Sun Tzu says.... You can have an advantage and still entice an opponent. You can be disorganized and still be decisive. You can be ready and still be planning. You can be strong and still avoid battle. You can be angry and still stop yourself. You can humble yourself and still be confident. You can be relaxed and still be working. You can be close to an ally and still part ways. You can attack a place without planning to do so. You can leave a place without giving away your plan.
You will find a place where you can win. You cannot first signal your intentions.
Manage to avoid battle until your organization can count on certain victory. You must calculate many advantages. Before you go to battle, you organization's analysis may indicate that you might not win. You can count few advantages. Many advantages add up to victory. Few advantages add up to defeat. How can you know your advantages without analyzing them? We can see where we are by means of our observations. We can foresee our victory or defeat by planning.
Sun Tzu says.... Some commanders perform this analysis. If you use these commanders, you will win. Keep them. Some commanders ignore this analysis. If you use these commanders, you will lose. Get rid of them.
Plan an advantage by listeninng. Adjust to the situation. Get assistance from the outside. Influence events. Then planning can find opportunities and give you control.
Warfare is one thing. It is a philosphy of deception.
When you are ready, you try to appear incapacitated. When active, you pretend inactivity. When you are close to the enemy, you appear distant. When far away, you pretend you are near.
Sun Tzu says.... You must learn through planning. You must question the situation.
You must ask: Which government has the right philosphy? Which commander has the skill? Which season and place have the advantage? Which method of command works? Which group of forces has the strength? Which officers and men have the training? Which rewards and punishments make sense? This tells when you will win and when you will lsoe. -Sun Tzu