Author teaches leadership with war strategy

Fort Worth, TX

2/28/2007

Jillian Hutchison, TCU Daily Skiff

A best-selling author stressed the importance of courage and confidence in being a successful leader in a lecture Tuesday evening.

Chin-Ning Chu, an international author and expert on the business application of military general Sun Tzu's "Art of War," talked to about 150 students, faculty and community members in the Student Center Ballroom as part of the Frost Foundation Lectureship for Global Issues.

She told the audience that they would each get something different from her presentation because of their varying ages.

"If you listen to it with your heart in this particular hour," Chu said, "it's going to change your life."

Her presentation, titled "Be a Rapidly Adaptive Creative Ethical Leader," highlighted the practical application of "Art of War" to leadership today.

Chu, a direct descendant of the Royal Ming Dynasty, said "Art of War" is an ancient Chinese book on military strategy.

"When I was 10 years old, my father read Chinese strategy classics to me as a bedtime story instead of Cinderella," she said.

Though it is an ancient book, Chu said the strategies outlined in "Art of War" are still applicable to people's everyday lives.

"It's about how to win without fighting by maximizing who you are," Chu said.

Chu talked about leadership and winning and highlighted important elements of each.

"A good leader needs to be courageous," she said.

Until a leader becomes courageous, Chu said, good ideas will never become more than good ideas.

Jueyin Wang, a junior business major, said she was inspired by Chu.

"She explained very deep, profound philosophy in an understandable way," Wang said.

Xueji Wang, a freshman pre-business major, said she was challenged when Chu encouraged the audience members to help the on-campus international community to continue to grow.

"You will get challenged by life," Chu said.

Despite those challenges, Chu said to the audience, it is possible to be happy with life in the end, knowing that you did your best.


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