only burst out laughing.
Sun Tzu said: “If words of command
are not clear and distinct, if orders
are not thoroughly understood, then
the general is to blame.” So he started
drilling them again, and this time
gave the order “Left turn,” whereupon
the girls once more burst into fits of
laughter.
Sun Tzu reiterated: “If words of
command are not clear and distinct, if
orders are not thoroughly understood,
the general is to blame. But if his
orders ARE clear, and the soldiers
nevertheless disobey, then it is the
fault of their officers.” So saying,
he ordered the leaders of the two
companies to be beheaded.
Now the king of Wu was watching
the scene from the top of a raised
pavilion; and when he saw that his
favourite concubines were about to be
executed, he was greatly alarmed and
hurriedly sent down the following
message: “We are now quite satisfied
as to our general’s ability to handle
troops. If We are bereft of these two
concubines, our meat and drink will
lose their savour. It is our wish that
they shall not be beheaded.”
ASun Tzu replied: “Having once
received His Majesty’s commission
to be the general of his forces, there
are certain commands of His Majesty
which, acting in that capacity, I am
unable to accept.” Accordingly, he
had the two leaders beheaded, and
straightway installed the pair next in
order as leaders in their place.
When this had been done, the drum
was sounded for the drill once more;
and the girls went through all the
evolutions, turning to the right or to
the left, marching ahead or wheeling
back, kneeling or standing, with
perfect accuracy and precision, not
venturing to utter a sound.
Then Sun Tzu sent a messenger to
the King saying: “Your soldiers, Sir, are
now properly drilled and disciplined,
and ready for your majesty’s
inspection. They can be put to any use
that their sovereign may desire; bid
them go through fire and water, and
they will not disobey.”
But the King replied: “Let our general
cease drilling and return to camp. As
for us, we have no wish to come down
and inspect the troops.” Thereupon
Sun Tzu said: “The King is only fond
of words, and cannot translate them
into deeds.”
After that, Ho Lu saw that Sun Tzu
was one who knew how to handle
an army, and finally appointed him
general. In the west, he defeated the
Ch`u State and forced his way into
Ying, the capital; to the north he put
fear into the States of Ch`i and Chin,
and spread his fame abroad amongst
the feudal princes. And Sun Tzu
shared in the might of the King.
Leadership
In the book The Trouble With
Nigeria, the late Chinua Achebe
talked of when the administration of
Yakubu Gowon was overthrown in
1975. Once people got to know that
the new head of state was going to
be Murtala Mohammed, everything
changed.
Civil servants got to their offices as
earl y as 7:30 am. This was due to the
reputation of Murtala Mohammed as
a no nonsense leader. Six months later
when Mohammed was assassinated,
things went back to normal. The
indiscipline resumed.
When General Buhari was elected
president in 2015, there were
reports of people who stole money
from the government returning the
money even before he was sworn
in as president. There were stories
of people who served in the former
administration of President Goodluck
Jonathan relocating abroad before the
inauguration of the new president.
Why? Because General Buhari has a
reputation for being a strict, straight
and no no-nonsense leader who does
not condone any form of corruption.
Leadership is the ability to influence
the thinking and behaviour of others.
Influencing their behaviour can be
accomplished through different means
but one thing is clear, democratic
principles cannot work within the
context of visionary business.
52 MAL 12/16 ISSUE