How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

Advancing the Worthy

Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 1.10 Advancing the Worthy

Teaching set  | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also

Teaching set

Civil Secret Teachings 1.10 (10)

Observed lessons

• You can advance worthy people yet see little benefit from doing so. You need to put them to good use as well.
• Beware of mistaking people who are liked for people who are worthy.

Discussion

If you promote those people who others think are good, then you encourage games where people present themselves as likeable and charismatic, seeking the votes of others rather than doing good and letting the evidence speak for itself. This is a common game in politics, where the politician manages their image while the real person may be somewhat less than that portrayed. The same game also appears in business, with climbers who present a different face upwards to that shown to their subordinates and peers.

The task of the leader, then, is to see masks and to see through them to the person beneath. This is a very important skill, perhaps the most important one. If you surround yourself with players, then you will be played. If you surround yourself with worthy people, you will be elevated as the organization thrives.

See also

Politics

Sawyer, R.D. (1993). The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China, Basic Books