The General’s Disposition

As a general, one must pay attention to certain daily matters of conduct. When the well in the camp has not yet been drawn, the general must not be the first to cry thirst; when the troops’ food has not yet been cooked, the general must not be the first to cry hunger; when the fires in the camp have not yet been lit, the general must not be the first to cry cold; when the tents in the camp have not yet been fully pitched, the general must not be the first to cry weariness; in the heat of summer, the general does not casually take up a fan for coolness; when it rains, the general does not be the first to open an umbrella against the rain. In sum, the general must in all details of daily life place himself on the same footing as the soldiers. Modern Application:This chapter is extremely short, yet it pulls “leadership” down from the grand level of strategy and institutions to the most concrete and least disguisable dimension: whether a leader is willing, in basic comforts and needs, to place himself in exactly the same position as his members. Zhuge Liang uses five......