Nguyên Giáp, are some example that fits the Sun Tzu mold more than others. There are countless able general from all cultures of course, Khalid ibn al-Walid, Napoleon, Zhukov, and Moshe Dayan, etc who are excellent aggressive generals but to me Sun Tzu type of general are distinguished by their deep understanding of the enemies they face, what's more, the restraint of not giving battle usually in situations where victory is not guaranteed. Hannibal might be the best general of his age but Fabius never gave him the oppurtunity to have victory, Napoleon might be the best general of his age- even with multiple nations verging on France, but the Anglos never gave him the battle of annihilation he wanted and the rest of the powers learned to avoid Napoleon on the field.
Plus- Im not saying those more aggressive generals are bad or lesser than Sun Tzu types, both are valid for different situations and general's job is to secure victory and prevent defeats.
Yes, Thrawn fits this mold, but that's hard to really talk in length about, Timothy Zahn pretty much defined Thrawn as a cerebral commander so sure.