Chin-Ning Chu interview
In the tradition of introducing Sonshi.com readers to accomplished Sun Tzu and strategy thinkers, we had an opportunity to interview Chin-Ning Chu. She is a best-selling author of works such as Do Less, Achieve More,Thick Face, Black Heart, and The Asian Mind Game. Her newest book isWoman's Art of War.
Ms. Chin-Ning Chu was born in mainland China, grew up in Taiwan, and immigrated to the United States in 1969. Her name "Chin-Ning" in Chinese means "Journey to Peace." She has readers in over forty countries -- and throughout Asia and Australia, her books have outsold those of Stephen Covey, Tony Robbins and Tom Peters. Feature articles have been written about her and her style of teaching in major business publications like BusinessWeek and Success Magazine.
Today Chin-Ning Chu is the chairperson of the Strategic Learning Institute and the president of Asian Marketing Consultants, Inc. She and her company advise to top-level executives and numerous large companies around the world. For more information, go to ChinNingChu.com. Below is our interview.
Sonshi.com: You were born in China, raised in Taiwan, and in 1969, moved to the United States with little more than a suitcase and two books. Your ability to adapt and succeed is incredible! How have your experiences helped you to understand strategy?
Chu: It started when I was young. When I was 10 years old, my father read to me books like the Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms. At the time I just thought they were just great stories but they became a part of me. Now strategy comes naturally, effortlessly, and without formula.
Many people think that applying strategy is a devious activity. I disagree. What they are probably thinking is in the cases of Enron and Arthur Andersen where these companies operated on clever maneuvers. Strategy to me is about being one with the Tao, both in thought and in practice.
Sonshi.com: Share with our readers more about the two books you brought along with you. (We certainly know about one of them!)
Chu: I brought along Sun Tzu The Art of War and the Thick Black Theory. Thick Black Theory tells us the world is vicious and the most vicious people get ahead. It is a philosophical book describing what the world is like, but does not show you what to do about it. My book Think Face, Black Heart is based on this book but it goes another level to explain what to do.
Sonshi.com: When did you first learn about Sun Tzu's Art of War, and what was it about the book that interested you?
Chu: I first read The Art of War when I was in my teenage years. Frankly at the time, being a teenager, I did not know specifically how the book would be useful -- but I did know it was something powerful. I am now a practitioner of the book.
Sonshi.com: You are now Chairperson of the Strategic Learning Institute and President of Asian Marketing Consultants, Inc. From your business experience, how prevalent are Sun Tzu concepts being applied in the world of commerce?
Chu: As you know I am a professional international speaker on this subject. The requests I get from people to speak about Sun Tzu The Art of War and how to apply it to their business come mainly from CEOs and top executives. Rarely do I get them from middle or lower managers. CEOs and top-level managers seem to understand The Art of War better and therefore find the book more useful and applicable to their companies.
Sonshi.com: Do you see differences in how Eastern and Western cultures view and understand Sun Tzu and its ideas?
Chu: At the surface, yes; at the core, no. The Eastern mind is more subtle and hidden while the Western mind is more accessible and obvious. In the East, there is subtlety and things are done in the head; in the West, there is an emphasis to produce and on the practical. What I do for companies is help them fuse timeless Eastern wisdom with Western practicality.
Sonshi.com: You have had a tremendous amount of recognition from the media, clients, and fans for you and your work. What motivated you to write your first book that started it all: "The Chinese Mind Game?"
Chu: I work a lot with American businesses and government. What I found in 1986 when the book was written was Americans have little knowledge of the Chinese psyche. It was my desire to bridge this gap. The book has since been renamed to the Asian Mind Game.
Sonshi.com: Tell our readers about your latest book, "Working Woman's Art of War: Winning Without Confrontation."
Chu: Though the book was written for women, it can apply also to anyone working from a disadvantaged position. This would include minorities…especially if they are working in a "dictatorship". In fact, I have a new book to be published called, The Dictator's Motivational Banquet.
Sonshi.com: Can you tell us a little about this new book?
Chu: You will soon find out. Wait and see.
[End of interview]
Ms. Chin-Ning Chu was born in mainland China, grew up in Taiwan, and immigrated to the United States in 1969. Her name "Chin-Ning" in Chinese means "Journey to Peace." She has readers in over forty countries -- and throughout Asia and Australia, her books have outsold those of Stephen Covey, Tony Robbins and Tom Peters. Feature articles have been written about her and her style of teaching in major business publications like BusinessWeek and Success Magazine.
Today Chin-Ning Chu is the chairperson of the Strategic Learning Institute and the president of Asian Marketing Consultants, Inc. She and her company advise to top-level executives and numerous large companies around the world. For more information, go to ChinNingChu.com. Below is our interview.
Sonshi.com: You were born in China, raised in Taiwan, and in 1969, moved to the United States with little more than a suitcase and two books. Your ability to adapt and succeed is incredible! How have your experiences helped you to understand strategy?
Chu: It started when I was young. When I was 10 years old, my father read to me books like the Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms. At the time I just thought they were just great stories but they became a part of me. Now strategy comes naturally, effortlessly, and without formula.
Many people think that applying strategy is a devious activity. I disagree. What they are probably thinking is in the cases of Enron and Arthur Andersen where these companies operated on clever maneuvers. Strategy to me is about being one with the Tao, both in thought and in practice.
Sonshi.com: Share with our readers more about the two books you brought along with you. (We certainly know about one of them!)
Chu: I brought along Sun Tzu The Art of War and the Thick Black Theory. Thick Black Theory tells us the world is vicious and the most vicious people get ahead. It is a philosophical book describing what the world is like, but does not show you what to do about it. My book Think Face, Black Heart is based on this book but it goes another level to explain what to do.
Sonshi.com: When did you first learn about Sun Tzu's Art of War, and what was it about the book that interested you?
Chu: I first read The Art of War when I was in my teenage years. Frankly at the time, being a teenager, I did not know specifically how the book would be useful -- but I did know it was something powerful. I am now a practitioner of the book.
Sonshi.com: You are now Chairperson of the Strategic Learning Institute and President of Asian Marketing Consultants, Inc. From your business experience, how prevalent are Sun Tzu concepts being applied in the world of commerce?
Chu: As you know I am a professional international speaker on this subject. The requests I get from people to speak about Sun Tzu The Art of War and how to apply it to their business come mainly from CEOs and top executives. Rarely do I get them from middle or lower managers. CEOs and top-level managers seem to understand The Art of War better and therefore find the book more useful and applicable to their companies.
Sonshi.com: Do you see differences in how Eastern and Western cultures view and understand Sun Tzu and its ideas?
Chu: At the surface, yes; at the core, no. The Eastern mind is more subtle and hidden while the Western mind is more accessible and obvious. In the East, there is subtlety and things are done in the head; in the West, there is an emphasis to produce and on the practical. What I do for companies is help them fuse timeless Eastern wisdom with Western practicality.
Sonshi.com: You have had a tremendous amount of recognition from the media, clients, and fans for you and your work. What motivated you to write your first book that started it all: "The Chinese Mind Game?"
Chu: I work a lot with American businesses and government. What I found in 1986 when the book was written was Americans have little knowledge of the Chinese psyche. It was my desire to bridge this gap. The book has since been renamed to the Asian Mind Game.
Sonshi.com: Tell our readers about your latest book, "Working Woman's Art of War: Winning Without Confrontation."
Chu: Though the book was written for women, it can apply also to anyone working from a disadvantaged position. This would include minorities…especially if they are working in a "dictatorship". In fact, I have a new book to be published called, The Dictator's Motivational Banquet.
Sonshi.com: Can you tell us a little about this new book?
Chu: You will soon find out. Wait and see.
[End of interview]