Sun Tzu on what makes a leader
I’m kicking off the year by rereading Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. The last time I read it, I was surprised at how well it transferred to business. The leadership lessons stuck with me and changed how I thought about running my own companies. Now, a few years and a few more lessons later, I’m curious what I’ll see this time around.
This morning I was reading the “Estimates” chapter. Sun Tzu names five virtues of a great leader: wisdom, sincerity, humanity, courage, and strictness. The first four feel obvious. Strictness might sound harsh at first. Stick with me. It belongs.
Small business leadership is personal. You’re juggling roles, making decisions quickly, and staying close to your team. The leadership corporations train into their managers doesn’t fit you. These five virtues do.
Wisdom: anticipate and adapt
Wisdom isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about reading what’s coming and getting ready for it. Wise leaders hold a long-term direction in mind while staying flexible enough to adjust when conditions change.
A small-town bakery starts noticing customers asking about gluten-free options. The owner doesn’t wait to see if the trend holds. She adds a small gluten-free line. Soon she’s attracting new customers and outpacing the competitors who waited.
In practice, wisdom is staying alert to shifts in customer behavior, paying attention to data and feedback (not just gut), and making moves before everyone else sees the move is needed.
Tip: take thirty minutes a week to look at your business and your market. What’s shifting? What are your customers asking about that they weren’t six months ago? Catch the small changes before they turn into big ones.
Sincerity: build trust through integrity
Sincerity is being honest and reliable. When your team and customers know they can trust you, it creates relationships that last.
At my home health agency, we kept a suggestion box by the fridge. Everyone visits the fridge, so suggestions actually came in. We rewarded good ideas. We acted on what we could. The point wasn’t operational improvement, though we got some. The point was showing the team that their voices counted. That trust paid back in loyalty and morale.
Sincerity in practice means being clear about goals and challenges, following through on what you’ve promised, and creating an environment where the team knows you’re listening.
Tip: set up a simple feedback channel. Suggestion box. Anonymous survey. A standing conversation. Then show people you’re listening by responding to what they say.
Humanity: lead with empathy
Empathy is what connects you to your team and your customers. You see people as people, not as roles or transactions.
I know a florist who checks in with her team during busy seasons like Valentine’s Day. Flexible schedules when the load is heavy. Catered lunch during the crunch. Small acts of care that her team remembers. They show up harder for her because of it.
Humanity in practice means understanding what your team is carrying outside of work, recognizing good work when you see it, and listening to your customers’ actual problems instead of the problems you assume they have.
Tip: schedule one-on-one check-ins with your team this month. Listen more than you talk. Where it makes sense, do the same with a few of your customers. The conversations usually surface things you hadn’t considered.
Courage: make the bold moves
Courage is what gets you to act when the outcome isn’t certain. Innovation, expansion, confronting the thing you’ve been avoiding.
The bakery owner has been considering an online ordering system. She’s been hesitating because it sounds complicated. After enough thought, she launches a pre-order system for holiday pies. It’s a hit. Busy customers love the convenience. She wishes she’d done it sooner.
Courageous leadership is launching the new offer, exploring the new market, and facing the conflict you’ve been working around.
Tip: pick one bold move you’ve been putting off because of fear. Take a step toward it this week. Brainstorm with someone you trust. Make a list. Even small motion breaks the freeze.
Strictness: clear expectations, held consistently
Strictness isn’t rigidity or harshness. It’s clarity about what you expect, applied consistently — to yourself first.
At my home health company, everyone knew their responsibilities. Everyone had the tools to do the work. We didn’t save feedback for annual reviews. We had it in real time, often, in small doses. People knew where they stood. The annual review was never a surprise.
Strictness in practice is making sure everyone knows their role, building systems people can rely on, and staying focused on what matters when distractions show up.
Tip: write down your expectations for one role or project. Share them. Then check in regularly. Nobody should ever be blindsided during a review. The review should be a summary of conversations you’ve already had.
Putting the five together
Leadership is balance. You need wisdom to read what’s coming, sincerity to build trust, humanity to connect, courage to move, and strictness to hold the standard.
Pick one this week. Not all five at once. Pick the virtue you’d most benefit from leaning into right now, and find one small way to act on it in your business.
The owners who lead with these end up with teams that stay, customers who come back, and businesses that don’t depend on the owner being there every minute.
If leadership is where you’re working on growth right now and you want to talk through it, set up a call with me.
About the Author
Ron Tester is a physical therapist with thirty years in the field. He built, grew, and operated a multidisciplinary home health company employing PTs, OTs, and SLPs through a successful exit. He now coaches outpatient PT, OT, and SLP clinic owners on operating at the owner level. Certified Executive Coach and Book Yourself® Solid Coach. Learn more at https://www.rontestercoaching.com/about.