| Last week we received an
insightful e-mail from the famous CEO of a Fortune 100
company. He asked a quick question about e-mail and the
use of our term
corpcraft . As a PS to our answer we asked him how
he did it--how he had managed to consistently add or
protect so much shareholder value, even in this grim
market. His answer* was illustrative given his fame as a
fierce competitor:
"To
put it in terms you would appreciate: I learned a long
time ago to act like a shuai-jan, you know, the snake.
That and not being worried about personal embarrassment
which opens up a lot of possibilities my counterparts
avoid."
For the non-herpetologists out there: a
shuai-jan is a snake mentioned in ancient Chinese texts
on battle tactics:
"When you attack the
shuai-jan's head, it attacks you with its tail. When you
strike its tail it attacks with his head. Strike at its
middle and both ends will attack you".
Both traits help explain
his happy shareholders. Think about it...
*reproduced with permission.
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